All Hands On Deck!

Notable quote: “We cannot – we will not—comply with this unjust law.” -- Rev. Thomas Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix

2012-01-30T18:59:00.005-06:00

In response to the Obama Administration health mandate, Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix written a letter to the people of his diocese. An excerpt:

...In so ruling, the Administration has cast aside the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, denying to Catholics our Nation’s first and most fundamental freedom, that of religious liberty. As a result, unless the rule is overturned, we Catholics will be compelled either to violate our consciences, or to drop health coverage for our employees (and suffer the penalties for doing so). The Administration’s sole concession was to give our institutions one year to comply.

We cannot - we will not - comply with this unjust law. People of faith cannot be made second class citizens. We are already joined by our brothers and sisters of all faiths and many others of good will in this important effort to regain our religious freedom. Our parents and grandparents did not come to these shores to help build America’s cities and towns, its infrastructure and institutions, its enterprise and culture, only to have their posterity stripped of their God given rights. In generations past, the Church has always been able to count on the faithful to stand up and protect her sacred rights and duties. I hope and trust she can count on this generation of Catholics to do the same. Our children and grandchildren deserve nothing less...

No Warming in Over a Decade

2012-01-30T17:47:00.003-06:00

The other day the Wall Street Journal published an op-ed by sixteen scientists titled, "No Need to Panic About Global Warming."

An excerpt:

...Perhaps the most inconvenient fact is the lack of global warming for well over 10 years now. This is known to the warming establishment, as one can see from the 2009 "Climategate" email of climate scientist Kevin Trenberth: "The fact is that we can't account for the lack of warming at the moment and it is a travesty that we can't." But the warming is only missing if one believes computer models where so-called feedbacks involving water vapor and clouds greatly amplify the small effect of CO2.

The lack of warming for more than a decade—indeed, the smaller-than-predicted warming over the 22 years since the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) began issuing projections—suggests that computer models have greatly exaggerated how much warming additional CO2 can cause. Faced with this embarrassment, those promoting alarm have shifted their drumbeat from warming to weather extremes, to enable anything unusual that happens in our chaotic climate to be ascribed to CO2.

The fact is that CO2 is not a pollutant. CO2 is a colorless and odorless gas, exhaled at high concentrations by each of us, and a key component of the biosphere's life cycle. Plants do so much better with more CO2 that greenhouse operators often increase the CO2 concentrations by factors of three or four to get better growth. This is no surprise since plants and animals evolved when CO2 concentrations were about 10 times larger than they are today. Better plant varieties, chemical fertilizers and agricultural management contributed to the great increase in agricultural yields of the past century, but part of the increase almost certainly came from additional CO2 in the atmosphere....
BREAK
...Speaking for many scientists and engineers who have looked carefully and independently at the science of climate, we have a message to any candidate for public office: There is no compelling scientific argument for drastic action to "decarbonize" the world's economy. Even if one accepts the inflated climate forecasts of the IPCC, aggressive greenhouse-gas control policies are not justified economically.

Princeton physics professor William Happer on why a large number of scientists don't believe that carbon dioxide is causing global warming.
A recent study of a wide variety of policy options by Yale economist William Nordhaus showed that nearly the highest benefit-to-cost ratio is achieved for a policy that allows 50 more years of economic growth unimpeded by greenhouse gas controls. This would be especially beneficial to the less-developed parts of the world that would like to share some of the same advantages of material well-being, health and life expectancy that the fully developed parts of the world enjoy now. Many other policy responses would have a negative return on investment. And it is likely that more CO2 and the modest warming that may come with it will be an overall benefit to the planet...The Full Op-ed

Video: Thomas Aquinas College at the March for Life - West Coast

2012-01-30T17:27:00.000-06:00

Bishop Zubik responds to Obama Health Care Mandate

2012-01-28T16:43:00.011-06:00

Bishop David Zubik, Bishop of Pittsburgh, does not mince words in his response to the Obama Administration health care mandate:

‘To Hell With You’

By Bishop David A. Zubik

It is really hard to believe that it happened. It comes like a slap in the face. The Obama administration has just told the Catholics of the United States, “To Hell with you!” There is no other way to put it.

In early August, the Department for Health and Human Services in the Obama administration released guidelines as part of the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The guidelines mandated that by Summer 2012 all individual and group health insurance plans, including self-insured plans, cover all FDA-approved contraception, sterilization procedures and pharmaceuticals that even result in abortion.

A million things are wrong with this: equating pregnancy with disease; mandating that every employer pay for contraception procedures including alleged contraceptives that are actually abortion-inducing drugs; forcing American citizens to chose between violating their consciences or providing health care services; mandating such coverage on every individual woman without allowing her to even choose not to have it; forcing every person to pay for that coverage no matter the dictates of their conscience.

Let’s be blunt. This whole process of mandating these guidelines undermines the democratic process itself. In this instance, the mandate declares pregnancy a disease, forces a culture of contraception and abortion on society, all while completely bypassing the legislative process.

This is government by fiat that attacks the rights of everyone – not only Catholics; not only people of all religion. At no other time in memory or history has there been such a governmental intrusion on freedom not only with regard to religion, but even across-the-board with all citizens. It forces every employer to subsidize an ideology or pay a penalty while searching for alternatives to health care coverage. It undermines the whole concept and hope for health care reform by inextricably linking it to the zealotry of pro-abortion bureaucrats.

For our Church this mandate would apply in virtually every instance where the Catholic Church serves as an employer. The mandate would require the Catholic Church as an employer to violate its fundamental beliefs concerning human life and human dignity by forcing Catholic entities to provide contraceptive, sterilization coverage and even pharmaceuticals that result in abortion.

There was a so-called “religious exemption” to the mandate, but it was so narrowly drawn that, as critics charged, Jesus Christ and his Apostles would not fit the exemption. The so-called exemption would only apply to the vast array of Catholic institutions where the following applied:

Only Catholics are employed;
The primary purpose of the institution or service provided is the direct instruction in Catholic belief;
The only persons served by the institution are those that share Catholic religious tenets. (Try to fit this in with our local Catholic Charities that serve 80,000 every year without discrimination according to faith. It would be impossible!)

Practically speaking under the proposed mandate there would be no “religious exemption” for Catholic hospitals universities, colleges, nursing homes and numerous Catholic social service agencies such as Catholic Charities. It could easily be determined that the “religious exemption” would not apply as well to Catholic high schools, elementary schools and Catholic parishes since many employ non-Catholics and serve both students and, through social outreach, many who do not share Catholic religious beliefs. Such a narrow “religious exemption” is simply unprecedented in federal law.

Last September I asked you to protest those guidelines to Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the U.S. Department for Health and Human Services, and contact your political leadership in the federal government. I asked that you request that this flawed mandate be withdrawn because of its unprecedented interference in the religious liberty and freedom of conscience of the Catholic community, and our basic democratic process.

You did. And you were joined by Catholics throughout the country (and many others as well) who raised their voices against the mandate, raised their voices against a meaningless religious exemption.

On January 20, 2012, the Obama administration answered you and me. The response was very simple: “To Hell with You.”

Kathleen Sebelius announced that the mandate would not be withdrawn and the religious exemption would not be expanded. Instead, she stated that nonprofit groups – which include the Catholic Church – will get a year “to adapt to this new rule.” She simply dismissed Catholic concerns as standing in the way of allegedly respecting the health concerns and choices of women.

Could Catholics be insulted any more, suggesting that we have no concern for women’s health issues? The Catholic Church and the Catholic people have erected health care facilities that are recognized worldwide for their compassionate care for everyone regardless of their creed, their economic circumstances and, most certainly, their gender. In so many parts of the globe – the United States included – the Church is health care.

Kathleen Sebelius and through her, the Obama administration, have said “To Hell with You” to the Catholic faithful of the United States.

To Hell with your religious beliefs,
To Hell with your religious liberty,
To Hell with your freedom of conscience.

We’ll give you a year, they are saying, and then you have to knuckle under. As Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan, archbishop of New York and president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops responded, “in effect, the president is saying that we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences”...Continued

In response to Obama health care mandate, Peoria Bishop Daniel Jenky calls for recitation of St. Michael the Archangel prayer

2012-01-28T16:29:00.006-06:00

A strong response from Bishop Daniel Jenky (CSC) of Peoria, Illinois.

The full text:

January 24, 2012
My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
In this history of the United States, Friday, January 20, 2012 will certainly stand out as a moment of enormous peril for religious liberty. On that day, the Obama administration announced regulations that would require Catholic institutions to offer insurance programs providing abortifacients, sterilization, and contraceptive services. If these regulations are put into effect, the could close down every Catholic school, hospital, and the other public ministries of our Church, which is perhaps their underlying intention. What is perfectly clear is that this is a bigoted and blatant attack on the First Amendment rights of every Catholic believer. Under no circumstances, however, will our Church ever abandon our unshakable commitment to the Gospel of Life.
I therefore call upon all the faithful of the Diocese to vigorously oppose this unprecedented governmental assault upon the moral convictions of our Faith. Under the Constitution, no president has the authority to require our cooperation with what we consider to be intrinsic evil and mortal sin. We must therefore oppose by every means at our disposal this gross infringement on the rights of Catholic citizens to freely practice our religion. This country once fought a revolution to guarantee freedom, but the time has clearly arrived to strongly reassert our fundamental human rights. I am honestly horrified that the nation I have always loved has come to this hateful and radical step in religious intolerance. I hope and pray that all people of good will would support the faith based resistance of us their Catholic neighbors.
While it is primarily the laity who should take the leading role in political and legal action, as your Bishop, it is my clear responsibility to summon our local church into spiritual and temporal combat in defense of Catholic Christianity. Have faith! Have courage! Fight boldly for what you believe! I strongly urge you not to be intimidated by extremist politicians or the malice of the cultural secularists arrayed against us. Always remember that the One who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world (I John 4:4).
Until these grave issues are favorably resolved, I ask that every parish, school, hospital, Newman Center, and religious house in this Diocese insert the Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel into the Sunday General Intercessions just before their concluding prayer. It is God’s invincible Archangel who commands the heavenly hosts, and it is the enemies of god who will ultimately be defeated. This prayer should be announced as: A Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel for the freedom of the Catholic Church in America.
May God guide and protect his Holy Church.
Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend Daniel R. Jenky, CSC
Bishop of Peoria
-----
A Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel for the Freedom of the Catholic Church in America
Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host –
by the Divine Power of God –
cast into hell, satan and all the evil spirits,
who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.

Christendom College led the March for Life this Year

2012-01-26T18:30:00.002-06:00

Fallout From the Contraception Mandate Decision

2012-01-24T17:56:00.006-06:00

William McGurn of the Wall Street Journal has an interesting piece out today.

(The Notre Dame reference [marked in red] in particular caught my attention)

...Now, suddenly, we have headlines about the president's "war on the Catholic Church." Mostly they stem from a Health and Human Services mandate that forces every employer to provide employees with health coverage that not only covers birth control and sterilization, but makes them free. Predictably, the move has drawn fire from the Catholic bishops.

An HHS mandate requires employers to provide health coverage that covers birth control.

Less predictable—and far more interesting—has been the heat from the Catholic left, including many who have in the past given the president vital cover. In a post for the left-leaning National Catholic Reporter, Michael Sean Winters minces few words. Under the headline "J'ACCUSE," he rightly takes the president to the woodshed for the politics of the decision, for the substance, and for how "shamefully" it treats "those Catholics who went out on a limb" for him.

The message Mr. Obama is sending, says Mr. Winters, is "that there is no room in this great country of ours for the institutions our Church has built over the years to be Catholic in ways that are important to us."

Mr. Winters is not alone. The liberal Cardinal Roger Mahony, archbishop emeritus of Los Angeles, blogged that he "cannot imagine a more direct and frontal attack on freedom of conscience"—and he urged people to fight it. Another liberal favorite, Bishop Robert Lynch of St. Petersburg, Fla., has raised the specter of "civil disobedience" and vowed that he will drop coverage for diocesan workers rather than comply. They are joined in their expressions of discontent by the leaders of Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Charities, which alone employs 70,000 people.

In the run-up to the ruling, the president of Notre Dame, the Rev. John Jenkins, suggested a modest compromise by which the president could have avoided most of this strife. That would have been by allowing the traditional exemption for religious organizations. That's the same understanding two of the president's own appointees to the Supreme Court just reaffirmed in a 9-0 ruling that recognized a faith-based school's First Amendment right to choose its own ministers without government interference, regardless of antidiscrimination law.

A few years ago Father Jenkins took enormous grief when he invited President Obama to speak at a Notre Dame commencement; now Father Jenkins finds himself publicly disapproving of an "unnecessary government intervention" that puts many organizations such as his in an "untenable position."

Here's just part of what he means by "untenable": Were Notre Dame to drop coverage for its 5,229 employees, the HHS penalty alone would amount to $10 million each year.

The irony, of course, is that the ruling is being imposed by a Catholic Health and Human Services secretary, Kathleen Sebelius, working in an administration with a Catholic vice president, Joe Biden. A few years back the voluble Mr. Biden famously threatened to "shove my rosary beads" down the throat of those who dared suggest that his party's positions on social issues put it at odds with people of faith. Does he now mean to include Mr. Winters, Cardinal Mahony and Father Jenkins?

Catholic liberals appreciate that this HHS decision is more than a return to the hostility that sent so many Catholic Democrats fleeing to the Republican Party these past few decades. They understand that if left to stand, this ruling threatens the religious institutions closest to their hearts—those serving Americans in need, such as hospitals, soup kitchens and immigrant services...Full article

Mitt Romney is a Weak Candidate

2012-01-22T18:36:00.005-06:00

The Republican establishment has insisted from the beginning that Romney is the most electable GOP candidate.

I have never bought their reasoning. He has only won one election in his life, no one knows what his core values are, and President Obama will undoubtedly paint Romney as an out-of-touch, millionaire, CEO in an economic climate where that will be the kiss of death.

I simply do not believe Romney can win the general election.

While I am worried that Santorum or Gingrich would also lose (both will be absolutely massacred by the mainstream media), they both have strengths that may be sufficient to offset their weaknesses. Both will certainly connect with the people in a way that Romney cannot.

Michael Walsh of National Review Online provides the best analysis of Mitt Romney's implosion in South Carolina and his weaknesses as a candidate I have come across:

With Newt’s big win tonight, the glaring weakness of Mitt Romney now stands revealed for all to see. Hopefully including Mitt. Because if this wasn’t a wake-up call for Team Romney, he’s a totally hopeless candidate.

All along, I’ve thought he was a pretty hopeless candidate, with too many weaknesses and very few political strengths. Stripped of his Iowa “win,” his record as a candidate is basically 2–4, with wins as Massachusetts governor and, this cycle, in the New Hampshire primary (as a semi-favorite son), but losses to Ted Kennedy, McCain, Rick Santorum, and now Mr. Newt.

This loss is a bad one. Not only did he blow a sizable (and, as it turns out, illusory) lead, he finds himself right back where he started this campaign, stuck at around a quarter of the vote. If that’s “electable,” the GOP is in serious trouble.

The smart set will be quick to tell you that Romney still has plenty of money and organization. So did Tim Pawlenty in Iowa and Michele Bachmann beat him. Those things may be beloved of the Republican “strategists” — who are, of course, merely tacticians obsessed with Operation Market Garden but who can’t find Berlin on a map — but in a primary campaign that is primarily being waged via the televised debates, they count for much less than they used to.

What counts is passion. The 2010 midterms proved that, but the GOP bonzes seemed embarrassed by the Tea Party’s success. They pushed the “electable” and “inevitable” memes as hard as they could in the service of a milquetoast candidate, and the mainstream media, openly rooting for the other side, was only too happy to help them out. As I’ve been saying, Romney’s been the candidate the Democrats have wanted to face all along, in part because of his glass ceiling. Which is turning out to be a glass jaw.

So Romney has simply got to come up with a more cogent rationale for his candidacy than he has up to now if he has any hope of becoming president. He can’t run for CEO any more.

That Bennett propaganda film may not have been entirely accurate but — and this is the point – it obviously worked. It also clearly disarmed Romney and left him with his guard down when the knockout punch — his taxes — came along. It was obvious all along that his reluctance to release his taxes was based on the fact that he pays capital gains on his income, not “income taxes.” That’s clearly defensible and entirely legal — but the electorate is in no mood for a lecture on the distinction, and it’s terrible in the current political environment.

In an ideal world, Romney would be a strong candidate. But it’s not an ideal world. In fact, it’s a downright mean, nasty, grubby world of imperfect men struggling to confront serious historical and philosophical forces while battling each other for power and prestige. Segments on the right have not entirely digested the notion that Obama and his party are running on a platform of contempt for America and “fundamental change” for the future; it’s like they think the Dems don’t really mean it. And that taking the high road by confining the campaign to “jobs” will appeal to the “real” America somewhere out there in the heartland. And that playing rough is beneath us.

Newt played rough in South Carolina and won big. That ought to tell the GOP something. Whether it will is another story. If this loss tonight makes Romney a stronger, better, more articulate candidate, terrific. But he has to learn from this stunning defeat: The base is itching for a fight with everything the Obama Democrats stand for and they don’t much care who gives it to them, just as long as somebody does. Tonight, that’s Newt.

As the late Al Davis used to say, “Just win, baby.” And, as the Democrats say, “by any means necessary.” It’s high time they got a taste of their own medicine — and understand there’s a lot more where that came from.

SOURCE

Belmont Abbey College leads the fight against Obama Administration "contraception" mandate

2012-01-21T16:11:00.001-06:00

From The Cardinal Newman Society:

It’s the small Catholic college in North Carolina vs. the Obama administration. The outcome will decide the fate of religious liberty in this country.
When it was announced last year that the Obama administration intended to force religious institutions to pay for contraceptive drugs –including those that would cause abortions there were letters sent by many of the leading Catholic organizations, press statements delivered, and meetings with the Obama administration held asking for a wider religious exemption.

But it wasn’t the Catholic Health Association which had endorsed Obamacare, not Catholic Charities, not Notre Dame which had honored the President in order to further dialogue, or even mushy tsk-tsks from Sister Keehan that did anything to help.

No. It was the tiny Catholic school with the President who said he’d rather close the school down than comply with the administration’s wishes on contraception and abortifacients.

But College President Bill Thierfelder said he doesn’t believe it will come to that. And there’s reason to believe he’s right because Belmont Abbey has partnered with The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a small law firm committed to defending religious liberty.

You might remember the name because just week they won a case against the powerful Obama administration before the Supreme Court. 9-0. A unanimous ruling that prevented the White House from deciding who religious institutions could hire and fire.

But undeterred, the Obama administration, as we know, is back to strangling religious liberties in this country this week.

And now the lawsuit filed against the Obama administration by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty on behalf of Belmont Abbey College may just decide all.

“This is the last avenue of relief,” said Hannah Smith, Senior Legal Counsel for The Becket Fund. “There’s a lot riding on these lawsuits.”

For years, President Obama has talked about the importance of “conscience rights.” While being honored by the University of Notre Dame, Obama pledged to “draft a sensible conscience clause.” And even just last month, Archbishop Timothy Dolan emerged from a meeting with President Obama, saying he “found the president of the United States to be very open to the sensitivities of the Catholic community that were worried about an intrusion into religious liberty.”

So much for that.

After all the promises Obama made, after all the pleas with the administration from religious institutions across the country, and the meetings with bishops, the administration simply ran roughshod over the concerns of Christian organizations.

The administration’s one seeming concession was to merely delay the effective date of the rule by one year for religious institutions. Sebelius wrote that, “This additional year will allow these organizations more time and flexibility to adapt to this new rule.”

“How generous of you Secretary Sebelius,” said Hannah Smith. “So we can violate our religious beliefs and comply with your coercive government mandate a year from now?”

Smith said she believed the one year extension was simply a “shameless” political decision to kick the can down the road until after the election to avoid negative p.r. before the election.

Ron Benton, Assistant Vice President of Administrative Services at Colorado Christian University which filed a similar suit a month after Belmont Abbey’s, said Sebelius’ delaying the implementation of the rule so that institutions could figure out a way to “adapt” is “pure ignorance.”

“Deeply held religious beliefs don’t change in a year,” he said.” I don’t think the Obama administration realizes the scope of the push back they’re going to see from institutions that hold their beliefs deeply.”

Benton said he believes Belmont Abbey and Colorado Christian won’t be alone in their lawsuit for long. He said he believes other Catholic and Christian colleges and institutions may join in the lawsuit or file friends of the court briefs in the near future.

Mark L. Rienzi, an assistant professor at the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law, who is part of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, said recently, “Sebelius’s war is her own effort to use a government agency to force conformity — everyone has to jump on the contraception/abortion bandwagon or face the financial consequences.”

Smith said she’s hopeful the lawsuits will succeed because just last week the Supreme Court unanimously decided against the Obama administration. “The administration has seen the writing on the wall. They know that this mandate cannot survive constitutional scrutiny any more than their ‘extreme’ position in Hosanna-Tabor did,” said Smith. ”So the administration is trying to delay the inevitable judgment day. We’re quite confident the court will see this as an unconstitutional burden.”

The suit by Belmont Abbey College was filed first in November and it’s expected that the government would respond by the end of January. Colorado Christian College’s suit was filed a month later so a response is expected from the administration by the end of February.

We’ll keep you updated on this all important battle.

Belmont Abbey College is included by The Cardinal Newman Society in The Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College for its strong Catholic identity.
SOURCE

National Review has an excellent interview with the above Ms. Smith (a lawyer for the Becket Fund) on this subject that can be found here.

Obama Administration Affirms Contraception Mandate for Religious Institutions

2012-01-20T17:26:00.009-06:00

This is outrageous.

The Obama Administration is mandating that religious groups and church-related institutions will have to provide free contraception, sterilizations, and abortifacient pills to their employees.

Disgraceful.

From LifeSiteNews.com:

After being deluged with complaints from outraged religious groups, Obama’s health department has dug in its heels, saying its decision to force employers to provide abortifacient birth control drugs will continue as planned - although faith-based groups will be given a year reprieve. In response, U.S. Catholic bishops have not minced words, vowing to fight the order as “literally unconscionable.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced Friday that faith-based entities like hospitals and universities will have until August 1, 2013 to provide employees with free birth control as part of their insurance packages. The mandate will also force such groups to pay for sterilizations and, because the FDA has approved abortifacient drugs such as Ella as “contraception.”

The mandate is being implemented as part of the new health care legislation that was passed in March 2010 despite vigorous opposition from U.S. Catholic bishops, who called it dangerously open to being used as a means of spreading abortion.
NARAL Pro-Choice America, the nation’s top abortion lobby, immediately celebrated the announcement and called on abortion supporters to thank the administration for defeating “a pressure campaign from anti-contraception groups.”
“With your help, we stood up to the large, well-funded groups that tried to put their anti-contraception beliefs ahead of women’s health,” NARAL president Nancy Keenan told supporters in an email. “We also kept the pressure on the Obama administration, and, clearly, our message was heard.”

But Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic bishops, indicated that the Catholic Church would not go down without a fight.

“In effect, the president is saying we have a year to figure out how to violate our consciences,” said Dolan.

“To force American citizens to choose between violating their consciences and forgoing their healthcare is literally unconscionable,” he continued. “It is as much an attack on access to health care as on religious freedom. Historically this represents a challenge and a compromise of our religious liberty”...Continued

"Seven Lies About Homeschooling"

2012-01-19T17:17:00.000-06:00

Navis Pictures releases sample scene from "War of the Vendee"

2012-01-18T19:26:00.007-06:00

Navis Pictures has released a sample scene from its forthcoming film, War of the Vendee. The film is scheduled to be released next month.

As with its past film, the wonderful St. Bernadette of Lourdes, all the actors are children.

The scene:

The trailer for the film can be found here.

Gunner Kiel Commits to Notre Dame

2012-01-17T17:25:00.013-06:00

Good news for Irish fans!

The #1 high school quarterback in the nation, Gunner Kiel, committed to Notre Dame today. (Note: some analysts have him ranked #2)

The Chicago Tribune reports:

Notre Dame officially pulled off one of the most dizzying recruiting coups in recent memory: Quarterback Gunner Kiel is enrolled and will play for the Irish.

Kiel, a five-star prospect rated the nation's No. 2 quarterback by Rivals.com, is among three early enrollees confirmed by Notre Dame on Tuesday.

"This recruitment process was a roller-coaster ride at times, but I know I have made the right decision for my family and me," Kiel said in a statement released by the school. "There were three critical elements I was looking for in my future school: the quality of education I would receive, the distance from home and the comfort level I would have with the players and coaches in the football program. Notre Dame was the perfect fit for me because it hit all three areas...Continued

A detailed analysis can be found at Irish Sports Daily

Photo Credit: Yahoo Sports.com

Tim Tebow's true greatness lies in his charitable work, not his exploits on the football field

2012-01-14T18:50:00.005-06:00

Whatever, one thinks of Tim Tebow the football player, his charitable work off the field is impressive.

ESPN's Rick Reilly relates relates how Tebow brings a seriously ill or dying person and his/her family to each Broncos game all expenses paid. Tebow spends time with them before the game and up to an hour with them after the game.

Reading this story, I was incredibly moved and a bit humbled, even to the point of tearing up a little bit.

Reading of Tebow's generosity, I cannot help but think that I could do more to help make the world a little bit better of a place for those who are less fortunate.

From ESPN:

I've come to believe in Tim Tebow, but not for what he does on a football field, which is still three parts Dr. Jekyll and two parts Mr. Hyde.
No, I've come to believe in Tim Tebow for what he does off a football field, which is represent the best parts of us, the parts I want to be and so rarely am.
Who among us is this selfless?
Every week, Tebow picks out someone who is suffering, or who is dying, or who is injured. He flies these people and their families to the Broncos game, rents them a car, puts them up in a nice hotel, buys them dinner (usually at a Dave & Buster's), gets them and their families pregame passes, visits with them just before kickoff (!), gets them 30-yard-line tickets down low, visits with them after the game (sometimes for an hour), has them walk him to his car, and sends them off with a basket of gifts.
Home or road, win or lose, hero or goat.
Remember last week, when the world was pulling its hair out in the hour after Tebow had stunned the Pittsburgh Steelers with an 80-yard OT touchdown pass to Demaryius Thomas in the playoffs? And Twitter was exploding with 9,420 tweets about Tebow per second? When an ESPN poll was naming him the most popular athlete in America?
Tebow was spending that hour talking to 16-year-old Bailey Knaub about her 73 surgeries so far and what TV shows she likes.
"Here he'd just played the game of his life," recalls Bailey's mother, Kathy, of Loveland, Colo., "and the first thing he does after his press conference is come find Bailey and ask, 'Did you get anything to eat?' He acted like what he'd just done wasn't anything, like it was all about Bailey."
More than that, Tebow kept corralling people into the room for Bailey to meet. Hey, Demaryius, come in here a minute. Hey, Mr. Elway. Hey, Coach Fox.
Even though sometimes-fatal Wegener's granulomatosis has left Bailey with only one lung, the attention took her breath away.
"It was the best day of my life," she emailed. "It was a bright star among very gloomy and difficult days. Tim Tebow gave me the greatest gift I could ever imagine. He gave me the strength for the future. I know now that I can face any obstacle placed in front of me. Tim taught me to never give up because at the end of the day, today might seem bleak but it can't rain forever and tomorrow is a new day, with new promises."
I read that email to Tebow, and he was honestly floored.
"Why me? Why should I inspire her?" he said. "I just don't feel, I don't know, adequate. Really, hearing her story inspires me."
It's not just NFL defenses that get Tebowed. It's high school girls who don't know whether they'll ever go to a prom. It's adults who can hardly stand. It's kids who will die soon...Continued

Photo Credit: Tim Tebow Foundation

Last night's ABC debate: Newt Gingrich blasts government bigotry toward Catholic Church

2012-01-08T17:01:00.002-06:00

I loved it last night during the debate when Newt Gingrich blasted government bigotry toward the Catholic Church.

There are two sides to the story and the media has made it clear which side it favors:

Archbishop Dolan Named Cardinal by Pope Benedict

2012-01-06T09:35:00.008-06:00

From the New York Times:

Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan, who has led the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York for nearly three years, will be named a cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI, the Vatican announced on Friday.
The Archdiocese of New York is widely considered the spiritual heart of the American church. It counts about 2.6 million Catholics in a sprawling jurisdiction that includes includes Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island and several suburban counties.
“As a kid, I just wanted to be a parish priest,” the cardinal-designate said in an early morning news conference at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan. “And to think that now the pope has named me a cardinal— that’s awesome.”
Eight of the ten archbishops in the history of the New York archdiocese have been named cardinals, so the announcement was not unexpected. Still, the timing was surprising, because Cardinal Edward M. Egan, the archbishop emeritus of New York, will not turn 80 until April. Cardinals under age 80 are eligible to vote in papal elections, and it is unusual, although not unprecedented, for a diocese to have two cardinals eligible to vote at the same time... Continued

Photo Credit: Archdiocese of New York

CatholicVote.org Endorses Rick Santorum

2012-01-05T13:33:00.004-06:00

From their press release:

CHICAGO, IL – CatholicVote.org, a leading national grassroots Catholic advocacy organization, today proudly announced their endorsement of Senator Rick Santorum for President.

CatholicVote.org President Brian Burch issued the following statement explaining the endorsement:

“Pennsylvania Rick Santorum represents our best hope to rally the nation behind a unified moral and economic vision that Americans are clamoring for in a President. CatholicVote.org is proud to stand with Rick Santorum, and is prepared to mobilize our rapidly-growing grassroots network to help secure him the GOP nomination, and ultimately win the White House.

“Catholic voters are looking for a candidate who can successfully combine the principles of the dignity of life and the dignity of work. Senator Santorum understands better than any other candidate the profound link between the moral, cultural and economic principles foundational to the success of America. We are convinced that Rick Santorum is the candidate best equipped to win not only the political arguments, but also the hearts of American voters as he did in Iowa on Tuesday.

“Rick Santorum is a workingman’s Republican with a record and a plan which are especially appealing to Catholic voters. His record in Pennsylvania, and his record as a presidential candidate confirms that Senator Santorum understands why four more years of President Obama would be devastating for America, but also why a GOP message focused too heavily on taxes, spending, and debt is simply not enough.

“Too often our debates on ‘social issues’ are fought at the margins with stale-talking points which pit economic justice and moral virtues against each other. The candidacy of Rick Santorum represents a chance to present an integrated approach to voters who are hungry for this kind of message.

“Catholic voters looking for moral and economic leadership also understand that the 2012 elections will inevitably focus on judges and the courts. With the Supreme Court poised to rule on immigration law, Obamacare, and potentially so-called same-sex marriage this summer, judges and our courts will dominate the debate this fall. On this score, there is no debate over which candidate has led, and can best be trusted to lead the fight over the role of our judiciary and the nomination of qualified judges to the courts that will respect our Constitution.

“Finally, Senator Santorum is a man of honor, integrity, and authenticity. What you see is what you get. He has faithfully served the cause of life and marriage as an elected official and as a husband and father. And while no political candidate, or human being for that matter, is perfect, Rick Santorum’s baggage contains his clothes.

“Republicans hoping to win back the White House in November must unite behind the candidate most dedicated to the foundational issues of faith, family and freedom. If the GOP hopes to defeat President Obama, it takes a Rick Santorum to get it done.”

National Review's interview with CatholicVote's president, Brian Burch is linked here.

Homily - Pope Benedict XVI - Christmas Eve Mass - 2011

2011-12-24T17:09:00.003-06:00

The Text:

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

The reading from Saint Paul’s Letter to Titus that we have just heard begins solemnly with the word “apparuit”, which then comes back again in the reading at the Dawn Mass: apparuit – “there has appeared”. This is a programmatic word, by which the Church seeks to express synthetically the essence of Christmas. Formerly, people had spoken of God and formed human images of him in all sorts of different ways. God himself had spoken in many and various ways to mankind (cf. Heb 1:1 – Mass during the Day). But now something new has happened: he has appeared. He has revealed himself. He has emerged from the inaccessible light in which he dwells. He himself has come into our midst. This was the great joy of Christmas for the early Church: God has appeared. No longer is he merely an idea, no longer do we have to form a picture of him on the basis of mere words. He has “appeared”. But now we ask: how has he appeared? Who is he in reality? The reading at the Dawn Mass goes on to say: “the kindness and love of God our Saviour for mankind were revealed” (Tit 3:4). For the people of pre-Christian times, whose response to the terrors and contradictions of the world was to fear that God himself might not be good either, that he too might well be cruel and arbitrary, this was a real “epiphany”, the great light that has appeared to us: God is pure goodness. Today too, people who are no longer able to recognize God through faith are asking whether the ultimate power that underpins and sustains the world is truly good, or whether evil is just as powerful and primordial as the good and the beautiful which we encounter in radiant moments in our world. “The kindness and love of God our Saviour for mankind were revealed”: this is the new, consoling certainty that is granted to us at Christmas.

In all three Christmas Masses, the liturgy quotes a passage from the Prophet Isaiah, which describes the epiphany that took place at Christmas in greater detail: “A child is born for us, a son given to us and dominion is laid on his shoulders; and this is the name they give him: Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty-God, Eternal-Father, Prince-of-Peace. Wide is his dominion in a peace that has no end” (Is 9:5f.). Whether the prophet had a particular child in mind, born during his own period of history, we do not know. But it seems impossible. This is the only text in the Old Testament in which it is said of a child, of a human being: his name will be Mighty-God, Eternal-Father. We are presented with a vision that extends far beyond the historical moment into the mysterious, into the future. A child, in all its weakness, is Mighty God. A child, in all its neediness and dependence, is Eternal Father. And his peace “has no end”. The prophet had previously described the child as “a great light” and had said of the peace he would usher in that the rod of the oppressor, the footgear of battle, every cloak rolled in blood would be burned (Is 9:1, 3-4).

God has appeared – as a child. It is in this guise that he pits himself against all violence and brings a message that is peace. At this hour, when the world is continually threatened by violence in so many places and in so many different ways, when over and over again there are oppressors’ rods and bloodstained cloaks, we cry out to the Lord: O mighty God, you have appeared as a child and you have revealed yourself to us as the One who loves us, the One through whom love will triumph. And you have shown us that we must be peacemakers with you. We love your childish estate, your powerlessness, but we suffer from the continuing presence of violence in the world, and so we also ask you: manifest your power, O God. In this time of ours, in this world of ours, cause the oppressors’ rods, the cloaks rolled in blood and the footgear of battle to be burned, so that your peace may triumph in this world of ours.

Christmas is an epiphany – the appearing of God and of his great light in a child that is born for us. Born in a stable in Bethlehem, not in the palaces of kings. In 1223, when Saint Francis of Assisi celebrated Christmas in Greccio with an ox and an ass and a manger full of hay, a new dimension of the mystery of Christmas came to light. Saint Francis of Assisi called Christmas “the feast of feasts” – above all other feasts – and he celebrated it with “unutterable devotion” (2 Celano 199; Fonti Francescane, 787). He kissed images of the Christ-child with great devotion and he stammered tender words such as children say, so Thomas of Celano tells us (ibid.). For the early Church, the feast of feasts was Easter: in the Resurrection Christ had flung open the doors of death and in so doing had radically changed the world: he had made a place for man in God himself. Now, Francis neither changed nor intended to change this objective order of precedence among the feasts, the inner structure of the faith centred on the Paschal Mystery. And yet through him and the character of his faith, something new took place: Francis discovered Jesus’ humanity in an entirely new depth. This human existence of God became most visible to him at the moment when God’s Son, born of the Virgin Mary, was wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger. The Resurrection presupposes the Incarnation. For God’s Son to take the form of a child, a truly human child, made a profound impression on the heart of the Saint of Assisi, transforming faith into love. “The kindness and love of God our Saviour for mankind were revealed” – this phrase of Saint Paul now acquired an entirely new depth. In the child born in the stable at Bethlehem, we can as it were touch and caress God. And so the liturgical year acquired a second focus in a feast that is above all a feast of the heart.

This has nothing to do with sentimentality. It is right here, in this new experience of the reality of Jesus’ humanity that the great mystery of faith is revealed. Francis loved the child Jesus, because for him it was in this childish estate that God’s humility shone forth. God became poor. His Son was born in the poverty of the stable. In the child Jesus, God made himself dependent, in need of human love, he put himself in the position of asking for human love – our love. Today Christmas has become a commercial celebration, whose bright lights hide the mystery of God’s humility, which in turn calls us to humility and simplicity. Let us ask the Lord to help us see through the superficial glitter of this season, and to discover behind it the child in the stable in Bethlehem, so as to find true joy and true light.

Francis arranged for Mass to be celebrated on the manger that stood between the ox and the ass (cf. 1 Celano 85; Fonti 469). Later, an altar was built over this manger, so that where animals had once fed on hay, men could now receive the flesh of the spotless lamb Jesus Christ, for the salvation of soul and body, as Thomas of Celano tells us (cf. 1 Celano 87; Fonti 471). Francis himself, as a deacon, had sung the Christmas Gospel on the holy night in Greccio with resounding voice. Through the friars’ radiant Christmas singing, the whole celebration seemed to be a great outburst of joy (1 Celano 85.86; Fonti 469, 470). It was the encounter with God’s humility that caused this joy – his goodness creates the true feast.

Today, anyone wishing to enter the Church of Jesus’ Nativity in Bethlehem will find that the doorway five and a half metres high, through which emperors and caliphs used to enter the building, is now largely walled up. Only a low opening of one and a half metres has remained. The intention was probably to provide the church with better protection from attack, but above all to prevent people from entering God’s house on horseback. Anyone wishing to enter the place of Jesus’ birth has to bend down. It seems to me that a deeper truth is revealed here, which should touch our hearts on this holy night: if we want to find the God who appeared as a child, then we must dismount from the high horse of our “enlightened” reason. We must set aside our false certainties, our intellectual pride, which prevents us from recognizing God’s closeness. We must follow the interior path of Saint Francis – the path leading to that ultimate outward and inward simplicity which enables the heart to see. We must bend down, spiritually we must as it were go on foot, in order to pass through the portal of faith and encounter the God who is so different from our prejudices and opinions – the God who conceals himself in the humility of a newborn baby. In this spirit let us celebrate the liturgy of the holy night, let us strip away our fixation on what is material, on what can be measured and grasped. Let us allow ourselves to be made simple by the God who reveals himself to the simple of heart. And let us also pray especially at this hour for all who have to celebrate Christmas in poverty, in suffering, as migrants, that a ray of God’s kindness may shine upon them, that they – and we – may be touched by the kindness that God chose to bring into the world through the birth of his Son in a stable. Amen.

SOURCE

Mitt Romney asks: Entitlement or Opportunity?

2011-12-20T18:14:00.008-06:00

From his Op-ed in the USA Today:

In less than a year, the American people will go to the polls and choose a new president. A matter of great moment is at stake in this election. The question we will decide is this: Will the United States be an Entitlement Society or an Opportunity Society?

In an Entitlement Society, government provides every citizen the same or similar rewards, regardless of education, effort and willingness to innovate, pioneer or take risk. In an Opportunity Society, free people living under a limited government choose whether or not to pursue education, engage in hard work, and pursue the passion of their ideas and dreams. If they succeed, they merit the rewards they are able to enjoy... Continued

Archbishop Dolan Speaks at Notre Dame...

2011-12-14T20:07:00.007-06:00

...at an event sponsored by the Notre Dame Project on Human Dignity.

Amazing Video from Wyoming Catholic College

2011-12-13T19:30:00.009-06:00

In the past, I have noted my interest in Wyoming Catholic College, the intriguing new Catholic liberal arts college that has been established in the wilderness of Wyoming.

WCC emphasizes orthodox Catholicism, the Great Outdoors, and a Great Books education.

Now, the college has released an absolutely fabulous promotional video.

A big thumbs up to Grassroots Films which produced the video.

Wyoming Catholic College is endorsed by The Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) in its Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College. The CNS review of WCC can be found here.

H/T: National Catholic Register

CUA's John Garvey: "...same sex dorms foster friendship, respect"

2011-12-03T17:00:00.004-06:00

On December 1st, Catholic University President John Garvey published a follow-up to his much discussed Wall Street Journal piece that came out in June.

This new essay is excellent and appears below in full:

Last June I wrote a piece in the Wall Street Journal explaining why The Catholic University of America is returning to single-sex residences. I said that the change was an old-fashioned remedy for two problems of growing concern on university campuses: binge drinking and hooking up. The article generated a frenzy of media attention, with voices arguing for and against the wisdom of our new policy. One unhappy faculty member at another school went so far as to file a legal complaint against me for sex discrimination. It was dismissed earlier this week.

One of the most common arguments made by those who objected to our new policy was that single-sex residences are an obstacle to friendships with the opposite sex. As a university administrator, I took these objections seriously. Friendship is one of the great goods in our lives. Aristotle says we can’t be happy without it. Catholics see friendship as an expression of love between persons, like the love between the persons of the Trinity. When Jesus talks about reducing the law and the prophets to two commandments, “love” is the operative word in each. Forming good, lasting, healthy friendships is an integral part of students’ experience at Catholic University, and one of the things we want most for them.
Some people suggest that shared living space promotes friendship between men and women. In this respect we think differently. Shared living space might mean spending more hours with the opposite sex. But it often doesn’t foster the mutual respect necessary for real friendship.
The prevalence of “hooking up” on college campuses is both a cause and a sign of this decline in solid friendships between men and women. When students “hook up,” they put sex before love. Our goal is not to make students think sex is bad. It’s not. But as those of us with a few more years of life know, when sex comes first, it’s often mistaken for love. Worse still, it can become a kind of recreational pleasure that lets people think they can live without love. Friendship between men and women – the kind that leads to healthy relationships and lasting marriages – requires that love come first.
Returning to single-sex residence halls will not eliminate sex on college campuses. It will not put an end to one-night stands and mistakes made in the heat of the moment, though social science evidence and common sense indicate it will limit the opportunity for those things. Sex is a powerful force. Students today are bombarded with messages telling them that casual sex will make them happy. We know it won’t. By making the change we have made, we hope both to send a message and to give our students a chance at love. Fostering a greater sense of mutual respect between men and women on our campus will help them form the kinds of friendships that can sustain marriages and lead to real happiness.
When my wife and I sent our kids off to college, we didn’t expect that they would make no mistakes. We did hope, if marriage was to be their vocation in life, that they might find real love. We hope the same for our students at Catholic University.
John Garvey is the President of The Catholic University of America.

Source: Washington Post

Winter Wonderland by Steve Taylor

2011-12-03T16:55:00.001-06:00

A very unusual version of the Christmas song, "Winter Wonderland."

I like it!

The New Translation of the Mass

2011-11-20T15:06:00.007-06:00

In the video below, Fr. Robert Barron discusses the new translation of the Catholic Mass.

In his typically wonderful way, he explains the reasons for the changes and compares examples between the old and new translations. He argues that the new version is much more "courtly" and "elegant" and "poetic" and therefore more appropriate for prayer to our heavenly "King" than the very casual language used in the current version.

"War of the Vendee" - The latest film from Navis Pictures

2011-11-12T16:50:00.007-06:00

Navis Pictures, maker of the wonderful "St. Bernadette of Lourdes," is preparing to release its latest film, "War of the Vendee," based on a little known story from the time of the French Revolution. As with the previous film, all of the actors are children.

The website for Navis Pictures can be found HERE.

Carter Snead appointed Director of Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture

2011-10-25T19:09:00.007-05:00

This is wonderful news!

Now I can give my annual donation to the ND Fund to Protect Human Life with full confidence in the fund's future.

The Center's current director, Prof. David Solomon, on his replacement:

It is difficult for me to imagine a more suitable appointment. Professor Snead is one of the most exciting new scholars on the ND faculty, a major figure in contemporary bioethics. He is passionately committed, as are all of us at the Center, to the prolife cause and to the cause of Catholic higher education. We all look forward to the exciting new ideas he will bring to the Center.

For more information visit the Center's website here.

The Sycamore Trust also weighs in:

...There could not be a more welcome development. Professor Snead is superbly qualified to build upon the work of Dr. Solomon and his associates that has made the Center a focal point for Catholic intellectual life and the driving force for pro-life reflection and action on campus...

The full statement from the Sycamore Trust can be found here.

The Great Courses

2011-10-08T18:53:00.002-05:00

Below is a fascinating article from The City Journal about "The Great Courses" company which provides college courses on CD & DVD.

This is one of my favorite companies, and I have listened to a number of their courses in my car.

The article analyzes the popularity of these courses and notes their more traditional approach, as opposed to the politically-correct, identity-group focus of contemporary on-campus university courses:

The canon of great literature, philosophy, and art is thriving—in the marketplace, if not on college campuses. For the last 20 years, a company called the Great Courses has been selling recorded lectures in the humanities and sciences to an adult audience eager to brush up its Shakespeare and its quantum mechanics. The company produces only what its market research shows that customers want. And that, it turns out, is a curriculum in the monuments of human thought, taught without the politically correct superiority and self-indulgent theory common in today’s colleges...Continued

Recommended: Piusmedia.com for Catholic On-line Video Rental

2011-09-24T15:56:00.003-05:00

Piusmedia.com operates just like Netflix, but carries only family-friendly videos, including children's videos and classic movies, and movies/documentaries with a Catholic theme.

They have a variety of subscription packages to meet the needs of every family. We joined earlier this year and have been very pleased. Plus, we feel like we are supporting a good cause.

Rick Santorum, Candidate for President, 100% Catholic

2011-08-13T19:41:00.006-05:00

I was impressed with Rick Santorum's performance in Iowa this week: a strong debate performance on Thursday, a great speech today, and a respectable finish in the straw poll.

He is likeable, knowledgeable, well-spoken and above all, principled.

I must add that it is nice to have a 100% orthodox Catholic in the race (as opposed to the "cafeteria" Catholics that populate the other party).

The 43rd Anniversary of Humanae Vitae

2011-07-25T17:04:00.000-05:00

This post provides a reprint of my post from last year (with slight revisions):

This year's Natural Family Planning Week (July 25-31) marks the 42nd anniversary of Humanae Vitae (On Human Life), the prophetic encyclical of Paul VI which reaffirmed the Catholic Church's opposition to artificial contraception.

Excerpts:

On Marriage:

...Marriage, then, is far from being the effect of chance or the result of the blind evolution of natural forces. It is in reality the wise and provident institution of God the Creator, whose purpose was to effect in man His loving design. As a consequence, husband and wife, through that mutual gift of themselves, which is specific and exclusive to them alone, develop that union of two persons in which they perfect one another, cooperating with God in the generation and rearing of new lives...

...It is a love which is total—that very special form of personal friendship in which husband and wife generously share everything, allowing no unreasonable exceptions and not thinking solely of their own convenience. Whoever really loves his partner loves not only for what he receives, but loves that partner for the partner's own sake, content to be able to enrich the other with the gift of himself.

Married love is also faithful and exclusive of all other, and this until death. This is how husband and wife understood it on the day on which, fully aware of what they were doing, they freely vowed themselves to one another in marriage. Though this fidelity of husband and wife sometimes presents difficulties, no one has the right to assert that it is impossible; it is, on the contrary, always honorable and meritorious. The example of countless married couples proves not only that fidelity is in accord with the nature of marriage, but also that it is the source of profound and enduring happiness.

Finally, this love is fecund. It is not confined wholly to the loving interchange of husband and wife; it also contrives to go beyond this to bring new life into being. "Marriage and conjugal love are by their nature ordained toward the procreation and education of children. Children are really the supreme gift of marriage and contribute in the highest degree to their parents' welfare"....

On Artificial Contraception:

...Responsible men can become more deeply convinced of the truth of the doctrine laid down by the Church on this issue if they reflect on the consequences of methods and plans for artificial birth control. Let them first consider how easily this course of action could open wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards. Not much experience is needed to be fully aware of human weakness and to understand that human beings—and especially the young, who are so exposed to temptation—need incentives to keep the moral law, and it is an evil thing to make it easy for them to break that law. Another effect that gives cause for alarm is that a man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection...

My commentary:

It would be an understatement to say the encyclical was controversial when it was released.

Pope Paul was ridiculed by many. Proponents of artificial contraception argued that widespread use of contraception would strengthen and solidify family life by easing the burden of unwanted children, would dramatically reduce (if not eliminate) the need for abortion, and would liberate women so they could become equal partners to men.

However, looking out at the cultural wreckage and family dysfunction of our society, Pope Paul has been proven right in the end. He predicted widespread use of artificial contraception would lead to:

1. "...Increased marital infidelity..."

2. "...General lowering of moral standards.."

3. "...a man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and... reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires..."

Can anyone deny that all these predictions have come true?

What have been the "fruits" of artificial contraception?

Half of marriages end in divorce
almost half of today's babies are born out of wedlock
50 million abortions have been procured in the US alone over the last 30 years
The spread of sexual disease is rampant
"hooking up" and "friends with benefits" have replaced romance and courtship
a popular culture rooted in the debasement, objectification, and sexual exploitation of women (have you looked at the magazines in the checkout line lately)?

This cultural wreckage is the real legacy of the widespread use of artificial contraception.

Yet, the proponents artificial birth control ridicule abstinence and argue that even more birth control is the solution to all these problems.

But, under their approach, what does a young person today have to look forward to?

Having to "protect" themselves from their partner? How did we get to a point where we have to "protect" ourselves during an act that is supposed to be beautiful and intimate?
Having their hearts broken over and over? And all the cynicism that results?
As a young man, being told by society that the value and measure of a man is in the sexual conquest of women.
As a young woman, being told by society that the value and measure of a woman is in her physical appearance, immodestly displayed.
Having to grapple with lifelong sexual diseases (including possibility of infertility)?
Taking an act that is meant to be beautiful, special, and UNIQUE to one's relationship with one's spouse, and turning it into something common and casual that is shared with many?
Being in a position where one of life's greatest joys, the conception of a child, is feared and viewed as a catastrophe?
"Living together" without commitment which studies have shown decreases their prospects for a successful marriage later on?

Why would anyone wish this lifestyle on their children?

Note: You may also be interested in my previous post explaining why Pope Benedict was right when he said recently that condoms are not the answer to the AIDS crisis in Africa.

NFP Resources:

Humane Vitae - Full text is here.

My previous posts for Natural Family Planning Week:

- Post 1 (NFP resources & information here)
- Post 2 (benefits of NFP here).

Dr. Janet Smith's Contraception, Why Not the most persuasive presentation of the Church's teaching on artificial contraception I have come across. Contraception, Why Not? is available for here in CD format. I highly recommend it.

National Natural Family Planning Awareness Week: July 24-30, 2011

2011-07-25T16:34:00.000-05:00

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has designated this week as National Natural Family Planning Awareness week.

An excellent summary of the benefits of Natural Family Planning can be found here.

-- Key Church documents on human sexuality, marriage, and family life:

Familiaris consortio: The Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World
Pope John Paul II, 1980
Humanae vitae: On the Regulation of Births
Pope Paul VI, 1968
Casti connubii: On Christian Marriage
Pope Pius XI, 1930

-- Links to other helpful resources:

The Couple-to-Couple-League is an excellent organization that provides NFP resources, classes, and educational materials. They have affiliated local teaching couples throughout the country.

Contraception, Why Not by Dr. Janet Smith is the most persuasive presentation of the Church's teaching on artificial contraception I have come across. The first time I heard it, it really blew away any reservations or misunderstandings I had about the issue. Contraception, Why Not? is available here in CD format. I highly recommend it.

One More Soul is another excellent organization that has a variety of resources related to natural planning including and invaluable on-line directory of NFP only physicians.

My thoughts on the 42nd Anniversary of Pope Paul VI's prophetic encyclical Humanae Vitae which reaffirmed the Church's opposition to artificial contraception can be found here.

The Nativity Story - Facebook Version

2010-12-20T12:56:00.004-06:00

I was surprised to find myself quite moved by this.

Medal of Honor to be postumously awarded to Chicago native Rob Miller

2010-10-02T17:19:00.008-05:00

The Medal of Honor will be awarded posthumously to Wheaton North High School graduate Rob Miller who is credited with saving the lives of 8 American servicemen and 12 Afghan soldiers during a fierce firefight in January of 2008.

Here is an excerpt from the Chicago Tribune story:

...The damage assessment patrol walked north about 800 meters to a bridge impassable by vehicle. Led by Miller, the team turned east, crossed the estimated 100-foot bridge and turned south into a narrow, steep valley. They had trekked for about 45 minutes.

"That's when we walked into the hornet's nest," McGarry said.

About 40 insurgents had dug under rock formations in the narrow pass east of the Kunar River. Nearly 200 more were higher on a ridge, Lodyga said.

Miller's teammates recalled that an Afghan National Army soldier spotted an insurgent obstructed by a boulder and ordered him to surrender. The man refused.

"You heard somebody yell 'Allah Akbar,'" the Muslim phrase loosely translated as "God is great," Lodyga said, "and then an overwhelming amount of firepower came down on us."

Miller's first move was to shoot and kill the insurgent who had stepped from the boulder about 20 feet away, said McGarry. Other insurgents were nearly as close, Lodyga said. He, McGarry and Cusick said it was the worst firefight they'd experienced.

"It was almost like standing in the middle of all the fireworks on the Fourth of July," Cusick recalled. "It was very loud."

Added McGarry, "There were so many people shooting at us, the bullets were kicking up everything around us. I kept looking over and saw Rob shooting."

Then McGarry and the others saw something else: Miller charged the enemy, firing his lightweight machine gun at several insurgent positions. At the same time, he was calling out the directions of and distances to enemy positions.

"Robbie was shouting at everybody to bound back, bound back," McGarry recalled, "and he was taking on the entire south area of the kill zone by himself. I couldn't look over for too long, but it took me a second or two to take it all in."

Miller's approach, while bold, was tactically astute. He was engaging at least four enemy positions and drawing their fire, allowing his teammates to get to safer ground. His aim was deadly accurate. Military records credit him with killing more than 16 insurgents and wounding 30.

In the first few moments, Cusick, the commander, was severely wounded when a bullet struck near his left collarbone and tore an exit hole in his left shoulder blade. His lung was punctured. One of the team members ran to his side and thrust a needle in his chest, allowing him to breathe.

While firing at the enemy, the rest of the team also was seeking cover, McGarry said.

Miller kept charging and firing, and when he had stopped firing, he threw at least two grenades "into enemy machine gun fire that basically had the patrol locked down," Lodyga said. "He took them out"...

BREAK

...So much chaos was roiling that patch of the narrow pass where the Special Forces were ambushed that it's unclear how long Miller charged and engaged the insurgents. Those on the patrol said it could have been five to 15 minutes before he was shot inches below his right armpit, a spot unprotected by body armor.

"I don't know if he stayed on his feet or not after he was shot," Lodyga said, "but I do know he turned toward the enemy position and kept firing. He killed two or three right there."

Two to five minutes later, Miller was struck again under his left armpit and died immediately. The entry points of the wounds indicate his arms were raised to fire his weapon, a young man facing death courageously.

"At the end of the day," Lodyga said, "if Robbie hadn't been courageous and did what came as second nature to him, you'd be looking at eight dead Special Forces. That's what Robbie gave his life for."

The military goes even further, contending that Miller's actions also saved the lives of an estimated 12 Afghan National Army soldiers.

Although tens of millions of men and women have worn the uniform of the armed forces for the U.S., fewer than 3,500 have earned a Medal of Honor...

FULL STORY

PHOTO CREDIT: Family photo via Chicago Tribune

UPDATE: Video of the Ceremony - with the story vividly retold by President Obama:

Washington Examiner Editorial: "Obamacare is even worse than critics thought"

2010-09-28T18:12:00.007-05:00

Troubling analysis from the Washington Examiner:

Six months ago, President Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rammed Obamacare down the throats of an unwilling American public. Half a year removed from the unprecedented legislative chicanery and backroom dealing that characterized the bill's passage, we know much more about the bill than we did then. A few of the revelations:

» Obamacare won't decrease health care costs for the government. According to Medicare's actuary, it will increase costs. The same is likely to happen for privately funded health care.

» As written, Obamacare covers elective abortions, contrary to Obama's promise that it wouldn't. This means that tax dollars will be used to pay for a procedure millions of Americans across the political spectrum view as immoral. Supposedly, the Department of Health and Human Services will bar abortion coverage with new regulations but these will likely be tied up for years in litigation, and in the end may not survive the court challenge.

» Obamacare won't allow employees or most small businesses to keep the coverage they have and like. By Obama's estimates, as many as 69 percent of employees, 80 percent of small businesses, and 64 percent of large businesses will be forced to change coverage, probably to more expensive plans.

» Obamacare will increase insurance premiums -- in some places, it already has. Insurers, suddenly forced to cover clients' children until age 26, have little choice but to raise premiums, and they attribute to Obamacare's mandates a 1 to 9 percent increase. Obama's only method of preventing massive rate increases so far has been to threaten insurers.

» Obamacare will force seasonal employers -- especially the ski and amusement park industries -- to pay huge fines, cut hours, or lay off employees.

» Obamacare forces states to guarantee not only payment but also treatment for indigent Medicaid patients. With many doctors now refusing to take Medicaid (because they lose money doing so), cash-strapped states could be sued and ordered to increase reimbursement rates beyond their means.

» Obamacare imposes a huge nonmedical tax compliance burden on small business. It will require them to mail IRS 1099 tax forms to every vendor from whom they make purchases of more than $600 in a year, with duplicate forms going to the Internal Revenue Service. Like so much else in the 2,500-page bill, our senators and representatives were apparently unaware of this when they passed the measure.

» Obamacare allows the IRS to confiscate part or all of your tax refund if you do not purchase a qualified insurance plan. The bill funds 16,000 new IRS agents to make sure Americans stay in line.

If you wonder why so many American voters are angry, and no longer give Obama the benefit of the doubt on a variety of issues, you need look no further than Obamacare, whose birthday gift to America might just be a GOP congressional majority.

New Pro-Life Position Created at University of Notre Dame

2010-09-25T21:13:00.011-05:00

The University of Notre Dame has appointed 2010 graduate Mary Daly to a newly established position of "coordinator for university life initiatives."

Ms. Daly was the President of the Notre Dame Right to Life student group in the Spring of 2009 when the University tendered its controversial commencement invitation to President Obama.

From the ND Newswire:

A final recommendation from the Task Force on Supporting the Choice for Life at the University of Notre Dame recently was accepted by the University’s president, Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.

As it completed its term of service in May, the task force recommended to Father Jenkins that structures be created to implement previous recommendations and continue the group’s work. In response, Father Jenkins has established the position of coordinator for university life initiatives and appointed Mary K. Daly to the post.

Daly, a 2010 Notre Dame graduate who served as president of Notre Dame Right to Life as an undergraduate, will coordinate efforts already under way to implement the recommendations of the task force, serve as a liaison between various University units in order to facilitate collaboration on life issues, and seek ways to broaden and deepen respect for the sanctity of life from conception to natural death within the Notre Dame community and beyond.

Daly’s office will be located in the Institute for Church Life. She will report to John C. Cavadini, the McGrath-Cavadini Director of the Institute for Church Life and co-chair of the task force, and through Cavadini report to Father Jenkins. Among her first responsibilities will be to assist in the organization of a faculty advisory committee to be chaired by Cavadini.

“I would like to thank the members of the task force for their exemplary service over the course of the last academic year,” Father Jenkins said, “and I look forward to continued progress in this important area as we work together in future years.”

Father Jenkins created the task force a year ago to consider and recommend ways in which Notre Dame can support the sanctity of life. Margaret Brinig, Fritz Duda Family Professor of Law, joined Cavadini as a co-chair.

Several task force recommendations already have borne fruit, including Father Jenkins’ participation in January in the March for Life, the adoption of a statement on the University’s unequivocal support of Catholic teaching on the sanctity of human life, and the development of principles for charitable giving that provide standards for the University and its representatives in making determinations on giving in a way consonant with institutional beliefs.

In addition to Brinig and Cavadini, members of the task force were Ann Astell, theology; Kathleen Kelley, student; Mary Ellen Konieczny, sociology; Rev. William Lies, C.S.C., Center for Social Concerns; and Rev. Mark Poorman, C.S.C., theology and former vice president for student affairs. Frances Shavers, chief of staff and special assistant to the president, and Todd Woodward, associate vice president for marketing communications, served as task force liaisons.

Past coverage by this blog of the happenings at Notre Dame can be found here.

If you are on Facebook, check out the group, Pro-Life Alumni & Friends of the University of Notre Dame which can be found here.

UPDATE: The excellent blog Creative Minority Report interviewed Ms. Daly about her reaction to the Notre Dame commencement scandal in the Spring of 2009. The interview can be read here.

Life at Christendom College

2010-09-25T19:39:00.004-05:00

A student at Christendom College documents life on the campus in an inspiring "movie trailer" format:

Publish Post

Rick Santelli, the Chicagoan who inspired the Tea Party movement

2010-09-25T18:58:00.008-05:00

With the Tea Party movement making its presence felt in primary elections across the land and with the November elections looming, now is a good good moment to take a look at the man who started it all.

CNBC commentator and Chicago native Rick Santelli, who inspired the tea party movement 19 months ago with an on-air "rant", was recently profiled by the Chicago Sun Times:

As a staunch capitalist and social liberal, Rick Santelli might not agree with everything being said at Tea Party rallies or this weekend's Right Nation convention in Hoffman Estates, but he's proud of what he wrought.

"People ask me if I'm the father of the Tea Party movement," the CNBC commentator said outside the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. "I was the spark ...that started it. If being the lightning rod that started the Tea Party is what's written on my tombstone, I'll be very happy."

But after his five-minute "rant" on CNBC 1½ years ago suggesting a tea party in Lake Michigan against government spending, Santelli let go and never exercised any control over the movement.

"The five-minute rant was the best five minutes of my life," Santelli says. "But beyond that, really four minutes in time, it's the Tea Party. My wife pointed out to me, 'You were there for the insemination, but you were not there to raise the child.' "

Does Santelli think he created a "Frankenstein's monster" that is toppling establishment Republicans such as Delaware Rep. Mike Castle in favor of Tea Party insurgents such as Christine O'Donnell?

"No, I don't think so, but then again, how it develops from here...," Santelli said without finishing the sentence. "So far, this has been a very proud moment for America. Over time, it will get more organized and police itself -- that's the way we hope it turns out."

There's little doubt the Tea Party groups of America, which operate pretty independently, got their start from Santelli's rant on Feb. 19, 2009.

"Rick Santelli went on, and he expressed frustration at the government," Fox News commentator Glenn Beck -- the headliner at Saturday night's Right Nation event -- said on his show Wednesday. "We're rewarding what he called bad behavior [with] the mortgage bailout. He said there should be a Tea Party. Wow, he said a mouthful, because that's where it started."

Santelli is an unabashed promoter of the free market and critic of government bailouts. He rants a lot on the air, he said. But the day he slammed President Obama's plan to bail out people who couldn't pay their mortgages, he got national attention.

"How 'bout this president and administration? Why don't you put up a website to have people vote on the Internet in a referendum to see if we really want to subsidize the losers' mortgages?" Santelli bellowed on the floor of the Merc. "At least buy cars, buy houses in foreclosure, and give them to people who might have a chance to prosper ...and carry the water, not drink the water."

Turning to the traders around him, he raised his hands and called out -- like Peter Finch in the movie "Network" -- "This is America. How many of you people want to pay for your neighbors' mortgage that has an extra bathroom and can't pay their bills, raise your hand!"

The traders shouted their approval of his argument.

"President Obama, are you listening?" Santelli asked....

FULL STORY
PHOTO CREDIT: John J. Kim/Sun-Times

Video of the moment that started it all:

The Catholic Church will live on, long after its critics are gone

2010-09-20T19:08:00.008-05:00

When critics are spouting off about how the Catholic Church needs to needs to embrace the modern world and "get with the times", we must remind ourselves that the Church has flourished for 2000 years, not by embracing the fads of the day, but by standing for universal truth and preserving the deposit of faith.

This point is nicely made by Ross Douhat, in today's New York Times.

...in turning out for their beleaguered pope, Britain’s Catholics acknowledged something essential about their faith that many of the Vatican’s critics, secular and religious alike, persistently fail to understand. They weren’t there to voice agreement with Benedict, necessarily. They were there to show their respect — for the pontiff, for his office, and for the role it has played in sustaining Catholicism for 2,000 years.
Conventional wisdom holds that such respect is increasingly misplaced, and that the papacy is increasingly a millstone around Roman Catholicism’s neck. If it weren’t for the reactionaries in the Vatican, the argument runs, priests might have been permitted to marry, forestalling the sex abuse crisis. Birth control, gay relationships, divorce and remarriage might have been blessed, bringing lapsed Catholics back into the fold. Theological dissent would have been allowed to flourish, creating a more welcoming environment for religious seekers.
And yet none of these assumptions have any real evidence to back them up. Yes, sex abuse has been devastating to the church. But as Newsweek noted earlier this year, there’s no data suggesting that celibate priests commit abuse at higher rates than the population as a whole, or that married men are less prone to pedophilia. (The real problem was the hierarchy’s fear of scandal, which led to endless cover-ups and enabled serial predation.)
And yes, the church’s exclusive theological claims and stringent moral message don’t go over well in a multicultural, sexually liberated society. But the example of Catholicism’s rivals suggests that the church might well be much worse off if it had simply refashioned itself to fit the prevailing values of the age. That’s what the denominations of mainline Protestantism have done, across the last four decades — and instead of gaining members, they’ve dwindled into irrelevance.
The Vatican of Benedict and John Paul II, by contrast, has striven to maintain continuity with Christian tradition, even at the risk of seeming reactionary and out of touch. This has cost the church its once-privileged place in the Western establishment, and earned it the scorn of fashionable opinion. But continuity, not swift and perhaps foolhardy adaptation, has always been the papacy’s purpose, and the secret of its lasting strength.
Catholics do not — should not, must not — look to the Vatican to supply the church with all its saints and visionaries and prophets. (Indeed, many of Catholicism’s greatest figures have had fraught relationships with the Holy See — including John Henry Newman, the man beatified on Sunday.) They look to Rome instead to safeguard what those visionaries achieved, to guard Catholicism’s inheritance, and provide a symbol of unity for a far-flung, billion-member church. They look to Rome for the long view: for the wisdom that not all change is for the better, and that some revolutions are better outlasted than accepted.
On Saturday, Benedict addressed Britain’s politicians in the very hall where Sir Thomas More, the great Catholic martyr, was condemned to death for opposing the reformation of Henry VIII. It was an extraordinary moment, and a reminder of the resilience of Catholicism, across a gulf of years that’s consumed thrones, nations, entire civilizations.
This, above all, is why the crowds cheered for the pope, in Edinburgh and London and Birmingham — because almost five centuries after the Catholic faith was apparently strangled in Britain, their church is still alive.

President Obama removes God from the Declaration of Independence?

2010-09-20T18:43:00.006-05:00

I do not even know what to say regarding this one.

President Obama is shown below quoting the Declaration of Independence and leaves out the phrase "by our Creator."

Was it a mistake or was it intentional?

If the former, it is a pretty big mistake, given that he's reading it off the teleprompter. The type of mistake that George Bush would have been ridiculed for.

If intentional, why did he leave it out? Does he disagree with attributing our rights to "our Creator"? Is he made uncomfortable by the idea? This is the man after all who told an overseas audience that the United States is not a Christian nation. Is this yet another example that he rejects the traditional values that this country was built upon?

Note the awkward pause at the one minute mark and the pained look on his face, before he skips over the phrase "by our Creator." What is that all about?

Was it a teleprompter error or did he spontaneously decide to drop the phrase?

Notable Quote: Pope Benedict at Westminster Hall

2010-09-19T18:05:00.005-05:00

Below is a thought-provoking excerpt from Pope Benedict's much anticipated speech at Westminster Hall in London, delivered this past Friday, September 17, 2010.

In the speech, the Holy Father discusses the role of religion in society, as well as the relationship between faith and reason. He expresses concern about the growing "marginalization" of Christianity in otherwise "tolerant" societies.

The excerpt:

...The central question at issue, then, is this: where is the ethical foundation for political choices to be found? The Catholic tradition maintains that the objective norms governing right action are accessible to reason, prescinding from the content of revelation. According to this understanding, the role of religion in political debate is not so much to supply these norms, as if they could not be known by non-believers – still less to propose concrete political solutions, which would lie altogether outside the competence of religion – but rather to help purify and shed light upon the application of reason to the discovery of objective moral principles. This “corrective” role of religion vis-à-vis reason is not always welcomed, though, partly because distorted forms of religion, such as sectarianism and fundamentalism, can be seen to create serious social problems themselves. And in their turn, these distortions of religion arise when insufficient attention is given to the purifying and structuring role of reason within religion. It is a two-way process. Without the corrective supplied by religion, though, reason too can fall prey to distortions, as when it is manipulated by ideology, or applied in a partial way that fails to take full account of the dignity of the human person. Such misuse of reason, after all, was what gave rise to the slave trade in the first place and to many other social evils, not least the totalitarian ideologies of the twentieth century. This is why I would suggest that the world of reason and the world of faith – the world of secular rationality and the world of religious belief – need one another and should not be afraid to enter into a profound and ongoing dialogue, for the good of our civilization.
Religion, in other words, is not a problem for legislators to solve, but a vital contributor to the national conversation. In this light, I cannot but voice my concern at the increasing marginalization of religion, particularly of Christianity, that is taking place in some quarters, even in nations which place a great emphasis on tolerance. There are those who would advocate that the voice of religion be silenced, or at least relegated to the purely private sphere. There are those who argue that the public celebration of festivals such as Christmas should be discouraged, in the questionable belief that it might somehow offend those of other religions or none. And there are those who argue – paradoxically with the intention of eliminating discrimination – that Christians in public roles should be required at times to act against their conscience. These are worrying signs of a failure to appreciate not only the rights of believers to freedom of conscience and freedom of religion, but also the legitimate role of religion in the public square. I would invite all of you, therefore, within your respective spheres of influence, to seek ways of promoting and encouraging dialogue between faith and reason at every level of national life...

The Full Speech can be found here.

H/T The Anchoress

George W. Bush - 9/11 Bullhorn Speech

2010-09-11T12:47:00.002-05:00

God Bless America.

A Controversial Firing at Notre Dame

2010-09-06T16:22:00.009-05:00

A controversial firing has taken place at the University of Notre Dame and is garnering some negative national attention.

While we must keep in mind that we do not have Notre Dame's side of the story, David Solomon, the Director of the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture, feels very strongly that the recent firing of Notre Dame Administrator Bill Kirk is a great injustice.

Professor Solomon published the following response to the firing (I have highlighted the parts that caught my attention in red):

The decision by Father Tom Doyle, Notre Dame’s new Vice-President for Student Affairs to fire Bill Kirk from his position as Associate Vice-President for Residence Life has left many of us with an empty feeling. It has also put another dent in Notre Dame’s reputation as a family-friendly and compassionate employer. The decision was both unfair and imprudent. It was unfair, because, as a loyal employee of Notre Dame for almost 22 years—and one who had been placed repeatedly in positions where he took the brunt of public criticism for enforcing policies adopted by his superiors—he deserved better from those superiors than to be removed from office with no notice and with no public explanation for his removal. It was imprudent, because administrators of Bill Kirk’s talent, compassion and principled commitment to the good are rare. He loved Notre Dame and he loved and respected the students whose welfare he vigorously pursued.

In addition, his removal from office took place against the background of other events at Notre Dame that inevitably raised questions about its real motivation. Bill Kirk’s office had been the target of the much publicized ire of a grumpy Charlie Weis who, on his way out of town, told the South Bend Tribune that the Office of Residence Life was “the biggest problem on the campus” (SBT, 12-5-09). Perhaps, it seemed to some, Coach Weis, unable to take a scalp from USC, took pleasure in participating in taking one from the less well-armed Bill Kirk.

Bill Kirk, of course, has long been one of the favorite targets of the denizens of ND-Nation and other red-meat web sites where rabid Notre Dame fans gather to cyber-vent. They frequently charge that Bill Kirk’s enforcement of Notre Dame’s disciplinary code was too harsh and that his insistence that Notre Dame athletes be subject to the same rules as other Notre Dame students was responsible for our repeated failures on the athletic fields...

Break

...Of course, it may simply be a coincidence that these events followed so closely on the firing of Bill Kirk—and the “restructuring” Father Doyle gave as his brief explanation for it. Notre Dame’s refusal to give any explanation for Kirk’s firing, however, gives credence to rumors of changed attitudes toward student discipline—especially as it relates to the athletic department. One can understand the general wisdom of Notre Dame’s oft-repeated policy commitment—“we will not comment on personnel matters”—but such silence has a price when actions are as ambiguous in their intent as the firing of Bill Kirk. And the price seems far too high when the issues at stake are of such importance—they concern, for example, as this action did, the essential fairness of procedures for student discipline and the integrity of the athletic program on which so much of Notre Dame’s corporate endeavors seem to be recently focused. At a university that now casually refers to the “business of college football” and the “Notre Dame brand”, special vigilance is needed to protect basic fairness from the intrusion of corporate interests...

Break

...The larger role played by Bill Kirk and his family at Notre Dame and in the local community also raises questions about the wisdom—indeed, the fairness—of severing him from this community. Bill’s wife, Elizabeth, has played a very visible role on campus in recent years as the Associate Director of the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture. She has also figured prominently in campus affairs as the faculty advisor for the Right to Life Club and the Identity Project. She has been one of a very few articulate and confident pro-life women on campus prepared to mentor young women seeking to take on the tricky balancing act of wife, mother and career. She has increasingly played a role nationally and internationally as a leading pro-life spokesperson and, together with her husband, has forged important links between Notre Dame and other organizations in the community. As official faculty advisor to the Right to Life Club, Elizabeth served as primary advisor to the student coalition formed in the spring of 2009 as “NDResponse” and served as a conduit for many, including junior, untenured faculty members, who were unwilling to get involved directly for fear of reprisal. Without compromising his administrative duties, Bill stood with the students of NDResponse at their rally on the South Quad on Commencement day. He was the only senior administrator at Notre Dame willing to do so. With the firing of Bill Kirk, Notre Dame will almost certainly also be deprived of Elizabeth’s talents.

At the time Bill took part in the NDResponse rally, many people commented on the courage it took for him to stand with his wife and other witnesses to this protest of Notre Dame’s decision to award President Obama an honorary degree. I personally discounted these worries, believing that the Notre Dame administration would admire him for his principled stand on a matter so close to the Catholic heart of Notre Dame, even if they disagreed with his particular action...

Break

...Perhaps, alas, there was reason for Bill Kirk to be worried about his participation in NDResponse after all. There is no doubt that the treatment of Bill Kirk this summer will have a chilling effect on the participation of other administrators, unprotected by the safety net of tenure, in the great debates about public policy and moral principle into which Notre Dame will be inevitably drawn. A number of other administrators have told me that in light of Bill Kirk’s treatment, they will in the future keep their heads down rather than dissent from the policies of the central administration. It will be tragic if these pressures toward uniformity become a permanent feature of Notre Dame life. Universities are no place for yes-men.

It is, however, the callousness and the brutal insensitivity with which Bill and Elizabeth Kirk were effectively severed from the Notre Dame community that has had the greatest impact on those of us who regard them as personal friends. And here I must speak very personally. The Kirks’ house has been an oasis of hospitality for faculty, students and administrators at Notre Dame, as well as for their countless friends and acquaintances in the larger South Bend community and from around the world. It is perhaps their own penchant for hospitality and welcome that makes their treatment by Notre Dame seem so appalling.

The parents of two young adopted children, Bill and Elizabeth Kirk were in the process, as Bill Kirk’s bosses well knew, of adopting a third child at the time he was fired. Can one imagine Father Doyle firing an at-will employee of Notre Dame with 22 years of service, two toddlers at home and a wife in the early stages of labor with a third child? As adoptive parents, this was the Kirk’s situation. The disruption in their life, and the life of their young family, suddenly and with no prior notice, has been wrenching for them as well as for their many friends. The excuse given for Bill Kirk’s firing, “restructuring”, seems strange indeed. It is impossible to believe, for example, that the firing was part of a larger organizational shift in the Office of Residence Life, since Bill Kirk seems to be the only person in the office whose job was eliminated...

Break

...It may be that in an era when Notre Dame has become more of a brand and less of a community, such actions are no longer possible and that those of us who long for them are simply being naive. If so, it is surely a great loss. The Kirks will survive their brutal treatment by Our Lady’s University. They are people of enormous energy and talent—and goodness. They will make new friends and contribute to other communities elsewhere. It is those of us left behind who are the real losers, and those responsible for the firing of Bill Kirk may suffer the biggest losses of all.

David Solomon's full response can be found here and was published in the Irish Rover on September 3rd of this year.

H/T: National Review Online (NRO). NRO's take on the situation can be found here.

Video: The Restoration and Revitalization of St. John Cantius Church in Chicago.

2010-08-28T16:50:00.009-05:00

I was delighted to stumble upon this video documentary about the restoration and revitalization of my parish, St John Cantius Catholic Church in Chicago.

The video also examines the creation of the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius, the religious order that administers the parish. The charism of the Canons is the restoration of the sacred art and liturgy of the Catholic Church.

I have found the liturgical experience at St. John Cantius to be incredibly uplifting and beautiful and a real boost to my spiritual life. The fact that families travel from all over the Chicago area to attend services at St. John Cantius attests to the hunger that many have for the sacred traditions of the Church.

The video can be watched here in its entirety:

Source: StoryTel Productions

The Importance of Modesty

2010-08-22T16:21:00.009-05:00

An excerpt from a nice piece in the National Catholic Register on the importance of the virtue of modesty:

...Modesty protects the mystery of persons, as the Catechism reminds us (No. 2522). Quicker than the eye can blink, immodesty can dispel mystery in a girl. And once that mystery is dispelled, what fills the void? Will a school or a town simply stop thinking of girls? It most surely will not. Instead, it will begin to think of them in a distorted way. It will begin to think of them as objects.
Webster’s defines an object as a “tangible and visible” entity. Immodesty so funnels attention onto a girl’s “tangible” body that it dismisses the intangibles that comprise her personality and immortal soul.

Girls once admired for their beautiful eyes, smiles, compassion, dignity or grace — or perhaps how they lovingly cared for younger siblings or patiently sat with an older grandparent — are now bluntly and crudely referred to as “hot.” Is it any wonder that America has successfully bred multiple generations of anorexic, bulimic and depressed young girls, each one struggling in vain to be a perfect “object”?

The more a girl is protected from being viewed as an object, the more likely she will be viewed as a mysterious gift from heaven with hopes, joys, sorrows, talents, thoughts, feelings, likes, dislikes and a precious personality all her own. It’s only then that her soul, made in the image and likeness of God, can begin to shine through. Each girl yearns for this, whether she knows it or not, because that is the truth of who she is, and of who she was made to be.

One major offense against modesty, so widely accepted in our day, is high hemlines. High hems among women are a relatively recent development. Throughout history, it was as if women, in their wisdom, instinctively saw themselves in need of the protection modesty offered. Prior to the early 1900s, for centuries, hemlines wavered somewhere between floor length to just above the ankle. Skirts began to slowly rise about the year 1912. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

In 1912 Margaret Sanger began to actively promulgate the concept of artificial birth control. Artificial birth control removed consequence from action, and thus led men toward the indiscriminate use of women as sexual objects. Is it coincidence that the promulgation of artificial birth control is timed precisely with the onset of higher hems, which reflect that objectification?

Pope Paul VI’s 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae explained how artificial birth control can “open wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards. … A man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection.”

The birth control pill was fully legalized in 1965, and in 1966 skirts rose to “miniskirt” level — again linking the advancing of contraception with increasing immodesty. Presumably, if one could protect women from pregnancy through contraception, one would not need clothing for that purpose. Contraception may have “protected” some women from becoming mothers. But contraception could never do what modest clothing does so well. It could never protect women from being viewed, and treated, as objects.

Contraception has led us down a dark path where every day women now delight in being viewed as “sexy” rather than decent, dignified or attractive. It’s a disturbing path where motherhood, a most miraculous vocation, is routinely shunned. It’s a path on which ordinary women, having been objectified for so long, now freely objectify themselves...
Full Story

Brian Kelly Era Begins at Notre Dame.

2010-08-19T18:24:00.007-05:00

Based on on-the-field performance, one can argue that the University of Notre Dame football program has not been relevant in 17 years. And, the storied program has not won a national championship in 22 years, since a perfect 12-0 season in 1988 under the leadership of Coach Lou Holtz.

Four coaches have come and gone since Holtz resigned in 1996; one of them, George O'Leary, only lasted a couple days before being forced to resign when false information on his resume came to light.

Now, Brian Kelly takes the helm, with a resume of significant and long-term success at several programs. Will he be the man to "Wake up the Echoes" which have been slumbering for two decades?

I think he will. Whether or not Coach Kelly will win a national title is uncertain, but there should be every expectation that he will make Notre Dame relevant again (on the field that is). I will be surprised if Notre Dame does not become a consistent and legitimate national title contender under Coach Kelly's tutelage.

Despite being greatly disappointed by the last four coaches, I dare to be not only optimistic, but enthusiastic, about Notre Dame's prospects moving forward.

To paraphrase a favorite President of mine, who just happened to play the role Notre Dame legend George Gipp in the movie, "Knute Rockne, All American: " It is morning on Notre Dame's campus!

NBC's promo for the upcoming Notre Dame football season:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The Poignant Ideas and Words of Ronald Reagan

2010-08-17T20:56:00.004-05:00

I am amazed at how much Ronald Reagan's ideas and words continue to resonate today. In fact, given the policies being pushed by the current Administration, Reagan's ideas and words seem more poignant than ever.

The Newest Video from "Catholics Come Home"

2010-08-14T19:33:00.003-05:00

The apostolate Catholics Come Home is devoted to helping bring fallen away Catholics back "home" to the Church.

Their latest video is called, "HOME:"

Their best known TV Ad, called "EPIC," appears below. I found this video incredibly moving the first time I saw it. The ad provided me with a powerful reminder of why I am proud to be Catholic.

Why companies are sitting on cash and not hiring

2010-08-10T20:47:00.007-05:00

Here is a real-life example of how big government meddling and taxes are placing a devastating burden on businesses. The numbers here are shocking. This business has to spend $74,000 to put $44,000 into the pocket of an employee.

Do you wonder why companies are not hiring? Michael Fleischer, president of Bogen Communications Inc., explains: (my emphasis in black)

With unemployment just under 10% and companies sitting on their cash, you would think that sooner or later job growth would take off. I think it's going to be later—much later. Here's why.
Meet Sally (not her real name; details changed to preserve privacy). Sally is a terrific employee, and she happens to be the median person in terms of base pay among the 83 people at my little company in New Jersey, where we provide audio systems for use in educational, commercial and industrial settings. She's been with us for over 15 years. She's a high school graduate with some specialized training. She makes $59,000 a year—on paper. In reality, she makes only $44,000 a year because $15,000 is taken from her thanks to various deductions and taxes, all of which form the steep, sad slope between gross and net pay.
Before that money hits her bank, it is reduced by the $2,376 she pays as her share of the medical and dental insurance that my company provides. And then the government takes its due. She pays $126 for state unemployment insurance, $149 for disability insurance and $856 for Medicare. That's the small stuff. New Jersey takes $1,893 in income taxes. The federal government gets $3,661 for Social Security and another $6,250 for income tax withholding. The roughly $13,000 taken from her by various government entities means that some 22% of her gross pay goes to Washington or Trenton. She's lucky she doesn't live in New York City, where the toll would be even higher.
Employing Sally costs plenty too. My company has to write checks for $74,000 so Sally can receive her nominal $59,000 in base pay. Health insurance is a big, added cost: While Sally pays nearly $2,400 for coverage, my company pays the rest—$9,561 for employee/spouse medical and dental. We also provide company-paid life and other insurance premiums amounting to $153. Altogether, company-paid benefits add $9,714 to the cost of employing Sally.
Then the federal and state governments want a little something extra. They take $56 for federal unemployment coverage, $149 for disability insurance, $300 for workers' comp and $505 for state unemployment insurance. Finally, the feds make me pay $856 for Sally's Medicare and $3,661 for her Social Security.
When you add it all up, it costs $74,000 to put $44,000 in Sally's pocket and to give her $12,000 in benefits. Bottom line: Governments impose a 33% surtax on Sally's job each year.
Because my company has been conscripted by the government and forced to serve as a tax collector, we have lost control of a big chunk of our cost structure. Tax increases, whether cloaked as changes in unemployment or disability insurance, Medicare increases or in any other form can dramatically alter our financial situation. With government spending and deficits growing as fast as they have been, you know that more tax increases are coming—for my company, and even for Sally too.
Companies have also been pressed into serving as providers of health insurance. In a saner world, health insurance would be something that individuals buy for themselves and their families, just as they do with auto insurance. Now, adding to the insanity, there is ObamaCare.
Every year, we negotiate a renewal to our health coverage. This year, our provider demanded a 28% increase in premiums—for a lesser plan. This is in part a tax increase that the federal government has co-opted insurance providers to collect. We had never faced an increase anywhere near this large; in each of the last two years, the increase was under 10%.
To offset tax increases and steepening rises in health-insurance premiums, my company needs sustainably higher profits and sales—something unlikely in this "summer of recovery." We can't pass the additional costs onto our customers, because the market is too tight and we'd lose sales. Only governments can raise prices repeatedly and pretend there will be no consequences.
And even if the economic outlook were more encouraging, increasing revenues is always uncertain and expensive. As much as I might want to hire new salespeople, engineers and marketing staff in an effort to grow, I would be increasing my company's vulnerability to government decisions to raise taxes, to policies that make health insurance more expensive, and to the difficulties of this economic environment.
A life in business is filled with uncertainties, but I can be quite sure that every time I hire someone my obligations to the government go up. From where I sit, the government's message is unmistakable: Creating a new job carries a punishing price. Source

Kenny Chesney's Tribute to the Great Game of Football - "The Boys of Fall"

2010-08-08T15:45:00.002-05:00

The 42nd Anniversary of Humane Vitae

2010-07-29T17:44:00.000-05:00

This post provides a reprint of my favorite post from last year (with slight revisions):

Excerpts:

On Marriage:

...Marriage, then, is far from being the effect of chance or the result of the blind evolution of natural forces. It is in reality the wise and provident institution of God the Creator, whose purpose was to effect in man His loving design. As a consequence, husband and wife, through that mutual gift of themselves, which is specific and exclusive to them alone, develop that union of two persons in which they perfect one another, cooperating with God in the generation and rearing of new lives...

...It is a love which is total—that very special form of personal friendship in which husband and wife generously share everything, allowing no unreasonable exceptions and not thinking solely of their own convenience. Whoever really loves his partner loves not only for what he receives, but loves that partner for the partner's own sake, content to be able to enrich the other with the gift of himself.

Married love is also faithful and exclusive of all other, and this until death. This is how husband and wife understood it on the day on which, fully aware of what they were doing, they freely vowed themselves to one another in marriage. Though this fidelity of husband and wife sometimes presents difficulties, no one has the right to assert that it is impossible; it is, on the contrary, always honorable and meritorious. The example of countless married couples proves not only that fidelity is in accord with the nature of marriage, but also that it is the source of profound and enduring happiness.

Finally, this love is fecund. It is not confined wholly to the loving interchange of husband and wife; it also contrives to go beyond this to bring new life into being. "Marriage and conjugal love are by their nature ordained toward the procreation and education of children. Children are really the supreme gift of marriage and contribute in the highest degree to their parents' welfare"....

On Artificial Contraception:

...Responsible men can become more deeply convinced of the truth of the doctrine laid down by the Church on this issue if they reflect on the consequences of methods and plans for artificial birth control. Let them first consider how easily this course of action could open wide the way for marital infidelity and a general lowering of moral standards. Not much experience is needed to be fully aware of human weakness and to understand that human beings—and especially the young, who are so exposed to temptation—need incentives to keep the moral law, and it is an evil thing to make it easy for them to break that law. Another effect that gives cause for alarm is that a man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and, disregarding her physical and emotional equilibrium, reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires, no longer considering her as his partner whom he should surround with care and affection...

It would be an understatement to say the encyclical was controversial when it was released.

However, looking out at the cultural wreckage and family dysfunction of our society, Pope Paul has been proven right in the end. He predicted widespread use of artificial contraception would lead to:

1. "...Increased marital infidelity..."

2. "...General lowering of moral standards.."

3. "...a man who grows accustomed to the use of contraceptive methods may forget the reverence due to a woman, and... reduce her to being a mere instrument for the satisfaction of his own desires..."

Can anyone deny that all these predictions have come true?

What have been the "fruits" of artificial contraception?

Half of marriages end in divorce
almost half of today's babies are born out of wedlock
50 million abortions have been procured in the US alone over the last 30 years
The spread of sexual disease is rampant
"hooking up" and "friends with benefits" have replaced romance and courtship
a popular culture rooted in the debasement, objectification, and sexual exploitation of women (have you looked at the magazines in the checkout line lately)?

This cultural wreckage is the real legacy of the widespread use of artificial contraception.

Yet, the proponents artificial birth control ridicule abstinence and argue that even more birth control is the solution to all these problems.

But, under their approach, what does a young person today have to look forward to?

Having to "protect" themselves from their partner? How did we get to a point where we have to "protect" ourselves during an act that is supposed to be beautiful and intimate?
Having their hearts broken over and over? And all the cynicism that results?
As a young man, being told by society that the value and measure of a man is in the sexual conquest of women.
As a young woman, being told by society that the value and measure of a woman is in her physical appearance, immodestly displayed.
Having to grapple with lifelong sexual diseases (including possibility of infertility)?
Taking an act that is meant to be beautiful, special, and UNIQUE to one's relationship with one's spouse, and turning it into something common and casual that is shared with many?
Being in a position where one of life's greatest joys, the conception of a child, is feared and viewed as a catastrophe?
"Living together" without commitment which studies have shown decreases their prospects for a successful marriage later on?

Why would anyone wish this lifestyle on their children?

Note: You may also be interested in my previous post explaining why Pope Benedict was right when he said recently that condoms are not the answer to the AIDS crisis in Africa.

NFP Resources:

Humane Vitae - Full text is here.

My previous posts for Natural Family Planning Week:

- Post 1 (NFP resources & information here)
- Post 2 (benefits of NFP here).

The Benefits of Natural Family Planning

2010-07-29T17:26:00.004-05:00

As I noted in a previous post, this week is National Natural Family Planning Week.

The Family Life Office of the Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina has a Facebook page which provides a nice overview of the benefits of Natural Family Planning:

Fertility Appreciation: empowers couples to see their fertility as a gift and not as a disease to be treated.

NFP accurately identify their days of fertility and infertility either to achieve or to avoid pregnancy.

NFP affirms the dignity of the human person within the context of marriage and family life, enables and encourages responsible parenthood, promotes openness to life, and celebrates the gift of children. By respecting the love-giving and life-giving nature of marriage, NFP enriches the bond between husband and wife.

NFP is natural based upon the couple's own knowledge of their naturally occurring cyclic phases of fertility and infertility. No drugs, devices, or surgical procedures are used to avoid pregnancy. Natural Family Planning is not contraception; it is true family planning.

NFP promotes shared responsibility and loving cooperation between husband and wife.

NFP is a holistic approach to planning a family NOT a contraceptive

NFP enhances one’s expression of love within the marital vocation developing a balance of the spiritual, physical, intellectual, creative/communicative and emotional dimensions of the couple’s sexual life together.

NFP is proven effective- The effectiveness of NFP is over 99% in avoiding pregnancy when the instructions are properly taught by a qualified teacher and then correctly applied. The method is also highly effective to achieve pregnancy when couples identify and use the days of fertility. In addition, it is an essential aid in the evaluation and treatment of those couples who are experiencing infertility.

Advantages of NFP:

• medically safe

• highly reliable

• morally acceptable

• easy to learn

• fairly inexpensive

• highly versatile

• used at any stage of a woman's reproductive life

• precisely identifies days of fertility and infertility

• aid for couples who are having difficulty in achieving pregnancy

For more NFP info. and resources, check my previous post here.

Note: Contraception, Why Not by Dr. Janet Smith is the most persuasive presentation of the Church's teaching on artificial contraception I have come across. Contraception, Why Not? is available here in CD format. I highly recommend it.

National Natural Family Planning Awareness Week: July 25-31, 2010

2010-07-29T17:03:00.007-05:00

Familiaris consortio: The Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World
Pope John Paul II, 1980
Humanae vitae: On the Regulation of Births
Pope Paul VI, 1968
Casti connubii: On Christian Marriage
Pope Pius XI, 1930

The Glamorous Life of the Suburban Dad

2010-07-29T16:42:00.001-05:00

Memorial Day: A Look at The Special Forces

2010-05-31T15:52:00.005-05:00

From FoxNews:

...The battalion commander, Lt. Colonel Christopher Riga, confirms the danger. Without emotion he explains “most of our deployments and most of the operations that we execute are very high risk. Everyday our soldiers are in harm’s way. They are at the tip of the spear and executing operations that are extremely dangerous and complex.” The battalion’s A teams typically travel out to remote locations and often live with the populace – in the villages – conducting possible combat missions and also trying to gather intelligence and information.

Twenty nine year old Captain Aaron Baty is an A-team leader whose dad was in a Special Forces unit for 22 years. Following in his father’s footsteps, Baty was commissioned as an officer in 2003 and was itching to get assigned to a unit that would deploy in the aftermath of September 11th. This husband and father of three is deploying for the third time. When asked about what he is giving up when he deploys, he does not explain that he might miss out his young daughter’s first steps or first words. “You could potentially be giving up everything when you deploy. You always make that plan for when I get back what will I do but in reality you don't know if you're coming back... You give up the possibility of seeing your kids graduate high school and walking your daughters down the aisle, waiting for my son to stop being a seven year old boy and start being a man that I can do things with”...

Full Story

For Memorial Day, a Classic!

2010-05-31T15:48:00.001-05:00

Game on!

2010-05-29T19:07:00.003-05:00

... Let's Go Blackhawks!!!

The History of Memorial Day

2010-05-29T16:12:00.001-05:00

Ordination Day - Chicago

2010-05-22T19:13:00.010-05:00

Today was a special day as I had a chance to attend my first-ever ordination mass at Holy Name Cathedral here in Chicago.

During the mass fourteen men, including a friend of mine, were ordained to the priesthood by Chicago's archbishop Francis Cardinal George. (Profiles of the new priests can be found here.)

As these new priests were being ordained, I could not help but to reflect upon the priests that have been influential in my life, as well as the countless priests who have served the Church throughout the centuries dating back to the time of the Apostles.

I was quite moved by the whole experience.

The day was filled with memorable moments: my first look at the splendor of the newly renovated cathedral; the incredible entrance procession of a half dozen bishops, dozens of priests, and the fourteen ordinandi; the beautiful music and singing of the choir; the Litany of the Saints;, the laying on of hands; the applause for the newly ordained; and the first blessings.

At the end, I felt renewed, and I left the church filled with joy and with great hope for the future!

Notes:

1. My favorite video about the priesthood, "Fishers of Men" can be viewed here.

2. A neat video from Grassroots films: "Ordination, 2009" can be viewed here.

3. Information on vocations to the priesthood can be found here.

4. A look at 7 reasons to consider becoming a priest can be found here.

Most entertaining political campaign ad of the year

2010-05-18T17:40:00.006-05:00

I rank this one up there with the entertaining Mike Huckabee/Chuck Norris commercial of two years ago.

The story behind the ad can be found here.

Eric Holder has a bad week

2010-05-17T20:05:00.005-05:00

Democrats and liberals used to incessantly accuse the Bush Administration of being ideological and incompetent. I never bought into these criticisms and often found them to be over the top.

It is, therefore, with great amusement that I watched the Attorney General flail about this week. One moment he was twisting himself into ideological knots so he would not have to say the phrase "radical Islam" at a congressional hearing. Another moment, caught him sheepishly admitting he had not read the controversial Arizona immigration law despite his having criticized it publicly on multiple occasions.

That is two major missteps for Holder in one week: one of them blatantly ideological, the other reeking of incompetence (and perhaps ideology as well).

Check out the videos below. They are painful to watch. Holder's evasiveness in the first video is in vivid contrast to the forthrightness of New Jersey's governor, Chris Christie, in the video I posted late last week (found here).

=================================================

Holder on "Radical Islam:"

Holder admits he did not read the Arizona law:

H/T Jill Stanek

Japan is dying...

2010-05-17T18:17:00.005-05:00

...a demographic death.

Excerpts from the National Catholic Register:

...Perhaps I should not have been so surprised. My job required me to sometimes visit local kindergartens and day care centers, and the schools I visited were clearly built for larger numbers of children than were present. Sometimes the disparity was great. One nursery school I visited was built to accommodate 50 children. It had an enrollment of only eight.

Starker still was an elementary school built for a student population of about 100. I was astounded to discover, upon my first visit, only one student. The teacher explained that the school had to remain open until transportation arrangements could be made to bus the boy to a neighboring village. The teacher reminisced with sadness about a time when the school resounded with the sounds of children at play. My mind flashed back to the birth of my son and the 18 empty bassinets..

AND:

...On last year’s Children’s Day, the government noted that the number of children in Japan had declined for the 26th consecutive year. Over the past decade, more than 2,000 junior and senior high schools closed due to lack of students to teach. As I recently viewed a report on Japanese television stating that more than 60,000 teachers are unemployed, I couldn’t help but wonder if that teacher I met at the one-student school still had a job. That same program reported that nearly 100 children’s theme parks have closed in recent years and that more and more pediatricians are switching specialties to become geriatricians...

Full Story

Note: As one who finds children to be one of the great joys in life, I find this story to be very sad.

Chris Christie: A Breath of Fresh Air in New Jersey

2010-05-14T20:32:00.005-05:00

Illinois could use a governor like the new one in New Jersey.

Blunt, to-the-point, a straight shooter, unconcerned about reelection, and willing to make tough decisions. And, best of all, a proponent of limited government.

This video of his takedown of a reporter is classic!

A New Prime Minister in Britain

2010-05-12T11:07:00.009-05:00

I have long been captivated by British politics, and found the transition of power yesterday to be fascinating.

Although I am not a big fan of Gordon Brown, I could not help but be moved at the conclusion of his statement as he and his wife retrieved their kids from the Prime Minister's residence to walk out the the awaiting cars to take them away. There is a mood of melancholy and sadness.

Juxtaposed to this image was the arrival of David Cameron at 10 Downing Street hours later. He also makes a statement and, upon its conclusion, turns and enters the residence with his wife. They are visibly happy, almost jubilant. After they enter, the door closes leaving the leaving a lingering shot of the #10 on the door. Brilliant!!

Check it out below! (The videos are oversized and I couldn't figure out how to shrink them. Sorry!)

Gordon Brown's Resignation Statement:

David Cameron's Statement upon becoming Prime Minister:

The 50th Anniversary of the "Pill"

2010-05-10T19:59:00.007-05:00

This week's National Catholic Register cover story looks at the failed promises of the Pill and at the increasing openess of young Catholics toward the Church's teaching against contraception:

Frannie Boyle, a 21-year-old Catholic at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., ignited a campus-wide debate when she repudiated the practice of casual sex and binge drinking.
That happened thanks to a recent CNN feature on this widely publicized trend.

“Casual hook-ups fueled by alcohol may be the norm across college campuses,” reported CNN, but Boyle “chose to stop. Her reasons to quit hooking up echo the emotional devastation of many college students, particularly girls whose hearts are broken by the hook-up scene.”

Vanderbilt’s fraternity leaders disputed Boyle’s portrait of campus socializing, while feminists chided the college junior for suggesting that female students wanted more from sex than their male counterparts. But the controversy helps explain why many Americans are not prepared to allow a related historical event — the 50th anniversary of the birth control pill — to glide by without scrutiny.

Decades after “The Pill” was supposed to secure a gender-free utopia — in sexual relationships, the home and the workplace — the data suggest it has produced a much more complicated legacy. The pill has been held responsible for unleashing the sexual revolution and for advancing the inclusion of women into the workplace, for fostering female independence and discouraging men from committing to marriage and children.

In the opinion pages of The New York Times, Elaine Tyler May’s “Promises the Pill Could Never Keep” suggested that contrary to the excited predictions of mid-century birth-control enthusiasts, the advent of the pill did not mark the decline of poverty rates, divorce or unwanted pregnancies. Quite the contrary.

Yet May, a professor of history at the University of Minnesota and the author of the forthcoming America and the Pill, argued that this new technology still fulfilled its fundamental mission: helping women “gain control of not only their fertility, but also their lives. They could decide whether to have children, and when. They could take advantage of new opportunities for education, work and participation in public life that opened up in the years following the pill’s approval,” she asserted.

This conflicted assessment of the pill’s impact on both individual lives and the broader culture underscores the difficulty of measuring its precise role in the ongoing transformation of American attitudes about the purpose and meaning of sex, the morality of abortion and contraception, women’s roles in the home and the workplace, and the relationship between human fertility and poverty rates.

For May, and many of the pill’s feminist supporters, the rise of woman-controlled fertility is a milestone in the fight for liberation. But some Catholic theologians, historians and natural family planning (NFP) experts contend that the push for “control” — though possibly well intentioned — unleashed destructive forces that still bedevil efforts to strengthen marriages, encourage mutual respect in college socializing, and embrace the full meaning and purpose of the human body, including the gift of fertility... Continued

======================================================================

For further reading, try the following links:

Reflections on Pope Paul VI’s prophetic “Humanae Vitae.”

The Benefits of Natural Family Planning.

Natural Family Planning resources and links.

Overpopulation is a Myth - Video 3 (plus videos 1 & 2)

2010-05-06T20:22:00.007-05:00

The latest in the series:

=================================================================

Here is a reprint of my February 19 post which includes videos 1 & 2:

The Population Research Institute has released a second video examining popular misconceptions about global population.

While most people believe overpopulation is a global threat, the reality is just the opposite. Below-replacement birth-rates in many parts of the world are the real threat to global prosperity and stability.

One thought comes to mind: Here in the US, the biggest threat to our future prosperity is the looming Medicare & Social Security crisis due to the impending retirement of the massive baby boom generation. There simply will not be enough younger workers paying payroll taxes to keep the system solvent.

One cannot help but think we might be in a much better position to handle the situation if the 50 million babies aborted in the US over the last 30+ years had been allowed to be born, grow up, get jobs, and pay taxes.

=====================================================

Here is the first video in the series for those who have not yet seen it:

These videos were produced by the Population Research Institute. The companion website for the videos is found here.

London Telegraph Endorses Tories in Tomorrow's Election; Lessons for this Side of the Pond

2010-05-05T18:35:00.005-05:00

Perhaps there are some lessons for us here in the US to be found in this editorial. I highlight in red some items that caught my attention.

Excerpts:

...This newspaper was never convinced by the New Labour experiment. We believe that the past 13 years rank as a wasted opportunity of historic proportions. Elected on a wave of near-euphoria at the start of a decade-long economic boom, Labour was better placed than any post-war government to change this country for the better. Yet Tony Blair's "project" was undermined from the start by two fundamental flaws. The first was the conviction that only big-government solutions can bring about lasting change; the second was the belief that to throw money at a problem is to solve it. The consequence was a spending binge of unparalleled profligacy conducted by an ever-expanding state machine – almost a million people have been added to the government payroll since 1997. When Labour came to power, public spending accounted for 40 per cent of GDP. Last year, the figure was 52 per cent. Following the worst downturn in 70 years, and burdened as we are with a deficit of gargantuan proportions, the unbalanced nature of our economy will hamper British recovery...

Seems like the above criticism of Blair can be easily applied to the Democrats' approach to governing here in the US. For them more government and more spending is the answer to almost every problem (the big exception of course being national security). No big surprise then that President Obama has drastically increased the scope of government and planned federal spending. In my home state of Illinois, controlled top to bottom by Democrats, reckless spending has us teetering on the precipice of insolvency. Their proposed solution? Big surprise, more taxes!

...Labour's approach to the public services was at least well-intentioned. The same cannot be said of its deplorable handling of immigration. It has presided over the biggest influx of immigrants in our history – over the past 12 years, three million have made this country their home. This used to be attributed to sheer incompetence, a failure to control our own borders. It emerged earlier this year, through a leaked Whitehall document, that the influx was a deliberate policy to make this country "truly multicultural" – with the added bonus, for Labour, of providing large numbers of new voters...

I can't help but suspect that similar notions may lie at the heart of Democrat resistance to immigration controls and their desire for widespread amnesty.

Given all this, it is unsurprising that in this election campaign the voters have been taking a closer look at the other Left-of-centre party – and liking what they see. Nick Clegg has proved his mettle since his electrifying performance in the first televised leaders' debate. He is the very model of the modern politician – young, telegenic, fluent, and with a freshness that appeals to young voters. Yet he is let down by his party's irresponsible policies.

People these days seem attracted to superficial attributes at the expense of substance. Sounds like the Obama phenomenon of two years ago in the US. No?

...Character always matters in politics, and it matters more than ever now. The age of austerity that will shortly be upon us will require some hard decisions. There will be bruising battles with the public-sector unions; the might of the Whitehall establishment will have to be taken on. The scale and role of government will have to be fundamentally re-assessed because the deficit will demand it...

How many American politicians are being honest with the American people about the difficult choices we have looming before us. Not many. Certainly not the President who has been in office 16 months and has yet to address the deficit problem in any substantive way. Unless, of course, we count massive new spending as the solution to our spending problem!

The Tory vision of the Big Society plays strongly into these new political realities. Built on the concept that the state should do less, better, and that decisions are best taken as closely as possible to where they impact, it addresses the straitened circumstances of the time. There is a coherent body of policies to support this vision, notably on education, welfare, law and order, and immigration. A smaller state means lower taxes and the Conservatives have shown the right instinct in their pledge to reverse part of the National Insurance rise and their determination to lift the threshold on inheritance tax. Crucially, they have indicated that they are ready and willing to take the unpopular measures that are vital if the deficit is to be brought under control. Difficult times lie ahead for Britain. We believe that only a Conservative government can restore the nation's fortunes.

If Republicans in regain power in this country, will they make the hard choices? Are they willing to face the inevitable wrath of the people who have come to rely on the government to take care of them? They failed in this regard the last time they were in power.

Simply Catholic

2010-05-05T17:43:00.002-05:00

H/T American Papist

Companies that criticize Obamacare had better be careful...

2010-03-29T20:04:00.007-05:00

A number of companies who have announced that Obamacare will dramatically increase their costs have been ordered to appear before Congress to defend their statements.

So much for free speech!

From the Washington Examiner:

...On Capitol Hill and in the White House on Monday, Democrats were fuming over a series of announcements that started Friday from Fortune 500 firms saying their bottom lines will take huge negative hits because of changes in tax law mandated by Obamacare. That hit in turn means lower profit projections. Caterpillar estimates, for example, that Obamacare will cost it $100 million; John Deere faces expenses of $150 million; 3M, $90 million; AK Steel, $31 million; Valero, $20 million. And then there's AT&T, which is marking its balance sheet down by a whopping $1 billion. All in all, the Wall Street Journal estimated a $14 billion haircut for these corporations...
BREAK
...According to the American Spectator, top White House advisers reacted with angry phone calls to the corporations in question. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., issued harassing document requests and demanded that the chief executive officers appear before his committee next month to answer for their sins. These corporations, which legally owe an honest reckoning to their shareholders, are only doing their duty by restating projections. By contrast, Waxman and many of his fellow Democratic leaders in Congress have used every government accounting and budget gimmick at their disposal to deceive Americans for the last year about the true costs of Obamacare. These Washington politicians have no business lecturing CEOs on honesty in accounting...

Full editorial

Congressman Dan Lipinski put principle above party

2010-03-29T17:31:00.006-05:00

Perhaps the only bright spot in the ongoing health care reform debacle is the fact that my congressman, Dan Lipinski, was one of 34 Democrats to vote against the bill, and the only Illinois Democrat to do so.

Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass interviewed Rep. Lipinski for today's paper. Some excerpts:

..."It was rather lonely, yes," Lipinski said of voting against President Barack Obama's federalized health care agenda. "But I could not vote for a bill that would change the status quo on funding for abortion."

By voting "no," Lipinski has put a target on his back for smears from the White House staffed by the guys from Chicago.

"There were aspects of the president's package that I liked. Helping people get insurance, that sort of thing. But we weren't really voting for health reform. We were voting for a bill that is financially unsustainable. And I couldn't support that bill," he said.

As a Roman Catholic against abortion, he's formally a pariah among most Democratic elites. And predictably, he's been attacked by unnamed White House sources in media reports...

AND

..."People have asked me, ‘If it was good enough for Stupak, why wasn't it good enough for you?'" Lipinski said. "The executive order most likely will be overturned by the federal courts. The order does not trump the law"...

AND

..."It's not just about being against something, it's believing that every individual deserves dignity and respect, whoever they are, at whatever stage of life they're in," Lipinski said. "That is something I hear my Democratic colleagues say. And I say that it's self-evident that the individual is there at conception."

Lipinski has degrees in mechanical engineering, economic systems, and political science. He's not a biologist.

"We know that at conception, the genetic code is there, for a unique individual. This is not something that is just a religious belief," Lipinski said. "If you look at what we know about reproduction, you can see it"...

Full story

Notre Dame student newspaper rejects column by Professor Charles Rice

2010-03-27T18:39:00.005-05:00

Notre Dame's student newspaper recently rejected a column submitted by ND law professor emeritus Charles Rice. The topic: the Church's teaching on homosexuality.

Rice has been writing a regular column (every other week) for the Observer since 1992 and is the author of the 2009 book, "What Happened to Notre Dame?"

See the following links for details:

1. The email exchange between Rice and the editor of the Observer can be found here.

2. The rejected column can be found here.

3. William Dempsey's op-ed on the subject in the Washington Times (Mr. Dempsey is President of the Sycamore Trust) can be found here.

4. The Sycamore Trust looks at the history of tensions over the issue of homosexuality at Notre Dame - here.

Healt Care Reform Signed into Law

2010-03-24T11:36:00.003-05:00

Source: Michael Ramirez, Investors Business Daily

Fr. Z visits Wyoming Catholic College

2010-02-23T19:31:00.016-06:00

In the past, I have noted my interest in Wyoming Catholic College, the intriguing new Catholic liberal arts college that has been established in the wilderness of Wyoming.

In a previous post, I wrote of the unique character of the school:

....A small liberal arts college in located on a couple thousand acres of land in the foothills of the Rocky mountains. A Great Books curriculum. Orthodox Catholic. Friendly to the traditional Latin Mass. Outdoors integrated into student life, including a 21-day camping/wilderness training expedition for freshman orientation...

Father Z, author of the blog What Does the Prayer Really Say?, recently traveled to Wyoming to give a talk at the school.

He has posted his impressions of the school (along with some wonderful photos - a trademark of his blog). As always, he provides an informative and insightful report.

You can find his post on his visit to WCC, here.

=============================================================
Wyoming Catholic College is endorsed by The Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) in its Guide to Choosing a Catholic College. The CNS review of WCC can be found here.

Video: March for Life, 2010

2010-02-21T18:54:00.004-06:00

This is a neat video montage from last month's March for Life in Washington D.C.

The video was produced by students from Franciscan University.

H/T The Catholic Key

Overpopulation is a Myth - Video 2

2010-02-19T18:33:00.006-06:00

The Population Research Institute has released a second video examining popular misconceptions about global population.

While most people believe overpopulation is a global threat, the reality is just the opposite. Below-replacement birth-rates in many parts of the world are the real threat to global prosperity and stability.

One thought comes to mind: Here in the US, the biggest threat to our future prosperity is the looming Medicare & Social Security crisis due to the impending retirement of the massive baby boom generation. There simply will not be enough younger workers paying payroll taxes to keep the system solvent.

One cannot help but think we might be in a much better position to handle the situation if the 50 million babies aborted in the US over the last 30+ years had been allowed to be born, grow up, get jobs, and pay taxes.

=====================================================

Here is the first video in the series for those who have not yet seen it:

These videos were produced by the Population Research Institute. The companion website for the videos is found here.

Fr. Robert Barron discusses Lent

2010-02-18T18:03:00.002-06:00

Some food for thought at the beginning of Lent:

Case for man-made climate change continues to unravel

2010-02-18T18:02:00.001-06:00

In recent weeks, the case for man-made global warming seems to be unraveling before our eyes as one claim after another is debunked.

Below are excerpts from two more devastating news reports coming out of England.

Excerpt 1 is from a London Times article titled, "World may not be warming, say scientists:"

...In its last assessment the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said the evidence that the world was warming was “unequivocal”.

It warned that greenhouse gases had already heated the world by 0.7C and that there could be 5C-6C more warming by 2100, with devastating impacts on humanity and wildlife. However, new research, including work by British scientists, is casting doubt on such claims. Some even suggest the world may not be warming much at all.

“The temperature records cannot be relied on as indicators of global change,” said John Christy, professor of atmospheric science at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, a former lead author on the IPCC.

The doubts of Christy and a number of other researchers focus on the thousands of weather stations around the world, which have been used to collect temperature data over the past 150 years.

These stations, they believe, have been seriously compromised by factors such as urbanisation, changes in land use and, in many cases, being moved from site to site.

Christy has published research papers looking at these effects in three different regions: east Africa, and the American states of California and Alabama.

“The story is the same for each one,” he said. “The popular data sets show a lot of warming but the apparent temperature rise was actually caused by local factors affecting the weather stations, such as land development.”

The IPCC faces similar criticisms from Ross McKitrick, professor of economics at the University of Guelph, Canada, who was invited by the panel to review its last report.

The experience turned him into a strong critic and he has since published a research paper questioning its methods.

“We concluded, with overwhelming statistical significance, that the IPCC’s climate data are contaminated with surface effects from industrialisation and data quality problems. These add up to a large warming bias,” he said...
...Terry Mills, professor of applied statistics and econometrics at Loughborough University, looked at the same data as the IPCC. He found that the warming trend it reported over the past 30 years or so was just as likely to be due to random fluctuations as to the impacts of greenhouse gases. Mills’s findings are to be published in Climatic Change, an environmental journal.

“The earth has gone through warming spells like these at least twice before in the last 1,000 years,” he said... Full story

Excerpt 2, from the Daily Mail, contains some damaging admissions from Dr. Phil Jones, one of the key scientists responsible for the man-made, global warming theory:

...He further admitted that in the last 15 years there had been no ‘statistically significant’ warming, although he argued this was a blip rather than the long-term trend.
And he said that the debate over whether the world could have been even warmer than now during the medieval period, when there is evidence of high temperatures in northern countries, was far from settled.
Sceptics believe there is strong evidence that the world was warmer between about 800 and 1300 AD than now because of evidence of high temperatures in northern countries.
But climate change advocates have dismissed this as false or only applying to the northern part of the world.
Professor Jones departed from this consensus when he said: ‘There is much debate over whether the Medieval Warm Period was global in extent or not. The MWP is most clearly expressed in parts of North America, the North Atlantic and Europe and parts of Asia.
‘For it to be global in extent, the MWP would need to be seen clearly in more records from the tropical regions and the Southern hemisphere. There are very few palaeoclimatic records for these latter two regions.
‘Of course, if the MWP was shown to be global in extent and as warm or warmer than today, then obviously the late 20th Century warmth would not be unprecedented. On the other hand, if the MWP was global, but was less warm than today, then the current warmth would be unprecedented.’
Sceptics said this was the first time a senior scientist working with the IPCC had admitted to the possibility that the Medieval Warming Period could have been global, and therefore the world could have been hotter then than now.... Full story

In other words, the science that Al Gore so famously said was settled, does not seem to be settled at all.

Promising US Olympic speedskater traded skates for religious habit

2010-02-15T17:38:00.005-06:00

Reminiscent of the Oakland A's minor leaguer who recently gave up his baseball career to pursue the priesthood, Yahoo profiles a promising US speedskater who gave up a chance at Olympic gold to become a nun.

Twelve years ago at the Winter Olympics in Nagano, a 17-year-old speedskating prodigy named Kirstin Holum was tapped for future greatness.
When Holum placed sixth in the 3,000 meters – one of the most grueling disciplines in the women’s program, a lung-scraping four-minute bust of lactic acid torture – speedskating insiders predicted a golden future and speculated she may not even reach her peak for another decade...
BREAK
...From that point on, her life began an entirely different journey.

“Speedskating was such a huge part of my life,” Holumn said in a telephone interview with Yahoo! Sports. “I still loved the sport, but I had this incredibly strong calling that it was time to move on and take a different path in life.”

There is no television and no internet at St. Joseph’s Convent in Leeds, England, meaning Holum won’t get to watch the Winter Olympics where she was supposed to become a star.

The peaceful surrounds of the convent is where Holum, now known as Sister Catherine, devotes her life to religious service as a Franciscan nun. That calling had begun on a trip to Our Lady of Fatima, a holy site in Portugal famed for a series of religious visions that appeared nearly a century ago. It was outside the Fatima basilica where Holum decided that a path of religious dedication, not frozen skating lanes, would be her destiny.

“It is funny now to think of how different my life is now,” she said. “I had the wonderful privilege of being able to compete as an Olympian, and now I am blessed to able to serve God and help those less fortunate.”

After completing an art degree, including a thesis on the Olympics at the Art Institute of Chicago, Holum joined the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal, a faith whose mission is “work with the poor and homeless and evangelization.”

Based first in New York, Sister Catherine and her fellow nuns stepped onto the mean streets of the Bronx to work with some of the Big Apple’s most underprivileged children in areas steeped in gang culture. Such work and sacrifice in homeless shelters and soup kitchens gave her a deep-rooted sense of satisfaction that skating had never been able to provide.
She attacked each new project with the tenacity of an Olympian, and, according to Sister Lucille, who leads operations at the order’s Bronx chapter, the “compassion of an angel.”

“It is wonderful to see people’s faces light up when Sister Catherine shares her experiences of her time in speedskating,” Sister Lucille said. “She never boasts about it but she has come to realize that we are incredibly proud of her and are lucky to have her as part of our religious family. The sisters and the people we try to reach love hearing about what she accomplished.”

Last year, missionary work took Sister Catherine to England, where she has found her previous life as an athlete a useful tool in providing some “street cred” when dealing with skeptical youngsters... Full story

Photo credit: Mike Powell, Allsport

The most hilarious quote of the year...

2010-02-15T16:00:00.004-06:00

...comes to us courtesy of Joe Biden who, being interviewed by Larry King, said the following:

"I am very optimistic about -- about Iraq. I mean, this could be one of the great achievements of this administration. You're going to see 90,000 American troops come marching home by the end of the summer. You're going to see a stable government in Iraq that is actually moving toward a representative government. "

Andrew Malcolm, blogging for the LA Times, masterfully takes apart Biden's ridiculous attempt to take credit for Iraq:

...The statement claiming credit for the ultimately favorable outcome in Iraq was striking to many. This is because:

a) Obama had opposed the war from the beginning,

b) both Obama and Biden opposed the U.S. troop surge of 2007 by President George W. Bush widely credited with producing the relative peace and stability to enable a U.S. exit,

c) both Obama and Biden predicted incorrectly that the troop surge would actually worsen sectarian strife there. Watch this Obama video interview from MSNBC in 2007:

d) Biden even proposed partitioning the country into separate areas, and

e) the status of forces agreement with Iraq that established the ongoing U.S. troop withdrawal was negotiated by the preceding Republican administration long before Obama took the oath of office twice.
Other than that, however, the Obama-Biden team would seem to deserve all the credit...

Oprah profiles the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist

2010-02-14T17:50:00.005-06:00

The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, a vibrant and growing religious order of Catholic teaching nuns, were profiled on The Oprah Winfrey Show last week.

The order, founded only about a decade ago, has been a huge success story and has grown from just four nuns to about a hundred in that short period of time. The nuns have an average age of 26 years old.

I never would have expected to see something like this on Oprah and must say that all involved did an excellent job. Given the size of Oprah's viewership, it is exciting to think of all of the people who could potentially touched by this segment.

Video clips from the show appear below. They are worth a viewing.

VIDEO 1:

VIDEO 2:

VIDEO 3:

VIDEO 4:

Notable quote: Marco Rubio

2010-02-14T17:12:00.007-06:00

Marco Rubio, who is running for a US Senate seat in Florida, has really seen his campaign take off in recent weeks.

In an interview with National Review Online, he states:

...This election is about more than Republicans versus Democrats or liberals versus conservatives. It is a choice about the very essence of what this country is going to be like. Are we going to continue to be a place of limited government, free enterprise, and personal liberty? Or, are we going to become a country like so many around the world where the government dominates every sector of society? The problem is that the people in charge right now in Washington don’t believe in limited government or in the free-enterprise system. They don’t support it. They see it as something that creates pockets of prosperity, but, by and large, think it is unfair and want to change it. They want the U.S. to move away from that. They won’t campaign on that, of course, because they know they won’t get elected if they say it, but that’s exactly what they want to do, and they’re using this downturn in the economy as an excuse... Source

I could not have said it better myself!

Photo credit: PARCBENCH

Editorial: Are we spending our way into oblivion?

2010-02-10T19:24:00.006-06:00

I find myself increasingly discouraged about the long-term economic prospects of our nation.

Decades of fiscal irresponsibility by both political parties in Washington have left us in a mess. Massive debt and a looming entitlements crisis threaten our economic future. In the face of these problems, our politicians continue to be incapable of making the tough choices necessary for us to live within our means.

One would think the current economic crisis would be a wake-up call, but those in charge seem determined to hit the snooze button over and over. Sixteen months after the wake-up call, and no plan of any substance has been put forward by the Administration to put us on a path to fiscal responsibility.

President Obama, aided and abetted by the Democrat-controlled Congress, seems to believe the solution to our problems is a large and permanent increase in government spending. Talk about throwing gasoline on a fire!

A year ago, calls for a temporary, short-term increase in government spending to ease the pain of the economic crisis were not unreasonable (though perhaps debatable). Instead, what we got from the Democrats was a massive, long-term increase in government spending on a variety of pet projects that had little to do with immediate economic relief.

Fast forward one year. A couple of weeks ago the President released his new budget. Over the next decade, he proposes even higher spending levels than he did a year ago!

The President is now proposing to spend, over the next decade, an additional $1.6 trillion dollars above and beyond what he proposed last year (see chart below).

Spend. Spend. Spend.

When is it going to end?

H/T to the Corner for the graph.

Humorous, yet serious

2010-02-08T18:37:00.006-06:00

The Answer: Yes. Most definitely, yes.

The Question:

Source: Minnesota Public Radio via the Corner

Notable Quote

2010-02-08T18:24:00.004-06:00

Jackson Diehl of the Washington Post writes:

...Unlike most of his predecessors, Obama has not forged close ties with any European leader. Britain's Brown, France's Sarkozy and Germany's Merkel have each, in turn, felt snubbed by him. Relations between Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu are tense at best. George W. Bush used to hold regular videoconferences with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Obama has spoken to them on only a handful of occasions...

An interesting observation given President Obama's oft-repeated assertion during that campaign that George Bush had ignored and alienated our allies and that he (Obama) would repair those relationships and restore our standing in the world.

Looks like yet another campaign promise left unkept.

The first step is admitting you have a problem

2010-02-07T19:35:00.006-06:00

Source: Investors Business Daily, Michael Ramirez

A Must Read: New York Times Magazine profiles Robert George

2010-02-02T18:45:00.010-06:00

The New York Times Magazine recently profiled Princeton Professor Robert P. George, considered by many to be the leading intellect of orthodox Catholicism.

The piece is fascinating and worth the read:

On a September afternoon, about 60 prominent Christians assembled in the library of the Metropolitan Club on the east side of Central Park. It was a gathering of unusual diversity and power. Many in attendance were conservative evangelicals like the born-again Watergate felon Chuck Colson, who helped initiate the meeting. Metropolitan Jonah, the primate of the Orthodox Church in America, was there as well. And so were more than half a dozen of this country’s most influential Roman Catholic bishops, including Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, Archbishop John Myers of Newark and Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia.
At the center of the event was Robert P. George, a Princeton University professor of jurisprudence and a Roman Catholic who is this country’s most influential conservative Christian thinker. Dressed in his usual uniform of three-piece suit, New College, Oxford cuff links and rimless glasses, George convened the meeting with a note of thanks and a reminder of its purpose. Alarmed at the liberal takeover of Washington and an apparent leadership vacuum among the Christian right, the group had come together to warn the country’s secular powers that the culture wars had not ended. As a starting point, George had drafted a 4,700-word manifesto that promised resistance to the point of civil disobedience against any legislation that might implicate their churches or charities in abortion, embryo-destructive research or same-sex marriage.

Two months later, at a Washington press conference to present the group’s “Manhattan Declaration,” George stepped aside to let Cardinal Rigali sum up just what made the statement, and much of George’s work, distinctive. These principles did not belong to the Christian faith alone, the cardinal declared; they rested on a foundation of universal reason. “They are principles that can be known and honored by men and women of good will even apart from divine revelation,” Rigali said. “They are principles of right reason and natural law.”

Even marriage between a man and a woman, Rigali continued, was grounded not just in religion and tradition but in logic. “The true great goods of marriage — the unitive and the procreative goods — are inextricably bound together such that the complementarity of husband and wife is of the very essence of marital communion,” the cardinal continued, ascending into philosophical abstractions surely lost on most in the room. “Sexual relations outside the marital bond are contrary not only to the will of God but to the good of man. Indeed, they are contrary to the will of God precisely because they are against the good of man.”

George looked on with arms crossed and lips sealed. But he was obviously pleased. To anyone who knew George’s work, the cardinal’s words sounded very much as if George had written them, and when I asked him about it later, he acknowledged providing assistance. Rigali’s remarks were a summation of the distinctive moral philosophy that is the foundation of George’s power.

He has parlayed a 13th-century Catholic philosophy into real political influence. Glenn Beck, the Fox News talker and a big George fan, likes to introduce him as “one of the biggest brains in America,” or, on one broadcast, “Superman of the Earth.” Karl Rove told me he considers George a rising star on the right and a leading voice in persuading President George W. Bush to restrict embryonic stem-cell research. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia told me he numbers George among the most-talked-about thinkers in conservative legal circles. And Newt Gingrich called him “an important and growing influence” on the conservative movement, especially on matters like abortion and marriage.

“If there really is a vast right-wing conspiracy,” the conservative Catholic journal Crisis concluded a few years ago, “its leaders probably meet in George’s kitchen.” ...Continued

President Obama proposes new budget - Part 3

2010-02-01T20:36:00.002-06:00

The below chart shows the President is not serious about fiscal responsibility.

Why is he growing the budget in every year moving forward?

From the Heritage Foundation:

President Obama proposes new budget - Part 2

2010-02-01T20:28:00.002-06:00

More from the Corner on the newly proposed budget (this from Robert Costa):

Rep. Paul Ryan (R., Wis.), the ranking member of the House Budget Committee, tells National Review Online that President Obama’s budget “is not like most budgets, with some tax-code tinkering and spending.” No, he says, “this budget is a choice. We are about to make a decision whose consequences will last for generations.”

“This budget presents a choice of two futures,” Ryan says. “Don’t look at the president’s rhetoric, look at his actions. His substance implies a different reality. Not only is this budget worse than the last one, but it triples our debt within ten years, features gushers of tax increases, and relies on some partisan commission to do the heavy lifting on fiscal policy after the next election. Make no mistake: This is a budget aimed to advance the administration’s philosophy and ideology. By increasing taxes and letting the country spiral into debt, this budget is a firm step toward transforming America into a collectivist society overseen by a social-welfare state.”

“The fiscal future of America, however, is still in the hands of the people,” says Ryan. “It is not too late to turn things around and inject our economy with the freedom to grow. Republicans have offered voters a roadmap. The president, CBO, and Peter Orzag have all acknowledged that it is a credible plan. We want to talk to the American people, and listen to them, like adults, with crystal-clear alternatives based upon the founding principles of this country and let them decide. This budget is about more than specific programs or policies. It is really about the American idea, and whether we want to move towards a European-style welfare state. I know that seems like those are big words, but those are the stakes. It is hard to come to another conclusion when you look at our debt and how we are spending. We are in a very dire fiscal situation.”

This year, Ryan says, “will be the year for the GOP to show Americans that they are no longer the opposition party, but the alternative party. The president acknowledged that in Baltimore last week. We had a good discussion, and I’m happy he came, but at the end of the day, we come to this from a different premise. We believe that the individual is the nucleus of American life, and they see the government in that role. That is our big difference.”
“This is a choice of two futures,” he reiterates. “It’s not too late to make the right decision.

President Obama proposes new budget - Part 1

2010-02-01T20:17:00.008-06:00

It looks like it is full speed ahead on government spending with massive deficits as far as the eye can see.

President Obama says he is concerned about deficits, but you would never know it based on his actions.

Here is an interesting analysis from the Heritage foundation that I came across over at the Corner:

Obama Adds $2 Trillion in Spending and Deficits to Last Year’s Budget

One would think the nation’s deteriorating fiscal picture would cause the White House to scale back it spending-and-debt spree. Think again. Over the ten years in which both budgets overlap (FY 2010–2019), this year’s budget would spend an additional $1.7 trillion and run up an additional $2 trillion in budget deficits. In fact, this year’s proposal shows annual budget deficits as much as 49 percent larger than last year’s proposal — raising the debt by an additional 6 percent of GDP over the same period. It is a spending spree that will drive up both taxes and deficits.

According to our quick analysis of his budget, the president’s budget also would:

* Permanently expand the federal government by nearly 3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) over 2007 pre-recession levels;

* Raise taxes on all Americans by more than $2 trillion over the next decade (counting health-care reform and cap-and-trade);

* Raise taxes for 3.2 million small businesses and upper-income taxpayers by an average of $300,000 over the next decade;

* Borrow 42 cents for each dollar spent in 2010;

* Run a $1.6 trillion deficit in 2010 — $143 billion higher than the recession-driven 2009 deficit;

* Leave permanent deficits that top $1 trillion in as late as 2020 — a time of assumed peace and prosperity; and

* Double the publicly held national debt to over $18 trillion.

Before the recession, federal spending totaled $24,000 per U.S. household. President Obama would hike it to $36,000 per household by 2020 — an inflation-adjusted $12,000-per-household expansion of government. Even the steep tax increases planned for all taxpayers would not finance all of this spending: The president’s budget would add trillions of dollars in new debt.

President Obama has offered a budget that does nothing to address the nation’s serious short-term and long-term fiscal problems — and indeed makes them worse. By doubling the national debt over pre-recession levels, America could head toward the tipping point when rising debt levels will become too large for global capital markets to absorb, potentially triggering a financial crisis, an interest-rate spike, and gigantic tax increases.

The president who said, “I didn’t come here to pass our problems on to the next president or the next generation — I’m here to solve them” would, over the next decade, pass $75,000 per household in additional debt into the laps of our children and grandchildren.

— Brian Riedl is Grover M. Hermann fellow in federal budgetary affairs at the Heritage Foundation.

Support CBS' decision to run Tim Tebow pro-life ad

2010-01-30T10:50:00.005-06:00

Please join me in sending an e-mail to CBS in support of Heisman trophy winner Tim Tebow's pro-life Super Bowl TV ad.

Pro-abortion groups are pressuring CBS to drop the ad.

Catholicvote.org has set up a user-friendly page for just this purpose. It can be found here.

Ralph McInerny, RIP

2010-01-29T17:55:00.011-06:00

I am saddened to hear that Notre Dame Professor (emeritus) Ralph McInerny has died.

While I was a student at Notre Dame our paths never crossed, but, after graduation, I became a fan of his fiction writing, especially his mysteries set on Notre Dame's campus. I also appreciated his outspoken defense of Notre Dame's Catholic identity, particularly in the aftermath of last Spring's commencement scandal.

The essay titled "Is Obama Worth a Mass?" that Prof. McInerny posted at The Catholic Thing (an excellent website) in response to the news that President Obama would be giving Notre Dame's 2009 commencement address is a must read and can be found here.

A man of many talents, Prof. McInerny will be missed.

First Things has posted a nice tribute. Below are a couple excerpts.

Excerpt 1:

...Ralph excelled in so many spheres and combined so many virtues in his person that it is difficult to know where to begin in recounting his noteworthy achievements. He was a philosopher (author of more than two dozen scholarly books, he gave the prestigious Gifford Lectures in 1999–2000), a translator (he translated the texts of Aquinas for Penguin Classics), a critically acclaimed and popular novelist (author of a number of mystery series, including the popular Father Dowling series that became a television series), a public intellectual (he appeared on William F. Buckley's Firing Line), and was a member of President George W. Bush's Committee on the Arts and Humanities), a journalist (with Michael Novak, he founded Crisis, a journal of lay Catholic opinion), and a published poet. In the midst of all this activity, Ralph was remarkably generous with his time and his help, especially for his students, in whose families he expressed an avid interest...

Excerpt 2:

...Ralph’s life and career will always be enmeshed with the university he loved, Our Lady’s University. He was of course deeply chagrined at the direction of the University. Of course, the concerns about Notre Dame’s Catholic identity have become very public in the past few years with the administration’s decisions to elevate the tawdry Vagina Monologues to the status of great art and to award an honorary doctorate of laws to a pro-abortion president. Before all that, Ralph objected to the premature firing of Coach Tyrone Willingham, in an New York Times op-ed piece “The Firing Irish,” and to the unseemly image of a president and priest chasing down potential coaches on airport tarmacs in the dead of night. Even prior to that, Ralph objected to hiring practices that focused exclusively on “academic” criteria and rendered irrelevant knowledge of, and sympathy for, the Catholic faith and intellectual tradition. For Ralph, the accelerating abandonment of things Catholic at Notre Dame was the direct result of a craven quest for success understood in conventional, and often quite secular, terms...

The Catholicism Project

2010-01-28T17:56:00.004-06:00

Chicago's Father Robert Barron is putting together a 10-part video documentary on Catholicism.

Check out the trailer below. It's pretty neat.

Father Barron's multimedia ministry/website, Word on Fire, can be found here.

The trailer: