Category Archives: Politics

Still On Planet

Posted on by
4

No, I have not been kidnapped by aliens.  I have been working on the paper I am supposed to deliver in Fatima next week.  I will post the introduction before I leave on Monday Morning.  Meanwhile, here is a tidbit from the King of the United States, regarding his meeting with Pope Benedict;

Denis McDonough, a deputy White House national security aide, said of the pope and Obama, “They discussed a range of those issues, and I think the president was eager to listen to the Holy Father.” He said Obama was “eager to find common ground on these issues and to work aggressively to do that.”

How does the culture of death “aggressively” find common ground the culture of life except by either getting us to use their talking points, or by talking us to death, or by shutting us up?

Notre Dame Post Mortem–RIP

Posted on by
4

I have not blogged much on the Notre Dame business.  It has been covered so much elsewhere.  However, in the light of President Obama’s predictable remarks and some of the predictable responses, I thought it might be wise to critique the mushy unmanly thinking.

One atheist, if you can imagine, is even disappointed by the wishy-washy mush-headed response coming out of the “Vatican.”  Actually, the L’Osservatore Romano is only a semi-official publication of the Holy See that covers the Holy Father’s activities and publishes many of his writings and spoken homilies and addresses of various kinds.  The Italian edition of the paper is published daily and contains also a number of editorials from churchmen and prominent laymen.  Thus, quoting an editorial from the paper and indicating that is the opinion of the “Vatican,” is not quite accurate.

Unfortunately, I have found that many European Catholics of good will, who are ostensibly pro-life, are under the spell of the One. Bush Derangement Syndrome coupled with Obama Messianism seems to be all the rage over there.

Obama talks a good talk and he seems to be building bridges, unfortunately the bridge between the culture of life and the culture of death is built out of little bodies of the aborted.  The only common ground between life and death is silence.  The dead are silent and the living who cooperate in death are silent.

So Obama recommends that we build common ground and consensus on areas where together we can make a difference:

So let us work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions, let’s reduce unintended pregnancies. Let’s make adoption more available. Let’s provide care and support for women who do carry their children to term. Let’s honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion, and draft a sensible conscience clause, and make sure that all of our health care policies are grounded not only in sound science, but also in clear ethics, as well as respect for the equality of women.” Those are things we can do.

Now, understand — understand, Class of 2009, I do not suggest that the debate surrounding abortion can or should go away. Because no matter how much we may want to fudge it — indeed, while we know that the views of most Americans on the subject are complex and even contradictory — the fact is that at some level, the views of the two camps are irreconcilable. Each side will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction. But surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature.

Open hearts. Open minds. Fair-minded words. It’s a way of life that has always been the Notre Dame tradition. Father Hesburgh has long spoken of this institution as both a lighthouse and a crossroads. A lighthouse that stands apart, shining with the wisdom of the Catholic tradition, while the crossroads is where “differences of culture and religion and conviction can coexist with friendship, civility, hospitality, and especially love.” And I want to join him and Father John in saying how inspired I am by the maturity and responsibility with which this class has approached the debate surrounding today’s ceremony. You are an example of what Notre Dame is about.

“Open hearts.  Open minds.  Fair-minded words.”  That is something I would say–in certain contexts.  But not here.  I agree that we should not demonize those who disagree with us, but there can be no compromise on abortion.  Catholics are hearing the hiss from hell when they listen to these sweet-sounding words spoken and honored at a Catholic University.  The road from the Notre Dame to hell is paved with the bodies of dead babies.  That is not a caricature.  There is no common ground between heaven and hell.

Contradictory thought by its very nature is irreconcilable to the truth and therefore it should be jettisoned.  The common ground line of reasoning in the context of a Catholic University’s dereliction of its responsibility is singularly unmanly and hellish.  Those who believe in the culture of life are bound to fight for it or perish.  There is no middle ground.

Here is some clear undimmed thinking on the question of President Obama and Abortion.  Sounds like he might have voted for the man.  I hope he has learned a lesson.

Hat tip to Hot Air.

Resisting the Thought Police

Posted on by
7

frog-boiling

We have all heard of the boiled frog analogy which is used often these days because of the media driven moral, political and cultural decline.  The phrase “politically correct” has become almost an overused cliché for the same reason.  It’s not that these ideas are overused in the sense that there are not abundant applications for their legitimate use, but because there are so many proper applications that their distinct connotation seems less and less meaningful.  In other words, the frogs are pretty much done and ready to eat.

I again give the example of Miss California, because in spite of her faults, her situation underlines how far the media has taken their “laws” of acceptable speech.  One may now be crucified, not only for a politically incorrect opinion, but more importantly, for even daring to give such an opinion as an honest answer to a direct question.  It is as though the PC police think they have the right to random searches of our consciences, and more than that, to inspection on demand of what we are willing to say or not to say.  They know what we think and we know what they want us to say, and we both know that the two are not the same.  We are expected to tell them what they want to hear.  They will indulge our opinions as long as we do not express them or act on them, but God help us if we bring our honest convictions out into the public forum, even when we are asked for our opinion.

As almost completely boiled frogs we have lost most of our sense of pain and are nearly paralyzed.  Consciousness is slipping away and we find it hard to care enough to resist.  It’s almost over.  But even if we had been thrown into the lukewarm water just a second ago, we would still have to resist with all our might, because the whole modus operandi of political correctness is to lull us into complete inaction by means of an incremental continuum of euphemisms and self congratulatory, non-confrontational and passive admonitions of tolerance.  To the extent that this is successful, the behavior of the masses  in turn conforms itself to the goal of the social engineers.  The only effective resistance is that which is total and unyielding.

The ironic and horrifying thing is that many people have gladly donated their froggy bodies to these “social scientists” for the progress of humanity.  I remember on several occasions that in the deliberations of the Connecticut State Assembly on the question of same-sex marriage, any number of legislators would talk about the evolution of thought on the question of homosexuality and gay marriage.  “We have come a long way from when we discussed the question of same-sex adoptions,” they say, “In a few more years, who knows where we will be questions related to homosexuality?”  Granted some of those who made remarks like this were ideologues and propagandists with an agenda, but others, I think, were genuinely searching, though it seems to me that they knew they were going to be cooked.  They were just grateful for the time to get used to the water.

I would prefer not to be the prophet of doom.  If only we could be like the people of  Nineveh and those in my position like Jonah, who though they prophesied the end and its inevitability, were almost disappointed when the people unexpectedly repented and put on sackcloth.  God actually had to rebuke Jonah for his disappointment.  I would like to be more encouraging, but that really depends on our willingness to face facts.  We are almost cooked and unless we find the strength to jump out of the water, it really is over.

The only ones who can get out of the pot are people like Ezra Levant, who beat the thought police by not giving an inch, by fighting back swiftly and relentlessly.  He beat the human rights commission in Canada, when they tried to shut him up for reporting on the Muhammad Cartoon flap back in 2006.  He turned their attack on him into a direct offensive against the social engineers and the thought police and he did it by exposing their lies, on YouTube.

Take a look at his opening remarks to the commission about his case:

And at his response to the question “What was your intent in publishing the cartoons?”

Aside from prayer, this is the only thing that will work, but don’t use prayer as an excuse to do nothing.

Italy Debriefing

Posted on by
6

I got back late last night (early this morning) from Italy, so I will make this post brief in terms of my own comments.

Here is the chef-d’oeuvre of my photographic career:

bxvi1

This would have been it, had I focused quick enough.

That was taken at the Holy Father’s Wednesday audience, last week, where his address concerned, appropriately, spiritual combat.  The link will take you only to a partial translation; currently the full text is only in Italian.

I had the privilege of meeting Professor Roberto Mattei, founder of Lepanto Foundation and spoke to him at length about the Knights of Lepanto and what we are trying to accomplish.  He is a friend of our community in Italy and was very encouraging.  I hope we can collaborate on projects in the future.  Here is an excellent article of his that is completely in accord with what we are trying to accomplish:  Lepanto: A Category of the Spirit.  He has written a great deal on subjects near and dear to us.  In one particular book, Holy War, Just War: Islam and Christendom at War, his final chapter is on the idea of Crusade as a category of the spirit.

I have taken note of the Miss California debacle, and while I am not an advocate of beauty pageants, I have to give Carrie Prejean credit.  Our good friend Brian Brown from the National organization for Marriage has gotten some of the same-sex marriage advocates in a tither for having compared Miss Prejean to Queen Esther.  I have to link to a crazy blog for his text as it went out in an e-blast.

God bless her for not cowering to the same-sex marriage bullies.  It is so typical of the finger pointers to ask a question and then get angry for getting a straight answer.  Perez Hilton provides us with further proof that the same-sex marriage movment is not about rights or marriage, but about thought and speach control, about crushing all dissent against the “ethics” of sodomy.

Here are several videos from NOM.  The first is a gay marriage debate between Joe Solmonese vs. Maggie Gallagher.  The second includes an interview with Brian Brown.  Hat tip to NOM.

Standing Fast In England and America

Posted on by
24

walsingham2

Several days last week I had the opportunity to do a little travelling. We undertook two pilgrimages, one to the Shrine of Walsingham and one to Canterbury Cathedral. Along the way, we also visited Ely Cathedral, Rochester Cathedral and a little Church of great significance St. Dunstan’s in Canterbury.

I brought the concerns of all to the feet of Our Lady in Walsingham at the gorgeous little Slipper Chapel, with a particular mention of the situation in Connecticut, which I find profoundly disturbing, even if for now the nefarious efforts to execute a plan to control the Church has been withdrawn into the shadows. Somehow there has been a parallel stream of sadness and foreboding that followed me from church to church: sadness, because of the stripping of England’s altars; foreboding, because of the potential storm of iconoclasm that awaits us in America. Continue reading →

To Arms, Men!

Posted on by
15

This needs to be stopped!

Time to act Knights of Lepanto.  Let’s see what you can do.

Off to Walsingham today.  I will pray for you all, especially Senator Andrew McDonald and Representative Michael Lawler.

I would blow the horn, but you get the picture.

Motion Picture Commissar of the Year

Posted on by
6

For those who saw the signs of hatred as our cars drove in tonight, I think it’s a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect on their great shame and their shame in their grandchildren’s eyes if they continue that support.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I am sure the vast, vast majority of those who work in the industry agree with Penn, but how many fall into step because they know they would never work in Hollywood again if they didn’t? There was no real thought on the subject expressed by Penn.  The issue has been thoroughly sentimentalized.

Unfortunately, there was some hateful behavior at the awards to fuel the credibility of Penn’s remarks.  Even so, Penn knows the difference between the kooks and those who don’t want homosexuality shoved down their throats and the throats of their children.

How bout some real charity on both sides.