Digest of Today's Posts (30 November 2006)

Congratulations to a New Deacon

"Humanists" Challenge Voting Booths in Churches

Only in Dallas ...

(Digest of Yesterday's Posts (29 November 2006))

Congratulations to a New Deacon

Please head over to the blog Standing on My Head to congratulate newly ordained Deacon Dwight Longenecker.

He will be ordained to the priesthood in 2 weeks.

"Humanists" Challenge Voting Booths in Churches

From Cybercast News Service:

(CNSNews.com) - The American Humanist Association on Wednesday announced the launch of the first "nontheistic" legal center in the nation's capital -- a direct response, it said, to the "influence exerted by the religious right under the Bush administration."

The group said it is particularly concerned about "damage" to Thomas Jefferson's "wall of church-state separation."

The AHA's first legal project (lawsuit) stems from the midterm elections. The group is challenging the location of polling places in churches. While some churches cover their religious symbols on Election Day, others do not, and the AHA sees that as a major problem.

Humanists plan to argue that religious proselytizing took place at the polls. "We put out a call to our members whose polling places were churches, asking them to report what they saw," said AHA President Mel Lipman. "The response was shocking."

[More]

My Comments:
If you lefties are offended by having to vote in churches, you can always vote absentee. Or, better yet, don't vote at all.


Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Church Deserves Thanks, Not Grief

Only in Dallas ...

... among major U.S. cities could there be a high of 80 degrees one day and a high of 30 degrees the next.

We're driving home to Ohio tomorrow through what looks to be some fairly nasty weather.

Digest of Today's Posts (29 November 2006)

Breakfast With Santa Banned

Christians See "War on Christmas" Momentum Shift

TIME: "The Pope Tones Down His Act in Turkey"

(Digest of Yesterday's Posts (28 November 2006))

Breakfast With Santa Banned

From The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights:

November 29, 2006

“BREAKFAST WITH SANTA” BANNED

Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented on the latest entry to the league’s “Christmas Watch” program:

“Every year the Sanfordville PTA in Warwick, New York does a Santa fundraiser at the local elementary school. Called ‘Breakfast with Santa,’ it draws hundreds of kids on a Saturday, all of whom come voluntarily. But because one anonymous bigot objected this year—citing religious discrimination—the event was reworked by school lawyers: there will now be a ‘Winter Wonderland Breakfast.’ Moreover, Santa will now have a partner: Frosty the Snowman has been ordered to join him.

“The bigot, of course, wants no compromise and wants Santa removed altogether. According to Darlene Baratto, who is in charge of the event, ‘We have a beautiful background people can have a picture in front of. That wasn’t good enough. We changed the name, colors, the background. Nothing made her happy. She was not open to anything. We’ll have 300 or so kids who are disappointed.’ Not to worry, school superintendent Dr. Frank Greenhall reassured everyone when he said, ‘If you make it an issue, the kids will make it an issue.’ Now how’s that for leadership? Just shut up and don’t tell the kids why ‘Breakfast with Santa’ has been censored and they won’t know the difference.

“There is nothing in the U.S. Constitution, of course, that bans ‘Breakfast with Santa’ from taking place in a public school. This has nothing to do with the law—it has everything to do with bowing to the pressure of bigots. This is the new utilitarianism: the greatest good for the least number of people. And it is just as immoral as its parent principle—the greatest good for the greatest number of people.

“The community newspaper, the Warwick Advertiser, has a moral obligation to out the person responsible for this exercise in tyranny. Just as residents need to know who the child abusers are in their neighborhood, they need to know who among them would abuse the rights of children to enjoy Santa.”

Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Christians See "War on Christmas" Momentum Shift

Catholic League Announces "2006 Christmas Watch"

"Nativity" Ban Called "Most Blatant" Form of "Religious Discrimination"

Christmas Banned From Christmas Festival

Marines Would Rather Needy Children Go Without This Christmas Than Receive a Jesus Doll

Best Buy Bans Use of "Merry Christmas"

Wal-Mart: We're Not Afraid to Say Merry Christmas

Court Okays Anti-Christian Discrimination - Allows Jewish and Muslim Symbols, but Not Christian Ones, in Public Schools

University Administrator Declares Christmas "Forbidden"

Massachusetts School District Cracks Down on Christmas

Merry You-Know-What

"Silent Night" Secularized (Wisconsin Elementary School Changes Lyrics)

"Merry Christmas" School Lunch Menus Recalled

I Celebrate Christmas

Jewish Groups: Okay to Say "Merry Christmas"

Catholic League: Wal-Mart Joins Neo-Puritan Left In Banning Baby Jesus' Birthday

Operation Nativity

Christians See "War on Christmas" Momentum Shift

From Cybercast News Service:

(CNSNews.com) - While the city of Chicago is distancing itself from a movie on the nativity for fear of offending non-Christians, stores across the country are embracing the "Merry Christmas" greeting and Christian groups are claiming minor victories in what some have called the "war on Christmas."

***
But while Christian groups continue to argue with Chicago over the film, they are seeing some victories in the "war on Christmas" as some companies that had once rejected Christmas terminology are beginning to embrace the holiday.

Among the most prominent stores now wishing shoppers a "Merry Christmas" rather than the generic "Happy Holidays" are Wal-Mart and Macy's.

Others like Target, Dillard's and J.C. Penny also make Christian advocacy groups' "nice list" as they are this year allowing employees to say "Merry Christmas" and are advertising Christmas sales and selling Christmas products.

While Christian activists are seeing victories in some areas, there are still numerous U.S. retailers that shun Christian terminology and symbols. Liberty Counsel's list of "naughty" and "nice" stores include 12 that are using "Christmas" and 14 that prefer to use more generic terms.

Spokesmen for Best Buy, Eddie Bauer and Barnes and Noble, all of which are on Liberty Counsel's "naughty list" of stores that avoid Christmas, did not respond to requests for comment Monday.

The American Family Association, which in 2005 led a campaign against Wal-Mart's use of "holidays" instead of "Christmas," is now targeting Best Buy.

[More]

Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Catholic League Announces "2006 Christmas Watch"

"Nativity" Ban Called "Most Blatant" Form of "Religious Discrimination"

Christmas Banned From Christmas Festival

Marines Would Rather Needy Children Go Without This Christmas Than Receive a Jesus Doll

Best Buy Bans Use of "Merry Christmas"

Wal-Mart: We're Not Afraid to Say Merry Christmas

Court Okays Anti-Christian Discrimination - Allows Jewish and Muslim Symbols, but Not Christian Ones, in Public Schools

University Administrator Declares Christmas "Forbidden"

Massachusetts School District Cracks Down on Christmas

Merry You-Know-What

"Silent Night" Secularized (Wisconsin Elementary School Changes Lyrics)

"Merry Christmas" School Lunch Menus Recalled

I Celebrate Christmas

Jewish Groups: Okay to Say "Merry Christmas"

Catholic League: Wal-Mart Joins Neo-Puritan Left In Banning Baby Jesus' Birthday

Operation Nativity

TIME: "The Pope Tones Down His Act in Turkey"

TIME Magazine's take on the Papal visit to Turkey:

Long known for his rigid thinking, Benedict XVI shows new flexibility in trying to mend fences in the wake of his controversial speech about Islam.

Joseph Ratzinger has never been known for his flexibility. As a university theologian and the Vatican's top doctrinal watchdog, the German prelate consistently stuck to his intellectual guns, sometimes stepping on sensibilities in the process. That unbendable belief in his own truth may have indeed gotten the now Pope Benedict XVI into trouble with his provocative September speech about faith and violence that sparked anger throughout the Muslim world. But the papacy often requires old men to learn new tricks. And so on Tuesday, as he set off on the most delicate mission of his life, the 79-year-old Pontiff was showing a very different side, one that reflects a growing awareness of his new role.

(emphasis added)

My Comments:
"The Pope Tones Down His Act in Turkey"

Yeah, with Pope Benedict, it's all just an "act".

The guy who wrote this piece is a third-rate "journalist", but a first-rate jerk. What chutzpah for this guy to act as if he knows more about what is required of the role of Pope than does Joseph Ratzinger.

Digest of Today's Posts (28 November 2006)

Catholic League Announces "2006 Christmas Watch"

"Nativity" Ban Called "Most Blatant" Form of "Religious Discrimination"

Christmas Banned From Christmas Festival

Catholic League Announces "2006 Christmas Watch"

From the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights:

Every December sees its fair share of "Grinches," those retailers, schools, websites, towns and municipalities who refuse to acknowledge Christmas as part of the "holiday season." These Christmas kill-joys are all around.

This Christmas, the Catholic League, Father Benedict Groeschel, C.F.R. and the other Franciscan Friars of the Renewal have joined up to put the spotlight on these folks. Should you notice one of these Grinches, please let us know. You may submit the details either by faxing the Catholic League at 212-371-3394, writing to us at 450 Seventh Avenue, New York, New York 10123 or by e-mailing catalyst@catholicleague.org.

The names of the nominees are posted below. Each week, we will select the worst offender and dub it the Supreme Grinch of the Week.

[More]

My Comments:
I'm guessing the "Supreme Grinch of the Week" for this week will be the organizers of the German Christkindlmarket and the public officials who pressured them to drop "The Nativity" movie from the event sponsors.


Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
"Nativity" Ban Called "Most Blatant" Form of "Religious Discrimination"

Christmas Banned From Christmas Festival

Marines Would Rather Needy Children Go Without This Christmas Than Receive a Jesus Doll

Best Buy Bans Use of "Merry Christmas"

Wal-Mart: We're Not Afraid to Say Merry Christmas

Court Okays Anti-Christian Discrimination - Allows Jewish and Muslim Symbols, but Not Christian Ones, in Public Schools

University Administrator Declares Christmas "Forbidden"

Massachusetts School District Cracks Down on Christmas

Merry You-Know-What

"Silent Night" Secularized (Wisconsin Elementary School Changes Lyrics)

"Merry Christmas" School Lunch Menus Recalled

I Celebrate Christmas

Jewish Groups: Okay to Say "Merry Christmas"

Catholic League: Wal-Mart Joins Neo-Puritan Left In Banning Baby Jesus' Birthday

Operation Nativity

"Nativity" Ban Called "Most Blatant" Form of "Religious Discrimination"

From Cybercast News Service:

(CNSNews.com) - Chicago officials and organizers of a Christmas festival should reverse a decision to drop a movie studio as a sponsor because it planned to show the movie "The Nativity Story" on televisions at the event, a conservative legal group said Tuesday.

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which specializes in constitutional law, said the decision to drop New Line Cinema from the city's German Christkindlmarket festival was "one of the most blatant forms of religious discrimination imaginable."

"To suggest that a movie about the birth of Jesus Christ should not be included in a Christmas festival is absurd," said Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the ACLJ. "This transcends political correctness and centers squarely on religious bigotry.

"The City of Chicago and festival organizers are exhibiting an intolerance that is offensive to Christians who celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. The city and festival organizers must respect the First Amendment and put an end to the discriminatory practices," Sekulow said.

[More]

Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Christmas Banned From Christmas Festival

Marines Would Rather Needy Children Go Without This Christmas Than Receive a Jesus Doll

Best Buy Bans Use of "Merry Christmas"

Wal-Mart: We're Not Afraid to Say Merry Christmas

Court Okays Anti-Christian Discrimination - Allows Jewish and Muslim Symbols, but Not Christian Ones, in Public Schools

University Administrator Declares Christmas "Forbidden"

Massachusetts School District Cracks Down on Christmas

Merry You-Know-What

"Silent Night" Secularized (Wisconsin Elementary School Changes Lyrics)

"Merry Christmas" School Lunch Menus Recalled

I Celebrate Christmas

Jewish Groups: Okay to Say "Merry Christmas"

Catholic League: Wal-Mart Joins Neo-Puritan Left In Banning Baby Jesus' Birthday

Operation Nativity

Christmas Banned From Christmas Festival

(Hat tip: Amy Welborn)

P.C. idiocy:

CHICAGO -- A public Christmas festival is no place for the Christmas story, the city says. Officials have asked organizers of a downtown Christmas festival, the German Christkindlmarket, to reconsider using a movie studio as a sponsor because it is worried ads for its film "The Nativity Story" might offend non-Christians.

(emphasis added)

Go read what Victor Morton has to say about it:

... In a sane world ... if you're of such delicate sensibilities as to be offended by THE NATIVITY STORY, a real city official or jurist would laugh in your face, ask "what the colorful are you doing at an event called 'Christ-Child Festival'," and tell you to "get a frickin' life." But no. In these interesting times where even the dumbest and most paranoid and self-righteous have the right to become "ACLU clients," such a response would invite municipal ruin. Government officials nationwide, based on how the courts have set up the incentive structures, are now well-trained to think doubleplusgood-thought: Christianity = "controversial"; other religions = "celebrate our diversity..."

Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Marines Would Rather Needy Children Go Without This Christmas Than Receive a Jesus Doll

Best Buy Bans Use of "Merry Christmas"

Wal-Mart: We're Not Afraid to Say Merry Christmas

Court Okays Anti-Christian Discrimination - Allows Jewish and Muslim Symbols, but Not Christian Ones, in Public Schools

University Administrator Declares Christmas "Forbidden"

Massachusetts School District Cracks Down on Christmas

Merry You-Know-What

"Silent Night" Secularized (Wisconsin Elementary School Changes Lyrics)

"Merry Christmas" School Lunch Menus Recalled

I Celebrate Christmas

Jewish Groups: Okay to Say "Merry Christmas"

Catholic League: Wal-Mart Joins Neo-Puritan Left In Banning Baby Jesus' Birthday

Operation Nativity

Cherie Blair to be Appointed to Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences?

Joanna Bogle reports here that Cherie Blair - wife of the British Prime Minister and a huge supporter of Planned Parenthood - may be appointed to the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, and suggests how you can get involved in writing to the Vatican to prevent such a scenario here.


UPDATE (28 November 2006)
Here's more on the subject from Fr. Finigan at The Hermeneutic of Continuity.

Belated Thanksgiving Post

Spent Thanksgiving morning flipping back and forth between NBC's 3-hour-long ad for its TV programming, which it annually tries to pass off as a Thanksgiving Day Parade and the local coverage of a parade here in Texas. The local coverage of the Texas parade beat NBC's crummy coverage of the Macy's parade hands down. The kids certainly enjoyed a parade where they got to see floats and marching bands rather than the one showing the casts from all the TV shows NBC was plugging.

Spent Thanksgiving afternoon visiting with family - my mom and stepdad had all the kids and grandkids together for the first time in years. My kids had a great time playing with cousins that they had never met until Thursday. Then we watched our Cowboys demolish the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Becoming a Tony Romo believer.

If you really want to read an outstanding blog post about Thanksgiving and what it means, take a look at what Dwight Longenecker wrote.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Dial-Up Stinks ...

... but, unfortunately, it's all my mom has with respect to computer access. Just in case you were wondering why I have chosen not to blog anything in a week.

I'll blog more when I get to my dad's house. He has cable access.

St. Edmund of East Anglia, King and Martyr - 20 November

(Originally posted in November 2005)

"I have vowed to live under Christ, to live under Christ alone, to reign under Christ alone". - St Edmund, King and Martyr

Today, 20 November, is the feast day of the martyr St. Edmund, King of East Anglia. Many assume St. George is the patron saint of England. However, St. George is actually "Protector of the Realm of England" and patron saint of the English Crown. St. Edmund is the "real" patron saint of England. See also Joanna Bogle's excellent A Book of Feasts and Seasons where I first learned this particular piece of trivia.

On our trip to England last fall, during which my family spent a week in East Anglia - where Sarah's Granny was born, we learned quite a bit about St. Edmund. He has become one of my favorite saints - so much so that if little Mary Virginia, who was born in March, had been a boy, his middle name would have been "Edmund". Unfortunately, a planned trip to the saint's final resting place in the town of Bury St. Edmunds and St. Edmundsbury Cathedral did not happen due to the demands of travelling with 2 toddlers. Oh well, hopefully, we can get there on another visit to the U.K.

The following details about the life of St. Edmund come from the Medieval Saints Yahoo Group (go check it out):

St. Edmund of East Anglia
Also known as Edmund the Martyr

Martyred by being beaten, whipped, shot with arrows and beheaded at Hoxne, Suffolk, England 20 November 870; buried at Hoxne; relics moved to Beodricsworth (modern Saint Edmundsbury) in the 10th century

Commemorated November 20

Patronage: kings, plague epidemics, torture victims, wolves

In art, he is shown with an arrow; king tied to a tree and shot with arrows; wolf; bearded king with a sword and arrow; man with his severed head between the paws of a wolf; sword

"The tree at which tradition declared Eadmund to have been slain stood in the park at Hoxne until 1849, when it fell. In the course of its breaking up an arrow-head was found embedded in the trunk. A clergyman who had a church which was dedicated to St. Eadmund begged a piece of the tree, and it now forms part of his communion-table. Another portion is in the possession of Lady Bateman of Oakley Hall" - Dictionary of National Biography. Ed. Leslie Stephen and Sidney Lee, 1908-1909


Edmund the Martyr, King (RM)
http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/1120.htm#edmu

Born 841; died at Hoxne, Suffolk, England, in 869 or 870. Feast day formerly November 2.

On Christmas Day 855, 14-year-old Edmund was acclaimed king of Norfolk by the ruling men and clergy of that county. The following year the leaders of Suffolk also made him their king.

For 15 years Edmund ruled over the East Angles with what all acknowledged as Christian dignity and justice. He himself seems to have modelled his piety on that of King David in the Old Testament, becoming especially proficient in reciting the Psalms in public worship.

From the year 866 his kingdom was increasingly threatened by Danish invasions. For four years the East Angles managed to keep a shaky, often broken peace with them. Then the invaders burned Thetford. King Edmund's army attacked the Danes but could not defeat the marauders. Edmund was taken prisoner and became the target for Danish bowmen.

In a later account in the The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, reputedly derived second-hand from an eyewitness, Abbo compared Saint Edmund to Saint Sebastien, and so he also became a saint invoked against the plague. The story goes that Edmund was captured at Hoxne. He refused to share his Christian kingdom with the heathen invaders, whereupon he was tied to a tree and shot with arrows, till his body was 'like a thistle covered with prickles'; then his head was struck off. He died with the name of Jesus on his lips.

The record continues that the Danes "killed the king and overcame all the land . . . they destroyed all the churches that they came to, and at the same time reaching Peterborough, killed the abbot and monks and burned and broke everything they found there."

Saint Edmund thus remains the only English sovereign until the time of King Charles I to die for religious beliefs as well as the defense of his throne. Edmund was quickly revered as a martyr and his cultus spread widely during the middle ages (Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley, Hervey, Roeder).

King Saint Edmund is generally depicted as a bearded king holding his emblem--an arrow. Sometimes he is shown suspended from a tree and shot, or his head between the paws of a wolf. He is sometimes confused with Saint Sebastien, who is never portrayed as a king (Roeder).

He is venerated at Bury Saint Edmunds (Saint Edmund's borough), where his body is enshrined and a great abbey arose in 1020. Richard II invoked him as patron as to those threatened by the plague (Roeder).

---------------------------

More on St. Edmund of East Anglia at:
http://www.stedmundsbury.gov.uk/sebc/visit/stedmund.cfm

http://www.orthodox.net/western-saints/edmund-martyr-king-of-east-anglia.html

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05295a.htm

http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/STEDMUND.htm

http://www.traditioninaction.org/SOD/j048sdEdmund11-21.htm

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/870abbo-edmund.html

http://www.ualberta.ca/~sreimer/edmund/intro/a-s-chrn.htm

Digest of Weekend's Posts (19 November 2006)

Saturday, 19 November

Gone To Texas

Saturday, 18 November

Go Buckeyes!

Joanna Bogle's "Feasts & Seasons of the Church"

Philanthropy Expert: Conservatives Are More Generous

(Digest of Friday's Posts (17 November 2006))

Gone To Texas

We're off early this morning to drive down to Texas to visit my folks for Thanksgiving.

Will try to blog when I can.

Go Buckeyes!

UPDATE
Great game! Ohio State - 42, Michigan - 39. No need to play the BCS Championship game in January, because the 2 best teams in the nation just played one heckuva game in Columbus.

Joanna Bogle's "Feasts & Seasons of the Church"

(Hat tip: Rich Leonardi for emailing the link to me)

Joanna Bogle's Advent and Christmas series, "Feasts & Seasons of the Church" begins tomorrow on EWTN.

I believe the airtimes that are listed on the EWTN web site are a little off. Many of the airtimes listed for November should probably be in December.


Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Upcoming EWTN Series for Advent & Christmas

Philanthropy Expert: Conservatives Are More Generous

Is this really surprising?

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse University professor Arthur C. Brooks is about to become the darling of the religious right in America -- and it's making him nervous.

The child of academics, raised in a liberal household and educated in the liberal arts, Brooks has written a book that concludes religious conservatives donate far more money than secular liberals to all sorts of charitable activities, irrespective of income.

In the book, he cites extensive data analysis to demonstrate that values advocated by conservatives -- from church attendance and two-parent families to the Protestant work ethic and a distaste for government-funded social services -- make conservatives more generous than liberals.

The book, titled "Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism" (Basic Books, $26), is due for release Nov. 24.

When it comes to helping the needy, Brooks writes: "For too long, liberals have been claiming they are the most virtuous members of American society. Although they usually give less to charity, they have nevertheless lambasted conservatives for their callousness in the face of social injustice."

For the record, Brooks, 42, has been registered in the past as a Democrat, then a Republican, but now lists himself as independent, explaining, "I have no comfortable political home."

Since 2003 he has been director of nonprofit studies for Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

[More]

(emphasis added)

Digest of Today's Posts (17 November 2006)

Democrats Warned Not to Block Judges

Bo Schembechler, Rest In Peace

Opportunist McCain Woos Conservatives on Judges

Two Americas

Bush Choice for Family-Planning Post Criticized

Alito: Courts Not "Center of the Universe" in Legal Matters

Tomorrow is "Judgment Day" - # 1 vs. # 2

(Digest of Yesterday's Posts (16 November 2006))

Democrats Warned Not to Block Judges

From Associated Press (via SFGate.com):

The Senate's next Republican leader issued a veiled threat to block action on legislation if Democrats refuse to allow confirmation votes on President Bush's troubled judicial nominations.

Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who will become minority leader Jan. 4, told the conservative Federalist Society Friday not to feel bad about the Senate election results because Republicans will hold 49 seats in a body that requires 60 votes to end a filibuster and bring legislation or presidential nominees to a final vote.

If the "Democrats want our cooperation, they'll give the president's judicial nominees an up-or-down vote," McConnell said.

Vice President Dick Cheney told the same group Friday that Republicans' loss of Congress in last week's election won't dissuade Bush from continuing to nominate strict-constructionist judges to the federal bench.

[More]

Bo Schembechler, Rest In Peace

Impeccable timing by one of my football heroes:

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Bo Schembechler, who became one of college football's great coaches in two decades at Michigan, died today after taping a TV show on the eve of the Wolverines' No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown with perennial rival Ohio State. He was 77.

Schembechler collapsed during the taping of a television show in Southfield and was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital. His death at 11:42 a.m. was confirmed by Mike Dowd, chief investigator for the medical examiner's office in Oakland County.

My Comments:
I hope Bo and Woody are sharing a beer right now.

Opportunist McCain Woos Conservatives on Judges

From MSNBC:

WASHINGTON - In his quest for the Republican presidential nomination, Arizona Sen. John McCain courted Thursday the group that vets conservative judicial nominees, the Federalist Society.

The powerful lawyers’ group, which is holding its annual convention in Washington this weekend, has spawned such conservative nominees of President Bush as appeals court Judge William Pryor and Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.

***
In his speech to a packed ballroom at a Washington hotel, McCain assured the group that despite last week’s sobering election returns for Republicans, “the election was not an affirmation of the other party’s program. Try as hard as I could, I couldn’t find much evidence that my Democratic friends were offering anything that resembled a coherent platform.”

McCain asserted that “the majority of Americas still consider themselves conservatives, or right of center.”

He spoke of the importance of judges who would strictly interpret the Constitution.

“They should be people who respect the limited scope afforded federal judges under the Constitution,” he said.

The reaction from the Federalists was polite, but not overwhelming. Last year another GOP presidential contender, Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, got a similarly friendly reception when he addressed the group.

***
Some social conservatives are wary of McCain because he has never shared their enthusiasm for such causes as banning same-sex marriage.

One Republican active in judicial confirmation politics, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said of McCain the day before the speech: “He’s regarded as a problem among conservatives on several levels.”

McCain was a leader of the bipartisan Gang of 14, a group of senators who averted a vote on changing Senate rules to abolish filibusters of judicial nominees.

Several Bush nominees were filibustered and blocked in 2002 and 2003, including Miguel Estrada.

During the Estrada battle, the Republican activist said, “McCain was a whiner. He kept saying, ‘why are we having these repeated votes (to try to stop the filibuster)?’ He was obtuse; he didn’t get why the issue was important.”

***
Carter Snead, a Federalist Society member who is a law professor at Notre Dame University and former counsel to President Bush’s Council on Bioethics, praised McCain’s speech saying, “I was astonished by how far he was willing to go in broaching the subject of the kinds of judges that he admires. He essentially committed himself to originalism: he used the phrase ‘the original intent’ of the statute or Constitution. He sent a clear message that he shares President Bush’s view of the judiciary. I was surprised by how forthcoming he was.”

[More]

Two Americas

It seems John Edwards was right: there are "two Americas".

On the one hand, there is the America where one has to wait in line at Wal-Mart with all the other poor slobs (risking getting trampled or shot) to get their Sony PlayStation 3; and then, on the other hand, there is the America where rich trial lawyers who make a name for themselves attacking the Wal-Marts of the world try to get special treatment in obtaining a PlayStation 3:

(CNSNews.com) - Former Sen. John Edwards, an outspoken critic of Wal-Mart, admits one of his volunteer staff members asked a Wal-Mart store for help in getting a Sony PlayStation 3. Elizabeth Edwards wanted one for her young children, and according to John Edwards, "she mentioned it in front of my staff people." Edwards told the Associated Press that he and his wife knew nothing about what the staffer did next. He also suggested that the staffer really wanted the PlayStation 3 for himself. Wal-Mart issued a news release accusing the former senator of refusing to wait his turn. "While the rest of America's working families are waiting patiently in line, Senator Edwards wants to cut to the front," the Wal-Mart statement said. Edwards, in turn, blasted Wal-Mart for trying to deflect criticism. And union-affiliated group accused the retailer of completely crossing the line: "Unfortunately, rather than pay a decent wage and provide affordable health care, Wal-Mart is continuing its attacks on Democrats by wrongly accusing and deliberating trying to embarrass former U.S. Senator and 2004 Democratic Vice Presidential nominee John Edwards," WakeUpWalMart.com said. "Wal-Mart's attack on Sen. Edwards' 'homespun' story and insinuation that Sen. Edwards was not willing to wait his turn in line is personally offensive and Wal-Mart should be ashamed." The group said Wal-Mart of making things up -- "to try and salvage its declining public image."

UPDATE
Notice how "common man" Edwards tries to pass the buck to the poor put-upon staffer who was just trying to do his master's bidding:

"[Edwards] also suggested that the staffer really wanted the PlayStation 3 for himself."

Bush Choice for Family-Planning Post Criticized

From The Washington Post:

The Bush administration has appointed a new chief of family-planning programs at the Department of Health and Human Services who worked at a Christian pregnancy-counseling organization that regards the distribution of contraceptives as "demeaning to women."

Eric Keroack, medical director for A Woman's Concern, a nonprofit group based in Dorchester, Mass., will become deputy assistant secretary for population affairs in the next two weeks, department spokeswoman Christina Pearson said yesterday.

Keroack, an obstetrician-gynecologist, will advise Secretary Mike Leavitt on matters such as reproductive health and adolescent pregnancy. He will oversee $283 million in annual family-planning grants that, according to HHS, are "designed to provide access to contraceptive supplies and information to all who want and need them with priority given to low-income persons."

The appointment, which does not require Senate confirmation, was the latest provocative personnel move by the White House since Democrats won control of Congress in this month's midterm elections. President Bush last week pushed the Senate to confirm John R. Bolton as ambassador to the United Nations and this week renominated six candidates for appellate court judgeships who have previously been blocked by lawmakers. Democrats said the moves belie Bush's post-election promises of bipartisanship.

The Keroack appointment angered many family-planning advocates, who noted that A Woman's Concern supports sexual abstinence until marriage, opposes contraception and does not distribute information promoting birth control at its six centers in eastern Massachusetts.

[More]

My Comments:
Looks like the President is going to stick to his pro-life principles. Perhaps foreshadowing an interesting showdown should a Supreme Court vacancy occur during the remainder of Bush's presidency.

Alito: Courts Not "Center of the Universe" in Legal Matters

From Cybercast News Service:

(CNSNews.com) - "It is wrong to think that the courts are the center of the universe when it comes to all legal questions," U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito told more than 1,300 people attending a lawyers' conference in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. Full Story

Tomorrow is "Judgment Day" - # 1 vs. # 2

Go Buckeyes!

Actually, despite being a big fan of the Ohio State Buckeyes, I also like the Wolverines of Michigan (I don't buy into all this hate-mongering that goes on among the fans of these two schools - but then, I'm not from around these parts).

Whatever the outcome of tomorrow's big game, I'll be rooting for the winner to win the National Championship in January. That is, unless Michigan wins and the National Championship game is a rematch between Michigan and Ohio State or Michigan and Notre Dame.


UPDATE
I removed the graphic of the Ohio State player urinating in a Michigan helmet. The purpose of the graphic was to poke fun at the intensity of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry. But at least one reader for whom I have respect was offended by it, and I have chosen to remove it.

Digest of Today's Posts (16 November 2006)

Quote of the Day

Prince Charles' Hopes of Multi-Faith Coronation Dashed by Church

Catholic Stance on Homosexuals and Contraception Elicits Varied Views From Richmond Catholics

Either Peace or Life – Benedict XVI Debunks a False Dilemma

(Digest of Yesterday's Posts (15 November 2006))

Quote of the Day

"There should be two Supreme Courts, one to reverse the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, the other to hear all other cases."

~ George Will

Prince Charles' Hopes of Multi-Faith Coronation Dashed by Church

From the Evening Standard (U.K.):

Prince Charles' hopes of a multi-faith coronation suffered a blow when the Church of England asserted the historic importance of a solely Christian service when he becomes King.

In a rebuke to the Prince's hopes of inviting Muslims, Hindus and others to take an equal role in Westminster Abbey, the Church declared that Archbishop of Canterbury Dr Rowan Williams will design the coronation service.

The highly unusual statement was the Church's first official pronouncement on how the coronation will be handled and it comes amid intensifying controversy over the role of non-Christian faiths and non-Anglican Christian denominations.

Charles has long made clear his yearning for a ceremony in which Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and Sikh beliefs take a place alongside the doctrines of the Church of England.

Dr Williams, however, has insisted that the Prince must restrain his interest in other faiths and stay within the 'constitutional framework' that makes him Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

[More]

My Comments:
God save the Queen!

Catholic Stance on Homosexuals and Contraception Elicits Varied Views From Richmond Catholics

From the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

The Catholic Church isn't asking homosexuals to do anything that isn't also required of unmarried heterosexuals, say several Richmond-area Catholics.

"I'm a widower, and I don't have sex," said Tom McGranahan, a member of St. Bridget Catholic Church on Three Chopt Road. "The only way the church allows sex is in marriage between a man and a woman."

McGranahan supports a statement about pastoral care to homosexuals adopted Tuesday at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops meeting in Baltimore. The statement reiterates church teaching that all homosexual acts are morally wrong but affirms the dignity of those with homosexual inclinations. It also says experiencing such an inclination is not in itself sinful.

The bishops' conference also approved a statement about contraception that encourages married couples who use artificial birth control to stop, as well as a statement that calls on all Catholics in "a state of serious sin" to refrain from Communion.

Finola Steiner, a member of Our Lady of Lourdes on Woodman Road, disagrees with McGranahan.

The bishops need to wake up, Steiner said. "Homosexuality is here, and it's not going away," she said. "I don't think homosexuality is a disorder. It's the way they are born. Most of the homosexual men I know are very, very caring people."

Steiner, who describes herself as a liberal Catholic who still has her faith, said: "Just about everybody I know is pro-family planning. I don't understand why [the bishops] don't get that part. I was born in Ireland, and I knew a lot of little girls whose moms died in childbirth because they had one child after another."

She also said: "It's wrong that divorced and remarried Catholics can't receive Communion unless they have an annulment. Everybody can't get an annulment. That punishes people. You don't know why they divorced."

[More]

(emphasis added)

My Comments:
My friends and I are so enlightened. Why can't the Church just come around to our way of thinking?

Either Peace or Life – Benedict XVI Debunks a False Dilemma

(Hat tip: Amy Welborn)

Sandro Magister writes:

ROMA, November 16, 2006 – In the second of his two addresses to the Swiss bishops on their “ad limina” visit, Benedict XVI replied to what is, perhaps, the objection most commonly directed against the pope and the Church hierarchy by progressive Catholic circles.

The objection is that, in the areas of life and the family, the Church’s hierarchy preaches truths defined as non-negotiable, pure, and solid, binding even in political decisions, while in the areas of peace, justice, and the protection of the environment, it waters down “Christian distinctiveness” and makes feeble statements, acquiescing to the temporal powers.

According to the progressive Catholic circles, the priority should be reversed. The Church should put in the first place the struggle for peace, justice, and the defense of nature, and should be more understanding toward modern “subjectivity” in the areas of life and the family.

Benedict XVI told the Swiss bishops that he has reflected a great deal on this. And his conviction is that, in effect, there exists in today’s world a division between “two parts of morality.”

Peace, justice, and the defense of nature are the object of what is almost a new religion, regardless of the proposed solutions, which according to the pope “are often very one-sided and are not always credible.”

But on life and the family, there is a large following for an “antimorality” contrary to the morality proposed by the Church.

Benedict XVI’s response is that it is necessary “to reconnect these two parts of morality, and make it clear that they must be inseparably united.”

In fact, “it is only if human life is respected from conception to death that the ethics of peace is also possible and credible.”

In this, pope Joseph Ratzinger places himself squarely on the path of his predecessor.

[More]

(emphasis added)

My Comments:
Before someone rushes to say that the Holy Father is endorsing the "seamless garment" approach, it appears that what he's actually saying is this: first, protect the right to life; only then, will an ethos of peace and justice be possible.

Digest of Today's Posts (15 November 2006)

"Schumer Doctrine" Back in Play

Is it OK to poke fun at Pope? Italians ask

Saudis Plan to Fence Their Border With Iraq

Fall Photos

Ten Commandments Stunner: Feds Lying to Tourists at Supreme Court

(Digest of Yesterday's Posts (14 November 2006))

"Schumer Doctrine" Back in Play

From the New York Observer:

More than the inability to influence Iraq policy or the President’s tax cuts, Chuck Schumer says that the single greatest failure of the Democrats as an opposition party was allowing Samuel Alito to join the Supreme Court.

“Judges are the most important,” said Mr. Schumer, who orchestrated the implausible Democratic takeover of the Senate last week. “One more justice would have made it a 5-4 conservative, hard-right majority for a long time. That won’t happen.”

From now on, all the President’s judicial appointments will need to meet the requirements of Mr. Schumer, the Park Slope power broker who has happily accepted the mantle of chief architect for the Democrats’ effort to build a majority for the 2008 elections and beyond.

[More]

My Comments:
Good going, people of Ohio, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Missouri, and Montana. Hope you enjoy Chuck Schumer picking your Supreme Court Justices.


Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Charles Krauthammer on the "Schumer Doctrine"

Up or Down - Religion, Filibusters, & Judges

Is it OK to poke fun at Pope? Italians ask

From Reuters:

ROME (Reuters) - Forget the bloated deficit, forget the fact that Italy's national airlines and train network may go bust; the hottest debate in the country now is whether it is politically correct to make the Pope the butt of comic satire.

That was the question on most front pages of Italy's newspapers on Wednesday after the Roman Catholic officials reacted to a spate of Italian television and radio programmes poking fun at Pope Benedict.

"The Vatican doesn't like satire," headlined Rome's La Repubblica.

L'Unita, the newspaper of the largest party in the centre-left government, even put its banner headline -- "The Vatican Can't Take a Joke" -- above its story about the state railway system being "on the brink of bankruptcy".

In one TV programme, comedian Maurizio Crozza, dressed in white papal robes, imitates Benedict's distinct German accent as he sits behind a desk flanked by two Swiss Guards in ceremonial blue, red and yellow uniform.

Crozza does a satirical play on two identical sounding words -- Pax (peace) and PACS, the acronym for a controversial law that would give unwed heterosexual couples and gay couples in Italy equal civil rights. He says "pax (or PACS) be with you".

The Pope and the Roman Catholic Church oppose introducing the PACS law.

[More]

Saudis Plan to Fence Their Border With Iraq

From the BBC:

Saudi Arabia will press ahead with the construction of a security fence to seal off the border with Iraq, the interior minister has said.

Prince Nayef bin Abdulaziz said it would prevent the entry of Islamic militants and illegal immigrants.

The 900-km (560 mile) fence is part of the larger electronic shield which the kingdom plans to build to secure its northern, western and southern borders.

[More]

My Comments:
Awaiting Cardinal Martino's reaction.

On the subject of border fences and Cardinal Martino, there is a rather interesting dialogue taking place between American Papist and Evangelical Catholicism. (Hat tip: Res Publica et Cetera)

Fall Photos

L to R: Lady Godiva, Spiderman, Richard the Lionheart, the Dread Pirate Aidan

Ahoy, Mateys!

On to the Crusade!

Jamie & Aidan

Mary Virginia, Jamie, & Aidan

Hey, I just raked all that up!

Mary Virginia looking like something that belongs on an English church wall

Ten Commandments Stunner: Feds Lying to Tourists at Supreme Court

Door Panel at the Supreme Court
prominently displaying the Ten "Amendments"
Government tells modern visitors it's Bill of Rights being honored:

Every argument before the U.S. Supreme Court and every opinion the justices deliver comes in the presence of the Ten Commandments, God's law given to Moses on a fire-scorched mountain, and now represented for the United States in the very artwork carved into the high court structure.

In today's world of revisionist history, the proof comes through the work of a California pastor who visited the Supreme Court building recently when he was in Washington and was surprised that what the tour guides were telling him wasn't the same thing as what he was seeing.

Todd DuBord, pastor of the Lake Almanor Community Church in California, said he was traveling with his wife, Tracy, and was more than startled during recent visits to the courthouse and two other historic locations to discover the stories of the nation's heritage had been sterilized of Christian references.

His entire research compilation is available online.

"Having done some research (before the trip), I absolutely was not expecting to hear those remarks," which, he told WND, simply "denied history."

***
He was most disturbed by what appears to be revisionism in the presentations given to visitors at the Supreme Court. There, he said, his tour guide was describing the marble frieze directly above the justices' bench.

"Between the images of the people depicting the Majesty of the Law and Power of Government, there is a tablet with ten Roman numerals, the first five down the left side and the last five down the right. This tablet represents the first ten amendments of the Bill of Rights," she said.

***
... he found a 1975 official U.S. Supreme Court Handbook, prepared under the direction of Mark Cannon, administrative assistant to the chief justice. It said, "Directly above the Bench are two central figures, depicting Majesty of the Law and Power of Government. Between them is a tableau of the Ten Commandments…"

***
DuBord said he knew of other representations, such as the lower part of the inside of each of the oak doors where people enter the inner Court Chamber, where two tablets carry Roman numerals I-V and VI-X.

But DuBord's tour guide said those – too – were the Ten Amendments.

He then asked, "If there are no other depictions of Moses or the Ten Commandments on the building except on the South Wall Frieze in the U.S. Supreme Court, then what about on the east side of the building where Moses is the central figure among others, holding both tablets of the Ten Commandments, one in each arm?"

"Her response shocked me as much as the guide inside the Court chamber. 'There is no depiction of Moses and the Ten Commandments like that on the U.S. Supreme Court,'" DuBord said he was told.

[More]

My Comments:
The co-worker who sent me the link to this story had this to say:

"This reminded me of the main cathedral in Prague, when I saw it back in '82. The commies had removed the primary religious figures from the front over the main door, and replaced them w/figures of Marx, Lenin, Engels, and Trotsky..."

Digest of Today's Posts (14 November 2006)

Marines Would Rather Needy Children Go Without This Christmas Than Receive a Jesus Doll

For the Second Day in a Row, I Find Myself in the Uncomfortable Position of Agreeing With the DNC

Church Deserves Thanks, Not Grief

Activist Court: Ohio Abortion Law "Too Restrictive"

Oh, Those Peace & Justice Types

Times of London Got Anglican Church Euthanasia Story Wrong

Stamp Wars

(Digest of Yesterday's Posts (13 November 2006))

Marines Would Rather Needy Children Go Without This Christmas Than Receive a Jesus Doll

It pains me to write this, but it seems that the Marine Reserves' Toys for Tots program has rejected a donation of Jesus dolls:

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- A talking Jesus doll has been turned down by the Marine Reserves' Toys for Tots program.

A Los Angeles company offered to donate 4,000 of the 1 foot-tall dolls, which quote Bible verses, for distribution to needy children this holiday season. The battery-powered Jesus is one of several dolls manufactured by one2believe, a division of the Valencia-based Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Co., based on biblical figures.

But the charity balked because of the dolls' religious nature.

Toys are donated to kids based on financial need and "we don't know anything about their background, their religious affiliations," said Bill Grein, vice president of Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, in Quantico, Virginia.

As a government entity, Marines "don't profess one religion over another," Grein said Tuesday. "We can't take a chance on sending a talking Jesus doll to a Jewish family or a Muslim family."

Michael La Roe, director of business development for both companies, said the charity's decision left him "surprised and disappointed."

[More]

My Comments:
... Marines "don't profess one religion over another," Grein said Tuesday. "We can't take a chance on sending a talking Jesus doll to a Jewish family or a Muslim family."

We are talking about Christmas gifts, aren't we?

Donate to the Salvation Army instead.

For the Second Day in a Row, I Find Myself in the Uncomfortable Position of Agreeing With the DNC

Yesterday, the Democrat National Committee slammed their favorite Republican, John McCain. Today, they take on Rudy Giuliani:

Democrats: Giuliani Out of Touch With Republican Base

(CNSNews.com) - Word that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani may run for president in 2008 prompted the following response from the Democratic National Committee. "It's unclear whether or not Rudy Giuliani will be able to just 'explain away' the fact that he's consistently taken positions that are completely opposite to the conservative Republican base on issues they hold near and dear. Throughout his career Giuliani has tried to paint himself as a moderate, but now that he's vying for his party's nomination, will he undergo an extreme makeover in an attempt to cozy up to the far-right?" Among other things, the DNC noted that Giuliani was registered Democrat for much of his life (Ronald Reagan also switched from the Democrat to the Republican Party). The DNC also noted that Giuliani is pro-choice, does not support a ban on partial-birth abortion, is "pro-gay-rights," opposed the Bush tax cuts, and is pro-gun-control.

I happen to agree with the DNC in both instances (McCain and Giuliani). But why are the Democrats so presumptuous as to insert themselves into the Republican nomination process 2 years away from the next election? Don't they have a Congress to run? Shouldn't they be worrying about Her Heinous, Queen Rodham, taking out their golden boy Obama in some sort of preemptive "accident" or something?


Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Meet the Next President: Giuliani Tops in Early GOP Polls

Presidential Election Still 2 Years Away, But GOP Seems Intent on Self-Immolation

The Conservative Case Against Rudy Giuliani In 2008

Southern Appeal Takes on The Anchoress' Support for Rudy Giuliani's Presidential Aspirations

Pro-Abort, Pro-Gay, Anti-Gun Republican Tops Pro-Abort, Pro-Gay, Anti-Gun Democrat in Recent Poll

Four in 10 Republicans Would Not Find McCain an "Acceptable" Nominee

Pro-Abort/Pro-Gay Republican Tops Pro-Abort/Pro-Gay Democrat In Presidential Poll - Who Cares?

Pat Robertson Says Giuliani Would Be "Good President"

Church Deserves Thanks, Not Grief

From the Wisconsin State Journal:

St. Bernard's Catholic Church in Middleton didn't go out of its way to become a polling place for last week's election.

Middleton officials asked the church for help in providing adequate space for voting booths, a registration table, ballot box and plenty of parking.

St. Bernard's deserves thanks -- not grief -- for its willingness to pitch in for the public and democracy on Election Day.

Instead, at least one voter is loudly complaining that he had to vote in the St. Bernard's parish center. He says he was disturbed to see a small crucifix hanging on a wall near the ballot box.

The voter needs to lighten up.

[More]

My Comments:
I have a solution for the offended lefty: Don't vote, or vote absentee.

Last week, I dropped my son off at his pre-K class at Norwalk Catholic School's St. Mary Campus, and then walked into the school's lunchroom/gymnasium (where Catholic school kids were menacingly eating their lunch) and cast my ballot.

Activist Court: Ohio Abortion Law "Too Restrictive"

(Hat tip: Rich Leonardi)

The 6th Circuit says that Ohio's parental-consent rule limits access to courts for minors:

An Ohio abortion law is too restrictive because it gives young women only one chance in court to avoid getting their parents' consent for the procedure, a federal appeals court ruled Monday.

The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals also upheld a provision of the law that required all women to meet face to face with a doctor at least 24 hours before getting an abortion.

The decision resolves two of the most contentious issues surrounding a law that has been the focus of an eight-year battle in federal court.

The court's ruling on the parental-consent requirement was a victory for abortion-rights advocates, who said it unfairly limited access to the courts for minors.

The appeals court judges said the rule was unconstitutional because it gave women under 18 just one chance to convince a judge that they shouldn't have to tell their parents before getting an abortion.

A second chance might be appropriate if the young women are mature enough to better understand the procedure or if they develop a medical condition that makes abortion necessary, the appeals court ruled.

"Ohio's law preventing more than one petition per procedure acts as a substantial obstacle to a woman's right to an abortion," wrote Judge R. Guy Cole, who was joined in the decision by judges Julia Smith Gibbons and John Rogers.

[More]

My Comments:
Methinks it's not access to courts that they're really worried about. Can't have mommy and daddy standing in the way of their daughter's access to the all-important right to kill their grandchild.

Oh, Those Peace & Justice Types

(Hat tip: Amy Welborn)

Women chain selves to Catholic diocese door to protest deer kill:

ROCKVILLE CENTRE, New York: Two women were arrested after they chained themselves to the front doors of a Catholic diocese building to protest the authorized killing of deer on church property.

"We're appealing to members of the diocese who respect God's teachings of love and compassion of all creatures to halt the inhumane deer killing," Deirdre Guelke, a Hunter College student from Queens, said in a statement before her arrest.

Guelke and Therese Ferreira chained themselves to the entrance of the Diocese of Rockville Centre offices to protest the deer cull at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception and in Caumsett State Historic Park.

A marksman with a shotgun has been hunting the deer because of an increase in the number of car accidents and near misses with the animals on local roads. The deer meat has been used to stock a food pantry.

(emphasis added)

My Comments:
Poor misguided creatures (I'm referring to the women, not the deer). I guess it will take several traffic fatalities (I'm referring to human deaths - of which there are already many each year involving accidents with deer) before some people will realize that deer populations need to be thinned. But, then again, maybe not even that will do it for some of these folks whose only knowledge of and experience with deer is what they saw in a Walt Disney movie.

As an aside, I was told a couple of years ago that the present deer population in North America likely exceeds what it did when the first English settlers arrived at Jamestown.


UPDATE
I note with irony that one of the women protesting the deer kill attends Hunter College.

Times of London Got Anglican Church Euthanasia Story Wrong

Looks like the media got this story wrong (as one commenter pointed out yesterday). Amy Welborn has the details.

Stamp Wars

Fr. Finigan laments the choice of Christmas stamps in the U.K. compared to what is on offer here in the States:




vs.

Digest of Today's Posts (13 November 2006)

Senator-Elect Webb Spins Catholic-Hating Heritage Into Electoral Success

Incredibly Stupid Move

Best Buy Bans Use of "Merry Christmas"

Democrats Attack Their Favorite Republican

Anglican Church Supports Baby Euthanasia

Catholic Bishops To Readjust Priorities

Pro-Life Outlook After the U.S. Elections

(Digest of Weekend's Posts (12 November 2006))

Senator-Elect Webb Spins Catholic-Hating Heritage Into Electoral Success

From The Belfast Telegraph:

There have been many US presidents with Ulster-Scots roots, but for Virginia Democrat, Jim Webb, being Ulster-Scots or Irish Scots has become a rallying point for his supporters and a focus of his astonishingly popular campaign for a Senate seat.

As last week's New Yorker magazine put it, Webb has presented Ulster-Scots heritage as "the DNA of red-state America".

***
Mr Webb's "love your inner Ulster Scot" message also won some big-name supporters - most noticeably [Catholic-hating] commentator Christopher Hitchens in the Wall Street Journal, who wrote that Mr Webb "is right to stress the huge rage felt by those of Scots-Irish provenance who feel that they have borne the heat and burden of the day in America's wars, and been rewarded with disdain".

***
His basic Scots-Irish message pulls these contradictory strands together with a new message: "The Scots-Irish were pushed out of Scotland, battled Catholics in Ireland, came to the US where they fought everyone from native Americans to the French and were packed overseas to fight the Germans, the Viet Cong and the Iraqis and what do you have to show for it? You're treated as Bible-thumping rednecks by cultural elitists in Hollywood, New York and Washington."

It's a message that has proved to be political dynamite in the Republican heartland, leaving many Republicans and moderate Democrats to ask why they didn't tap into this resentment a long time ago.

[More]

My Comments:
My mother comes from Scots-Irish stock. It wasn't for nothing that she took my conversion to Catholicism so hard.

Incredibly Stupid Move

Reports are that the GOP has named Senator Mel Martinez to be the new Chairman of the Republican National Committee.

Uh, forgive me if I'm wrong, but isn't U.S. Senator a full-time job? Looks like the GOP just wants a hispanic-sounding name to be a figurehead at the RNC, rather than someone who can devote his full time to doing the much-needed work of rebuilding following last week's electoral disaster. Martinez won't even be running the day-to-day operation according to the report cited above.

And what happened to Michael Steele? The GOP floats his name as their choice to replace Mehlman, Steele says he's interested, and then the GOP pulls the rug out from under him.

It has been reported that the Administration wants Steele in the Cabinet as - get this - Secretary of HUD. After all, he's a black guy, so he MUST know something about housing projects. Right?

Losing makes the Stupid Party stupider.