Say a Prayer for Rush

Folks,

Newsmax and other news outlets are reporting that Rush Limbaugh is in the hospital for chest pains.

Rush Limbaugh Said Comfortable After Chest Pains

Please remember him in your prayers. Anyone who can cause such ire and consternation among the liberal leftist Democrats deserves all of God's healing power so that he can be restored to fight the good fight against socialism, decadence and decay.


Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus,
et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei,
ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc,
et in hora mortis nostrae.
Amen.

Signs of the Times

Folks,

As Lawrence Auster pointed out at his View from the Right website, while our women dress like sluts, our military officers dress like clowns. In the first photograph is shown Penelope Cruz in a publicity shot for the movie Nine. In the second is shown General Casey with the troops in Germany on December 21st. Welcome to Obama-world.

Humor - New Year's Eve Party

Folks,

Tonight remember not to drive if you're feeling like this kitty!

;-)

Our 2009 Chickens and Their 2010 Roost

Folks,

National Review Online has a great article entitled, "Our 2009 Chickens and Their 2010 Roost." Please left click your mouse cursor on the aforementioned link to review this important entry. The only thing I can possibly add is what St. Paul stated in Galatians 6:7-8.

"Make no mistake: God is not mocked, for a person will reap only what he sows because the one who sows for his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows for the spirit will reap eternal life from the spirit."

Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin explained this a little differently, but the meaning is the same:

"People get the government they deserve" and "Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become more corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters."

Thomas Becket

Folks,

Yesterday was the Feast Day of Archbishop and Saint Thomas Becket who lived from December 21, 1118 to DEcember 29, 1170. The Catholic Online web site has a rather good article about him entitled, Bishop Thomas Becket: The Martyr who Refused to Bend to a Hostile State. Prior to his appointment as Archbishop of Cantebury, he was noted to have grown quite comfortable with the trappings of office, living a rather lavish life while Chancellor of England. But when he was elevated in 1162 to the office of Archbishop on the death of his predecessor, Archbishop Theobald, he "....radically changed his lifestyle, embracing the way of simplicity. He adopted ascetical practices and sought to grow closer to the Lord, increasing his prayer and devotion. He began to sleep on the floor, and simplified his once lavish diet. He gave away many of his possessions to the poor and began to prefer their company. Thomas was drawn by the Holy Spirit and the grace of his office into a deeper conversion in Christ."

Of course it was at this point that he ran into problems with King Henry II of merry ole' England. The King had been his benefactor, but once Thomas Becket became Archbishop, the Holy Spirit worked upon his conscience to oppose "...the King’s increasing infringements on the rights of the Church and the Clergy, and the King grew angry and felt threatened." After exile to France and subsequent return to England, Thomas Becket remained loyal to Holy Mother Church. That so inflamed the King that he remarked to his knights, "Will no-one rid me of this troublesome priest?" Four men of evil intent took up the King's challenge and committed the crime of murder on December 29, 1170.

Thomas Becket leaves us with this message that he wrote in a letter to his fellow Bishops, and I hope and pray that the members of the USCCB understand the gravity of what he so correctly points out:

"If we who are called bishops desire to understand the meaning of our calling and to be worthy of it, we must strive to keep our eyes on Him whom God appointed High Priest forever, and to follow in His footsteps. For our sake He offered Himself to the father on the Altar of the Cross. He now looks down from heaven on our actions and secret thoughts, and one day He will give each of us the rewards his deeds deserve. As successors of the Apostles, we hold the highest rank in our churches; we have accepted the responsibility of acting as Christ’s representatives on earth; we receive the honor belonging to that office, and enjoy the temporal benefits of our spiritual labors. It must therefore be our endeavor to destroy the reign of sin and death, and by nurturing faith and uprightness of life, to build up the Church of Christ into a holy temple in the Lord."

The key words are: Holy Temple in the Lord.

No gay marriage and no "let's feel sorry for gays" propaganda. No abortion and no waflling on "a woman's reproductive rights" - those rights end at sex. No sexual promiscuity, no sex before marriage, no sex outside of marriage. No idolatry period.

Rather, the Church must be built up into a Holy Temple in the Lord, and this means openly and committedly opposing Barack Hussein Obama and the liberal Demorats currently in control just as Thomas Becket opposed Henry II and his knights. It may mean martyrdom, but who remembers Henry II any longer? Indeed, weak, ill, and deserted by all but an illegitimate son (Geoffrey, Archbishop of York), Henry died at Chinon on July 6, 1189. Failing conversion, Obama is setting himself up for the same fate - to end up hated and deserted by all in the dust bin of history.

But the Bishops in the USCCB first have to emulate Thomas Becket and get spines.

Do You Feel Safe Now?

Folks,

Even the infamous and nefarious liberal Democrat NY Times reports that "U.S. Had Early Signals of a Terror Plot, Obama Says ."

"President Obama was told Tuesday about more missed signals and uncorrelated intelligence that should have prevented a would-be bomber from boarding a flight to the United States, leading the president to declare that there had been a “systemic failure” of the nation’s security apparatus."

That reminds me................

Samuel was displeased when [the Israelites] asked for a king to judge them. He prayed to the LORD, however, who said in answer: "Grant the people's every request. It is not you they reject, they are rejecting me as their king. As they have treated me constantly from the day I brought them up from Egypt to this day, deserting me and worshiping strange gods, so do they treat you too. Now grant their request; but at the same time, warn them solemnly and inform them of the rights of the king who will rule them." 1st Samuel 8:6-9

Adult Stem Cell Research Gets a Boost From Vitamin C

Folks,

Yahoo's Health Day News has an entry entitled, Stem Cell Research Gets a Boost From Vitamin C. Apparently new research suggests that Vitamin C helps adult cells generate embryonic-like stem cells. Thus, once again, the use of embryonic stem cells in medical research is obviated. Yet the Health Care Plan rounding its way through Congress and the Obama Administration will continue to fund lethal experimentation on unborn human beings.

For anyone confused about the position of Holy Mother Church with regard to embryonic stem cell research, please review the Instruction Dignitas Personae from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The pertinent paragraphs are reprinted below:

The therapeutic use of stem cells

31. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells with two basic characteristics: a) the prolonged capability of multiplying themselves while maintaining the undifferentiated state; b) the capability of producing transitory progenitor cells from which fully differentiated cells descend, for example, nerve cells, muscle cells and blood cells.

Once it was experimentally verified that when stem cells are transplanted into damaged tissue they tend to promote cell growth and the regeneration of the tissue, new prospects opened for regenerative medicine, which have been the subject of great interest among researchers throughout the world.

Among the sources for human stem cells which have been identified thus far are: the embryo in the first stages of its existence, the fetus, blood from the umbilical cord and various tissues from adult humans (bone marrow, umbilical cord, brain, mesenchyme from various organs, etc.) and amniotic fluid. At the outset, studies focused on embryonic stem cells, because it was believed that only these had significant capabilities of multiplication and differentiation. Numerous studies, however, show that adult stem cells also have a certain versatility. Even if these cells do not seem to have the same capacity for renewal or the same plasticity as stem cells taken from embryos, advanced scientific studies and experimentation indicate that these cells give more positive results than embryonic stem cells. Therapeutic protocols in force today provide for the use of adult stem cells and many lines of research have been launched, opening new and promising possibilities.

32. With regard to the ethical evaluation, it is necessary to consider the methods of obtaining stem cells as well as the risks connected with their clinical and experimental use.
In these methods, the origin of the stem cells must be taken into consideration. Methods which do not cause serious harm to the subject from whom the stem cells are taken are to be considered licit. This is generally the case when tissues are taken from: a) an adult organism; b) the blood of the umbilical cord at the time of birth; c) fetuses who have died of natural causes. The obtaining of stem cells from a living human embryo, on the other hand, invariably causes the death of the embryo and is consequently gravely illicit: “research, in such cases, irrespective of efficacious therapeutic results, is not truly at the service of humanity. In fact, this research advances through the suppression of human lives that are equal in dignity to the lives of other human individuals and to the lives of the researchers themselves. History itself has condemned such a science in the past and will condemn it in the future, not only because it lacks the light of God but also because it lacks humanity”.

The use of embryonic stem cells or differentiated cells derived from them – even when these are provided by other researchers through the destruction of embryos or when such cells are commercially available – presents serious problems from the standpoint of cooperation in evil and scandal.

There are no moral objections to the clinical use of stem cells that have been obtained licitly; however, the common criteria of medical ethics need to be respected. Such use should be characterized by scientific rigor and prudence, by reducing to the bare minimum any risks to the patient and by facilitating the interchange of information among clinicians and full disclosure to the public at large.

Research initiatives involving the use of adult stem cells, since they do not present ethical problems, should be encouraged and supported.

Today's Humor - My Dog

Folks,

I received this from a friend. Enjoy!

It occurred to me the other day as I watched my dog on the couch.

My dog sleeps about 20 hours a day. He has his food prepared for him. He can eat whenever he wants, 24/7/365. His meals are provided at no cost. He visits the Dr. once a year for a checkup, and again during the year if any medical needs arise. For this he pays nothing, and nothing is required of him. He lives in a nice neighborhood in a house that is much larger than needed, but he is not required to do any upkeep. If he makes a mess, someone else cleans it up. He has his choice of luxurious places to sleep. He receives these accommodations absolutely free. He is living like a king, and has absolutely no expenses whatsoever. All costs are picked up by others.

I was just thinking about all this, and suddenly it hit me like a brick in the head. My dog is a Democrat!

Obama Rethinks Protection of U.S. Secrets

Folks,

After two Islamic terrorist attacks, one successful at Fort Hood in November and the other foiled on an airline flight in December, Obama Rethinks Protection of U.S. Secrets. Apparently, Barack Hussein Obama is authorizing the release of State secrets from the Cold War. Meanwhile, Russia and China (both Cold War adversaries) still have nuclear missiles aimed at US civilian population centers. Apparently it is not enough for America to be threatened by Obama's Islamic friends.

Nancy Pelosi to Bishops on abortion: “I practically mourn this difference of opinion”

Folks,

The American Catholic blogsite has an interesting entry today entitled Nancy Pelosi to Bishops on abortion: “I practically mourn this difference of opinion”.

Apparently House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was interviewed in a recent edition of Newsweek and insisted on the legitimacy of a woman's "right" to murder her unborn child and a homosexual couple's "right" to the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.

St. Paul in 1st Timothy 1:19-20 shows our Bishops how to deal with this:

Some, by rejecting conscience, have made a shipwreck of their faith, among them Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.

David's Three Great Men

Folks,

2nd Samuel 23:8-17 records an interesting episode concerning King David's three great men:

• Ishbaal who brandished his battle-ax over eight hundred slain in a single encounter.
• Eleazar who with David fought the Philistines at Ephes-dammim until his hand grew tired and became cramped, holding fast to the sword.
• Shammah who defeated the Philistines in a land full of lentils at Lehi when the rest of the Israelite soldiers had fled.

The interesting part is that at a certain time before David had conquered all of Israel, the Philistines occupied the town of Bethlehem (which as the reader knows is where Jesus would be born a millennia or so later). Scripture states that David had a strong craving and said, "Oh, that someone would give me a drink of water from the cistern that is by the gate of Bethlehem!" The three great men listed above overheard his remark, broke through the Philistine camp, and drew water from the cistern that is by the gate of Bethlehem. But when they brought it to David he refused to drink it, and instead poured it out to the LORD, saying: "The LORD forbid that I do this! Can I drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives?"

In a sense, water symbolizes life, and the source of living water would indeed be born in Bethlehem. But David refused to drink and asks, "Can I drink the blood of these men who went at the risk of their lives?" Yet in the Holy Eucharist, we, some three millennia later would eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man who not only risked, but freely gave his flesh, blood and life so that none should perish, but all have eternal life. And out from His wounded side on the Cross flowed the blood and water that David could not drink a thousand years prior. This all started in the House of Bread - Bethlehem.

The other interesting point is that three men risked their lives to get David water from Bethlehem, and centuries later, three men would be executed on crosses just outside Jerusalem, one of those men - the Son of Man - having been born in Bethlehem. Now that may be a mere coincidence.

First Jesus-era House Discovered in Nazareth

Folks,

Archeologists report First Jesus-era House Discovered in Nazareth.

Please left click on the aforementioned link for more details.

Senator Baucus - or Is That Bacchus?

Folks,

Here is Senator Baucus (or is that Bacchus, the pagan Roman god of wine and debauchery?) speaking on the Senate floor. Liberal, Democrat and Drunk (aren't the three synonymous?). If the video is not viewable from this post, then please go to:

Senator Max Baucus Drunk / Intoxicated on Senate Floor - Shouts Down Wicker

Warning Concerning Holy Love Ministries

Folks,

This may be old news to some, but was a surprise to me. There is an organization in the Ohio area which distributes Rosaries for the Unborn. Its various web sites include:

Rosary of the Unborn
Holy Love Ministries

The Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio has issued the following as a warning against Holy Love Ministries specifically. While no mention is made of its affliate, Rosary of the Unborn, the reader is asked to take all due caution.

Cleveland Bishop's Letter on Holy Love Ministries
Cleveland Bishop's Decree on Holy Love Ministries

In summary, the Bishop of Cleveland:

• Declares the apparitions spoken of by Maureen Sweeney-Kyle, the head of Holy Love Ministries, are NOT supernatural in origin.
• Forbids the celebration of the Sacraments on the property of Holy Love Ministries.
• Admonishes the Faithful to avoid Holy Love Ministries.
• Declares that this group is NOT an approved association for the Faithful.

Now the reason why I mention this is as follows. A week ago I attended a Marian Cenacle at the house of one of the parishioners of the church which I frequent. A lady present there had an unusual rosary called "the Rosary of the Unborn", and ostensibly it was to be used for praying for an end to abortion. Needless to say, after a little research and a helpful e-mail from a friend, I located the web site where I too could purchase such a rosary and promptly did so. But sadly I failed to do enough research.

Upon receiving the packet with rosary from Rosary of the Unborn, I also received various religious pamphlets touting the virtues of Holy Love Ministries and Maureen Sweeney-Kyle. So I got suspicious and did a little digging. Before finding the Cleveland Diocesan letter and decree whose links are provided above, I found these interesting articles:

Catholic Culture's News Article on Maureen Sweeney-Kyle
An Evaluation of the Messages of Maureen Sweeney Kyle Part 1
An Evaluation of the Messages of Maureen Sweeney Kyle Part 2
The Religious Empire of Maureen Sweeney Kyle

Now of course one cannot rely on news media - even orthodox Catholic media - to necessarily report the news in an unbiased fashion. However, the essential text Catholic Culture's news article was corroborated by electronic files from the Bishop's Office at the Diocese of Cleveland.

So I have apparently wasted around $25.00 or so, but the extra research was certainly illuminating. My advice to anyone before accepting some unknown revelation is to first do more research than I initially did and verify the facts against information at the applicable Diocese's web site, or at the USCCB.

Save the Whales, or Save Human Babies?

Folks,

I note with some disappointment that the top article on the USCCB web site is:

Care for God’s Creation Topic of United Methodist-Catholic Dialogue as World Leaders Gathered to Discuss Climate Change

I am glad that the abortion provisions in the Senate's health care reform bill have met with disapproval from the USCCB:

Bishops Call Senate Health Care Reform Bill ‘Deficient,’ Essential Changes Needed Before Moving Forward

But this is currently the second article from the top at the USCCB web site. Yes, I understand that articles are posted at the USCCB web site in chronological order with the most recent being at the top, and the current status will soon change. But I have to wonder why our Bishops have time for dialogue with Methodists on saving the whales, the seals and the rain forests, but they can't find to time agree on denying ostensibly Catholic politicians who are pro-abortion from reception of Holy Communion? Surely human babies are more important than whales, seals or rain forests.

By the way, the United Methodist Church's teaching on abortion is decidedly more liberal than the teaching of the Catholic Church (but they are making progress in becoming more "pro-life"):

The United Methodist Church upholds the sanctity of unborn human life and is reluctant to affirm abortion as an acceptable practice, but is equally bound to respect the sacredness of the life and well-being of the mother and the unborn child. The UMC recognizes tragic conflicts of life with life that may justify abortion, and in such cases supports the legal option of abortion under proper medical procedures. Further, the church strongly condemns the use of late-term or partial birth abortion, except if the life of the mother is in jeopardy. In addition, it is committed to "assist the ministry of crisis pregnancy centers and pregnancy resource centers that compassionately help women find feasible alternatives to abortion;" however, the Church recognizes the legal right of the mother to choose after proper consideration of all options with medical, pastoral and other counsel. The Church is also committed to offering ministries that help reduce the number of unintended pregnancies, and to providing nurturing ministries to those who terminate a pregnancy, to those in the midst of a crisis pregnancy, and to those who give birth.

See the following for more information:

The Nurturing Community

United Methodist Church Continues to Become More Pro-Life

The Philosophy of Liberty - the 2nd Again

Folks,

It is time to thrice review the Philosophy of Liberty, since those managing other blogsites seem eternally confused over what liberty means and what it entails. Everyone seems to want to be free, but no one apparently wants the consequences of "self-ownership". Again, I got much of this text from the Adventures of Jonathan Gullible.

The philosophy of liberty is based on the principle of self-ownership, self-responsibility and self-accountability. You own your life. To deny this is to imply that another human person has a higher claim on your life than you do. No other person, or group of persons, owns your life nor do you own the lives of others. This does not mean that you cannot give your life to the God of your own conception by means of your free will; but it does mean that no other human can force you to give your life to God, nor can you give any other human life to God.

You have authority over no one except yourself, the exception being the care of children whom you have willfully brought into the world, and for whose welfare you are therefore responsible by virtue of your voluntary exercise of sexual intercourse. This exception (and the concomitant responsibility) evaporates once the child becomes an adult (which is generally set to equal or be greater than 18 years of age).

You exist in time: future, present, and past. This is manifest in life, liberty, and the product of your life and liberty. The exercise of choices over life and liberty is your prosperity. To lose your life is to lose your future. To lose your liberty is to lose your present. And to lose the product of your life and liberty is to lose the portion of your past that produced it.

A product of your life and liberty is your property. Property is the fruit of your labor, the product of your time, energy, and talents. It is that part of nature that you turn to valuable use. And it is the property of others that is given to you by voluntary exchange and mutual consent. Two people who exchange property voluntarily are both better off or they wouldn't do it. Only they may rightfully make that decision for themselves.

At times some people use force or fraud to take from others without willful, voluntary consent. Normally, the initiation of force to take life is murder, to take liberty is slavery, and to take property is theft. It is the same whether these actions are done by one person acting alone, by the many acting against a few, or even by officials with fine hats and fancy titles.

You have the right to protect your own life, liberty, and justly acquired property from the forceful aggression of others. So you may rightfully ask others to help protect you. But you do not have a right to initiate force against the life, liberty, or property of others. Thus, you have no right to designate some person to initiate force against others on your behalf.

You have a right to seek leaders for yourself, but would have no right to impose rulers on others. No matter how officials are selected, they are only human beings and they have no rights or claims that are higher than those of any other human beings. Regardless of the imaginative labels for their behavior or the numbers of people encouraging them, officials have no right to murder, to enslave, or to steal. You cannot give them any rights that you do not have yourself.

Since you own your life, you are responsible for your life. You do not rent your life from other people who demand your obedience. Nor are you a slave to other people who demand your sacrifice.

You choose your own goals based on your own values. Success and failure are both the necessary incentives to learn and to grow.

Your action on behalf of other people, or their action on behalf of you, is only virtuous when it is derived from voluntary, mutual consent. For virtue can only exist when there is free choice.

This is the basis of a truly free society. It is not only the most practical and humanitarian foundation for human action; it is also the most ethical.

Problems that arise from the initiation of force by government have a solution. The solution is for people of the world to stop asking officials to initiate force on their behalf. Evil does not arise only from evil people, but also from good people who tolerate the initiation of force as a means to their own ends. In this manner, good people have empowered evil throughout all of history

Having confidence in a free society is to focus on the process of discovery in the marketplace of values rather than to focus on some imposed, arbitrary vision or goal. Using governmental force to impose a vision on others is intellectual sloth and typically results in unintended, perverse consequences. Achieving a free society requires courage to think, to talk, and to act - especially when it is easier to do nothing.

Feast of the Holy Innocents

Folks,

Today is the Feast Day of the Holy Innocents. Let us recall King Herod's brutality some two millennia ago - a brutality not at all unlike the brutality of Barack Hussein Obama and the faux Catholic politicians who support him and from whom the USCCB will not (to date) forbid reception of Holy Communion.

Matthew 2:13-18

When the magi had departed, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,
“Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt,
and stay there until I tell you.
Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.”
Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night
and departed for Egypt.
He stayed there until the death of Herod,
that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled,
Out of Egypt I called my son.
When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi,
he became furious.
He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity
two years old and under,
in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi.
Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet:

A voice was heard in Ramah,
sobbing and loud lamentation;
Rachel weeping for her children,
and she would not be consoled,
since they were no more.

The Catholic Online web site has a good article on this:

Feast of the Holy Innocents: No to Funding Abortion in Health Care. Stop Killing Children!

Recent Islamic Terrorist Attacks under Obama's Watch

Folks,

We should remember to always connect the dots.

Nidal Malik Hasan, a U.S. Army major serving as a psychiatrist murdered 13 people and wounded 30 others on November 5, 2009, at Fort Hood, Texas. He is an Islamic fascist, "an American-born Muslim of Palestinian descent, who had on a number of occasions expressed radical beliefs, and had communicated by e-mail with Anwar al-Awlaki, but FBI terrorism task forces had determined him not to be a threat prior to the shooting."

Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian man of radical Islamic beliefs, attempted to ignite an explosive device on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on December 25. He claimed to be working with Al Qaeda and was on a “U.S. government watch list of people with suspected terrorist ties” — but not a no-fly list.

Meanwhile, the President of these United States can't be bothered for the first 72 hours of either incident to make a statement because he is all consumed with passing a health care reform package murderous towards the unborn, and climate change provisions equally injurious to economic recovery.

I will remind everyone: the President's name is Barack HUSSEIN Obama.

Dr. Pournelle again has some salient thoughts (and points out WHERE the bomb was located on Abdulmutallab's body):

Mad Bomber and mad US politicians

The big news of the weekend is the crotch bomber. I suppose there is a more delicate way to describe him, but that's where he hid his bomb. When the shoe bomber failed to detonate his bomb, we responded, not by being more careful about who we let on airplanes, but by making passengers take off their shoes. The crotch bomber was on a terrorist watch list, but not on the no-fly list. The obvious response would be not to let likely terrorists fly, but the probable response will be -- what? What will prospective passengers have to take off now?

The US Secretary of Homeland Security says that the system worked, and all is well. Others wonder what she was thinking. (Clownish thoughts?) Janet Napolitano said:

What we are focused on is making sure that the air environment remains safe, that people are confident when they travel. And one thing I’d like to point out is that the system worked. Everybody played an important role here. The passengers and crew of the flight took appropriate action. Within literally an hour to 90 minutes of the incident occurring, all 128 flights in the air had been notified to take some special measures in light of what had occurred on the Northwest Airlines flight. We instituted new measures on the ground and at screening areas, both here in the United States and in Europe, where this flight originated.

So the whole process of making sure that we respond properly, correctly and effectively went very smoothly.

Perhaps.

What happened is that Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a third year engineering student, was unable to get his weapon to detonate properly, and thus managed to win a Darwin Award for removing himself from the gene pool without actually killing himself. The passengers on the Christmas Day flight were incredibly lucky (or one or more had a particularly effective guardian angel). There was enough explosive in that man's pants to down the airplane had it gone off.* It didn't go off because he wasn't competent enough to manage on his first attempt, and he may have been prevented from trying a second time by passengers. Either way it doesn't look much like "the system" had anything to do with it, and asserting that "the system worked" is probably not the most intelligent thing our Secretary of Homeland Security has ever said.

I have always said that if an intelligent person wants to bring down an airplane and doesn't mind being killed doing it, there are many ways to accomplish it, and many of my readers know of multiple ways to accomplish it with little chance of detection. This incident is a good illustration of that. We aren't really going to make all airline passengers strip to their underwear, and even if we did, that wouldn't do it.

What we can do is be more discriminating on who gets to fly on US aircraft to US airports, particularly on international flights. Of course that would mean paying more attention to foreign nationals. It would also mean making profiles of potential terrorists, and searching all those that fit the top profile as well as random samples of those fitting smaller probability profiles. We can do risk analysis and cost/benefit models -- but only if we allow profiling.

This one was particularly easy to spot given his association with Yemen in general and Yemen extremists in particular. Once again US authorities had enough information; and once again political correctness prevented any action. Unlike the Fort Hood murders, this politically correct failure didn't cost any lives. Next time we're unlikely to be so blessed.

A Message from Lt. Col. Allen West

Folks,

Here is a video message from Lt. Col. Allen West. If the reader is unable to view the video file here at this blogsite, then please go to:

http://www.lvrj.com/blogs/sherm/If_this_doesnt_get_you_charged_nothing_will.html

Liberals, the day of your comeuppance is nigh at hand. Like King Manasseh of ancient Judah, Caligula Caesar of ancient Rome, Maximillen Robespierre of the French Revolution, and Adolf Hitler's Third Reich before him, the Obamination of Desolation WILL be defeated. God wins, Obama loses - period.

Felicem Nativitatem!

Cives,

Habete Felicem Nativitatem. Iesus Christus natus est hodie.

Gloria in altissimis Deo et in terra pax in hominibus bonae voluntatis.

Liberal Christmas Presents to America

Folks,

On this Christmas Eve let us remember what kind of Christmas presents today our vote a year ago last November has resulted in:

Congress raises debt ceiling to $12.4 trillion

Health bill passes landmark Senate vote

UN climate chief appeals for calm after Copenhagen bustup

We need to well remember the lesson of 1st Samuel Chapter 8. We rejected God, so God will hand us over to the consequences of our passion.

Oh, some might complain that that is such a terrible message this Christmas Eve. Well, there are consequences for rebellion against the Christ Child, and the next time He comes, it won't be as a Child. Indeed, on this the Eve of the Anniversary of His First Coming, let us remember what Sacred Scripture says will happen at His Second Coming:

Then I saw the heavens opened, and there was a white horse; its rider was (called) "Faithful and True." He judges and wages war in righteousness. His eyes were (like) a fiery flame, and on his head were many diadems. He had a name inscribed that no one knows except himself. He wore a cloak that had been dipped in blood, and his name was called the Word of God. The armies of heaven followed him, mounted on white horses and wearing clean white linen. Out of his mouth came a sharp sword to strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod, and he himself will tread out in the wine press the wine of the fury and wrath of God the almighty. He has a name written on his cloak and on his thigh, "King of kings and Lord of lords." Then I saw an angel standing on the sun. He cried out (in) a loud voice to all the birds flying high overhead, "Come here. Gather for God's great feast, to eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of military officers, and the flesh of warriors, the flesh of horses and of their riders, and the flesh of all, free and slave, small and great." Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered to fight against the one riding the horse and against his army. The beast was caught and with it the false prophet who had performed in its sight the signs by which he led astray those who had accepted the mark of the beast and those who had worshiped its image. The two were thrown alive into the fiery pool burning with sulfur. The rest were killed by the sword that came out of the mouth of the one riding the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh. (Revelation 19:11-21)

Maranatha, Domine Iesus, veni celeriter!

A Different Christmas Poem

Folks,

May we remember this Christmas Season those who are standing at the battlefront in Iraq and Afghanistan, defending us from the barbarians. It is not that they hate Islamic fascism. It is that they love you and me even more.


A Different Christmas Poem

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.

The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear..
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.

Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.
A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

“What are you doing?” I asked without fear,
“Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!”
For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts..

To the window that danced with a warm fire's light
Then he sighed and he said “It’s really all right,
I'm out here by choice. I'm here every night.
It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.”

“No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at ' Pearl on a day in December.”
Then he sighed, “That's a Christmas 'Gram always remembers.”
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ' Nam ',
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.”

“I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile.
Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue... an American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.”

“I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall.”

“So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right.”
“But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
Give you money,” I asked, “or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son.”

Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
“Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us.”

PLEASE, would you do me the kind favor of sending this to as many people as you can? Christmas will be coming soon and some credit is due to our U.S service men and women for our being able to celebrate these festivities. Let's try in this small way to pay a tiny bit of what we owe. Make people stop and think of our heroes, living and dead, who sacrificed themselves for us.

LCDR Jeff Giles, SC, USN
30th Naval Construction Regiment
OIC, Logistics Cell One
Al Taqqadum, Iraq

North Carolina High School Had Denied Pro-Life Student Free Speech, Backs Down

Folks,

I received this news article from the mother of a young lady for whom I have the privilege of being a co-teacher in the Ninth Grade Catechism class at our Parish. If more Catholic Moms were like this young lady's mother or the mother in the article written below, then we wouldn't have problems with apostate Catholic politicians.

Liberals take note: there is no such thing as the right to murder an unborn baby, but there is an inherent right to free speech, and we who are loyal to the Gospel of Life are going to exercise it. You're NOT going to get away with murder any longer.

North Carolina High School Had Denied Pro-Life Student Free Speech, Backs Down

by Steven ErteltLifeNews.com EditorDecember 22, 2009 Asheboro, NC (LifeNews.com) -- A North Carolina high school is backing down after a pro-life legal group helped a pro-life student who faced a revocation of her free speech rights. Brianna Cardwell wanted to participate in the Pro-Life Day of Silent Solidarity sponsored by Stand True Ministries.

The day is an opportunity for students to wear red tape or armbands to show their solidarity with unborn children who can't speak for themselves.

It features pro-life t-shirts and fliers explaining how abortion kills unborn children and has adversely impacted society.

Caldwell wore a T-shirt with the word “abortion” crossed out and distributed her fliers during non-instructional time to her classmates that explained her pro-life views.

However, the assistant principal at Randelman High School told her to stop disseminating the literature and said she would be require to keep her jacket on for the remainder of the school day to cover up her shirt.

The female school official confiscated the fliers and said that Cardwell’s T-shirt and fliers were “offensive” and violated the “separation of church and state.”

When Caldwell tried to secure the return of her fliers the next day, school officials refused.
The Alliance Defense Fund stepped in to help Caldwell and sent a letter asserting her rights on her behalf.

The assistant principal responded to that November 24 letter from ADF by giving the fliers back to Cardwell and telling her that she would be able to wear her T-shirt and distribute the fliers in the future.

Today, ADF Senior Legal Counsel David Cortman told LifeNews.com he is pleased with the outcome.

“Pro-life students shouldn't be punished for expressing their beliefs,” he said.

"Brianna was simply exercising her constitutionally protected right to free speech but was censored by school officials fearful of urban legends regarding the so-called ‘separation of church and state.’ In reality, silencing pro-life students simply because they want to exercise their First Amendment rights in a non-disruptive manner is unconstitutional," he added.

“The speech of pro-life students, like all other students, is protected under the First Amendment," Cortman concluded.

He said: "We're glad that Brianna will now be allowed to share her pro-life views from now on without fear of reprisal. We hope more schools will follow Randelman’s example in respecting the First Amendment rights of their students.”

Top SC prosecutor, others probing health care deal

Folks,

It looks like Judas Iscariot - er, I mean Ben Nelson - has aroused the ire of his fellow politicians:

Top SC prosecutor, others probing health care deal

At least Judas had the decency to hang himself on a tree for what he did.

I know, I know - I am waaayyy too harsh.

Change You Can Believe In, Chicago Style

Folks,

The following is from Dr. Pournelle's Chaos Manor web site - there is little I can add:

Change You Can Believe In, Chicago Style

Today's Wall Street Journal has an editorial worth your attention. There is no better term for the ObamaCare Bill than Despotism. It's all very well for Congressmen and Senators to look out for their states, but this bill is a pure transfer payment from Republicans to Democrats. There is built into the bill a 40% tax on the most comprehensive -- and thus most expensive -- health care plans: But it does not apply to everyone. Longshoremen, for instance, are exempt -- and of course their unions have negotiated some of the most comprehensive healthcare short of what Congress gets. Other lines of work, nearly all heavily unionized, are exempt from the 40% tax (which will pretty well eliminate these plans for those who aren't exempt from the tax). Also, 17 States will be exempt; for the rest it's just too bad. There is no attempt at an explanation for these arbitrary transfers from those taxed to those not taxed. There is no logical reason why some are taxed and some are not. It's simply a set of earmarks, rewards to those supporting the "plan" and punishment for those who don't.

It's exactly what the Constitution was designed to prevent, a despotic transfer of wealth from one group to another.

Change you can believe in.

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

Those interested in Climate Change should read "Time for a Climate Change Plan B".

Two relevant paragraphs:

And the outlines of a credible plan B are clear. First and foremost, we must do what mankind has always done, and adapt to whatever changes in temperature may in the future arise.

Beyond adaptation, plan B should involve a relatively modest, increased government investment in technological research and development—in energy, in adaptation and in geoengineering.

I've thought this obvious for a long time.

Bishops Call Senate Health Care Reform 'Deficient'

Folks,

Please see the following news announcement from the USCCB:

BISHOPS CALL SENATE HEALTH CARE REFORM BILL ‘DEFICIENT,’ ESSENTIAL CHANGES NEEDED BEFORE MOVING FORWARD

We can now "thank" Senator Ben Nelson for caving in to the Obamaniacs:

Nelson Votes to Advance Health Care Reform

Until and unless the Bishops in the USCCB publicly deny reception of Holy Communion by apostate Catholic politicians, then this condition of treason against Holy Mother Church will continue. I suppose in being a Methodist, Ben Nelson has an excuse. But the following so-called Catholic Senators are without excuse (note that only one is a RINO and the other 14 are Marxists - er, Demokrats):

Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
John Kerry (D-MA)
Paul Kirk (D-MA)
Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
Mary Landrieu (D-LA)
Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
Patty Murray (D-WA)
Jack Reed (D-RI)
Christopher Dodd (D-CT.)
Claire McCaskill (D-MO.)
Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
Mark Begich (D-AK)
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)

British Paganism at Stonehenge

Folks,

The United Kingdom descends even further into the anarchy of paganism. Depicted here are pagan revelers and druids (is there a difference?) celebrating the winter solstice in the year 2009.

To be Christian in the 21st century in what was once a bastion for Christianity is to be ridiculed, reviled and condemned for being unsophisticated and unscientific.

To be pagan, however, is an entirely different matter. More can be read here: Druids, pagans mark shortest day of year.

Tonight's Humor - The Right to Keep and Bear Arms

Folks,

This cat understands the Second Amendment to apply to felines as well: "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People [and cats] to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

US Bishops: Senate Bill Still Unacceptable

Folks,

There are several news reports indicating that the USCCB finds the current version of the Health Care Bill in the US Senate to be unacceptable. Links to these reports are provided below:

US Bishops: Senate Bill Still Unacceptable

US bishops oppose Senate health care legislation in current form

Health Reform Bill Needs More Work Despite New Language on Abortion, Say Catholic Bishops

The fact of the matter is that the USCCB has no one to blame but themselves. Now yes, there are many good Catholic Bishops who tirelessly work and advocate in behalf of the poor and disadvantage, and yes, chairty does cover a multitude of sins. However, disobedience to the primary principle of the individual right to life for unborn babies cannot be ignored or covered over by charitable acts to the born. The USCCB must publicly excommunicate every so-called Catholic politician who knowingly votes in behalf of any abortion measure.

Indeed, the principle is this: the Health Care bill, to be consistent with Church teaching, must prevent ANY funding of the infanticide of the unborn or embryonic stem cell research (which is nothing but fatal experimentation on unborn babies). Furthermore, as a nation, we must turn away from our wicked ways, outlawing gay marriage and euthanasia, and stopping all attempts at human cloning. We must rid the popular media (TV, Internet, etc.) of the dissemination of pornography, dirt, filth and all the unrighteousness that now afflicts our society like a cancer. We must restore God as our King.

The USCCB has a prime opportunity to stand up for the Gospel message and make an example of these apostate politicians. But I suspect that the members of the USCCB will use the old excuse, "We can't judge a man", to wiggle their way out of being the shepherds of the flock that God has called them to be. Again, Ezekiel 34 comes to mind.

P.S., I note with dismay that it was a 60 to 40 vote during the early morning hours of December 21 by which the USCCB confirmed its opposition to the current Health Care bill. That means that 40 bishops agreed to financing the murder of unborn babies with public funds. It is completely unconscionable that ANY man of God, ANY shepherd of the flock could find this latest compromise with Lucifer acceptable. It is absolutely mind-boggling. One cannot have dialogue with the Devil without becoming contaminated.

Tonight's Humor - Santa's Unknown Reindeer?

Folks,

I wonder if Santa lost a reindeer?

;-)

A Judas Moment?

Folks,

The Catholic Online web site has a recent and disheartening report about Senator Ben Nelson:

A Judas Moment? Did Senator Ben Nelson Just Sell his Vote for a Bag of Silver?

The Senator's speech on this issue may be found by left-clicking your mouse cursor on the link below.

NELSON STATEMENT ON HEALTH CARE DEAL

When the Government controls Health Care, then it controls who lives and who dies, a province that belongs to God alone.

What Is at Stake?

Folks,

Dr. Pournelle describes quite succintly what is at stake for America in his most recent entry, Liberals Ready to Mutiny.

What's at stake is the whole future of the American experiment of putting freedom and liberty ahead of security and welfare. "We believe that each man is the best judge of his own interest." That's what's at stake. This may be the last opportunity for that view of the world.

If the Republicans can't get their act together -- and I haven't seen all that many signs that they can -- then we may very well end up with Barney Frank's America, with Value Added Tax, the country run largely for the benefit of the officers of the Service Employees International Union, and a full cradle to the grave welfare state tottering on the edge of bankruptcy; something that can't really be dismantled without a full collapse and another Great Depression.

Energy and Freedom produce wealth. That's astonishingly obvious. Whether we can get there from here is another story.

We have sown the whirlwind, folks, just as ancient Israel and Judah did so long ago. "Make no mistake: God is not mocked, for a person will reap only what he sows..." Galatians 6:7.

Send a Thank You to Senator Ben Nelson

Folks,

I encourage one and all to send Senator Ben Nelson a note of gratitude for his continued and steadfast opposition to provisions for abortion in the Health Care bill. His position is explained here:

Nelson Comments on Abortion Compromise

You may write a letter of thanks to him here:

http://bennelson.senate.gov/email-issues.cfm

My letter states the following:

Dear Senator,

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your steadfast opposition to abortion in the Health Care bill winding its inexorable way through the US Senate. I pray that God richly blesses you and brings you efforts to full fruition.

Sincerely Yours,

P.