Occupy Wall Street is Like the Tea Party????

Robert Knight had a great article in the Washington Times on the media bias comparing Occupy Wall Street to the Tea Party Movement. Let's face it, the folks camping out in our cities, trashing the parks, urinating and defecating in neighbors' yards, attacking police, having sex in plain view, peppering their signs and speech with f this and f that, chanting for bestiality, etc. have little in common with the Tea Parties.

I've attended tea party rallies filled with law-abiding folks waving flags and dressing in patriotic costumes who recognize that the problem is too much government. They bear little resemblance to the crowds in the parks being incited by socialists, communists, and community organizing groups demanding more government and expressing their hatred for the rich and successful. (How come nobody ever objects to Oprah and her empire? Or George Soros? Or Michael Moore? Or Nancy Pelosi, the Clintons, and Al Gore? How come their greed is okay? Some of them came by their wealth in much more suspect fashion than CEOs on Wall Street.)

But read the article for yourself. Massaging the news for the masses

It's Hallowe'en; Are You Covered in Blood?

Tonight some children (mostly boys) will be knocking on doors covered with fake blood. Some will simulate victims of axe murderers; others will wear vampire teeth dripping with gore. Frankly, I think it's sick. A few years ago, a little girl (maybe 8 or 9) knocked on my son's door where we were helping with the treats. She was wearing a cap simulating an axe through her head with blood dripping down. I couldn't help asking her, "Whatever happened to fairies and gypsies?"

We live in a bloody culture, so it doesn't seem surprising that it's filtered down to the younger set who see nothing grotesque about glorifying axe murderers. But, in one sense, it's a reminder that Satan is the prince of this world. He wants all of us to die in our sin. He who was a "liar and a murderer from the beginning" glories in violent death and bloodshed.

But there is one bloody death, He abhors, one that we must glorify. We hold up that innocent Victim, remember Him, and celebrate His sacrifice. We desire to be covered in His blood because His blood overcomes the Culture of Death. He saves us from sin and washes us in His blood. And All Hallow's Eve is a good time to remember it.

 Come, Lord Jesus!

First Do No Harm: The Vaccine Question

For the next week, until November 5th, you can get a free preview of a powerful new documentary examining vaccinations and the potential risk to children. The Greater Good is not an "anti-vaccine" film. It examines the question from both sides addressing the increased number of vaccines given to infants in the first few months of life and the potential for damage, especially from heavy metal used as adjuvants in the vaccine solution.



The pharmaceutical industry has demonized parent/physician concerns framing any debate as pro-vaccine vs. anti-vaccine. It isn't. It's a "Let's make sure they're safe and follow a more common-sense strategy about vaccines." And let's separate the decision-making so physicians with links to the vaccine producers aren't the ones making decisions about government-mandated vaccinations.The system needs to change.

Should ALL vaccines be mandatory? Gardisil, for example, has a history of serious problems including death. Why is it okay to question prescription drugs for adults, but not okay to question the safety of vaccines that have increased from 23 doses to over 60 in the first eighteen months of life.

No one is suggesting a vaccine ban, but neither should parents be forced to immunize a two month old with dozens of doses of vaccines, some of which, like the HPV vaccine, are transmitted by sexual activity.

One of my daughters was told by her pediatrician that if she chose to stretch out vaccines rather than follow the recommended schedule, she was no longer welcome in the practice. She left, not because she is anti-vaccine, but she did not want to overwhelm the immune system of her baby. Another daughter has had no trouble with her pediatrician who is perfectly willing to follow an altered schedule.

Take a look at the film. Please don't just blast me for bringing up a subject that deserves to be treated seriously. Note the pediatrician near the end who says he's treated hundreds of cases of vaccine damage as he describes being interviewed (don't recall the show) and when it aired the issue was presented as hysterical moms against the white-coated Ivy League doctors. All the interviews with physicians questioning the wisdom of the current system were cut. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

It's Not Your Mother's Girl Scouts

They're still at it at GSA, shilling for abortion and propagandizing little girls with speakers who attack the family and promote the murder of the innocent. Isn't it time to flush the Thin Mints down the toilet and switch to homemade chocolate chip?

Girl Scouts Convention Features Pro-Abortion Speakers

Occupy Movements a Threat to Women

In Cleveland the rally organizers assigned a learning disabled young woman (19) to share a tent with a man whom she says raped her during the night. (See video below.) In Dallas, a 14-year-old runaway had sex with multiple partners in the occupy camp including adult men, i.e., statutory rape. (See here.) Police were alerted when someone recognized the girl from a "missing teen" flyer.

Other interesting facts from the occupy crowd:

"When Should You Shoot a Cop?" flyer circulating at Occupy Phoenix (Remember the 60s when police officers were labled "pigs?" and Vietnam vets were "baby killers." The radical left never changes.)

Residents Near Zuccotti Park in NYC are fed up with protesters "defecating on our doorsteps!"

And where's all that money going?

And one of the real messages of Occupy Wall Street -- just an excuse to engage in sex and drugs Woodstock style. This ain't no tea party and these folks haven't got a clue about the real causes of our economic meltdown. They just don't want the goodies to stop. Free health care, free student loans, free houses, free food, free condoms. Let's party! And defecate on the doorsteps of New York's workers.

Warren Buffet Has Great Idea to Fix the Deficit!

I'm not a Warren Buffett fan. Anybody as pro-bortion as he is has a few moral screws missing. (See here and here.) But his idea for linking Congressmen's reelection eligibility to the deficit is a winner along with a bunch of other suggestions circulating on the internet that I've copied below the video.

The founders never envisioned career politicians voting themselves huge pensions and making millions by selling their influence. It's time to have a citizen Congress again. Let legislators at both the national and state levels invest in their own 401K plans and abide by the same laws and standards they inflict on others. Let them get real jobs and work for a living! It's high time they started being "equal" instead of "more equal than others."


 
Recommendation for a Congressional Reform Act:
 
Congressional Reform Act of 2011
1. No Tenure / No Pension: A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security: All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.

3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI (Consumer Price Index) or 3%.

5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.
7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work.

Check Out the Catholic Sistas!

I have a guest post at the Catholic Sistas on Planned Parenthood's eugenicist history. Check it out here.

Obama's Health Care Penalizes Married Couples

"Getting married will make it harder for many to get health insurance." Is this an unintended consequence or is it deliberate? Socialism always attacks the family because strong families are the foundational building block of a strong society. Destabalization and disintegration enable the move to socialism.

Chalk up one more assault on the family from the Obama administration and one more disastrous impact from Obamacare.

What's Wrong with the World?

Catholic universities that don't act Catholic and, instead, pander to the homosexual community. See here.

What do you think of multi-talented Herman Cain for President?

It's All Shel Silverstein's Fault!

I finally figured out what corrupted the culture over the last 40 years -- Shel Silverstein with his subversive book, The Giving Tree. You remember the story, of course. "Once there was a tree... and she loved a little boy. And every day the boy would come and he would gather her leaves...and swing from her branches and eat apples."

Do you remember the rest? The little boy starts to grow up and, once he becomes an adolescent and gets a girlfriend, the tree doesn't exist for the selfish little twerp except when he wants something.

First she gives him her apples so he can get money to "buy things and have fun." (She should have told him to get a job and work for it!) Then he comes back demanding help to build a house so he can have a wife and children, so the tree gives him her branches. (Obviously, he was too immature to even think of getting married.) Then, after abandoning the tree for years, the boy returns disillusioned wanting to build a boat so he can sail away and start a new life. So the tree gives him her trunk. (What happened to the wife and children? Imagine what it was like to live with the guy!) He disappears again, but shows up years later as an old man. At that point, the tree has nothing left to give, but the old man just wants a quiet place to sit so she invites him to rest on her stump. "And the tree was happy."

That tree should have been cut down and turned into doormats or mulch for the garden! Let her be walked all over without doing so much harm to the boy.

Yikes! Talk about enabling the worst qualities of a person: keeping him a whining baby, letting him strip her of everything without giving a thing in return! No doubt as he sat on her stump he whined and complained about all the bad luck life cursed him with. I'll bet he was a liberal!

The book is a product of the 60s and, I confess it with shame, I read it to my children and even liked it at the time. The theme was all over the place. I remember "giving tree" banners adorning the stage at a Christian Family Movement Convention in South Bend, IN in 1975 (where all the priests said Mass wearing non clerical garb and stoles). It was always turning up as a cutesy retreat theme.

The sick relationship between the tree and the little boy were all over the place teaching us to give in to every whim and demand of the selfish people in our lives. Is it any wonder parents today have adult children moving in to mooch and whine about their hard lives; they learned the lessons from Shel and his tree. And parents let their kids take advantage because they feel so darn guilty. After all, if the tree is a metaphor for mom, then we are obviously being told the way to show love is to never say no and give until we're an old stump.

So I blame Shel Silverstein for the selfishness of today's world. Parents fed their children The Giving Tree's poisoned apples from the time they could chew solid food. And just see where it's taken us. The Occupy Wall Street crowd expect the government to act like that dumb tree. In fact, the Nanny state is an orchard of "giving trees" except they give away other orchard's apples, not their own.

Maybe Shel meant the book as a joke and the tree was an exaggerated picture of the Jewish mother. Whatever.... Read the book to your kids as a lesson in how NOT to show love. The tree started out fine when the boy was little. I'm all for kids climbing trees and swinging in branches and making leaf crowns to play king of the forest, and eating apples. But once they're old enough to want money to "have fun" they need to earn it themselves.

If you have any "giving trees" in your yard, cut 'em down. And if you have the inclination to act like one, here's my advice. Lie down on the floor and tell your children to walk all over you. Let them stomp that inclination out of you in one, short session. Then stand up, and instead of being a "giving tree" be a "loving tree," remembering that true love is tough love.

One Young Man Addressing Occupy Wall Street Knows His Stuff

Give the rights back to the states. Reduce the federal government. Bring production back to America. Stop printing money. Stop invading countries. Shut down the Federal Reserve. "It's easier to influence governors and mayors than presidents and vice presidents."



So what's the answer to our pathetic lineup of candidates? Ron Paul is the only consistent, sensible voice at the podium. Most of conservative politics is libertarian, as Ronald Reagan said. So don't tell me you don't like him because he's a libertarian. Pray for Ron Paul and for our poor country. We are at the tipping point. The next step is violence and martial law.

Occupy Wall Street: A Movement of Leftists Who Hate the Church

The first video below is from an Italian protest, a spinoff of the Occupy Wall Street movement in this country. Like the crowds in the U.S., the Italian group was heavily made up of Communists, Socialists, and other anti-capitalists who hate "the rich" and want to see the current system overthrown. The second video is from Occupy Oakland which illustrates the socialist ideas of the participants. This is all about class warfare and class envy. I suspect the Oakland group has a lot of church haters in it too.

What I find particularly ironic about these folks as they call for higher taxes is that they are talking about themselves. If the government took all the money from the rich, it wouldn't begin to pay the bills -- there just aren't enough rich people. The government has to tax the middle class workers because that's where most of the money is.

Under Communism in Russia, the government owned everything and the people were slaves of the system. We're already wage slaves because of onerous taxes. Now these foolish people want to put us completely under the thumb of Big Brother. And they will all no doubt vote for Obama, a rich man who is supported by rich Hollywood liberals and folks like George Soros and Oprah Winfrey. Is their money somehow cleaner than the bank executives? And how about Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood's boss, who makes over 400K. Is she a good guy, but the bank exec is evil?

This is what you get when the schools are dumbed down and the kids are fed a constant stream of socialist propaganda. I'm all in favor of redistributing wealth. It's called...get a job, work hard, start your own business, etc. I hope more folks home school and raise their kids to be freedom fighters, although that takes time and I'm not sure we have much left.

But, as a priest said to me once, "What do you think it was like for the average man during the collapse of Rome?" Probably nothing much changed...until the barbarians sacked the city. Hmmm...now that I think about it, that's what these Occupy movements seem to be about.

For more on this see The Revolutionaries' Revenge.

Infanticide? Canadian Judge Has No Problem With It

A Canadian judge gave a 19-year-old mom a three year suspended sentence for strangling her newborn son and tossing him over into a neighbor's yard. LifeSiteNews quoted the judge excusing the woman based on Canada's abortion laws:

The part of the ruling Judge Veit issued that received significant opposition related to Veit’s decision that Canada’s acceptance of legalized abortion entitled Effert to kill her child. Judge Veit ruled, according to multiple media reports, that because Canada allows abortions it reflects how “while many Canadians undoubtedly view abortion as a less than ideal solution to unprotected sex and unwanted pregnancy, they generally understand, accept and sympathize with the onerous demands pregnancy and childbirth exact from mothers, especially mothers without support.”

“Naturally, Canadians are grieved by an infant’s death, especially at the hands of the infant’s mother, but Canadians also grieve for the mother,” said Veit, who said that, while what Effert did was “very grave,” there were no aggravating factors. Prosecutors said the aggravating factors included how Effert initially lied to police about whether she was a virgin and how she initially tried to blame the father of the child for her actions.

“I am of the view that those actions, along with the action of throwing her baby’s body over her back fence, are painful evidence of Ms. Effert’s irrational behavior as a result of her disturbed mind,”the judge said, according to the Sun News Network. “In summary, this is a classic infanticide case – the killing of a newborn or a justborn after a hidden pregnancy by a mother who was alone and unsupported.”

Uh...let's see. Being "alone and unsupported" (while living in your parents' home) gives you the right to kill your newborn without legal consequence. Hey, why stop at newborns. Why not allow parents to kill their children after a divorce or after the death of a spouse. After all, raising children alone certainly reflects "onerous demands."

Life is cheap these days. Kill babies before birth, commit infaticide after birth, kill off the kids your boyfriend doesn't like, kill your elderly parents, kill yourself with a little help from your doc. Talk about a culture of death! But don't let it get you down. Think of the benefit to the planet when all those carbon footprints are eliminated.

Grape kool-aid, anyone?

Queen of England's Cousin Defends Unborn Babies

Here's a man who is not afraid to speak the truth and brave the scorn of the rich and powerful. Good for him! May Lord Nicholas Windsor be blessed for his courage to defy political correctness and speak some good ole common sense.

Lord Nicholas Windsor has braved the Establishment – ie, his own family – by speaking out on abortion

Powerful Film that Changes Minds on Abortion: Post it and Pass it on!

American Life League was Right After ALL

As soon as American Life League (ALL) and Reform CCHD NOW released their latest report on the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) showing how it has increased its funding of objectionable groups, CCHD went into overdrive to discredit them. All their info was rehashed, we were told, exaggerated and innacurate. CCHD had investigated. ALL has an agenda. Yada-yada-yada. Well, it appears that ALL was right after all -- at least in one recent case raised by ALL which leads astute readers to ask, "How many others." See here.

Turns out that that the NYC AIDS Housing Network lied about not violating Church teachings and that, in fact, they distribute condoms, an act that not only violates Catholic teaching, but is counterproductive in controlling AIDS as the experience in Africa shows. (The only program showing significant reduction of AIDS is the one promoted in Uganda, premarital abstinence and marital fidelity. That's the real solution to the AIDS crisis. See here. African countries with the highest rate of condom distribution also have the highest rate of AIDS.)

But I digress. The fact is that CCHD, with all their "vetting" and all their paid bureaucrats working in chanceries around the country and at the national office in D.C., can't find the material that a few activist researchers, mostly volunteers, turn up easily.

May one be forgiven for thinking that CCHD is the one with an agenda that includes funding liberal organizations and electing liberals to state and national government? How many other grantees have CCHD bureaucrats "vetted" who are actively engaged in undermining Catholic teaching and promoting liberalism? As I've written before in, "Who to believe?", CCHD is far from trustworthy.

For my part I'll stick with ALL, Reform CCHD Now, Stephanie Block, the Catholic Media Coaltion, The Wanderer, and the all the other trumpet blowers who believe CCHD is all about funneling money into Alinsky groups and electing liberals who will work to empower, not the poor, but the community organizers. It's been going on for decades. Why should we believe things have changed? I agree completely with Janet Baker of Reform D.C. Catholicism, a member of the Catholic Media Coalition who outlined the horrible treatment of Rey Flores in Chicago who tried to reform the local organization and direct money to truly worthy organizations. Rey was fired for doing what every CCHD officer should be doing! Here's what Janet wrote after noting the injustice to Flores from this "social justice" organization:

It is my serious contention that the Catholic Campaign for Human Development is beyond reform. It is a blight upon Catholicism that should be abolished as soon as possible. At the very least, it should be stripped of the name "Catholic" (which it did not have originally) and expunged from the Church. Let's boycott any and all future collections and starve this nefarious beast. (See article.)

In 2009, I made the video below to alert folks to CCHD's corrupt agenda. Nothing really has changed despite all the huffing and puffing at the bishops' conference. Who do you trust to spend your charity dollars wisely? CCHD or yourself? When the CCHD collection comes to your parish in a few weeks, drop  an acorn in the basket. It isn't just nuts who are running things at the CCHD; the organization is an enemy of the Church.

Bishop Finn and the Double Standard of Planned Parenthood

The witch hunt against Bishop Finn continues and my friend, Jane, has written another great article about it (below). One of the things I find most interesting in the stormy waters swirling around this case is the hypocritical double standard by the national media. Let's take a look at this accusation against Bishop Finn and one that involves the media's darling, Planned Parenthood (PP).

The bishop is accused of not reporting for several months the child pornography on a priest's computer. The fact that he delegated the investigation to another is no excuse according to the wolves baying for his blood. He must resign and then they'll look for the next victim, perhaps the pope.

Occupy Wall Street: The Media Hides the Truth

Remember Woodstock, hippies strumming guitars, smoking pot, and calling for the downfall of America? Well...here we go again. The mainstream media isn't showing the radical, leftist nature of this "spontaneous" demonstration. And, frankly, I think it's about as spontaneous as the Communist revolution of 1917.

As for their "hate the rich" campaign -- what about rich liberals like Al Gore, Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama, George Soros, Oprah Winfrey, and the Hollywood elite? Where is the condemnation of their greed? How many of these folks have criticized Michelle Obama's vacations on African safaris and to tourist hot spots around the world with her daughters? I've been to tea party events and they are nothing like what you see in the video below. God help us. Historically, this type of excess leads to violence.

The Fight is in the Church

How many bishops will fight for the truth? Not enough! Some are more willing to fight for the Almighty tax exemption than for Almighty God. The bishop of El Paso, Armando Xavier Ochoa, recently banished an orthodox priest, Fr. Michael Rodriguez, for daring to preach what the Church teaches about same-sex marriage. He publicly repudiated what the priest published in several ads in the El Paso Times, even though Fr. Rodriguez's teaching was firmly rooted in Catholic orthodoxy.

In other words, the bishop publicly stated that the Church does not teach what she does, in fact, teach. If you aren't horrified by that, you don't have a Catholic mind, no matter what you call yourself. As for the bishop, pray for him. When he denies the teachings of the Church, he is denying Christ. He would rather be silent than warn those teetering on the brink of hell.

Wake up, Catholics, the fight is in the Church with priests and bishops who will not preach the truth. They would rather be conformed to the world than to conform their minds and hearts to Christ Jesus. No wonder several saints warned that the floor of hell is littered with the skulls of bishops.



For more on Fr. Rodriguez go here and here.

The Wolves Are Gathered Around Bishop Finn

I've been watching the case of Bishop Robert Finn with skeptical interest. Here's an orthodox bishop who came into Kansas City and has instilled new vigor in the local church -- increasing vocations, speaking the truth with courage...so what would one expect? Those who hate the Church want to destroy him. Below are the comments of a friend of mine about the accusation against the bishop that he failed to report a priest who had child porn on his computer.

The sex abuse scandals were horrendous, but innocent priests (and bishops) have been accused and there is apparently no fallout for false accusations even though they have destroyed the lives of innocent men. What has happened to the famous right to be considered innocent until proven guilty? Today, an accusation is as good as a conviction even when a single accusation is decades old. It's shameful! Pray for Bishop Finn.

WAIT A MINUTE: REGARDING BISHOP FINN
by Jane Elliot

I spent the better part of Saturday digging on this subject. My conclusion now is that Finn was set up. I've cut and pasted here some resulting notes:

He was called in to do a major cleanup when he became bishop five-six years ago. He was successful in many ways but has made many and powerful enemies as a result.

The National "Catholic?" Reporter is in his diocese. They have been gunning for him from Day One. I believe they are major culprits driving this accusation. (Fr. Zuhlsdorf has been reporting that aspect for over a year now, I think.)

Makes one wonder why Mahony, Rembert, & Co., haven't been given such preferential treatment by the Distorter et al. Tongue in cheek, here.

I read sections of the independent "Graves Report" that details the whole mess. What I learned was that much of what is being reported is grossly misleading. Bp. Finn relied on the word of a Monsignor in the chancery who was directly involved in the case but who greatly minimized the situation. I get the distinct impression this Msgr deliberately set him up. (I also read on a blog comment that there have been some accusations levied against this Msgr's "manly" reputation.) To nail his coffin shut, the bishop was given bad advice from the diocesan attorney.

If you would like to familiarize yourself, here is the independent Graves' Report of 8/31/11, released by the Diocese of KC-SJ, read particularly pp. 68-109. You can access it from here (Click on "The report"):

The report:

From what I concluded I saw no malice or coverup in Bp. Finn's actions. He was given wrong information and advice from his attorney (i.e,. that the police had seen the pictures on Fr. Ratigan's laptop, and he was told that they did not fit the legal definition of child pornography). From what I read, it appears that Bp. Finn did everything he thought proper in such a horrific situation. On the Bishop's part, there doesn't appear to be any lying or intent to mislead anyone.

Regarding the often-cited Principal's report/letter that Bishop Finn is accused to have not read, that is also explained. Apparently, no one told him about the importance of the report or what it really contained. Again, this was because the Bp listened to that Msgr. Additionally, all this really started to surface the latter part of 2010.

Another FYI, the female prosecutor of this case is a strong ally of Planned Parenthood.

As to the secular media's accusation that Bp Finn sat on the laptop for five months...first of all, he never looked at what was on it. He gave the laptop to Fr. Ratigan's brother, since the diocese had retained copies when their IT specialist copied the porn files onto a disc and stick drive. Again, this was done on the recommendation of the diocesan attorney that the diocese did not need to retain the laptop, since they had recorded the problem files. --More details the media is hiding.

We are given the impression by the media that Bp. Finn was doing a dance with the miscreant and shuffling him all over the diocese. That is not the case.

I urge you to read the 31 pages that I did. It confirms to me that Bishop Finn did nothing wrong. What is sad is that none of the media reporting this story has apparently taken the trouble to read anything in the report.

Also go to: http://rjsciurus.com/archives/1435  This link goes to a website called, "The Lynching of Bishop Finn." That is exactly what is happening.

It's my estimation Bishop Finn is now the first bishop of the new phase in which we find ourselves: The Age of Martyrs. Please pray for him.

Our Lady of Walsingham, pray for us.

Homosexual Hate Crime

I guarantee you didn't read about this homosexual hate crime in the mainstream media. After all, only Christians can be hate mongers in the media's eyes. So when a homosexual or homosexuals attack Christians, you aren't likely to read about it in the New York Times or the Boston Globe. Intimidation is a strategy recommended in the homosexual game book, but the press ignores their strongarm bullying. The book, After the Ball, written by two homosexual activists, recommends slandering anyone who disagrees with homosexuality as a way to shut them up and anybody else who might consider opposing their agenda.

I suspect there are those who will say, "Good riddance!" to the attack on the free speech rights of Christians. What they don't realize is that it's only the beginning. Their tune will change when their rights become the target.

FAITH UNDER FIRE:
'Gay' hate vandalizes church, threatens even more violence

A Bishop who Speaks with Authority

Bishop Samuel Aquila of Fargo, ND walks in the footsteps of the Master. He speaks with authority preaching the hard truth in love. He's on record saying that pro-abortion Catholic politicians who refuse to act like Catholics should be treated like tax collectors and Gentiles as St. Paul advocated. Now he's warning of the coming persecution predicting that the state will try to silence the Church.

Anybody with eyes can see it. But what shocked me were the comments responding to the Catholic News Service article on the bishop's statements. Seems persecution of Catholics is just fine and dandy with a lot of folks. If Catholics don't want to "obey" the law that allows two men or two women to marry then forced closing of Catholic adoption agencies is just fine. I'm sure many of these same people would be happy to force Catholic doctors and hospitals to do abortions, Catholic pharmacists to fill prescriptions to kill babies and the elderly. They would no doubt be willing to fill the prisons with Catholics who engage in "hate speech," i.e., any criticism of homosexual behavior or those who refuse to photograph or cater homosexual weddings.  

Bishop Aquila warned his seminarians to be prepared to suffer persecution. Catholics, he says, “will have to stand for the truth [and] speak clearly to the truth no matter what the cost.”  And he predicts that, “Either we’re going to have to enter into conscientious objection and say we won’t do this or we will need to cooperate – which we cannot do and still be faithful.”

The persecution is already happening, but expect it to get worse as the culture sinks deeper and deeper into depravity. Evil can't stand to be challenged. It is never content with doing its own thing; it demands respect. In fact, it demands to be considered good. No better example of this exists than Planned Parenthood's claim that they are doing "sacred" work. (See here.) To define ripping a child limb from limb as "sacred" is diabolical. And the Bible makes that clear. "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil," says Isaiah (5:20)

We are coming to a time when Catholics and other people of good will must choose whether they will serve God or the world, whether they will conform to the demand to call evil good. Many Catholics already serve Satan in this way. Look at the number of Catholic politicians, many of them Knights of Columbus, who publicly support abortion and same sex marriage and vote to make it the law of the land. They claim to be "devout Catholics" while they do the work of the devil.

We are in a critical time and the choice is looming for each of us as the persecution reaches out. Once and for all, we are being asked to choose for God or choose for the world. There is no middle way in this, for the lukewarm are condemned by Christ's promise to vomit them out of His mouth. God bless Bishop Aquila for his clear teaching and warning. He is blowing the trumpet of alarm as a good shepherd must. Pray that many will listen and draw near to Christ Jesus prepared to suffer in imitation of the Master.

Occupy Wall Street: Class Warfare in Action

I've been reading about Occupy Wall Street, but trying to figure out what the protesters want is a challenge. They obviously hate the rich...except, perhaps for George Soros who is helping to finance their campout. Oh...and rich global warming gasbag Al Gore who's come out in support of their protest even though nobody knows what they want. The protesters have started demonstrating at the homes of rich NYC execs. I haven't heard that they have a problem with rich liberal celebrities in town. Hey, why not picket David Letterman or Diane Sawyer's house?

The liberal establishment, including the super rich, appear to be in love with Occupy Wall Street and the usual suspects support it. Which means, I'll bet, that we are seeing the same manipulation of the mob that takes place in every revolution. And what are most leftist revolutions about? Certainly not about improving the lot of the average Joe. Nope! The people are just the means for the manipulators to gain power. Remember the Communist Revolution? The czar and the nobility were murdered or driven out. And the people? They had the privilege of being slaves of the state, a state that talked about the equality of comrades, but where the few party leaders were more equal than the many.

Frankly, I'm concerned that this is really about fomenting anarchy which historically leads to dictatorship. Is martial law in our future? I hope not, but I don't think we can rule it out. Pray for our poor besieged country.

Anniversary of the Miracle of the Sun at Fatima

At Fatima Our Lady told the three little children that her Son was much offended by the sins of mankind. Can you imagine what she would say today? Mary has revealed that most people go to hell for sins of the flesh. We are immersed in a culture that worships the flesh. And it's in your, face wherever you go -- even in the checkout line at the grocery store. Let's pray the rosary and do acts of penance today in reparation for sin like the heroic little shepherd children. They gave away their lunches, wore rough ropes tied around their waists under their clothes and were even willing to die when they were threatened by the mayor of Ourem with being boiled in hot oil. May God give us the holy zeal for souls of these little children.

ALL and CCHD: Who to Believe?

The American Life League (ALL) recently released a report of the on-going problems with the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD), the bishops annual anti-poverty collection. The report indicates that problems with CCHD have increased in the past year and that the bishops' charity is actually funding more bad organizations than it did last year despite its well publicized review of the process. The response from CCHD to the ALL report was a brief news release accusing ALL of releasing rehashed and innacurate data that is without substance. Hmm...who to believe?

This debate isn't new; it's raged now for several decades. CCHD claims to be helping relieve poverty, while critics point out that many of the recipients of Catholic money diametrically oppose Church teaching and work to organize for abortion and homosexual rights. So what about the latest round in the debate? Who's right? On which side does the balance of truth fall?

ALL released a 200 page report outlining the offending organizations with specifics about those involved in, for example, condom distribution, promotion of homosexuality, etc. The brief response from CCHD and the two page press release from bishops involved with the program at the national level claim the allegations are rehashed and recycled information that are without substance and that the organizations have been reviewed. They also accuse ALL of pushing an agenda without addressing any of the specifics in the ALL report. In essence, their response was, "We've vetted the organizations and they're fine. Trust us."

Stephanie Block addressed the CCHD response in a cogent piece at SperoForum: Without Substance: The debate over the Catholic Campaign for Human Development goes on and on... Block is an expert on Alinsky organizing and has researched the bishops charity for over twenty years including its direct ties to Alinsky community organizing groups.

After years of disinformation from the CCHD and a history of funding liberal causes, it's hard to take their two page denial and attack of ALL seriously. As Block points out, with specific examples from CCHD's most recent grant report, the organization continues to funnel Catholic dollars into objectionable organizations that are less interested in alleviating poverty than in promoting political causes that often violate Catholic teaching. As Block says, the debate goes on and on and unfortunately so does the reality that CCHD simply can't be trusted.

To read the ALL report, the bishops' memo, and the CCHD response go here. Decide for yourself whether the information is rehashed, recycled, and without substance.

What if Steve Jobs Had Never Been Born?

A lot of us wouldn't be using Macs, I-pods, I-pads, I-phones, etc. The story of Steve Jobs is a story about the value of one life. There are lots of others. Whether a person is a genius or just an average Joe, his life has value. Pray for all the babies in danger of abortion today that their moms will think of the possibilities instead of the problems.

The woman behind the icon

Barbarian Bullies on the Internet

I rarely censor a comment. But when somebody personally attacks an author and throws in obscenities to boot...prudence dictates stuffing a sock in the foul-mouthed bully's mouth. Which is what I did by hitting the delete button on a comment on Alice Doyle's article on the tragic story about the young boy who committed suicide. (See here.)

It's ironic that somebody would comment on an article about bullying by employing all the tactics of a bully himself: insults, obscenities, threats, intimidation, wishes that evil will befall the person, etc. ad nauseum.  There are plenty of bullies out there on the internet. Alice's article, which is also posted at SperoForum.com has received lots of negative attention from people who think an argument consists of insults and four letter words. It's easy to do when you hide in the dark behind an anonymous moniker. No doubt if they could throw physical stones as well, they would.

The fact is they are barbarians. If they had to the intelligence to make a reasonable argument, presumably they would. People can disagree without being uncivil, but we live in barbaric times when bullies reign at even the highest levels of government and society. The answer for Christians is to face the bullies covered head to foot in the armour of God, with truth as the belt around their waists, justice as their breastplates, faith as a shield, and the sword of the spirit, the word of God. And the first thing Christians on the internet should do is pray before setting fingers to the keyboard. Then we will be more likely to respond, to the best of our ability with charity -- even to the biggest bullies on the block.

Made in China: It's Threatening Our Security

On our travels throughout the country I've picked up items in shops in at least thirteen states and turned them over to see where they're made. In every souvenir shop and T-shirt store, even in shops that specialize in "Indian" artifacts, I find dozens of products labeled "made in China." Even the postcards depicting American scenes are often printed somewhere else!

Of course souvenirs are inocuous items if you discount the economic impact on our country of the trade imbalance. But what about items that impact our national security? China produces many knock-off brands that mimic expensive and popular items. It also seems they are selling us components used in computers and routers that are counterfeit and dangerous. See Phyllis Schlafly's article - Buying Counterfeit Chips from China. And then ask yourself if you really want that geegaw that was produced in China. At the Grand Canyon I was tempted by a waterproof jacket (It was snowing.) until I looked at the tag. If it reads "Made in China" it goes back on the rack.

Read the tags and labels and look for alternatives. The Chinese government is not our friend. Heck, they aren't even friends to their own people - especially little babies waiting to be born. Don't support a country that already practically owns us lock, stock, and barrel. Buy American!

Christians Being Censored by New Media Outlets

Don't you love it! "Censorship" is the accusation often used to target Christians who oppose pornographic films, TV series, and books. But the same liberals who scream "censorship" when they see people of faith opposing filth are the first ones to censor the free speech of Christians who dare to criticize their sacred cows.

See Report: Facebook, Google, Apple censor religious speech

So take a stand for free speech. Defend traditional marriage on your facebook page today!

Sunday Meditation: Don't Forget the Angels; They Never Forget You

October 2nd is the feast of the guardian angels. Today, being Sunday, superceded the feast, but the angels would appreciate being noticed all the same I'm sure. We attended Mass today in Paguitch, UT about 25 miles from Bryce Canyon. It was a tiny mission church with about 80 people in the congregation. What a grace and blessing that even in this tiny community out in the middle of nowhere, Sunday Mass is still available. The priest was hispanic and has only been in the U.S. for ten months, but his English was amazingly good. Isn't it interesting that a country that has sent missionaries abroad is now receiving missionaries because of a dearth of vocations.

What does all that have to do with the angels? Absolutely nothing, or everything depending on your perspective. Because that little church was filled with angels accompanying all the worshipers and bowing before the throne of God and before the altar as we knelt in prayer and received Jesus in the Eucharist. If we had spiritual eyes and ears I'm sure we could see them and hear their angelic voices.

After Mass Larry and I went to lunch at the Flying M and when I looked at the restaurant logo, two large wings with an M in the center, I immediately associated it with that angelic warrior St. Michael the Archangel. Of course, his feast day was a few days ago, but since he is always a good friend to have in moments of danger, today is a good day to remember him as well as your guardian angel. I'm sure if you ask him to be a special friend, he will provide backup with his big sword. Who among us doesn't need that.

 When Larry and I say our morning prayers we always recite the St. Michael prayer immediately after the prayer to our guardian angels. After all, if St. Michael was the instrument God used to thrust Satan into hell, he can sure aid us in every moment of combat with the evil one. So don't forget to thank your angel. They deserve to be appreciated for their faithful friendship.

Monster Culture Claims Another of its Own

by Alice Doyle

Another teen made national news last month for taking his own life.  Fourteen year old Jamey Rodemeyer died outside his Buffalo home September 18 after being taunted by classmates for years.

            One week later, Jamey’s parents appeared on The Today Show urging American parents to “make their kids talk” and calling for an end to bullying, a rally cry echoed by celebrities such as Ricky Martin and Lady Gaga.  Jamey’s father, Tim Rodemeyer, called the kids who bullied his son “heartless”.

            Awful as it is, Jamey’s is not a new story.  Ann Curry observed that 4500 kids between the ages of 10 and 20 committed suicide in the United States last year.  Though her statistics were not specific, she observed that, like Jamey, a large percentage were lesbian or gay.  She raised the question of whether “intolerant” pastors and politicians who preach against the homosexual lifestyle were partly to blame for the deaths.

            Given the higher rate of suicide among sexually deviant teens, it is perhaps noteworthy that people are not asking different questions or raising other possibilities.  For instance, does the identification of oneself as lesbian or gay cause despair and lead to suicide?  Does lack of parental involvement or school culture play a role?  For several years now, there has been much emphasis on bullying as the cause of suicide in cases such as Jamey’s.  Popular opinion seems to indicate that intolerance is the root cause of the problem.  Intolerance is defined as any word or deed suggesting that there is anything wrong or unequal about the homosexual lifestyle.  Supposedly, by stamping out "intolerance" through new laws, all will be well.  Never mind that this is both impossible and a violation of our civil rights.

Suicide is not a normal response to taunting, teasing or even verbal abuse.