Collage Video of TSA Abuses: You Won't Believe This!

And wait til the end of the video when they show the bus station security and talk about what's coming next. This is the vanguard of a police state. 

St. Andrew the Apostle: First Called by Jesus

Today is the feast of St. Andrew the apostle, the first of the twelve to follow Jesus, the one who was always on the lookout to bring Him souls. Andrew and his friend John were disciples of John the Baptist. No sooner did John point out the Lamb of God to them, saying, "He must increase; I must decrease," than they immediately followed Jesus.

Andrew brought Peter to Jesus urging, "Come and see." And when Jesus asked the apostles if they had any food to give the hungry  crowd, it was Andrew who immediately responded by bringing the little boy with the loaves and fishes to the Master. When Philip met some Greek proselytes to Judaism who wished to see Jesus, he brought them first to Andrew. Andrew could always be counted on to lead others to Christ. And so he did, disappearing into the background in his profound humility after being the channel of grace for others.

How I love Andrew! Since I don't know my guardian angel's real name, I call him Andrew as a reminder that I want him to lead me straight to Jesus. And how appropriate it is when Andrew's feast day falls in early Advent, the season when we anticipate the coming of Christ and strive to draw nearer to Him. St. Andrew invites us to spend Advent coming to see Christ in all his innocence as the babe in the manger; in his ministry as prophet, priest, and king; in his suffering and death on the cross; and anticipating his coming at the end of the world as judge.

Let us spend this Advent like St. Andrew inviting others to "Come and see" the wonder that is Jesus Christ our saving Lord. Come, Lord Jesus! St. Andrew, pray for us.

TSA on the Job: frisking nuns in full habit.

Okay, Sister, stick 'em up and don't make any funny moves! And keep your hands off those rosary beads!

So, Nude Body Scanners Make You Feel Safer?

Shocker! TSA's nude scans would miss taped-on bombs
Peer-reviewed paper says terrorists could fool clothes-penetrating tools

Are Catholic Charities Really Catholic?

There once was a time when Catholics could put their envelopes in a special collection for one of the bishops' charities confident that the money would be spent in accordance with Catholic teaching. That time, unfortunately, is long past. And, in fact, some charities, like the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) have, from their inception, supported organizations working in direct opposition to the faith. One would like to think that CCHD is an aberration, but, judging from other major Catholic charities, it is not. Caritas Internationalis, Catholic Charities, and Catholic Relief Services all have abused the trust shown to them by Catholics in the pew.

The pope's recent condom statement brought a cheerful reaction from Caritas Internationalis which works with AIDS programs. They released a statement welcoming the pope's comments on condoms. It included this quote from Secretary General Lesley-Anne Knight:

“The Pope’s reported comments in this book illustrate the importance of compassion and sensitivity in dealing with the complexities of HIV/AIDS prevention. Caritas delivers its HIV/AIDS programmes in line with Church Teaching and we will consider, in close consultation with the Holy See, whether there are implications for our work in these reported comments of Pope Benedict.”

Shall I translate that for you. "Hey, we've always supported condoms now we look forward to doing it openly with the pope's approval." Is that a slur on Caritas? I don't think so. Unfortunately, all the major Catholic charities are tainted by the fact that they take massive amounts of money from the government and anti-life foundations that support condom distribution and other anti-Catholic solutions to worldly problems. On top of that the charities commonly hire liberals who personally oppose Church teaching to fill key jobs. They also participate in coalitions that include organizations that support abortion, homosexuality, and are enemies of the traditional family.

Caritas is no different. Caritas-Europa, for example, is a member of End Poverty, a group that includes Planned Parenthood International and other problematic members like the European Social Action Network (EASN). They describe themselves as a "coalition of European NGO (non-governmental organization) networks." Their goal is "to advocate for a strong political legacy" (stress in the original)in the European Union (EU). Now what exactly does that mean?  

If you examine End Poverty's goals they includes the usual assortment of liberal issues: redistribution of income, environmentalism, elimination of "social exclusion" for any groups (including LGBT), etc. Building a "strong political legacy," they say, requires "A new overarching social and sustainable EU strategy, based on fundamental rights (stress in original), which puts people and planet first and makes progress on eradicating poverty and inequality a pre‐requisite in the development of all EU policies." Sounds impressive, but terms aren't defined and some of the language about rights and inequality has been used in other international documents and at United Nations meetings to mean the right to abortion and special rights for LGBT groups. Since some members of the coalition support abortion and the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is an attack on the family through an attack on parental authority, healthy skepticism is appropriate. And what exactly is a Catholic charity doing supporting "redistribution of income" in the first place? Forced charity is an oxymoron and violates justice.

While paying lip service to "putting people first," there's not one word in End Poverty's document about protecting the rights of the most vulnerable person, the unborn child, or defending the rights of the family. Since the breakdown of the family is the greatest cause of poverty, ignoring the family altogether is inexcusable, but not surprising considering the anti-family agenda of some of the members.

Caritas is certainly not alone in their questionable actions.Anyone paying attention to national and international Catholic charities knows, for the most part, they aren't really Catholic at all. Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) is notorious! So is Catholic Charities which lost its soul years ago when it chose  political activism and government money over the corporal works of mercy and the Catholic rule of subsidiarity. In my own diocese, Catholic Charities ran a teen sexuality program in the 80s (funded by a government grant) that used Planned Parenthood materials and featured speakers who undermined Church teaching. My husband and I attended with our son and I specifically remember the doctor who said "masturbation is no problem" to this group of 13-year-olds.

What about Catholic Relief Services? In 2008 Catholic World Report (CRS) ran an exposé on the international charity titled The Church Betrayed by moral theologian Germain Grisez. Grisez went into extended detail on an AIDS education program that used materials developed by CRS implying that condoms were the best way to avoid AIDS (after a passing mention of abstinence) and masturbation was an acceptable alternative form of sexual expression. (They used the term massage, but one gets the idea.) Fornication was implied as well even for teens. The program included a "flip chart" developed by and the property of CRS with their logo deliberately excluded. Apparently, the powers that be recognized the ticklish situation if they were known as the authors of the problematic materials. And so CRS covered it up. In fact, Jared M. Hoffman, an executive with CRS headquarters in Baltimore, in a letter accompanying the CD with the educational materials, which was sent out to "colleagues" in many countries, specifically forbade the CRS logo from appearing on them. Why? "CRS," Hoffman wrote, "has chosen not to include the CRS or AIDSRelief logo on the flipchart, due to the potential sensitivity of the information contained in these materials among Church partners."

Professor Grisez called for the bishops to investigate CRS, but Archbishop Timothy Dolan, head of the CRS board, sent a letter to his brother bishops after the article was published assuring them that all was well, and no investigation was needed. He also defamed Professor Grisez by misrepresenting the article and accusing him of saying things he never said. It was business as usual at a big Catholic charity, something that has become all too familiar to Catholics in the pew.

Unfortunately, the strategy of the bishops for addressing scandals that regularly arise about their so-called Catholic charities is: 1) circle the wagon, 2) drag out a barrel of whitewash to cover up the scandal, and 3) spin the facts to assure everyone that what happened was, of course, an aberration, a misunderstanding, a mistake that will never be repeated....until the next time. And you can be sure there will be a next time because those administering these charities are often liberals who oppose Church teaching and think the world's solutions are best. Church bureaucracies are filled with them and most of the bishops seem perfectly content to turn a blind eye to the problem.

So what's a faithful Catholic to do? Personally, I won't give a nickle to any of the establishment Catholic charities which will use my money, at least some of the time, to attack my beliefs. In the meantime, I give to groups I trust. The answer in the long run, I believe, is the establishment of a truly Catholic charity run by the laity that follows Catholic principles faithfully, refuses entanglement with the culture of death by taking no money from the government, supports only Catholic charitable programs, and hires only faithful Catholics as administrators, field workers, and grant reviewers. Such an institution is long overdue. Pray for the Lord of the harvest to raise one up that will produce an abundance of good grapes instead of a devastated vineyard filled with rotten fruit.

Welcome Advent - Come, Lord Jesus

About the Advent Wreath
by Fr. Victor Hoagland

The origins of the Advent wreath are found in the folk practices of the pre-Christian Germanic peoples who, during the cold December darkness of Eastern Europe, gathered wreaths of evergreen and lighted fires as signs of hope in a coming spring and renewed light.

Christians kept these popular traditions alive, and by the 16th century Catholics and Protestants throughout Germany used these symbols to celebrate their Advent hope in Christ, the everlasting Light. From Germany the use of the Advent wreath spread to other parts of the Christian world.

Traditionally, the wreath is made of four candles in a circle of evergreens. Three candles are violet and the fourth is rose, but four white candles or four violet candles can also be used. Each day at home, the candles are lighted, perhaps before the evening meal-- one candle the first week, and then another each succeeding week until December 25th. A short prayer may accompany the lighting. For more go here.

TSA Agent Accused of Raping 14-year-old girl

Well, at least one TSA agent was having a fun time groping kids. He apparently did it on his off time time as well. Check it out.



And check out the 12-year-old traveling with an adult friend who was pulled out of line for the nude scanner without a parent there to advocate for her. (Guess she was hot young chick.) Parents say she was so traumatized, when she got back she didn't mention the Florida vacation, but just wanted to talk about what happened at the airport. She was frightened and wanted to know why they picked her. Well, duh, teenage girls are a real threat. Remember all the planes they've tried to hijack or bomb? Or maybe...just maybe...it has less to do with looking for "bombs" than looking at b**bs. Why do you think they randomly pick out young girls for the screening?

Hey, ask Sean Shanahan, the guy from Winthrop accused of raping the young girl.

Check out the faces of the "Religion of Peace"

I love Michelle Malkin. She's beautiful and articlate and has a lot of good, old fashioned common sense. And she's not as shrill as Ann Coulter. Here's an article from her Hot Air blog (hat tip to Gary for sending it) about the latest terrorist attempt by a Somali teenager in Portland, now named the "Christmas bomber" for trying to set off a car bomb during a Christmas tree lighting event. Fortunately, the "explosives" were provided by federal agents and there was never any danger to the public. Had it been the real thing the consequences would have been devstating. The cell phone call that was supposed to set off the bomb alerted the agents for the arrest.

Michelle uses the story to recap numerous terrorist attempts showing the "broad spectrum" of the population committing them. Funny, they all look to be Middle eastern and Black Muslim men between the ages of about 18 and 50. I don't see any three-year-olds, grannies, nuns in habits, old men with urine bags attached to their legs, kids in leg braces, old ladies with fake hips and knees, etc. (Hello, TSA, are you paying attention?)

Check out the article for yourself and note all the other photos of terrorists and terror suspects.

Of course, not all Muslims are terrorists, but that isn't the only threat from Islam. The non-Muslim citizens of Dearborn, MI are struggling with the growing pressure to let the 1/3 Muslim population govern by Sharia Law. Liberal websites are mocking the idea of "creeping Sharia" but where do they think it starts? And are they blind to what's going on in other parts of the world where governments have actually capitulated to the Islamic demand of separate law courts, i.e. the U.K.? What happens to a culture when there are different laws for different populations? Chaos, perhaps? We are seeing the Balkanization of the United States and few seem to be concerned about it, least of all those who swear to uphold our Constitution and claim to care about the "common good."

Islam is a religion of violence. There's no question about it. The Koran preaches violent overthrow of the infidel who refuses to convert and rules its own, particularly women, by bloody punishment. And all the talk in the world about it being the "religion of peace" won't change the reality. Wake up, America!

Just another bomb-plotting jihadist yelling “Allahu akbar!”
By Michelle Malking

Ho-hum.

If it’s Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, it’s just another day in the life of a true believer in violent jihad.

Yes: Violent jihad. Two words the current occupant of the White House won’t say together and about which he remains in stubborn denial.

Violent jihad. A fundamental tenet of legions and legions of Muslims worldwide — and untold numbers of homegrown and immigrant practitioners of the Religion of Perpetual Outrage here on American soil.

Read more....

At least Ten Dioceses Opt Out of CCHD Collection

LifeSiteNews reports on dioceses that skip the CCHD Collection.

Steve Bridges as President Barack Obama

I can't believe this is the same guy who did George Bush at the White House Correspondents Association Dinner in tandem with the real thing. He's got Obama nailed both looks and voice. Gotta give his prosthetic makeup artist, Kevin Haney, a big high five. I've read on several blogs that President Obama is not amused, but I couldn't find any proof that he's tried to stop Bridges' act as some said. It's believable. Liberals often lack an honest sense of humor, especially self-deprecating humor. Of course, they have their own brand of sick humor like Ted Kennedy who was always asking if anyone had heard a good Chappaquidick joke lately. Killing a young woman is great fodder for a belly laugh.

Enjoy the video. It's good, clean fun (Bridges is the son of a Baptist preacher after all). And if you want to read more about Steve go here.

How Many are Broken-Hearted by the Pope's Imprudent Condom Remarks

A friend sent me the following email today:

Hi Mary Ann,

I understand and share your distress at the imprudence of the pope’s remarks to an interviewer re use of certain prophylactic devices: that stabbed-in-the-back feeling J. Don’t know if you saw Smeaton’s to-the-point remarks on the matter, at http://bit.ly/dX4j90 (John Smeaton is the head of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children in the U.K.):

This week especially, my heart breaks for my children and for my grandchildren; my heart breaks for the children of Britain and for children throughout the world. My heart breaks as I witness leading figures in the Vatican fomenting universal confusion on Catholic teaching on the use of condoms following Pope Benedict’s interview on that subject in the new publication: "Light of the World”. …
I address now the successors of the apostles, the Catholic bishops of the world. As the leader of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, the oldest pro-life organization in the world, I especially address you, Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, and through you, the bishops of the world.

“Countless children, perhaps my own grandchildren, will be deliberately corrupted as a result of the exploitation and misrepresentation of your interview about condoms by opponents of Catholic teaching within the Catholic Church. As a result of the worldwide media’s perception of your interview, and as a result of policies and legislation enacted on the basis of a false representation of Catholic teaching, the corruption of young children and the destruction of countless children in the womb will go hand in hand. Countless women will be exploited by selfish or insensitive or brutal husbands and boyfriends, as a result of the confusion generated in the mass media by opponents, within the Church, of Catholic teaching on the use of condoms."

Thanks to Jon for sending this. I'm posting a link to John Smeaton's blog (see blogroll on right). And may all our shepherds keep a more careful watch over their tongues with a sharp awareness of the potential to mislead and scandalize the flock.

List of Airports Using Naked Body Scannerss

Here's a list of airports using the naked body scanners. Unfortunately it's listed by airport codes. To connect a code to an airport go here. Note the first website also has a link at the top for alternative airports that don't use the naked body scanners (yet). For example, if you lived near Charlottesville, you could opt to start your trip there with a connecting flight out of Dulles where you would miss security. It's a thought. You still might be subjected to the enhanced pat down if something sets off the metal detector.

Archbishop Dolan talks about God...him or her or whatever?

When a Catholic archbishop, the head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in fact, speaks about God, wouldn't you expect a little respect. Oh, and maybe an unapologetic affirmation of our faith in Jesus Christ? Do you really expect an archbishop to echo a teenager's mantra of "whatever? But that's what Archbishop Dolan did in an interview on Fox and Friends right before Thanksgiving. Speaking about thanking God he said, "some call him or her, whatever you want, somebody beyond us." Good grief!  I expected it of Queen Elizabeth when she said recently that the "wellbeing and prosperity of the nation depend on the contribution of individuals and groups of all faiths and of none." W But is it too much to expect a Catholic Archbishop to speak...well...like a Catholic archbishop? Watch it for yourself:



Too many bishops make the Catholic faith a laughing stock. It is hard to see in them the shadow of the priest martyrs who died on the hills of Rome or at Tyburn or in Russia's gulags or in the jailyards of Spain and Mexico. Can you see in Archbishop Dolan's interview the Catholic priests at Auschwitz and Dachau laying down their lives for others?  All I can see is a jovial Irishman who wants everyone to like him. With the faith under fire we need men like St. Thomas More and Bishop John Fisher who were willing to stand up to a king. Sadly, I can't even see Archbishop Dolan standing up to Governor Paterson or Mayor Bloomberg except to shake hands, share a joke, and sit down to a fine supper with liquor and laughter. God help us! Pray for him and all the bishops of the United States.

The TSA Hustle: "Don't Touch My Junk!"

This is a little vulgar, but considering what's happening at the airport these days, how could it not be? If you have to fly, hand the TSAs a copy of the 4th amendment and wear body armor. A friend of mine is putting on pads and depends and wearing a sequined top and vest. A couple of layers under your shirt could help and be sure to tell the TSA you expect a pair of clean gloves. Who wants to be touched with gloves that have been inside somebody's pants?

Jesuits at Georgetown Considering "Gender Blind" Housing

Now we all know that Jesuits have a hard time speaking ordinary English since they adopted the language of political correctness, so you may be confused at the phrase "gender blind" housing. Let me translate for you. It means putting students together regardless of sex.* So a pretty 18-year-old Freshman girl could pair up with her 18-year-old boyfriend. Or two self-idenfied LGBT students could room together. What a thought! And for this, parents spend almost $40,000 a year plus room and board? Here's what the Newman Society is reporting:

According to The Hoya, Jesuit Georgetown University’s student newspaper, officials at the University have said they are willing to broach the topic of “gender-blind housing,” which would “not take into account gender when assigning housing to students.”

This past Sunday, Georgetown student senators voted to “take a closer look” at this suggestion for on-campus housing, the article reported, which “could lead to a more accepting atmosphere for LGBTQ students.”

Regarding the proposal, Todd Olsen, Vice President for Student Affairs, reportedly told The Hoya, “I am open to discussing ideas and interests with students as they pursue this dialogue.”

Georgetown should be stripped of its Catholic identity. It is actually less Catholic than most secular univesities. I suspect Fulton Sheen was thinking of Georgetown when he said parents should send their children to secular schools where they would have to fight for the faith rather than so-called Catholic schools where their faith would be taken from them. There are plenty of those around these days. And their graduates are exiting the Church in droves. Jesuit schools are especially adept at destroying the faith. Congrats, guys!

*I refuse to use the term "gender" which traditionally is used in grammar to identify masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns to determine the form of adjectives. For example, the the French word for window, fenetre, is feminine taking the feminine article "la" vs. the masculine "le". 

More on the Naked Body Scanners

Who ordered them?

Who's profitting from them?

Naked body scanners may be dangerous to your health!

The Success of National opt-out day on November 24.

Some of us just won't consent at all to this violation of our civil rights!

Happy Thanksgiving! Here are two Trivia Quizzes to Entertain your Guests

As we approach the first Sunday of Advent, the beginning of the new liturgical year, let us give God thanks for all his blessings of the past year. And while you enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner, here are a few Thanksgiving trivia quizzes to entertain your family.

Turkey Trivia Quiz - Twenty questions about turkeys

Thanksgiving Trivia Quiz - 80 questions - might take as long as the first Thanksgiving

And for a review of the real story about the Plymouth Colony and the failure of their socialist experiment of common property go here. Socialism always fails!

Does the Ayers/Obama Connection Go Back 20 Years?

I missed this video during the 2008 election, but I think it's important for people to continue to press for answers about the Obamas' connection to terrorists. How can the Commander and Chief be taken seriously in the war on terror when he embraces terrorists like Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn who still express their pride in their actions. As the video says, three policemen were murdered by the Weather Underground and they attempted to murder the judge presiding over the Panther 21 trial and his family while they slept. Imagine it was your family.

It's ironic isn't it? The real terrorists are friends of the Obamas and patriotic Americans are being treated as enemies being strip-searched and sexually assaulted for the privilege of getting on a plane.  Who are the real enemies of freedom? After you watch the video, I suggest you read John Murtagh's article, Fire in the Night.

Former Texas Priest Hires Hit Man to Kill Teen He Abused

Let's see...Fr. John Fiala is accused of molesting a kid in 2007-2008 and then hiring a hit man recently to kill him. But things are hunky dory in the Church according to new USCCB president, Archbishop Timothy Dolan. You can read about it at Bishop Loverdy, Where is Fr. James Haley?

Archishop Dolan is no Hero of Orthodoxy

Mike Voris has it right on this one. Here's what I blogged after the election. Pray for Archbishop Dolan, but don't kid yourself that much has changed at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)! It's still top-heavy with bishop politicians who appear to be more comfortable with the world than with the faith fertilized by the blood of martyrs.

Michael Voris on Pope's Condom Statement

While Blue-Shirted TSA Agents Grope and X-Ray Passengers, Cargo Gets Almost No Scrutiny

Head of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, recently told Bloomberg Television that cargo stored in the holds of airplanes gets little scrutiny. “Ordering 100 percent screening for air cargo is an easy thing to say, but it's probably not the best way to go. Cargo is infinitely more complicated and comes in infinitely more shapes and sizes than passengers." So, what are we to make of this. Terrorizing little children, sexually molesting women, and fondling the crotches of men including the elderly is what will actually make us safe?

Don't be too sure of that. At East Midlands Airport on October 29th British intelligence uncovered and disabled a bomb shipped from Yemen aboard a cargo plane. It was set to go off over the eastern seaboard of the U.S. and was removed from the plane three hours before it was set to go off. The French Interior Minister said the bomb was deactivated only seventeen minutes before planned detonation.  Now all this raises questions about the security aboard passenger flights. Exactly how carefully are luggage and packages screened at the airport and what's the chance of a bomb making it aboard your flight? Pretty significant, as a matter of fact. Watch the video below. Napolitano said that to inspect all cargo would require treaties with many countries. The British said that only packages originating in England are inspected because they accept the security procedures of other countries. In the wake of the bomb plot, however, the Brits have suspended cargo from Yemen and unaccompanied cargo from Somalia.




But the gropes and X-rays go on and some passengers are actually being arrested for refusing to cooperate in their molestation. San Diego resident Sam Wolanyk was arrested after he opted out of the X-ray and refused the pat down. Instead he took off his clothes. Underneath, he was wearing Calvin Klein Biker shorts and top which he said, “left nothing to the imagination. But that wasn’t enough for the TSA supervisor who was called to the scene and asked me to put my clothes on so I could be properly patted down.” Wolanyk was arrested by Harbor Police for two misdemeanors: violating code 7.01, failing to complete the security process and 7.14 (a) illegally recording the San Diego Airport Authority (on his i-phone).

So let's all repeat together. Homeland Security must X-ray and grope us to protect us from terrorists. And we must submit like good little lemmings obeying the elites who give the blue shirts their power over us. We are all potential terrorists. Meanwhile, Janet Napolitano will not say whether Muslim women will have to go through full body patdowns. There will be "adjustments" and "more to come." So will Muslim women in hajibs get to pat themselves down? Who knows?

And a big question looms over all this. Is it really about safety? Or is it about intimidating Americans to give up their constitutional freedoms and cooperate with police state tactics under the guise of security?

Time to Resurrect Star Wars in View of the Missile off the California Coast

In view of the unexplained missile launch off the California coast, the question of U.S. security looms large. This video indicates exactly how critical a strategic defense system is. If you can't view the video go here.

Vatican Damage Control on Pope's Condom Statement

It's a fact of life that exceptional cases make bad law. They also make bad spiritual generalizations. Unfortunately, those with an agenda will use the pope's recent statement about an exceptional, individual situation to make broad generalizations that aren't true. It's already happening with headlines about the pope approving condoms for gays. And the inevitable question is, "Well, if gay prostitutes can use condoms to prevent AIDS, why not married couples where one spouse has AIDS? or fornicating couples, for that matter?" And what about other incurable STDs like herpes? 

There are plenty of difficult sexual situations that invite lowering the moral bar. Can the elderly married couple dealing with erectile dysfunction practice mutual masturbation? How about a married couple late in pregnancy? Obviously, there's no contraceptive intention in either case.  What if the woman is still in her child-bearing years but her husband can't perform? Do they have to live in a Josephite marriage with no hands-on relations? I'm sure there are plenty of wounded vets who would like to know.

The pope's comment opens a huge can of wiggling worms in sexual matters. And the irony is that it was absolutely unnecessary. Does anyone really believe AIDS-infected gay prostitutes care what the pope thinks? Do they need his permission to use condoms to protect their partners? Unfortunately, the world will see the pope lining up with Planned Parenthood and gay activist groups urging "safer sex."

To be honest, I'm in mourning. I've spent most of my adult life defending Church teaching on Humanae Vitae, and I will continue to do so. But I feel like the pope just made it a lot harder. Here's what I said in a comment on an article at LifeSiteNews today. The author was "explaining" that the pope was talking about sodomy not normal sex, but it still left me scratching my head:

So let me get this straight. An AIDS infected homosexual engaging in gay prostitution is showing his moral concern for himself or his partner by using a condom while he commits sodomy; but a married couple where one is infected with AIDS is committing a mortal sin of contraception? Or is it only if the couple can potentially become pregnant? Are the post menopausal married woman and her husband allowed to use condoms to prevent spread of disease?
It seems to me that the pope’s statement absolutely undermines the Church’s teaching on contraception. If the infected sodomite is to be seen as exercising concern for the other by using a condom, how can the infected married couple not be seen in the same light? Or is their marital act with a condom, because of the contraceptive aspect, now seen as more immoral than sodomy with a condom that shows the gay couple’s concern for one another. I’m baffled and heartbroken.

As someone who’s spent a lifetime defending Humanae Vitae, I feel like the rug has been pulled out from under me. I feel like I’m on the wrong side of the looking glass at the Mad Hatter’s tea party.

The Vatican knows the pope's comment created a firestorm and they've gone into damage control mode. [See Vatican Rushes to Clarify Pope's Comments in Book ] What the fallout of this imprudent papal comment will be on the Church remains to be seen. Please pray for the pope and our poor suffering Church. And I'd appreciate a few prayers for myself as well. It's hard enough to fight those coming straight at you. But it's doubly hard when you have to watch your back.

Randy Engel Comments on Pope's Condom Statement

When I read the pope's comments a few days ago, even in the longer context, I immediately thought how they would be used to promote "safe sex." The comment seemed imprudent to me, at best, better left to the spiritual counsel of a priest working with a hardened sinner. The pope's statement, in the context of an interview, is certainly ripe for misinterpretation. Frankly, I wish he hadn't said it. The faithful are already fighting tooth and claw to hold our ground.

 I posted Janet Smith's comments a few days ago on the matter. Now I'm posting Randy Engel's who I respect very much.

The Lambeth Conference of 1950 should be studied by every Catholic because it set the stage for the Protestant churches, all of which opposed contraception at the time, to fall like dominoes into embracing contraception and "the contraceptive mentality." From use by married couples for serious reasons, contraception quickly became the family limiter espoused by Planned Parenthood, especially with the advent of "the pill" ten years later. So Randy's concerns are legitimate. And I add my lament: "Your Holiness, Why?"

"Shades of Lambeth"
by Randy Engel
(11/21/2010)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ -
Having woken this morning, as if from a bad dream, to the reality of Benedict XVI's remarks in favor of condom use for male prostitutes engaging in sodomy, I thought it my duty to set forth the Catholic Church's timeless condemnation of sodomy as enunciated by Saint Peter Damian in his Book of Gomorrah. This medieval treatise on clerical sodomy and pederasty, and the abuse of the Sacraments of Holy Orders and Penance by homosexual bishops, priests, and religious in the Roman Catholic Church was written in the 11th century. Saint Damian believed the vice of sodomy surpassed the enormity of all other vices:

Without fail it brings death to the body and destruction to the soul. It pollutes the flesh, extinguishes the light of the mind, expels the Holy Spirit from the temple of the human heart, and gives entrance to the devil, the stimulator of lust. It leads to error, totally removes truth from the deluded mind. ...It opens up hell and closes the gates of paradise. ...It is this vice that violates temperance, slays modesty, strangles chastity, and slaughters virginity. ...It defiles all things, sullies all things, pollutes all things. ...This vice excludes a man from the assembled choir of the Church. ...it separates the soul from God to associate it with demons. This utterly diseased queen of Sodom renders him who obeys the laws of her tyranny infamous to men and odious to God. ...She strips her knights of the armor of virtue, exposing them to be pierced by the spears of every vice. ...She humiliates her slave in the church and condemns him in court; she defiles him in secret and dishonors him in public; she gnaws at his conscience like a worm and consumes his flesh like fire ...this unfortunate man (he) is deprived of all moral sense, his memory fails, and the mind's vision is darkened. Unmindful of God, he also forgets his own identity. This disease erodes the foundation of faith, saps the vitality of hope, dissolves the bond of love. It makes away with justice, demolishes fortitude, removes temperance, and blunts the edge of prudence. Shall I say more? *

In 1930, at the 7th Anglican Lambeth Conference, approval was given to married couples for the use of birth control in hard cases thus opening the door to the pollution of the marriage bed, and to contraception's handmaidens - sterilization and abortion. In light of Benedict XVI's recent comments in favor of condom use for male prostitutes engaged in sodomy, one may, I think, legitimately ask if Catholics are being prepared for a Lambeth-like attack on the Natural Law and Catholic morality - one which will open the door to sodomy and other homosexual acts which have always been condemned by the Church?

TSA Sexual Assault: Children, Women, Old Folks, Passengers with prosthetics...

The first two videos show abuse and traumatizing of children. The little boy has his clothing removed. If someone did this in the park, he'd be arrested. The little girl is frightened and becomes hysterical. The TSA agent just keeps on groping. How many sheep are actually submitting to this without complaint? It's just plain sick. Male TSAs are fondling children between the legs, touching their genitals.

Meanwhile, Janet Napolitano is considering how Homeland Security can make accomodations for Muslim women wearing hijabs. Common sense, eh? How many three-year-olds have tried to hijack planes? How many Muslims?


TSA Screener Accosting 3 Year Old Child at Security Checkpoint from RonPaul Fan on Vimeo.




Need a breast exam? Just ask TSA! Watch the video below. The description of a mother's ordeal with her two young daughters begins at about 3:50 on the tape. Consider, it was a MALE TSA fondling this mom. He would have done the same to her daughters if she had not demanded a female agent. This is sex abuse plain and simple!



TSA strips a 70-year-old and feels up a young woman with an artificial limb. Now don't you feel safer?

What Did the Pope Really Say about Condoms and What Did He Mean?

The media is great at taking comments by Church leaders and sensationalizing them. Now, I confess that when I heard the initial reports about the pope's statement on condoms I was shocked and wondered if he really said it. Now I'm just scratching my head and thinking that this is one of those thoughts that would have been better left unsaid because it obviously will be distorted and twisted and turned into a renewed debate on distributing condoms in Africa.

Certainly, a gay prostitute is not using a condom for birth control so that is simply irrelevant. On the other hand, homosexual sex is unnatural, degrading, and mortally sinful. Can using a condom out of concern for transmitting AIDS make it less sinful? I think I understand the point that it might signal an awakening sense in the sinner of concern for the partner in sin; but what kind of concern is it when one is in the act of buggery?

What times we live in! I'd rather debate how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. At least the thought of dancing angels is lovely.

On her page at Renew America, Jenn Giroux has a column by Prof. Janet Smith on the subject. Check it out and see what you think. I'd be interested in your thoughts because I'm still scratching my head.

A Miracle Story for Sunday: Son of Martyred Missionary Builds "Flying Car"

Steve Saint's dad, Nate, and some brother missionaries were killed in the wilds of Ecuador in 1956 by a tribe of natives they were trying to befriend. Steve's aunt continued the missionary work and Steve lived there from the age of five until he left to go to college in the United States. Later, the  Waodani asked him to return and he did with his wife and teenage children. Steve saw the need for a vehicle that could access remote parts of the country that were inaccesible by traditional transportation. He hopes to sell the flying car on the commercial market in order to finance its main use, "to access places where there are no doctors, there are no nurses, there's no hospital."  The Waodani call Steve's car the "wood-bee thing" and want to learn to fly so they can help their own people. Pray for the success of this wonderful invention that opens up a whole new world to people living in the remotest locations on earth. For more on this story go here.

Experts believe missile off California coast was Chinese "shot across our bow!"

I'm so so glad that the TSA is doing virtual strip searches and enhanced pat down molestation of passengers to keep us safe. As for the "missile" - would your government lie to you? It's so good to feel safe with "the one" at the helm. Don't you think?

Taken from Experts: Mystery contrail was from Chinese missile

Two governmental military experts with extensive experience working with missiles and computer security systems have examined the television video and conclude the mysterious contrail originating some 30 miles off the coast near Los Angeles did not come from a jet – but rather, they say the exhaust and the billowing plume emanated from a single source nozzle of a missile, probably made in China.

They further suggest the missile was fired from a submerged Chinese nuclear submarine off America's coast, and point out that the timing of the alleged Chinese missile shot coincided with an increasing confrontation between the U.S. and China, and was likely meant to send a message to Washington....

A former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot and commander of an F-15 squadron and an F-16 wing, Cash was assigned to NORAD as an assistant director of operations at the Cheyenne Mountain complex near Colorado Springs, Colo., and is fully knowledgeable of NORAD procedures.

"There is absolutely no doubt that what was captured on video off the coast of California was a missile launch, was clearly observed by NORAD, assessed by a four-star general in minutes, and passed to the president immediately," he said.

Dr. Lyle J. Rapacki of Sentinel Intelligence Services, LLC, said the contrail incident off the Los Angeles coast is "fraught with peril" due to the defense systems and protocols in place that should have detected the alleged submarine.

Pray for abortionist Harmen Van Der Woude

I'm conflicted today. This morning before Mass I heard that the abortionist who runs the mill next door to AAA Women for Choice, the crisis pregnancy center (CPC) where I used to volunteer, is dying. Harmen Van Der Woude is an atheist who used to send the director of our CPC articles about natural disasters with margin notes like -- "Is this what your loving God does to his children?" Pat had at least a dozen of these which I always thought indicated his conscience wasn't quite dead. After all, if he was so sure of what he was doing why bother?

We could hear the suction machine through the thin walls and used to play sacred music for our own sake and those in the killing rooms. I was glad I usually worked on the days there were no abortions. But I met some of Van Der Woude's victims, the living ones. One morning I counseled a young woman in her twenties who ended up in the emergency room following her abortion next door. Van Der Woude  perforated her uterus and the hospital had to clean up the mess. She had a total hysterectomy to save her life - in her 20s! I urged her to sue, and said we could put her in touch with people who would help. As a single mom she could use the money to help support her living children. She told me she deserved what happened for what she did to her baby. "No one deserves that," I replied.

I don't think I've ever met someone so sad. I spoke to her of God's love and forgiveness, but my words couldn't penetrate her self-loathing. Please pray for her. To this day, I can see her pretty face stricken with pain. Another woman came in who also aborted next door. She said she didn't feel right and was having pain and went back a week or so after the abortion. The nurse did a sonogram and looked worried. She told her to come back later when the doctor was there, but said don't go to the emergency room. Fortunately, the woman didn't listen and went to the hospital. She had a major infection and had to be on IV antibiotics for massive septicemia. That is the reality of "safe, legal abortion."

 Van Der Woude's wife Elizabeth is a lapsed Catholic who had a cordial relationship with our director. I was there once when Elizabeth brought a young woman over who was beyond the point they did abortions. Too risky. "I could send them to D.C.," she said defensively. On another day I was outside washing windows  when she arrived and said "Good morning." I replied, sardonically I confess. "It will be a good morning for us, not for you." It made her angry. Well, how does one greet someone coming in to begin the morning kill?

Yes, I am conflicted about Harmen's condition? My feelings say, "Good-bye, good riddance, and go to hell, Harmen! Now you meet your maker and all the little victims you butchered." I'm not proud of those feelings. There's a lot of the older brother of the prodigal son in my makeup, sad to say. "You did the crime; now serve the time" -- in a very hot place. Then I remember my own sins and the fact that one unrepented mortal sin can send a soul to hell. Mea culpa! And thank you, Lord, for Confession.

I know God sees Harmen as a son, a beloved son who went very wrong. Jesus grieved on the cross seeing the sins each one of us, including Harmen, would commit. He must have grieved especially for those who would die in final rejection of His love. So I have to resist my feelings and pray for Harmen to receive the grace of final repentance. No one is beyond God's grace no matter how evil a life he's led, even Harmen.

I prayed for him at Mass and I'll be offering my rosary today as well, that Harmen will repent and reach out to God. I suspect all the little ones he killed and his poor neglected guardian angel will join me. I hope you will too. No one should rejoice in the eternal loss of a brother, even the blackest sheep of the family.

And if you're looking for an alternative to this week's collection for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, I heartily recommend AAA Women for Choice, 9380A Forestwood Lane, Manassas, VA 20110-4735, (703) 330-9312. I guarantee your money will be well spent! ‎

The Big Lie About Abortion

It's getting harder to hide all the lies about abortion being safe and easy. According to Patricia Coleman writing at The Unchoice website, "Over 30 studies have been published in just the last five years and they add to a body of literature comprised of hundreds of studies published in major medicine and psychology journals throughout the world."  Coleman provides a list of the articles and urges the "conscientious reader" to examine them. Check it out here.  Pro-aborts are like the three monkeys except for one difference. Many of them know the truth but they want to hide it from others. So they stop up people's ears with their lies and direct their eyes away from the truth. But more and more women know they've experienced the big lie and are speaking out. Which is why the pro-abortion movement is doomed. It will implode from its own weight of lies and deceit.

Blogger Kathleen Reeves Needs a Reality Check

Kathleen Reeves who blogs at "Reality Check" needs one. In a post describing the election of Archbishop Timothy Dolan to head the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) she accused me of "a smear" for my article on Bishop Gerald Kicanas. What offended her? I described the bishop as a "homosexualist," which he is without a doubt. Do your homework! If he were not, he hardly would have received the ringing endorsement of the "rainbow sash" movement who included a comment that they hoped he would "grow" on the same-sex marriage issue, something they obviously think is a possibility despite it flying in the face of Catholic teaching.

Reeves says Kicanas' defeat showed the bishops caved in to the "far right" in the Church and blasts the tea party and "political movements that preach fear, exclusion, and bigotry." Obviously, she does not consider herself a member of one of those "political movements." Only those who disagree with her fit the description. She obviously sees herself as the non-political, independent voice of "reality" and reason. Uh...yeah.

But here's a "reality check" for Kathleen. First of all, her understanding of the Church is seriously deficient. Anyone using the terms "liberal" and "conservative" when referring to the Catholic faith adopts political language that reflects a political agenda. The Church is a family of faith and the job of the bishops as shepherds is to teach, govern, and sanctify, not according to their own personal beliefs, but according to the doctrine laid down by Jesus Christ through the apostles. Embracing the creed isn't conservatism; it's orthodoxy. And, yes, there are bad bishops and priests who undermine the faith. Every heresy in the Church that I can think of began with a man in a Roman collar.

But those who defend the faith from heresy today are smeared as "exclusionary bigots."

Redirect CCHD Money to Catholic Schools!

I received an email letter today that I've printed below and it gave me an idea. Without a good education, many are condemned to lifelong poverty. So instead of putting money in the collection basket this week for the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, donate instead to a faithful Catholic school serving the poor. If we really want to end poverty (the stated goal of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development), educating the children of the poor is a powerful way to do it.

Not a penny to community organizers - every cent to grants to make Catholic schools affordable for the poor. In inner cities Catholic schools are often the only alternative to failing public schools that put out functional illiterates. The $200 million dished out over the past 40 years by CCHD and funnelled into community organizing groups like ACORN was often spent to undermine Catholic teaching. Think of the impact if that money had instead been used to educate young people to be the future leaders in their communities as well as exposing them to the truths of the Catholic faith. 

And now the letter:

To whom it may concern,



I attended a meeting on Monday evening with about a couple of hundred others including Mayor Amicone, Councilwoman Gronowski, Councilman Murtagh among others. This meeting concerned the designation by the Archdioces of NY of Christ the King,school, Yonkers (along with St. Bartholemew and St. Mary locally) as "At Risk" of closing due to the Archdiocese possibly ending subsidy.


The Catholic Church has a three fold mandate from it's Founder, Jesus Christ, to teach, to govern and to sanctify. Clearly, the idea of closing schools in order to strengthen them is Newspeak and has no foundation in reality. One of the questions that evening was "Where is the money from the Cardinal's Appeal? If it went to the needy-tell them we need it!"


Those funds may be long gone, however this Sunday(Nov 21st) the Church will ask everyone to contribute in a second collection to something called the "Catholic Campaign for Human Development"or CCHD. Ostensibly this money is for the poor. However, it's real purpose is funding Socialist community orginizations which "empower" people to revolution along a path developed by Saul Alinsky who dedicated a book to "that first revolutionary -Lucifer!"


I would ask you to print or publicize this letter in the hopes that those who read it shall refrain from the second collection for the CCHD and instead send the money they would have donated to one of the above mentioned "At Risk" schools. Kindly make it clear that the money you send is marked "for the school".


Thank you in advance,


Denis Giannelli


The Fr. Fahey Institute


Yonkers

Go Proud Says Tea Party Should Drop the Social Issues!

Well, well, what a surprise. GoProud, the homosexual "consrvatives" are making headlines for claiming that the tea party is hurt by including the social issues (like opposition to same sex marriage) in their agenda. A handful of tea party leaders signed an open letter to GOP leaders urging them to focus solely on economic issues, claiming that "special interests...[are trying to] co-opt the Tea Party’s message and use it to push their own agenda – particularly as it relates to social issues." Of course, GoProud has no agenda........

[Pardon the pause, I'm laughing so hard I couldn't type.]

Other tea party activists responded strongly to GoProud's letter. There are 2300 groups in the U.S. and the letter was signed by fewer than 20. World Net Daily quoted a Massachusetts leader who described what happened when another local head reneged on her promise to address the social issues:

"They're only speaking for their own chapters, not for the tea party as a whole," said David Beaupre, head of the Independence Tea Party, a Tea Party Patriots-affiliated group based in Massachusetts....

Beaupre noted that his tea-party chapter received a recent boost in membership because a neighboring tea-party organizer went back on her word to address social issues "after the election." 

"Eighteen or 19 people walked out of her meeting when she made it clear she wasn't going to talk about life and homosexuality," Beaupre told WND.

Beaupre added that several neighboring Massachusetts Tea Party chapters also emphasize social issues....

A recent survey has shown that nearly half (47 percent) of tea-party supporters consider themselves to be part of the conservative Christian movement. Nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of tea partiers say abortion should be illegal in all or most cases, and only 18 percent support same-sex marriage."

"In our post-election poll, when asked to name the biggest issue facing future generations, 62 percent of voters said it is the moral decline of our nation," wrote Penny Nance, CEO of Concerned Women for America. [Read the complete WND article here.]

I expect the mainstream media to treat GoProud's coalition as if they are representative of the entire tea party, but even they admit they aren't. And if the Republican leaders are so stupid as to act like the social issues don't matter, they will lose the farm in 2012.

The two biggest issues in this country are the murder of the unborn and the attempt to destroy the family. A root cause of poverty is family breakdown. In a Canadian study, researchers found that "If you are in a broken family, you are more likely to be poor....family breakdown greatly increases the risk of poverty, especially for dependent children." One of their recommendations is to favor traditional marriage over cohabitation because "Households headed by a married couple are not the same as households headed by a cohabiting couple. Marriage makes couples more likely to stay together, live longer and report higher levels of happiness and less likely to abuse each other, cheat on each other and break up than cohabiting couples."

Economic issues are important, but the key to their solution lies in the SOCIAL ISSUES. Many tea party activists recognize that and they will not stand by quietly while homosexuals with an agenda try to, in their own words, "co-opt" the movement.

Are Invasive Airport Security Procedures Meant to Suppress People's Movements?

I read an interesting comment exchange while researching the invasive airport security systems in place at many airports.

bill November 16, 2010 at 4:16 am


Solution is simple ! ” Simply stop flying !"

Reply

Richard Popovich November 16, 2010 at 2:19 pm

That is exactly what the elitists want us to do, stop being mobile. They also want us out of vehicles that have extended range capabilities and are pushing electric cars that have a range of 50 to 100 miles. This is all about people control. The progressive faction in our government would prefer that we live in government subsidized, Soviet style housing, where the population can be monitored.

The people need to start putting the pieces together as far as this administration is concerned and start asking, “How much government is enough?”

From the point of view of the airlines, this would be financial suicide. But is there a background intention to limit the movements of people for control purposes? I'm skeptical of conspiracy theories. What do you think?

Rainbow Sash Movement Comments on Dolan Election

I found the statement below from the Rainbow sashers a little amusing. Note how they elevate their own importance. It wasn't primarily the activism of orthodox Catholics and the power of the Holy Spirit through prayer and sacrifice that defeated Bishop Kicanas. No, it was their activity that resulted in a "knee jerk" reaction. Well, whatever!

Faithful Catholics see things differently. We have been organizing, using new media and social networking, and forming coalitions to finally have a voice. Unfaithful bishops, i.e., wolves in sheep's clothing, can no longer commit scandals in private. The faithful are shining a light under the rock and the creepy crawlies are on the run. Homosexual activists strategize and get money from the rich and powerful but Satan, the coach in their corner, can never compete with the Holy Spirit. Pray and fast for a major spiritual reform in America. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. Our Lady of America, pray for us.

And now, here's the Rainbow Sash's delusional statement.

The US Council of Catholic Bishops has decided to elect Archbishop Dolan of New York as the new President of the US Catholic Bishops. This was an obvious political knee jerk response to the support of the Rainbow Sash Movement for Bishop Kansas, and the outrage expressed by the fundamentalist wing of Church. The Conference broke with tradition The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has taken a hard to the right towards not only the Republican Party, but also the Tea Party with election of Archbishop Dolan.


Archbishop Dolan is known for being a moderate conservative. The vote was very close and with this vote the Bishops opted to turn their back on tradition by failing to elevate the vice president to the president’s post for the first time. Bishop Kansas received 111 votes , and Archbishop Dolan 128 which is seen by some as cementing the conservative Bishops control the Conference. The bishops passed over their former vice president, Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, a prelate who represents the more liberal “social justice” tradition of the American church and is known as an advocate of dialogue, and because of the endorsement of the Rainbow Sash Movement.

Dolan has been appointed by the Pope to help conduct an investigation of the church in Ireland, which has been devastated by the sexual abuse scandal.

Dolan is willing to put his affable and outgoing demeanor in service of a more assertively confrontational approach in the public arena which will please the media, but most probably will not resonate among an ever increasing reasonable laity.

“It is a humbling moment,” Archbishop Dolan said in a quick post-election appearance on the church channel Telecare, which is run by the Diocese of Rockville Centre on Long Island and is broadcasting the bishops meeting from Baltimore. “I’ve got to be honest, it was unexpected. Perhaps the Archbishop should be thanking the Rainbow Sash Movement.

The bishops also signaled that their conference will move in a decidedly conservative direction in their choice of a vice president. They elected Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, who is chairman of the bishops committee on marriage and an outspoken opponent of same-sex marriage. The runner-up for vice president was Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver, also a strong theological and political conservative.

Jeff Alexander Rainbow Sash Movement

Stop, Mary! Boycott CCHD!

Bishops Kicanas Defeated for USCCB Head! Archbishop Dolan Elected.

The U.S. bishops today broke tradition by electing Archbishop Timothy Dolan to head the USCCB for the next three years. Read about it here. I'm very pleased that Bishop Kicanas was defeated. Now, I'd like to be among the revelers dancing in the streets over Archbishop Dolan's election, but I'm on my knees instead because of his participation earlier this year at the rededication of St. Francis Xavier's in Manhattan. 

St. Francis is well known as a homosexual parish where Mass can be an embarrassment to those who don't enjoy same sex acting out at the "kiss" of peace or watching rainbow sashers sashaying up to Communion. (Couldn't resist the pun.) Archbishop Dolan's actions at the rededication and his statements later do not encourage optimism among faithful Catholics fighting the scourges of same sex marriage and the sodomite lifestyle. See here and here for background. To understand my concern over Archbishop Dolan you NEED TO WATCH THESE VIDEOS. This parish FLAUNTS its approval of the homosexual lifestyle and Archbishop Dolan smiled and clapped when homosexual groups in the parish were introduced during Mass and praised for their full participation in the sacramental life of the parish, i.e., living the homosexual lifestyle and receiving Communion sacrilegiously. The scandal was there bigtime. When the archdiocese was approached about it, they first denied, then stonewalled when video proof appeared on the web. And THAT is why I am less than ecstatic over the election of Archbishop Dolan.

We need bishops with the backbone to act decisively against mortal sin, especially when it is being promoted within by men in Roman collars like the Jesuit pastor at St. Francis Xavier. As long as Fr. Joe Costantino remains at St. Francis promoting the homosexual agenda within the very sanctuary of the Church, Archbishop Dolan can hardly be taken seriously as a shepherd protecting the flock. That shepherd's crook is, after all, meant to be used against the wolf as well as to snatch the sheep back from danger. Wolves within the sheepfold are the most dangerous.

Pray for the bishops. May God have mercy on them and pour out the grace of fortitude upon them. They have much work to do. The question is...will they roll up their sleeves and do it, or are they too afraid of the inevitable persecution to imitate the first century apostles who were willing to die for the faith?

Your Choice: the Virtual Strip Search X-Ray or the TSA Grope

Taking a flight these days is like visiting the red light district in a major city and getting sexually assaulted by the local pimp. Passengers are describing being screamed at by TSA guards for opting out of the naked body scan machine and then being roughly groped during the "enhanced pat down." One poor woman, Meg McLain, was chained to a chair for refusing the machine AND the grope, had her ticket torn up, and was escorted out of the airport.

An off-duty flight attendant recovering from a hip replacement described her experience like this:

The agent went up my right leg first and then met my vagina with full force….the same on the other leg with the same result. She then used both of her hands to feel my breasts and squeezing them. At this point I was in shock.

When I came out of security my husband asked me. “What the hell was that?” I have never felt so humiliated and violated. I have gone through the stages of being a sexual assault victim…Shock,Denial,Blame,Pain,Anger…I have yet to come with the Acceptance stage.

If having your genitals groped and your breasts squeezed isn't sexual assault, there are a lot of sex abusers on the National Sex Offender Registry unfairly.

But it isn't just privacy and dignity that is being violated by the new security measures. The safety of the X-ray machines is in serious question. Four scientists at the University of California, San Francisco sent a letter to the administration last April raising red flags about the machines' dosage. Here's a portion:

Unlike other scanners, these new devices operate at relatively low beam energies (28keV). The majority of their energy is delivered to the skin and the underlying tissue. Thus, while the dose would be safe if it were distributed throughout the volume of the entire body, the dose to the skin may be dangerously high.

The X-ray dose from these devices has often been compared in the media to the cosmic ray exposure inherent to airplane travel or that of a chest X-ray. However, this comparison is very misleading: both the air travel cosmic ray exposure and chest Xrays have much higher X-ray energies and the health consequences are appropriately understood in terms of the whole body volume dose. In contrast, these new airport scanners are largely depositing their energy into the skin and immediately adjacent tissue, and since this is such a small fraction of body weight/vol, possibly by one to two orders of magnitude, the real dose to the skin is now high.

In addition, it appears that real independent safety data do not exist.

The scientists raise serious concerns about specific at-risk populations:

A) The large population of older travelers, >65 years of age, is particularly at risk from the mutagenic effects of the X-rays based on the known biology of melanocyte aging.

• B) A fraction of the female population is especially sensitive to mutagenesisprovoking radiation leading to breast cancer. Notably, because these women, who have defects in DNA repair mechanisms, are particularly prone to cancer, X-ray mammograms are not performed on them. The dose to breast tissue beneath the skin represents a similar risk.

• C) Blood (white blood cells) perfusing the skin is also at risk.

• D) The population of immunocompromised individuals--HIV and cancer patients (see above) is likely to be at risk for cancer induction by the high skin dose.

• E) The risk of radiation emission to children and adolescents does not appear to have been fully evaluated.

• F) The policy towards pregnant women needs to be defined once the theoretical risks to the fetus are determined.

• G) Because of the proximity of the testicles to skin, this tissue is at risk for sperm mutagenesis.

• H) Have the effects of the radiation on the cornea and thymus been determined?

The Allied Pilots Association has warned its members to opt out of the full body scans for health reasons as well because of their frequent exposure. Regular fliers could expect to experience the same risk.

But is it worth it for the security, i.e., health risks balanced against safety in the air? Not according to an Israeli security expert talking to the Vancouver Sun about Canada's installation of the strip search machines:

"I don't know why everybody is running to buy these expensive and useless machines. I can overcome the body scanners with enough explosives to bring down a Boeing 747," Rafi Sela told parliamentarians probing the state of aviation safety in Canada.

"That's why we haven't put them in our airport," Sela said, referring to Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport, which has some of the toughest security in the world.

Sela, former chief security officer of the Israel Airport Authority and a 30-year veteran in airport security and defence technology, helped design the security at Ben Gurion.

So what's really pushing the haste to install these untested, potentially dangerous, absolutely invasive machines? Is there more than concern for safety at work here? Just opt out. And tell TSA if they sexually violate you during the pat down (If you choose to submit to it.) that you are calling a cop!

Where are all the voices warning us about safe touch? How many children will be violated for the "privilege" of flying?

Check out the We Won't Fly website.

Who's in Charge in Chicago? Sure Doesn't Look Like Cardinal George after the CCHD Debacle!

The situation in Chicago with regard to the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) is beyond shameful!

Orthodox Catholics saw signs of hope that at the local level where the annual collection began, CCHD would see real reform. But the liberals in roman collars (Do they wear roman collars?) apparently ruled the day. They pulled the rug out from under the reform and got the cardinal to renege on grants to pro-life groups, authentic charities as compared to grants that pay salaries to community organizers so they can work to elect politicians like Barack Obama. In Chicago it's back to business as usual.

Read the story here about how liberal clergy, led by Fr. Larry Dowling, deep-sixed the reform being implemented by local CCHD head, Rey Flores. Which leads me to ask: Who exactly is in charge in Chicago? Seems like Chicago style politics have taken over the chancery. Did Dowling give Cardinal George his marching orders and then send Rey a dead fish?

If this doesn't convince Catholics to boycott the CCHD, they aren't paying attention!

Gay Activists Support Kicanas for USCCB Head

Well, if anyone wanted confirmation that Bishop Kicanas is a bad choice for USCCB head they only have to look as far as the Rainbow Sash web page. You remember those folks. They're the ones who wear the rainbow sash to Mass to show their support for sodomy and gay marriage while demanding to receive Communion. Since homosexual activity is mortally sinful and those who wear the sash are publicly advocating mortal sin, receiving Communion while committing that scandal is a mortal sin of sacrilege. And a few bishops like Archbishop John Nienstedt have acted accordingly and refused them Communion.

The endorsement of the Rainbow Sash homosexuals should be the death knell for Bishop Kicanas' candidacy, but with so many homosexualist bishops in the U.S. perhaps it will enhance his chances. They certainly must think so.

Here's the rainbow sash statement:

THE RAINBOW SASH MOVEMENT
SUPPORTS THE ELECTION OF
BISHOP GERALD KICANAS AS
HEAD OF THE USCCB.

It is appropriate for the only LGBT Catholic Organization in the United States active within the parishes of the Church, and visible about that activity to add its voice to the Bishops election process for its next President. We understand Bishop Kicanas understands that Bishops are privately changing their position because input is bubbling up from the pews of our parishes in support of such issues as Gay Marriage, and Pro Choice.

The not to distant past situation at Notre Dame was an attempt on the part of some fundamentalist Bishops to make a hard turn to the right in general, and the Tea Party in particular. The end goal was to turn Catholic support away from President Obama. Bishop Kicanas voice during this difficult situation called for moderation, and listening.

The fundamentalist Bishops have also turned their sights on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. The program has donated $290 million to groups combating poverty during the last four decades, according to Rainbow Sash Movement News. But the program has also attracted fierce church critics who are suspicious of anything that sniffs of socialism. These fundamentalist Bishops have gone as far as to form “Reform the CCHD Now” whose primary goal is dismantling the organization, rather than reforming it. At least 10 fundamentalist bishops have stopped CCHD collections in their diocese so much for the needs of the poor.

Joe Murray the Executive Director of the Rainbow Sash Movement said “that while we have difficulties with Bishop Kicanas present position on Gay Marriage we are hopeful his position will evolve. We believe that Bishop Kicanas follows in the footsteps of the late Cardinal Joseph Bernadine, and will lead the USCCB to a position of common ground on issues that are deeply dividing the US Catholic Church. The impending election of Bishop Kicanas I believe is an attempt on the part of a majority of the Bishops to unravel a strangle hold that fundamentalism have on the US Conference of Catholic Bishops." Murray further stated, "Fundamentalist Bishops are trying to tag Bishop Kicanas as being very vulnerable in the area of clergy sexual abuse. I believe that to be a red herring. It may play to the fundamentalist such as Archbishop Chaput and Archbishop Dolan, it does not play well among more moderate and reasonable Catholics, and most of their Bishops. Following this logic could not the same claim be made of Cardinal Francis George current President of USCCB.

The Rainbow Sash Movement believes it is critical that Bishop Kicanas be elected to the Presidency of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to set the tone, and be a reasonable public voice and face for the country’s Catholic bishops. It is time to start rebuilding the Church.

Bill O’Connor Rainbow Sash Movement


.