The FTC Journalism Takeover: Well, it's dead. I never thought it would fly. But I'm still disturbed. First, the FTC attempted to use it's jurisdiction over interstate commerce to influance the freedom of the press. That's a scarey intrusion of an unelected bureaucracy into constitutional areas. It's also a rather obvious ploy. Since the ascention of the Obama Administration, there have been numerous ballons floated to control "alternative media". Since the MSM tend to give the current administration a pass on many things, and to soft pedal criticisms it can't avoid, the voice of dissent in this country has fallen to alternative means. (Remember the proposal to grant powers to order the summary removal of dissenting opinions from the internet under the guise of "rumor control?") So the proposal to tax alternative media was really just a matter of employing Adam Smith's maxim "The power to tax is the power to destroy". And the proposal to give the funds so raised to traditional media through grants and training to prop up a failing industry were bad economics. It would be like taxing tires to subsidize buggy whip factories. There is one further consideration in my mind: The failing print and network broadcast industries are not only facing competition from new technologies, but the inescapable fact that the market doesn't like their product. For almost a generation people have been complaining that "media is biased", and now there has been painstaking work, and some tell all books, that substanciate that claim. I'm not shocked by media bias. But I am troubled by the almost uniform nature of the bias. One would expect that with a diversity of outlets, there would be a diversity of bias, but it doesn't work out so well. The alterntive outlets provide a much greater diversity of opinion and viewpoint. And, in the process, destroy attempts at spin and censorship
So the Administration, IMHO, used the FTC to float, for the second or third time, a way to control media that would suit the political aims of the government.
Another Lie, Another Broken Promise: We were told over and over again that if we had health care coverage, and we liked it, we wouldn't have to change it. But that isturning out not to be the case. It seems that we got lied to, again.
The key word in the bait and switch is "meaningful". Since that word is part of the definition that's being used to show what plans we can signup for of our own free will, it hides an incovienient truth: more than 50% of the 159 million health care plans in force in the US do not meat the guidlines written into Law in March. let's put it another way: about 90 million Americans are going to be compelled to participate in health care plans with higher premiums than the ones they already have, regardless of whether they want to pay the premiums, or want more health care.
The bad part is, these standards and their effects were in the law as written, and the Admonistration new it, and the Administration lied about it.
I'm tired of being lied to by people who just assume that the electorate is too stupid to know when we've been f*cked, but not kissed.
Why are the Networks Not Reporting About Pelosi?: anything that can make the conservative resurgence in the US look weak is reported and dissected by the Major Networks". Yet signs of cracking in the coalition of progressive interests that provide the base of the Democratic Party are not. One network, FOX, reported on Nancy Pelosi's reception at the Campaign for America's Future event. She was down shouted. Things were thrown.
Attempts to gain control of the event by the organizers were not successful, and things deteriorated to the point that audience members were down shouting each other.
This was not a "public venue" event--this was an event for the true believers, the core of the coalition that the Democratic Party is. (The Republican Party is also a coalition!) When their was friction at CPAC, the MSM were all over it, playing up the divisions within the Conservative Movement. Yet this, showing not just divisions but deep rancor among the Progressive Movement has been under reported and analysed. It seems a self defeating action. Because, without people seeing that they have a voice within the party they support, even an angry voice, they will not support it.
TRIUMPHALIST--YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?
Saturday, June 12, 2010
The Sanctoral Cycle
Like everything else about the Church as we experience it in the US, the Sanctoral Cycle has become a point of contention. Whether you are a Modernist--or just a modernizer--a traditionalist, a moderate, a devote of the Extraordinary Form or a lover of the Ordinary Form, the Sanctoral Cycle is something that you can't help thinking about, unless you don't go to Mass at all.
I have some reservations about the current Sanctoral Cycle. I would like to see the Rogation Days restored, I oppose translating Holy Days of Obligation, and other Solemnities to the closest handy Sunday. I think it waters down both the meaning of the Solemnities so translated, and weakens the impact of the theologies that these Solemnities celebrate. I wish that the Octave for Pentecost would be restored. (In fact, that's my biggest gripe about the current calender! Pentecost is ranked as the second most important day in the Christian Calender. It actually outranks Christmas. If Christmas maintains its Octave, then so should Pentecost. If the Holy Father reads this, I hope he'll agree and restore the Octave!)
But that's not as important as the fact that we have a Sanctoral Cycle.
And if you are going to heed the advice and writings of the Saints, you will try to pray with the Liturgy--whether you pray the Liturgy of Hours, are a daily mass attendant, or not. "Let your prayer be Liturgical!" is a quote from St. Jose-Maria Escrivia, and sound advice.
If you use the cycle, a tool given us by the Church, you will more or less automatically increase your understanding of the teachings of the church. If you simply read the Scripture Readings of the Lectionary for the day, and the name of the Liturgical Observance of the day, you will in time--and not a lot of time--improve your knowledge of Scripture, Tradition and Church History. If you simply read a one paragraph blurb--a thumbnail hagiography--of the saints that are commemorated, or even optionally commemorated, you will find that Hope grows in you, for when there is need and danger to the Church, there are Saints raised up by God.
If you want to get a little deeper into it, you can do worse than to recite the Office of Readings for the day. It has a deeper reading from scripture, plus a non scriptural reading from the Patristics or the Saints or the Councils that help explicate the theology and reason for a given observance.
If you pray with the Sanctoral Cycle, you are immersed in Salvation History, each year seeing how the disparate events work together, as typological expressions, foreshadowing events, and cosmogonic and theogonic items that will help us to understand the Faith at a visceral level.
Is our current calendar perfect? No, not by a long shot. But neither was the old one. Both had and will always have problems, obscuration and infelicitous conflicts. So what? Our family car isn't ideal either, but it reliably and predictably takes us to where we need to go. And so does the Sanctoral Cycle, whether you go with the current calender or use the Extraordinary Form calender, they both will facilitate your prayer life, your understanding of the Faith and your intellectual development.
If I have a recurring theme on this subject, it's that Liturgy is the primary means of on going catechesis for Adults, and since we have a moral duty to improve our knowledge of the Faith, it follows that the best way to do this is through Liturgical prayer, and Praying with the Church on those days she sets aside as special. If you do this, I promise you one more thing: You'll find out that "Ordinary Time" isn't ordinary at all, it's been transformed into a wondrous and awesome progression by the actions of the Holy Spirit throughout human and Christian History.
I have some reservations about the current Sanctoral Cycle. I would like to see the Rogation Days restored, I oppose translating Holy Days of Obligation, and other Solemnities to the closest handy Sunday. I think it waters down both the meaning of the Solemnities so translated, and weakens the impact of the theologies that these Solemnities celebrate. I wish that the Octave for Pentecost would be restored. (In fact, that's my biggest gripe about the current calender! Pentecost is ranked as the second most important day in the Christian Calender. It actually outranks Christmas. If Christmas maintains its Octave, then so should Pentecost. If the Holy Father reads this, I hope he'll agree and restore the Octave!)
But that's not as important as the fact that we have a Sanctoral Cycle.
And if you are going to heed the advice and writings of the Saints, you will try to pray with the Liturgy--whether you pray the Liturgy of Hours, are a daily mass attendant, or not. "Let your prayer be Liturgical!" is a quote from St. Jose-Maria Escrivia, and sound advice.
If you use the cycle, a tool given us by the Church, you will more or less automatically increase your understanding of the teachings of the church. If you simply read the Scripture Readings of the Lectionary for the day, and the name of the Liturgical Observance of the day, you will in time--and not a lot of time--improve your knowledge of Scripture, Tradition and Church History. If you simply read a one paragraph blurb--a thumbnail hagiography--of the saints that are commemorated, or even optionally commemorated, you will find that Hope grows in you, for when there is need and danger to the Church, there are Saints raised up by God.
If you want to get a little deeper into it, you can do worse than to recite the Office of Readings for the day. It has a deeper reading from scripture, plus a non scriptural reading from the Patristics or the Saints or the Councils that help explicate the theology and reason for a given observance.
If you pray with the Sanctoral Cycle, you are immersed in Salvation History, each year seeing how the disparate events work together, as typological expressions, foreshadowing events, and cosmogonic and theogonic items that will help us to understand the Faith at a visceral level.
Is our current calendar perfect? No, not by a long shot. But neither was the old one. Both had and will always have problems, obscuration and infelicitous conflicts. So what? Our family car isn't ideal either, but it reliably and predictably takes us to where we need to go. And so does the Sanctoral Cycle, whether you go with the current calender or use the Extraordinary Form calender, they both will facilitate your prayer life, your understanding of the Faith and your intellectual development.
If I have a recurring theme on this subject, it's that Liturgy is the primary means of on going catechesis for Adults, and since we have a moral duty to improve our knowledge of the Faith, it follows that the best way to do this is through Liturgical prayer, and Praying with the Church on those days she sets aside as special. If you do this, I promise you one more thing: You'll find out that "Ordinary Time" isn't ordinary at all, it's been transformed into a wondrous and awesome progression by the actions of the Holy Spirit throughout human and Christian History.
Friday, June 11, 2010
The Next Time I Read, Hear or See Someone saying Conservatives are Poorly Educated...
I will point them to this:
The Online Wall Street Journal has an interesting piece up, dated 8 June. It seems that they asked 4,385 American Adults eight questions about basic economics. They also asked them their place on the political spectrum.
They graded these answers by not looking for the "best correct answers" (there was a range of possibles) but to see who would pick the most erroneous answer possible. The break down of wrongest answers possible, by political alignment, with average number of very wrong answers, is as follows:
Very Conservative--1.30
Libertarian--1.38
Conservative-- 1.67
Moderate-- 3.67
Liberal-- 4.69
Progressive/Very Liberal-- 5.26
The scale was : 0 = perfect, 8 = all wrong.
By party affiliation the breakdown was Democrats: 4.59, Republicans 1.61, Libertarians 1.26 .
The questions were such simple things as how minimum wage laws affect employment levels, the effect on rent control on housing availability, what constitutes a monopoly, etc. Stuff we learned in High School economics in the 70s--when it was a required course for graduation in Indiana.
And people wonder why conservative think that Liberals and Progressives are stupid, and why they are angry. Well, maybe we can see poor economic policies eating our nation. BTW--If you look at the legislative History, the economic mess, to include its roots in 1970s lending legislation, lay at the feet of Democratic Congresses. Sorry, that's the facts.
The Online Wall Street Journal has an interesting piece up, dated 8 June. It seems that they asked 4,385 American Adults eight questions about basic economics. They also asked them their place on the political spectrum.
They graded these answers by not looking for the "best correct answers" (there was a range of possibles) but to see who would pick the most erroneous answer possible. The break down of wrongest answers possible, by political alignment, with average number of very wrong answers, is as follows:
Very Conservative--1.30
Libertarian--1.38
Conservative-- 1.67
Moderate-- 3.67
Liberal-- 4.69
Progressive/Very Liberal-- 5.26
The scale was : 0 = perfect, 8 = all wrong.
By party affiliation the breakdown was Democrats: 4.59, Republicans 1.61, Libertarians 1.26 .
The questions were such simple things as how minimum wage laws affect employment levels, the effect on rent control on housing availability, what constitutes a monopoly, etc. Stuff we learned in High School economics in the 70s--when it was a required course for graduation in Indiana.
And people wonder why conservative think that Liberals and Progressives are stupid, and why they are angry. Well, maybe we can see poor economic policies eating our nation. BTW--If you look at the legislative History, the economic mess, to include its roots in 1970s lending legislation, lay at the feet of Democratic Congresses. Sorry, that's the facts.
It's distressing, but not surprising.
The Canadian Medical Association Journal has published some interesting data. It seems that about 50% of nurses who provide "care" for euthanasia "patients" admit to euthanizing people who didn't request euthanasia.
Once again we see an instance where the predictions of "right wing alarmists" and "fundamentalist nay sayers" has proven true.
Once euthanasia is allowed, it becomes the practice of medical professionals to decide who lives and who dies through an act of homicide, regardless of the wishes of the patient or the patients family.
And people persist in saying that this isn't diabolical in origin.
Once again we see an instance where the predictions of "right wing alarmists" and "fundamentalist nay sayers" has proven true.
Once euthanasia is allowed, it becomes the practice of medical professionals to decide who lives and who dies through an act of homicide, regardless of the wishes of the patient or the patients family.
And people persist in saying that this isn't diabolical in origin.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Wilder Publications--Losing Customers Right and Left
Wilder Publications has issued editions of the American State Papers. You know, the Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, The Articles of Confederation, The Federalist Papers, Common Sense, things like that.
But they have seen fit to place a warning label on them, explaining to potential customers that they don't reflect the values they would if they were written today, and that one might wish to discuss this, especially in regard to questions of ethnicity, gender, sexuality and interpersonal relationships before letting their kids read it.
Customer, well potential customer, reaction has been very uniform. Outrage.
The publisher said that they put the warning on the documents so that they would be less likely to be pulled from shelves as objectionable. Well, people are saying they should be pulled because the label is objectionable. Comments on Amazon.com are uniformly negative, and proprietors are not stoking these editions--they are stoking others that don't seem to be published by companies who find the Basic Law of the US, and it's precursors, and the first great debate about the role of government objectionable.
What kind of mind thinks like Wilder Publications, anyway?
But they have seen fit to place a warning label on them, explaining to potential customers that they don't reflect the values they would if they were written today, and that one might wish to discuss this, especially in regard to questions of ethnicity, gender, sexuality and interpersonal relationships before letting their kids read it.
Customer, well potential customer, reaction has been very uniform. Outrage.
The publisher said that they put the warning on the documents so that they would be less likely to be pulled from shelves as objectionable. Well, people are saying they should be pulled because the label is objectionable. Comments on Amazon.com are uniformly negative, and proprietors are not stoking these editions--they are stoking others that don't seem to be published by companies who find the Basic Law of the US, and it's precursors, and the first great debate about the role of government objectionable.
What kind of mind thinks like Wilder Publications, anyway?
One of the Crappy Catholic Magazines
US Catholic ran a piece on it's web site, ( www.uscatholic.org/blog/2010/06/what-beautiful ) . In it,, the author asked about what kind of church architecture was best. It seemed that they had a brief poll, and that most people were opting for "traditional" design elements, not blank walls and lack of icons and adornment.
The author of the blog piece, Meghan Murphy-Gill, suggested that that might be bacause the poll used only twelve simplistic questions.
Well, the comments section was instructive. All of the comments were in favor of traditional design elements and adornment. Some were quite blunt.
The author of the blog piece, Meghan Murphy-Gill, suggested that that might be bacause the poll used only twelve simplistic questions.
Well, the comments section was instructive. All of the comments were in favor of traditional design elements and adornment. Some were quite blunt.
Confrontation on the Border
The shooting of a 15 year old by Border Patrol Agents has been in the news for the past few days. It's a shame that a young mans boys life was cut short, by any standard. However, there are things we need to consider.
The kid who was shot was engaged in human trafficking, and was a known smuggler. More than that, he and his running buddies surrounded a border patrol agent and were throwing rocks. I noted in a previous post that a grown male, throwing a one pound rock, can deliver as much energy to a target as a 32ACP round, at seven meters (the average range at which pistoleros train). Stoning was once a widespread means of execution--it can kill a person. And, for purposes anthropometric, an adolescent can throw as hard as an adult.
Now more information has come up. While trying to investigate the shooting--and US cops investigate every shooting by a Law Enforcment Officer, it turns out that the officers were pelted with stones and fire crackers. Now the fire crackers would most generally be considered an annoyance, except for one thing--Mexican soldiers arrived and pointed their weapons at the border patrol agents, who were on US soil. They shouted insults, claimed that the Border Patrol was trying to gather evidence on Mexican Soil, and threatened to shoot them. Throwing firecrackers at this point has only one rational purpose: To escalate the situation, so that someone or other thinks he's under fire and uses his weapon. It was a close thing, for the Border Patrol felt threatened enough to pull their weapons.
Finally the Border Patrol withdrew. The FBI took over the crime scene, and the Mexicans felt that they shouldn't mess with the G-Men. But that renders the investigation problematical--because when the LEOs had to withdraw, under threat of gunfire, that left the crime scene uncontrolled. It could, and considering the circumstances probably was, contaminated.
We need to remember something: The Mexican Senate has a seat that represents--and is elected by--immigrants in the US. We also need to remember that the President of Mexico has said that where there are Mexican Immigrants, that becomes Mexico.
The Border Patrol Agent who was being stoned had and has the right of Self Protection, to include the use of deadly force. The US has the right to secure it's borders, and has a right to National Sovereignty. The actions of the Mexican troops interfered with that, by disrupting a criminal investigation occuring on our soil. Having armed troops, whether Border Guards, Army or Federales point weapon at LEOs on US soil and threaten to shoot them is a serious thing.
Any one who thinks about this, and the patterns of behaviors and actions emerging on the Border, and isn't concerned--in fact isn't convinced that the situation will incrementally escalate until we suffer a breakdown of law and order on the magnitude that is experienced by Juarez--is either afflicted with a genetic disorder caused by mixing their DNA with that of an Ostrich, in the grip of denial, or simply believes that the US hasn't the right to it's own soil.
Where's Black Jack Pershing when we need him?
The kid who was shot was engaged in human trafficking, and was a known smuggler. More than that, he and his running buddies surrounded a border patrol agent and were throwing rocks. I noted in a previous post that a grown male, throwing a one pound rock, can deliver as much energy to a target as a 32ACP round, at seven meters (the average range at which pistoleros train). Stoning was once a widespread means of execution--it can kill a person. And, for purposes anthropometric, an adolescent can throw as hard as an adult.
Now more information has come up. While trying to investigate the shooting--and US cops investigate every shooting by a Law Enforcment Officer, it turns out that the officers were pelted with stones and fire crackers. Now the fire crackers would most generally be considered an annoyance, except for one thing--Mexican soldiers arrived and pointed their weapons at the border patrol agents, who were on US soil. They shouted insults, claimed that the Border Patrol was trying to gather evidence on Mexican Soil, and threatened to shoot them. Throwing firecrackers at this point has only one rational purpose: To escalate the situation, so that someone or other thinks he's under fire and uses his weapon. It was a close thing, for the Border Patrol felt threatened enough to pull their weapons.
Finally the Border Patrol withdrew. The FBI took over the crime scene, and the Mexicans felt that they shouldn't mess with the G-Men. But that renders the investigation problematical--because when the LEOs had to withdraw, under threat of gunfire, that left the crime scene uncontrolled. It could, and considering the circumstances probably was, contaminated.
We need to remember something: The Mexican Senate has a seat that represents--and is elected by--immigrants in the US. We also need to remember that the President of Mexico has said that where there are Mexican Immigrants, that becomes Mexico.
The Border Patrol Agent who was being stoned had and has the right of Self Protection, to include the use of deadly force. The US has the right to secure it's borders, and has a right to National Sovereignty. The actions of the Mexican troops interfered with that, by disrupting a criminal investigation occuring on our soil. Having armed troops, whether Border Guards, Army or Federales point weapon at LEOs on US soil and threaten to shoot them is a serious thing.
Any one who thinks about this, and the patterns of behaviors and actions emerging on the Border, and isn't concerned--in fact isn't convinced that the situation will incrementally escalate until we suffer a breakdown of law and order on the magnitude that is experienced by Juarez--is either afflicted with a genetic disorder caused by mixing their DNA with that of an Ostrich, in the grip of denial, or simply believes that the US hasn't the right to it's own soil.
Where's Black Jack Pershing when we need him?
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Well, I'm too lazy to write much today...
It's been a hard couple of days at the office. So....
The Episcopal Church: TEC has been suspended by the World Wide Anglican leadership from participating in ecumenical dialogues. That is to say, when the leadership of the Anglican Communion gather, TEC is unwelcome to come, and unwelcome to comment.
The action was taken in response to TEC ordination of an active lesbian "bishop". An interrogative letter was sent to the Anglican Church in Canada, to see if they were going to abide by the moratorium placed on the ordination of practicing homosexuals to "episcopal orders".
Florida Protect Religious Freedom: Anew law has been passed and signed in Florida, prohibiting school officials from interfering in religious expression and activities by students and school employees, while not authorizing official school prayers, devotions of religious activities, in public schools. The law is a reaction to what happened in Santa Rosa county, where the school board signed a consent decree prohibiting voluntary prayers amongst students and off the clock discussions among adults.
This decree went so far as to prohibit teachers from responding to e-mails or letters from parents containing the word "God Bless". Teachers were charged and tried for such things a praying at private meetings, attending Baccalaureates at their own churches--not connected with the school system--and one teacher was charged because her husband offered a prayer at a private awards ceremony for non-teaching school staff.
David Coppedge: Mr. Coppedge was an engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He was demoted and threatened with job loss. His offense? In a lunch time conversation with friends he said he believed in intelligent design. The people at the table-the ones he was speaking with--didn't complain, but some one did. He was written up for harassment. He lost his job position as a team leader. He was accused of "unwelcome", "disruptive" activities. He was threatened with termination.
He tried to use the internal appeals process but was given the run around. Finally, he went outside the lab to get help from legal counsel. A year after the JPL received official notice that they were going to face court proceedings and a Fair Employment and Housing Act claim, they removed the reprimand from his file, but did not reinstate him to his former position. He was notified that he still couldn't mention his opinion of intelligent design. The JPL is now facing an amended Law suit and claim.
The Two Above Items: are offered in support of my contention that there is an open hostility to religion operating in this country. And considering that most Americans have and admit to having some religious beliefs, I think it's an attempt by a minority to dictate to a majority a rule that religious speech must be silenced. Odd, considering that I can watch daytime TV and see programs about all sorts of things we used not to talk about, that this should by foisted as a new taboo. BTW--on any given day I can, with almost no efforts, in under two minutes, find examples of discrimination against theists in the country.
This is Worth a Watch: The Vortex has a good clip addressing something I have struggled with for years, that ultimately lead to me leaving the church for almost two decades, and confused me to the point of near despair. Go watch it, especially if you are Catholic, nominally Catholic, or just think it's OK to be Catholic.
www.youtube.com/user/RealCatholicTV#p/a/u/0/vmxr7tAHdgs . It's blunt, by the way.
Women: Just scanning around, it seems that women are doing well in the Republican primaries. I guess this raises--and answers--the question of whom "Palin Feminism" resonates with: voters. It also raises and answers which party is more supportive of women politicians. (Remember '08? If you voted for Hilliary for prez, you were labeled racist in the progressive press here abouts, but no body called someone voting for Obama a sexist in the same press!)
Antiincumbancy and the "Tea Party": I don't like referring to the "Tea Party". It's not a political party. Rather the protests were called T.E.A. Parties, because it stood for "Taxed Enough Already". But candidates who resonated with the folks at the TEA Parties are doing well in the elections. I think it's becoming less a question of specific social agendas and more a referendum on two things: The size and roll of government, and even more importantly, the electorates dissatisfaction with the governing parties.
Oops!: The South Carolina Democratic Nominee for Senate, Alvin Green surprised everyone by winning the primary election. He raised no money and didn't even have a campaign web site. He defeated a four term state law maker, Vic Rawl, who besides four terms in the State Legislature, had been a Prosecutor and Circuit Judge, among other things. The problem is, Mr. Green is now facing a felony charge, stemming from conduct in November, when he was arrested for showing obscene Internet photos to a student at the University of South Carolina, and discussing going back to her room. Really, if the rank and file of the Democratic Party in SC have no more faith than this in their party's establishment, I guess the Republicans will keep this seat.
I think the Anti Gang Campaign is showing signs of success, in a way: In Hemet California, the City Police are investigating some things. In December, a gas line on the roof of the Gang Task Force Building was re-routed into the structure. In February, a booby trap--like a "zip gun" was rigged to a gate. In March, a bomb was attached to one of the task forces unmarked cars. In April, a mobile home used for training was torched. And now, a neighboring building was set ablaze. By the malfunctioning warhead of a poorly used M29A2 rocket, that didn't make it to the Police Department.
I guess the officers are making some headway against the Gangs, because otherwise the Gangs wouldn't bother with the officers: they are businesses, and need first to make money.
Good work, officers, and I hope you continue to survive these attempts.
Gang Banger--You're essentially ignorant amateurs, so give up and go away, because if you manage to make one of these weak attempts work, you have no way of resisting all the cops that'll be on your a**, and they will kill you.
The Episcopal Church: TEC has been suspended by the World Wide Anglican leadership from participating in ecumenical dialogues. That is to say, when the leadership of the Anglican Communion gather, TEC is unwelcome to come, and unwelcome to comment.
The action was taken in response to TEC ordination of an active lesbian "bishop". An interrogative letter was sent to the Anglican Church in Canada, to see if they were going to abide by the moratorium placed on the ordination of practicing homosexuals to "episcopal orders".
Florida Protect Religious Freedom: Anew law has been passed and signed in Florida, prohibiting school officials from interfering in religious expression and activities by students and school employees, while not authorizing official school prayers, devotions of religious activities, in public schools. The law is a reaction to what happened in Santa Rosa county, where the school board signed a consent decree prohibiting voluntary prayers amongst students and off the clock discussions among adults.
This decree went so far as to prohibit teachers from responding to e-mails or letters from parents containing the word "God Bless". Teachers were charged and tried for such things a praying at private meetings, attending Baccalaureates at their own churches--not connected with the school system--and one teacher was charged because her husband offered a prayer at a private awards ceremony for non-teaching school staff.
David Coppedge: Mr. Coppedge was an engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He was demoted and threatened with job loss. His offense? In a lunch time conversation with friends he said he believed in intelligent design. The people at the table-the ones he was speaking with--didn't complain, but some one did. He was written up for harassment. He lost his job position as a team leader. He was accused of "unwelcome", "disruptive" activities. He was threatened with termination.
He tried to use the internal appeals process but was given the run around. Finally, he went outside the lab to get help from legal counsel. A year after the JPL received official notice that they were going to face court proceedings and a Fair Employment and Housing Act claim, they removed the reprimand from his file, but did not reinstate him to his former position. He was notified that he still couldn't mention his opinion of intelligent design. The JPL is now facing an amended Law suit and claim.
The Two Above Items: are offered in support of my contention that there is an open hostility to religion operating in this country. And considering that most Americans have and admit to having some religious beliefs, I think it's an attempt by a minority to dictate to a majority a rule that religious speech must be silenced. Odd, considering that I can watch daytime TV and see programs about all sorts of things we used not to talk about, that this should by foisted as a new taboo. BTW--on any given day I can, with almost no efforts, in under two minutes, find examples of discrimination against theists in the country.
This is Worth a Watch: The Vortex has a good clip addressing something I have struggled with for years, that ultimately lead to me leaving the church for almost two decades, and confused me to the point of near despair. Go watch it, especially if you are Catholic, nominally Catholic, or just think it's OK to be Catholic.
www.youtube.com/user/RealCatholicTV#p/a/u/0/vmxr7tAHdgs . It's blunt, by the way.
Women: Just scanning around, it seems that women are doing well in the Republican primaries. I guess this raises--and answers--the question of whom "Palin Feminism" resonates with: voters. It also raises and answers which party is more supportive of women politicians. (Remember '08? If you voted for Hilliary for prez, you were labeled racist in the progressive press here abouts, but no body called someone voting for Obama a sexist in the same press!)
Antiincumbancy and the "Tea Party": I don't like referring to the "Tea Party". It's not a political party. Rather the protests were called T.E.A. Parties, because it stood for "Taxed Enough Already". But candidates who resonated with the folks at the TEA Parties are doing well in the elections. I think it's becoming less a question of specific social agendas and more a referendum on two things: The size and roll of government, and even more importantly, the electorates dissatisfaction with the governing parties.
Oops!: The South Carolina Democratic Nominee for Senate, Alvin Green surprised everyone by winning the primary election. He raised no money and didn't even have a campaign web site. He defeated a four term state law maker, Vic Rawl, who besides four terms in the State Legislature, had been a Prosecutor and Circuit Judge, among other things. The problem is, Mr. Green is now facing a felony charge, stemming from conduct in November, when he was arrested for showing obscene Internet photos to a student at the University of South Carolina, and discussing going back to her room. Really, if the rank and file of the Democratic Party in SC have no more faith than this in their party's establishment, I guess the Republicans will keep this seat.
I think the Anti Gang Campaign is showing signs of success, in a way: In Hemet California, the City Police are investigating some things. In December, a gas line on the roof of the Gang Task Force Building was re-routed into the structure. In February, a booby trap--like a "zip gun" was rigged to a gate. In March, a bomb was attached to one of the task forces unmarked cars. In April, a mobile home used for training was torched. And now, a neighboring building was set ablaze. By the malfunctioning warhead of a poorly used M29A2 rocket, that didn't make it to the Police Department.
I guess the officers are making some headway against the Gangs, because otherwise the Gangs wouldn't bother with the officers: they are businesses, and need first to make money.
Good work, officers, and I hope you continue to survive these attempts.
Gang Banger--You're essentially ignorant amateurs, so give up and go away, because if you manage to make one of these weak attempts work, you have no way of resisting all the cops that'll be on your a**, and they will kill you.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Reuters Strikes Again
Those of us who haven't watched too much MTV, or who stopped smoking waayyyyy too much dope still have memory. And perhaps we even remember when Reuters got caught modifying photos to make things tell a different story than what was actually happening.
Well, some photos have surfaced of the Israeli raid on the ships violating the embargo. And guess what, they are different than the cuts and mods published by Reuters.
Reuters edit the photos so that weapon in the hands of the "protesters" and "Aid Activists" wouldn't be seen. It also edited out images of blood and Israeli soldiers who were wounded.
Last time Reuters edited images, it was in such a way as to make Israel look bad. This time, it had the effect of concealing weapons and blood , in such a way as to make the Gaza Flotilla look good.
I think Reuters is biased against Israel.
And I think that Israel is correct in saying to hell with world opinion. After all, when major news agencies are biased against you, the idea is that world opinion will be ill informed, and slanted against you.
We need to remember a couple of things: Hamas is a terrorist group, that seized power in Gaza through violence three years ago. It is in response to Hamas firing rockets, more or less at random into Israel, with the aim of killing Israeli civilians that the blockade was emplaced. And we need to remember that Hamas is dedicated to the "extirpation" of Israel--its total destruction as a nation, and the destruction of the Jewish people in the middle east. (It's worth noting that the fraudulent Protocols of the Elders of Zion is a best seller in the Mid East, and in Gaza.)
So I think this is the deal--Europe by and large cooperated in the Holocaust. The Camps were largely guarded by Latvians, Lithuanians and Estonians. The Polish Resistance (The "Home Army") stood by and watched the destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto, and Poles were instrumental in the fate of the Polish Jews, and in favor of it. The Balkan states, Romania, and Hungary all cooperated in the Holocaust. France, Vichy France, cooperated as well in the deportation of the Jews to their "resettlement camps". In fact, the only two countries that weren't cooperative were Denmark and Italy. And they were not only uncooperative, they were actively resistant to the process, and saved a large part of their Jewish populations. Europe, and the states that have succeeded many European Colonies, are doing the same thing they did last time: While attempting to sound moral, abetting those who would conduct antisemitic genocide. And I am most certainly including the United Kingdom in this--they were the ones who blocked US proposals to bomb the rail sidings and transportation networks built to support the Death Factories that Allied bombers could reach. And I'm going to include Russia in that. Not only has it had a history of antisemitic pogroms itself, by late 1944 it had begun to persecute it's own Jews.
Jewish flesh is troublesome to Europe, and I think that European support for Hamas in this matter is the result not only of effective Hamas propaganda, but a European hatred of Jews and Judaism. Given the actions of UK and French forces between 1945-47, and the fact that the UK promised support for a Jewish homeland if the Palestinian Jews would fight in WWII (Look up the casualty rate for the Jewish Brigade, and how they were used i the Italian Campaign--interestingly vicious, I'd say) yet then threw their support to the Arabs, and the attitude of Europeans in general towards Israel, I think they regret that Hitler didn't finish the job, and hope that the Arabs will.
And that's why a British/EU news agency has been caught twice altering the news they send out to make Israel look bad and their Foes look good. Sorry, what they do speaks ever so much louder than what they say.
Well, some photos have surfaced of the Israeli raid on the ships violating the embargo. And guess what, they are different than the cuts and mods published by Reuters.
Reuters edit the photos so that weapon in the hands of the "protesters" and "Aid Activists" wouldn't be seen. It also edited out images of blood and Israeli soldiers who were wounded.
Last time Reuters edited images, it was in such a way as to make Israel look bad. This time, it had the effect of concealing weapons and blood , in such a way as to make the Gaza Flotilla look good.
I think Reuters is biased against Israel.
And I think that Israel is correct in saying to hell with world opinion. After all, when major news agencies are biased against you, the idea is that world opinion will be ill informed, and slanted against you.
We need to remember a couple of things: Hamas is a terrorist group, that seized power in Gaza through violence three years ago. It is in response to Hamas firing rockets, more or less at random into Israel, with the aim of killing Israeli civilians that the blockade was emplaced. And we need to remember that Hamas is dedicated to the "extirpation" of Israel--its total destruction as a nation, and the destruction of the Jewish people in the middle east. (It's worth noting that the fraudulent Protocols of the Elders of Zion is a best seller in the Mid East, and in Gaza.)
So I think this is the deal--Europe by and large cooperated in the Holocaust. The Camps were largely guarded by Latvians, Lithuanians and Estonians. The Polish Resistance (The "Home Army") stood by and watched the destruction of the Warsaw Ghetto, and Poles were instrumental in the fate of the Polish Jews, and in favor of it. The Balkan states, Romania, and Hungary all cooperated in the Holocaust. France, Vichy France, cooperated as well in the deportation of the Jews to their "resettlement camps". In fact, the only two countries that weren't cooperative were Denmark and Italy. And they were not only uncooperative, they were actively resistant to the process, and saved a large part of their Jewish populations. Europe, and the states that have succeeded many European Colonies, are doing the same thing they did last time: While attempting to sound moral, abetting those who would conduct antisemitic genocide. And I am most certainly including the United Kingdom in this--they were the ones who blocked US proposals to bomb the rail sidings and transportation networks built to support the Death Factories that Allied bombers could reach. And I'm going to include Russia in that. Not only has it had a history of antisemitic pogroms itself, by late 1944 it had begun to persecute it's own Jews.
Jewish flesh is troublesome to Europe, and I think that European support for Hamas in this matter is the result not only of effective Hamas propaganda, but a European hatred of Jews and Judaism. Given the actions of UK and French forces between 1945-47, and the fact that the UK promised support for a Jewish homeland if the Palestinian Jews would fight in WWII (Look up the casualty rate for the Jewish Brigade, and how they were used i the Italian Campaign--interestingly vicious, I'd say) yet then threw their support to the Arabs, and the attitude of Europeans in general towards Israel, I think they regret that Hitler didn't finish the job, and hope that the Arabs will.
And that's why a British/EU news agency has been caught twice altering the news they send out to make Israel look bad and their Foes look good. Sorry, what they do speaks ever so much louder than what they say.
Go check This Out! It's So Kool I Wanna Try It!
Liz, over at A Quiet Corner, is my favorite Liberal Academic in the whole wide world. So of course we seldom agree on anything. But this is neat!
Go check it out at http://spreadingolive.blogspot.com/2010/05/laundry.html#comments .
It's a cool idea, and it deserves to be shared with people who read this blog too.
Go check it out at http://spreadingolive.blogspot.com/2010/05/laundry.html#comments .
It's a cool idea, and it deserves to be shared with people who read this blog too.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Just some random notes:
Nancey "The Theologian" Pelosi: Has been supporting off about her "faith" and how it informs her politics. I don't believe it. First, when an alleged Catholic gets a talking to from the Pope about the responsibilities she has as a Catholic and blows it off, she ain't really Catholic. Second, if a Conservative politician spoke about how his faith informed his politics, the progressives would be all over it, screaming "Theocracy" and "Cristianist takeover". But Nan gets a pass. Why does nan get a pass? Because her religion is simply a prop to get votes, to further her inherently unchristian and uncatholic agenda. If your going to be a secular relativist, own it proudly. Otherwise, your just a slimy poser trying to play the electorate.
Resegregating Cemeteries: A coalition of Muslims groups in Garden City Kansas has asked the community cemetery to fence off part of the graveyard for the exclusive use of Muslims. I am in basic sympathy with them, because I too wish to be buried in consecrated ground, or have my ashes stored in a consecrated facility according to the usage of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church.
They community cemeteries in Garden City used to provide segregated areas for different faith groups, but that has long since passed, and there are laws now about how much religious accommodation can be practiced by Publicly owned entities.
Since they no longer provide separate burial grounds for Protestants, Catholic or Jews, it would be wrong to accord a special privilege for Muslims. I suggest that the Muslims do what Catholics have done nationwide: Buy some land and build their own cemetery, according to the usage of their faith. It's legal, and it's simple, and I doesn't end up with public facilities segregating people according to their faith.
Eve Tushnet: I like her more and more. A celibate, Lesbian, Catholic Conservative. Obviously she does think for herself. And she is celibate. Acknowledging that she cannot have a Gay Marriage, and that all sex outside of marriage violates her faith, she lives chastely. Her thing is to have friendship.
And that's the course of action we're supposed to promote, support and practice if we're Catholic. Her writing is rather high brow, but worth a look at http://eve-tushnet.blogspot.com/ .
Catholic Media (and Louisville): At the 2010 Catholic Media Convention, Auxilliary Bishop Gambino Zavala of Los Angeles saif that Catholic Media must work with the bishops, and the bishops must not see catholic media as "outsiders". He also said that Catholic Media must work from a "Catholic Perspective". I compare these relativly weak statements with what I know of my Faith, that both Doctrine and Canon Law require that we accept the whole of Catholic Dogma--the Deposit of the Faith--and be in communion with our local Ordinary, the Bishop. He could have been much more forthright.
And I think that some forthright, unmistakably clear, un-nuanced guidance is needed.
A case in point is the Archdiocesan paper of Louisville, The Record. To give an example, The Parish Council of St. Agnes (IIRC) composed and sent a letter to every parish in the Archdiocese, urging them to resist the implementation of the new translation of the Missal. After it has been accepted and the plans are in place to do so. The move was a blatant attempt to foment disobedience, under the guise of "pastoral concern", to the Vatican. (OK--for those who don't know, the Roman Right is under the direct jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome. He tends to exercise this jusridiction through the Congregation for Divine Worship. The new translation was finally accomplished because the Pope--John Paul II specifically--decided that ICEL had dragged its feet for thirty years and produced substandard liturgical documents, and this needed corrected. The current translation was implemented as an "interim", a temporary, translation.) So the Chancery issued a strongly worded letter to all parishes explaining that no, it wasn't about to slow things down, that we had 18 months to catechise the people and the matter was settled and not open to discussion.
Now our previous Bishops was...not given to reigning in certain factions, who have a lot of power in various offices within the Archdiocese. Including the Newspaper. There's quite the old boy network here. So twice since this happening (which was handled very quietly, and not really made public to the faithful) The Record has put the doings of St. Agnes Parish--in other areas--on the front page, telling one and all what a wonderful faith filled, Catholic parish it is.
And the columns in the paper are really good at soft pedaling Catholicism and ignoring the real issues that eat at our Church.
Useless. Like most Catholic Media.
The Blindness and Double Standards of the Feminist Movement: Two items have come to my attention that provoke comment.
First, the UN and Abortion Advocates are a little miffed at the Scientific Establishment, saying that they should either "harmonize" their statistics with those used by the Abortion Lobby, or only discuss them in "A locked room". The problem being that they do not want the press to find out that there is a problem with the figures pertaining to global Maternal Mortality. It seems that the UN offices concerned, and Abortion Advocates, have been quoting a number of about 500,000 per year, yet the medical and epidemiology communities are finding a different number. About 342,900 women succumb to Maternal Mortality per year, (60,000 of those due to AIDS). That means that the lobbyists in the UN and various national bodies have inflated the count by more than 30%. They went so far as to suggest that if the numbers aren't "harmonized", then the release should be delayed until after this summers various funding meeting and votes.
Dr. Richard Horton, who edits The Lancet fired back that these numbers must be scientificly determined and subject to peer review, otherwise they would be using second rate data not detrmined by science. He's right. But too many want the numbers determined by propagandists, because reason doesn't support the agenda.
In a related item, the American Life Leagues effort this year includes something called "The Pill KIlls the Environment Day", (5 June 10) which is meant to point out the cost to the environment of hormonal birth control. (I've written about this before, and it's well documented!) The Feminist slice of American is reacting with various degrees of denial. Carol King says the effort made her laugh, and that it doesn't matter because only some waterways were affected. Various others spouting drivel as well.
Go to http://bigjournalism.com/jstanek/2010/06/05/for-real-feminist-only-politically-correct-environmentalists-need-apply/ .
I read a book once, I'll recommend it. I don't recall the author, but the title was Who Stole Feminism .
Nancey "The Theologian" Pelosi: Has been supporting off about her "faith" and how it informs her politics. I don't believe it. First, when an alleged Catholic gets a talking to from the Pope about the responsibilities she has as a Catholic and blows it off, she ain't really Catholic. Second, if a Conservative politician spoke about how his faith informed his politics, the progressives would be all over it, screaming "Theocracy" and "Cristianist takeover". But Nan gets a pass. Why does nan get a pass? Because her religion is simply a prop to get votes, to further her inherently unchristian and uncatholic agenda. If your going to be a secular relativist, own it proudly. Otherwise, your just a slimy poser trying to play the electorate.
Resegregating Cemeteries: A coalition of Muslims groups in Garden City Kansas has asked the community cemetery to fence off part of the graveyard for the exclusive use of Muslims. I am in basic sympathy with them, because I too wish to be buried in consecrated ground, or have my ashes stored in a consecrated facility according to the usage of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church.
They community cemeteries in Garden City used to provide segregated areas for different faith groups, but that has long since passed, and there are laws now about how much religious accommodation can be practiced by Publicly owned entities.
Since they no longer provide separate burial grounds for Protestants, Catholic or Jews, it would be wrong to accord a special privilege for Muslims. I suggest that the Muslims do what Catholics have done nationwide: Buy some land and build their own cemetery, according to the usage of their faith. It's legal, and it's simple, and I doesn't end up with public facilities segregating people according to their faith.
Eve Tushnet: I like her more and more. A celibate, Lesbian, Catholic Conservative. Obviously she does think for herself. And she is celibate. Acknowledging that she cannot have a Gay Marriage, and that all sex outside of marriage violates her faith, she lives chastely. Her thing is to have friendship.
And that's the course of action we're supposed to promote, support and practice if we're Catholic. Her writing is rather high brow, but worth a look at http://eve-tushnet.blogspot.com/ .
Catholic Media (and Louisville): At the 2010 Catholic Media Convention, Auxilliary Bishop Gambino Zavala of Los Angeles saif that Catholic Media must work with the bishops, and the bishops must not see catholic media as "outsiders". He also said that Catholic Media must work from a "Catholic Perspective". I compare these relativly weak statements with what I know of my Faith, that both Doctrine and Canon Law require that we accept the whole of Catholic Dogma--the Deposit of the Faith--and be in communion with our local Ordinary, the Bishop. He could have been much more forthright.
And I think that some forthright, unmistakably clear, un-nuanced guidance is needed.
A case in point is the Archdiocesan paper of Louisville, The Record. To give an example, The Parish Council of St. Agnes (IIRC) composed and sent a letter to every parish in the Archdiocese, urging them to resist the implementation of the new translation of the Missal. After it has been accepted and the plans are in place to do so. The move was a blatant attempt to foment disobedience, under the guise of "pastoral concern", to the Vatican. (OK--for those who don't know, the Roman Right is under the direct jurisdiction of the Bishop of Rome. He tends to exercise this jusridiction through the Congregation for Divine Worship. The new translation was finally accomplished because the Pope--John Paul II specifically--decided that ICEL had dragged its feet for thirty years and produced substandard liturgical documents, and this needed corrected. The current translation was implemented as an "interim", a temporary, translation.) So the Chancery issued a strongly worded letter to all parishes explaining that no, it wasn't about to slow things down, that we had 18 months to catechise the people and the matter was settled and not open to discussion.
Now our previous Bishops was...not given to reigning in certain factions, who have a lot of power in various offices within the Archdiocese. Including the Newspaper. There's quite the old boy network here. So twice since this happening (which was handled very quietly, and not really made public to the faithful) The Record has put the doings of St. Agnes Parish--in other areas--on the front page, telling one and all what a wonderful faith filled, Catholic parish it is.
And the columns in the paper are really good at soft pedaling Catholicism and ignoring the real issues that eat at our Church.
Useless. Like most Catholic Media.
The Blindness and Double Standards of the Feminist Movement: Two items have come to my attention that provoke comment.
First, the UN and Abortion Advocates are a little miffed at the Scientific Establishment, saying that they should either "harmonize" their statistics with those used by the Abortion Lobby, or only discuss them in "A locked room". The problem being that they do not want the press to find out that there is a problem with the figures pertaining to global Maternal Mortality. It seems that the UN offices concerned, and Abortion Advocates, have been quoting a number of about 500,000 per year, yet the medical and epidemiology communities are finding a different number. About 342,900 women succumb to Maternal Mortality per year, (60,000 of those due to AIDS). That means that the lobbyists in the UN and various national bodies have inflated the count by more than 30%. They went so far as to suggest that if the numbers aren't "harmonized", then the release should be delayed until after this summers various funding meeting and votes.
Dr. Richard Horton, who edits The Lancet fired back that these numbers must be scientificly determined and subject to peer review, otherwise they would be using second rate data not detrmined by science. He's right. But too many want the numbers determined by propagandists, because reason doesn't support the agenda.
In a related item, the American Life Leagues effort this year includes something called "The Pill KIlls the Environment Day", (5 June 10) which is meant to point out the cost to the environment of hormonal birth control. (I've written about this before, and it's well documented!) The Feminist slice of American is reacting with various degrees of denial. Carol King says the effort made her laugh, and that it doesn't matter because only some waterways were affected. Various others spouting drivel as well.
Go to http://bigjournalism.com/jstanek/2010/06/05/for-real-feminist-only-politically-correct-environmentalists-need-apply/ .
I read a book once, I'll recommend it. I don't recall the author, but the title was Who Stole Feminism .
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