Kwanza Komedy

Click on the post's title. Oh, how politically incorrect of me!

Still Liberal After All Those Subscription Cancellations

As the circulation numbers for the Los Angeles Times continue to drop, the clueless new "leadership" group at the Times continues its liberal drive. Today's lead story on Bush's press conference of yesterday focused on Bush's admitting that it has been a "tough year" in Iraq. Additionally, the tone of the story is one that liberals have been hammering away over the last couple of years: failure.

A conservative, or, at least, pro-American, paper would have focused on something that the Times buried near the end of the story. The President stated,"This war on terror is the calling of a new generation; it is the calling of our generation…"

It is the calling of our generation. There is a new Navy slogan that puts it a different way - Life, Liberty and the pursuit of all who threaten it.

The Times can thank the First Amendment of its protection from the Navy. But, those of who know better cancelled our subscriptions long ago. If you haven't done so, please call and cancel today.

The 1962 Mass of St. Pius V

Click on the posts title for a link to the latest information about the liberalization of the Mass (I know that "liberalization" is an odd word to use here).

The rumored good news that the request need only be 30 parishoners, down from 50, is welcome. I have become so tired of abuses at Mass, it will be wonderful to have the opportunity to go to one that is actually vertically oriented.

I have only two concerns (and I hope the second one is truly just a joke):

1) There are not enough priests who actually know Latin well enough to conduct the Mass;

2) Banal liberal music will be artificially grafted on to these Masses with the intent of destroying the desire of the faithful to ask for them.

The Realists Who Ignore Reality

Check out Mark Steyn's latest on the Iraq Study Group. These old guys have lost touch with reality. Who in their right mind thinks the governments of Syrai and Iran can be trusted?

Michigan is Your Clubhouse Leader

Just as in professional golf, the clubhouse leader is not the leader. We have to wait until everyone finishes the round to see who the leader really is. In the case of college football this year, the leader in the clubhouse for the #2 spot in the BCS championship game was Michigan. But after all the other teams finished their "rounds" the leader for the #2 spot was Florida - the 12-1 SEC Champion.

Top Ten and the Coaching Debacle

The Coaching Debacle: Blame Pete Carrol for continuing with his junior varsity offensive staff. It's time for him to check his ego, eat some crow, and get Norm back. Of course, I made a similar complaint after last season (and during last season too).

Joke: How many tipped balls does it take to get to Pasadena?
Answer: Two (OSU and UCLA). But the Trojans added several more just make sure.

Top Ten

1) Ohio State
2) Florida
3) Oklahoma
4) Michigan
5) Wisconsin
6) LSU
7) USC
8) Auburn
9) Arkansas
10) Louisville

How to be a Notre Dame Fan

A friend sent this to me on Monday.

Roger, Please RESIGN!

The Archdiocese has agreed to pay 60 million dollars to settle some of the sexual abuse cases that have occurred in Los Angeles.

Why didn't he resign as well today? I can only guess that he thinks his actions have not been criminal. My guess is that he will have to flee to Rome much like the cardinal of Boston had to do.

It's a black day in the archdiocese.

Top Ten

Okay, I know that I am all over the place, but I refuse to be bottled in by previous votes.

1) Ohio State
2) Florida
3) USC
4) Michigan
5) Oklahoma
6) Wisconsin
7) LSU
8) Auburn
9) Arkansas
10) Louisville

My top 10

1) Ohio State
2) Michigan
3) USC
4) Florida
5) Arkansas
6) Wisconsin
7) Auburn
8) Texas
9) Notre Dame
10) Louisville.

Thanksgiving "Dinner"

It's off to the Car for us... they now serve breakfast 24/7 so the kids will get what they want even though the rest of us will be having a late lunch/early dinner/

On a married priesthood

click on the title

Unity?

The French Bishops fear the liberalization of the Tridentine Rite as it will negatively affect the unity of the Church:

“The bishops are afraid that the generalization of the Roman missal of 1962 would attenuate the guidelines of Vatican Council II. Such a decision would also risk endangering the unity among the priests, and among the faithful as well.”

Huh? Given the fact that in France and elsewhere the plethora of goofiness and difference in the liturgy has introduced a vast amount of disunity.

Cardinal Arinze has put the silly French in their place. For more, click here.

Mid-Term Historical Numbers

Click on the link... the historical trend indicates that the Republican loss is not abnormal.

My Top 10

1) Ohio State
2) Michigan
3) USC
4) Arkansas
5) Florida
6) Wisconsin
7) Notre Dame
8) LSU
9) Texas
10) Auburn

Rutgers is a nice story, but does anyone in their right mind think they can beat any top team from a major conference, and, no, the Big East is not a major connference in football anymore.

The Horses Have Reached the Starting Gate

With the elections over and the new leadership already coming up with bad ideas, let's take a quick look at current events.

1) Hugh Hewitt was congratulated by Rush Limbaugh for the former's insight into the Republican debacle of last week. I'd link it but trying to find it on townhall.com is like trying to find a Republican at a CTA leadership retreat. Anyway, Hugh did a masterful job of getting it wrong. He blamed the gang of fourteen and other big events that the base really has either forgotten or didn't prioritize. My guess, and we'll see if I am right when all the date finally gets crunched, is that the base stayed home much like it did in 1976 because it was disheartened that Bush really isn't a conservative.

Now I don't excuse the base since they are getting a much worse situation come January with...

2) Cut and Run - the Democrats are already setting a time table to cut and run. Those of you who simply blame Democrats and/or the instant gratification mentality of many who voted for them are showing your ignorance of history. America has never been a consistently reliable military source. Beginning with the pullout after Reconstruction that led to decades of Jim Crow segregation and lynchings, the U.S. electorate has consistently shown that it is incapable of finishing a long fight - and I define that as being anything over four years. Thus, we have traditionally been "weary of war," and that has only been compounded by the Vietnam syndrome and the graying of the hippies.

Frankly, the base that didn't bother to show up and vote because of "principlel" are no better than a child that takes his ball and goes home because he isn't winning. If you need to be mad, get mad at them first since they are the ones with the final say. After all, this last election showed that George Bush is not the fascist dictator that the the Soros crowd has been claiming, and it reminds us that the true power still resides in the hands of the people... the people who bother to vote.

Election Review Part I

After all the data comes in over the next few days, I will be posting my analysis (yipee!).

I may even have a rant later in the week, but until then, the following is an e-mail I received today from Priests for Life:

Time for Democrats to Prove our Point
Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life

Pendulums swing, and political experts point out that the results of yesterday’s elections are not unusual for the sixth year of a two-term President. I will leave to them the detailed political commentary about the dynamics of this election. Let me share with you, however, some key points for us to keep in mind as a pro-life movement, and as we continue with renewed zeal to press forward with our goals.

1. The Democrats gained power by latching onto our momentum, not theirs. These comments in the Washington Post today are instructive: “The complexion of the Democratic presence in Congress will change as well. Party politics will be shaped by the resurgence of "Blue Dog" Democrats, who come mainly from the South and from rural districts in the Midwest and often vote like Republicans. Top Democrats such as Rep. Rahm Emanuel (Ill.) see these middle-of-the-road lawmakers as the future of the party in a nation that leans slightly right of center. In private talks before the election, Emanuel and other top Democrats told their members they cannot allow the party's liberal wing to dominate the agenda next year.”

And the hear of the “liberal wing” is support for abortion on demand.

The Democrats did not (and could not) gain any control in Congress by opposing the pro-life position, but rather by having enough candidates who claimed to embrace it (like Bob Casey, Jr.). Neither party made abortion a top campaign issue; meanwhile, on issues like the war or taxes or spending, pro-life people take various positions. Democratic advances are no indication that people buy into the party’s platform on abortion, which in fact the American public has never supported.

2. Unless pro-life wins, nobody wins. The Democrats’ continued failure to affirm that government must protect unborn children from the violence of abortion calls into serious question their ability to speak credibly about war. In 1994, Mother Teresa asked President Clinton, and all America, “The greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent child, murder by the mother herself. And if we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?” (Speech at the National Prayer Breakfast, February 3, 1994).

The Washington Post reports today that exit polls found 41 percent of voters rated corruption "extremely important" to their decision. Yet corruption cuts both political ways. The willingness to permit, under law, the dismemberment of children in the womb without so much as supporting measures to give them pain relief represents a deep corruption of the mind and heart. In fact, one of the first questions I have for the new House leadership is, “What action will you take on the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act, that would require a mother to be given the option of providing pain relief for her unborn child at 20 or more weeks of pregnancy before killing that child by abortion?”

Indeed, it’s time for Democrats to prove our point. Every effort to build a just society will fail until we eliminate the most fundamental injustice. We cannot welcome the poor or the immigrant without welcoming our own children, and we cannot advance peace in the world until there’s peace in the womb.

3. Culturally, we continue to have the momentum. The fact is, we are well on our way to re-establishing peace in the womb, despite the Democratic extremism on abortion.

Today, I will be in the Supreme Court to listen to the oral arguments in which the Bush Administration will defend the Federal Ban on Partial-birth abortion. This law represents the first time the United States has banned an abortion procedure since Roe vs. Wade. That would not have happened except for the election victories of the last six years. Moreover, the law is being considered by a Supreme Court with two new Justices, placed there again as a result of electoral progress over the last six years and likely to be favorable to upholding the ban.

Every trend continues to move in our direction:
* opinion polls about abortion
* the declining number of abortions, abortionists, and abortion mills
* the strong new motivation of our young pro-life activists who know they are abortion survivors
* the growing voice of women and men harmed by abortion, who contradict its promise of “benefit”
* the evidence in science about who the child is
* the medical evidence that abortion is no benefit to women
* the sociological evidence that abortion is no benefit to society
* a new wave of clergy who are more ready for the pro-life battle than ever
* a new wave of reporters and other professionals who are far more pro-life than their predecessors

and much more.

4. The vote on the South Dakota ban does not mean what abortion supporters want it to mean. The American people continue to oppose all but a small fraction of the abortions that are permitted. The circumstances in which most of the American public supports the legality of abortion are the circumstances of rape, incest, or a threat to the mother’s life or physical health – circumstances which account for a few percentage points of the total numbers of abortion. This, in fact, explains why there was not majority support at the ballot box for the South Dakota abortion ban. Pro-abortion forces, bringing most of their money in from outside of the state, bargained on being able to get the people to reject a “no rape exception policy,” and hence miss the forest for the trees. The people of South Dakota don’t support the Planned Parenthood policy of abortion on demand, and neither does the rest of America. But don’t hold your breath waiting for abortion supporters to tell you that.

5. Keep politics in perspective. Ultimately, what are we seeking when we try to put pro-life public officials into office? We are not looking to them to do our work for us. We are looking to them to do their work and to let us do ours. Ultimately, the People of God have the responsibility for ending abortion, and will do so. The only question is how many obstacles public officials will put in their way, not whether public officials will stop them. The work of public officials is, first and foremost, to protect the public. Yet it is that same duty that falls to the People of God as they continue to expose the truth about abortion, promote alternatives, heal those wounded by abortion and help them speak out, close abortion facilities, and continue to work within the legislative and political arena to challenge government to fulfill the purpose for which it was established.

6. Start working now for 2008. Pendulums swing, and elections are about people getting involved. The time to begin the effort to elect people in 2008, including a pro-life president, is now. Mobilize, educate, grow your lists, and be more vocal and confident than ever before. I look forward to working together with you to pick up the slack, awaken our fellow citizens and believers with the enduring message of truth and life, and restoring, in culture and in law, the protection of our most vulnerable brothers and sisters. Remember, we are not just working for victory; we are working from victory. Victory is our starting point, because Christ is Risen. The outcome of the battle for life has already been decided. It only remains for us to be sure to do our part to proclaim, celebrate, and serve that victory, and bring its transforming power to every segment of our society!

God bless you!
Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life

My top 10

1) Ohio State
2) Florida
3) Auburn
4) Michigan
5) USC
6) CAL
7) Texas
8) Wisconsin
9) Louisville
10) Notre Dame

Endorsements

Click on the title to see my endorsements. I am running it again since it has now been archived, but the election is not over.

Thanks.

Education Fraud

The State of California, like those of the rest of the Union it seems, continues to teach a fraudulent theory in our science classrooms - Darwinism/Evolution.

Now before you reach the conclusion that I have gone off the deep end, please rest assured that I am not suggesting any other theory replace it in our textbooks. Rather, evolution as a theory should be dropped completely since it is so ridiculously wrong.

Ann Coulter, in her latest book The Church of Liberalism: Godless supports (through thorough research) seven truths that should be taught so longs as the knucklehead evolutionists are in the classroom:

1) the truth about the entire fossil record, which shows a very non-Darwinian progression, noticeably lacking the vast number of transitional species we ought to see;

2) the truth about the Cambrian (time period), in which virtually all the animal phyla suddenly appeared, with no Darwinian ancestors;

3) the truth about the Galapagos finch population changing not one (significant) bit since Darwin first observed finces more than 170 years ago;

4) the truth about the peppered moth experiment (which was a fraud);

5) the truth about Haeckel's embryos being a fraud perpetrated by a leading German eugenicist;

6) the truth about the Miller-Urey experiment being based on premises that are no longer accepted; and

7) the truth about the nonexistence of computer simulations of the evolution of the eye.

In the current regular-track biology textbook used at the school where I work, Haeckel is downplayed, but still included in a way that appears that he was on to something "right." The Miller-Urey experiment is still presented (with an illustration) as having great merit.

And, of course, the book (Modern Biology by Towle - published by Holt, Rinehart and Winston) bows down to Darwin and his theory of Evolution. The Cambrian Period explosion is mentioned, but is mentioned in such a way that it seems to not contradict anything that Darwin and his followers have spewed forth.

Our schools aren't teaching science in this area. They are teaching fantasy and it is mandated in the state content standards of the State of California.

Top Ten

1) Ohio State
2) Florida
3) Michigan
4) Auburn
5) Tennessee
6) California
7) West Virginia
8) USC
9) Texas
10) Wisconsin

Top Ten

Yes, I am a little late this week:

1) Ohio State
2) Auburn
3) Michigan
4) USC
5) Florida
6) Tennessee
7) West Virginia
8) California
9) Texas
10) Wisconsin

Gubernatorial General Election Endorsments

Edited to correct a mistake on October 28 in the Propositions:

Here they are (aren't you thrilled?):

Governor - Schwarzenegger

Lt. Gov. - McClintock

Sec. of State - McPherson

Controller - Strickland

Treasurer - Parrish

A.G. - Poochigian

Insurance - Poizner

State Board #2 - Leonard

U.S. Senator - Mountjoy

U.S. Rep #26 - Dreier

State Assembly #59 - Adams

Supreme Court

Kennard (NO)
Corrigan (Yes)

Court of Appeal

Mallano (No)

Rothschild (No)

Boren (Yes)

Chavez (No)

Kitching (Yes)

Aldrich (Yes)

Epstein (No)

Willhite (Yes)

Manella (Yes)

Suzukawa (Yes)

Mosk (No)

Kriegler (Yes)

Gilbert (Yes)

Perluss (No)

Woods (Yes)

Zelon (No)

Cooper (No)

Flier (No)

Judge of the Superior Court

#8 - Henry

#18 - Mitchell

#102 - Zacky

#104 - None (I will not vote for the only candidate listed)

#144 - Stuart

State Measures

1A - Yes

1B through 1D - NO

1E - Yes

83 - Yes

84 - No

85 - Yes

86 - No

87 - No

88 - No

89 - No

90 - Yes

Catholics in the Public Square

Here's something to read from a Bishop in Arizona prior to voting... I wonder if the likes of Kerry, Schwarzenegger and Kennedy have perused it yet?

Doubtful...

I pledge allegiance to Mexico?

Yes it can happen here, in the good ol' USA. An elementary school in Texas held a rally to "teach" about Mexican Independence day that included a volunteer reciting the pledge that some, though not all, students joined.

Then there is the story I saw today that residents of Texas send 5.2 BILLION dollars a year to Mexico... I am curious as to how many of those residents have legal status as I would have no problem with them doing whatever they wanted to with their legally obtained dollars.

North Korea

It is really quite simple: Initiate a policy of nuclear responsibility. Tell Pyjama Boy that any nuclear attack by any organization or country who got the nuke from North Korea will be treated as an attack by North Korea if it happens againts us or one of our allies. Should such an attack happen, North Korea will become radioactive.

That's what Reagan would do. Too bad we don't have a Reaganite in the White House now.

My top twenty

1) Ohio State
2) Auburn
3) Tennessee
4) California
5) Michigan
6) USC
7) Florida
8) Louisville
9) Clemson
10) Texas
11) Wisconsin
12) Notre Dame
13) Boise State
14) Rutgers
15) Oregon
16) Arkansas
17) Texas A&M
18) Nebraska
19) Boston College
20) Georgia Tech

Saving Rick's

Okay, I know that pyjama-boy is causing problems on the international scene, but closer to home we are having a culinary crisis: Rick's may be forced out of business.

To do your share to help prevent this tragedy, click here!

My top 10

1) Florida
2) Ohio State
3) Tennessee
4) U.S.C.
5) Michigan
6) California
7) West Virginia
8) Louisville
9) Auburn
10) Oregon

Vicente is at it again

Early this week, the president of Mexico, Vicente Fox, was whining about how the planned 700 mile wall was an insult to Mexico and was like the "Berlin Wall."

Let's tackle the latter point first. The Berlin Wall was built by the communist government of East Germany under the direction of the Soviet Union so that people from behind the Iron Curtain could not escape. Our wall is not designed to keep our people from escaping!

If he is insulted by the policy, why does he have a simliar anti-illegal immigration policy on his own southern border? Why hasn't the government of Mexico done a better job at addressing the economic problems of the country that encourages its citizens to leave?

If anyone should be insulted, it's us. But do you see the goofy left defending the honor of the U.S.? No! In California, the loony left is more interested in the fact that Governor Schwarzenegger (yesterday) stated that he thought too many immigrants coming from Mexico did not have a desire or plan to assimilate like he did when he came from Austria.

Do you really want Angelides and Pelosi in positions of power?

Drink A-B Products; Boycott Miller

In case you haven't heard SABMiller Brewing (no longer American owned) is supporting the illegal aliens invasion of the United States.

You can join and read about the boycott here.

Remember, only Anheuser-Busch is the only American owned and operated major brewery left in the U.S.A.

Bad Idea, ol' SC

The greedy administrators at USC have reduced the amount of student tickets available for each home football game from 12,000 to 8,000, and have moved the student section away from the 50-yard line so that they can sell more tickets to boosters who are willing to donate $25,000 per year to the program.

I'm all for raising money, but not at the expense of the undergradutates college life and memories. This policy must be reversed.

Cut and Run

From the Center for Security Policy:

CTA's True Position

The California Teachers Association is currently running ads on radio that coincide with the beginning of the school year. In those ads, the CTA encourages parent's to be more active in the lives and education of their children.

However, that parental involvment does not extend to whether or not their minor daugthers want to have an abortion. The radical pro-abortion lobby has a friend in the loony-liberal CTA postion opposing Proposition 85 (the parental notification act).

The crazy thing here is that I, as a public school teacher, cannot give a student Tylenol by law, but I can legally escort a pregnant minor girl to the abortionist without telling her parents.

Madness!

BLAM! A SCREEDY EXPLOSION

1) What do the people of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles really need? According to the Corporate Cardinal, another "Catholic" mortuary where he gets a cut of the action. The Catholic cemetery in El Monte wants to lease land to the non-Catholic Stuart Funeral company (as it has done in other locations) so that the latter can build a mortuary. What, exactly, will this accomplish? It will compete with local funeral directors, many of whom are Catholic, and that, well, doesn't seem very Catholic to me. But the biggest problem is that 4,000-6,000 gravesites will be lost (even more if someone were to build a masoleum instead). With a growing Catholic population, especially in the East Los Angeles area, why would the Cardinal do this?

Money makes his world go 'round. Maybe he needs the income for legal expenses.

2) The morning after pill is about to go OTC across America. Whether one is pro-abortion or not, this is a dangerous plan since there is a significant number of documented cases of women, under the care of a physician who had prescribed the drug, dying as a direct result of excessive bleeding caused by the pill. The fact that the restriction is that only 18 year old or older people can purchase it is just damn silly. This pill will easily find its way into the hands of teenagers. How many teenage girls have to die before American gets some sense? My guess the trial-lawyers will decide that number. Oh, and will the spread of venereal diseases go up? Hmmmmmmmmm...

3) By starting the school year two weeks later than many other districts around the country, the students at my school who take AP classes are already behind in relation to other students as the test date is not moved back for later starting schools/students. So what brilliant idea has my school instituted? SHORTER class periods! Why do we even bother pretending that our public school cares about all students? The unacceptable response from the higher-ups is that the new system will experience some growing pains. Great... tell that to the kids and parents who don't get this year (and possibly later years) back. "Growing pains "does not appear on their AP score sheet as an excuse as to why they did not score as high as they may otherwise have.

4) If Proposition 87 passes, the price of gas will go up. I guess the simple lesson about taxes and prices was not understood (or they don't care) by the idiots who came up with this one. If they just don't care about prices, then I am guessing that they are hoping that you had a public school education.

BLAM!

Undocumented American Aliens in Northen Mexico

It appears that there is a problem in Northern Mexico. Groups of undocumented residents of the United States are roaming over the border to have intimate relations. However, it appears that both the govenments of Mexico and the United States are in favor of this annual event as it promotes a more diversified gene pool. Some opponents of the proposed security wall that the United States is considering fear that if is built, inbreeding will occur and these particular migrants may just die off.

Of course I am not writing about people here, but sheep. Once again, some knuckleheads are putting the lives of people (especially those terrorized by Mexican criminals) behind an animal.

Vacation Blog

I am currently on vacation and blogging here.

Two wrongs...

Hey, Ms. DiFranco, two wrongs don't make a right, nor does your use of moral equivalence have any basis in Church teaching. Just because something wrong happens that you are not a part of does not give you license to create a public scandal.

Women cannot be priests in the Catholic Church.

Click here for more from Philly (HT: to One LA Catholic).

SSPX Blowhards

Click on the link in the title above and scroll down to the "Declaration." I have great sympathy for those who desire a return to the Traditional Rite; however, the pompous and sanctimonious tone that colors almost everything I have read that has originated with the SSPX turns my stomach. The order is convinced that it knows better, and that it is the true repository of the Catholic Faith.

Humility does not appear to be a trait of the order.

Iraq's Yellow Cake and Partially Enriched Uranium

Just in case you think Joe Wilson is telling the truth, let me take this opportunity that Iraq, upon our invasion, had 500 tons of yellow cake and a whole bunch of partially enriched uranium. Click here to review the story.

The man was a menace and needed to be taken out.

The Root Issue

Mr. Fisher and I continue to e-mail one another, although he has chosen to wind down this exchange. I cannot say I blame him since we seem to be getting nowhere. Mr. Fisher, I have now confirmed, was one of the backers of a controversial proposal at the California State Convention of the K of C in 2003 that I, well in the minority, opposed. I opposed it since, as it read, did not allow politicians to vote for bills that would reduce abortions but still permit them. I am assuming (although I am still doing research) that Supreme wasn't to thrilled with that either since that limitation is contrary to the teachings of the Church (politicians are obliged to pick the lesser of two evils in this particular case). More later... the research I have done is on a different computer!

Back and Forth

Although Mr. Fisher and I continue to e-mail one another, we seem to be speaking past one another. It does not seem necessary to post all of the correspondence here; I think I can fairly summarize his position as follows:

1) The Knights of Columbus should immediately expel all pro-abortion and pro-homosexual politicians (pro in that they vote for favorable legsislation);

2) That KofC should ignore the Bishop's authority to define who is and who is not a "practical-Catholic;"

3) The only reasons that Supreme refuses to expel such politicians is that that Supreme doesn't want to get sued, that the officers of Supreme are only interested in protecting their salaries, and that Supreme doesn't want to lose any tax benefits that the organization currently enjoys.

Mr. Fisher has conveniently ignored my points that Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI held and do hold the Order in high regard; that there is no reasonable alternative to the "practical Catholic" provision of membership; and, harping about salaries comes off as petty jealousy.

Sadly, we both want the same thing: for these anti-Catholic politicians to get out of the Knights!

An open letter to the CRCOA, Inc, and the responses

Dear Mr. Fisher:

I concur that the membership of pro-abortion politicians in the Knights of Columbus is a blight on the organization. However, I cannot support your planned protest against the Knights of Columbus due to its refusal to expel pro-abortion politicians who are also members of the Order.

As you point out on your website "we recognize that He established His Church as a hierachical one" as does the Knights of Columbus. As such, only bishops can define what a "practical Catholic" is, and so long as the individual bishops do not publicly declare these individuals as no longer being practical Catholics, there is nothing that the order can do in regards to their membership since we have no moral authority to declare anyone to be a "non-practical Catholic."

However, I would certainly support any resolution (which would have to be initiated at the state level(s)) to publicly call on any member of the Knights who is a pro-abortion politician to immediately resign. The resolution should also include language that reaffirms the pro-life stance of the Order. Additionally, I would appreciate it if you could send me a list of these politicians so that I may contact them personally and ask them to change their ways or resign from the Knights.

Vivat Jesus!

Matthew J. McKinley PGK/SK

MR. FISHER RESPONDS:

Matthew,

Thank you for your comments; however the statement you quote in the second paragraph is not our statement, but one from the Bureaucratic “leadership” of the KofC and, in the light of the late Cardinal O’Connor’s statement, really holds no water.

By the way, we have twice succeeded in getting just such a resolution passed at the California State Council level, the first time by a unaminous vote minus one, the second time by at least an 80% majority, only to have it squashed at the Supreme level. Also, the Supreme in 2003 actually passed a resolution that would have effectively expelled all such errant Knights; however whenever any Council tried to enforce it, the brave men at Supreme squashed them. Check it out.

If you know of any such errant Knights, please send us their names, Council number, state, and a brief description of their errancy.

As soon as I can locate it, I will attach an article describing Virgil Dechant’s pitiful attempt in Chicago to convince me that we were accomplishing nothing, and that they would continue to protect the membership of such errant Knights for your reading.

As long as Knights continue to allow this shameful activity to continue at the State and Supreme levels, we should not call ourselves Knights! As a matter of fact, Fr. Joe Geary, S.J., our now deceased Four times California State Chaplain, once said to me “Ken we’re not Knights, we’re whimps” this was after Virgil had just admitted to the State Convention that the real reason that they could not have allowed our resolutions to take effect was that it would cost $$$$$ in lawsuits from such loyal, pro-abortion, pro-sodomite Knights! We can’t have that can we! Just think, Virgil’s extremely generous retirement and Anderson’s over One Million Dollar salary might have to be reduced!

God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher, Founder & Chairman
Concerned Roman Catholics of America, Inc.

And My Response to His Response

Dear Mr. Fisher:

"On Jul 20, 2006, at 2:42 PM, Kenneth M. Fisher wrote:

however the statement you quote in the second paragraph is not our statement, but one from the Bureaucratic “leadership” of the KofC and, in the light of the late Cardinal O’Connor’s statement, really holds no water."

I took the quote about hierarchy directly from your "Our Philosophy" section found at the following link: http://www.crcoa.com/missionstatement.shtml.

Unfortunately, you have given me absolutely no legitimate source that the Knights of Columbus have the authority to define what is a "practical Catholic." I can find no such authority for the organization in either the Catechism nor in Canon law (although my access and knowledge of the latter is minimal, my searches have given me no results that the Knights have such authority).

I am certainly empathetic with your position. However, I will continue to focus my protests on the bishops who put the Order in this terribly awkward position since they are the ones who define who is eligible to join the Knights of Columbus since they control who is and who is not a practical Catholic.

Vivat Jesus!

Matthew J. McKinley PGK/SK

Hope for Traditionalists

The SSPX and Rome may finally be reconciled. According to the post linked in the previous sentence, the liberalization for the praying of the Tridentine Mass for all Catholics would be included. This linkage makes sense, and it would also show that the rumors about the liberalization (funny use of the word in that the result would be a more conservative outcome) that were floating around during Holy Week were simply premature facts (to borrow a line from a movie).

For the liberals who will, no doubtedly, be up in arms about such a liberalization, they should rest assured that in their lifetimes they will have little contact with the Tridentine Rite since so many of our priests today do not know enough Latin to properly pray and offer the Mass.

However, if the SSPX gets its act together and accepts the pact, it does bode well for the future of the Church.

Life In the Cardinal's Church

Roger's openly gay deacon is at it again. Hat tip to Roman Catholic Blog for pointing out this story. Please tell me how a an open subversive, as in openly subverting the Catholic faith, is allowed regular access to the pulpit?

Intolerant India

What would St. Thomas think?

Radical Hindus in several Indian states have outlawed postelyzing and, in some cases, Chrisitans (both Protestant and Catholic) have been killed.

The next time you call a toll-free number for service and get an Indian representative, ask him or her what he thinks, and then fire off a letter or e-mail to the company you are contacting protesting there support for a religiously intolerant country.

Church as a Chore - The Loss of the Sacred

Attending Mass has taken on a new name in our household: Church as Chore. In reality, we should be praying the Mass, but with the constant emphasis on the horizontal, the vertical has been diminished if not outright lost depending on the parish. This flies in direct opposition to the Pope's emphasis on returning the sense and reality of the Sacred to the liturgy. I realize that many of the people who are "liberal" are sincere; but sincerity does not equal right.

The latest affront occurred at the San Gabriel Mission where some of the mandated traditional prayers were replaced by pagan ones so that the culture of a particular group (Native Americans) could be inserted in their place. The reporter for the Tidings wrote:

The Gloria became the "Honor Song to the Creator," the offertory song the "Planting Stick Song," the communion song the "California Bear Healing Song" and the meditation song, the "Barbareno Chumash Song," which asks for the spirit of healing to do away with pain and suffering."Tayiy Honuuk," an ancient ancestor's melody, served as the dismissal song.

The "Mass" was overseen by the utlra-liberal Bishop Zavala.

Folks, I am not, as so many seem to want to be today, interested in "celebrating diversity while celebrating community." I am interested in praying the Mass with Catholics. In case you have forgotten, the latter word means "universal," and that is the communityin which I, and it appears the Pope, am interested.

Happy Fourth of July

I'm sorry that I haven't been ranting much lately. I have been spending a great deal of time doing research on my family history-tree and the various branches.

The one thing that I have confirmed is that my family is part of the immigrant group that helped build this nation; however, unlike they multi-culturalist bigots of today, my family members became proud Americans. Several of the males from Prussia-Germany actually fought for the United States against the Kaiser and the Central Powers in World War I.

I am doubtful that many of today's immigrants who raising the most noise in the illegal immigration debate would be so patriotic in the AMERICAN sense of the word.

May God Bless America!

You have GOT to be kidding me!

How does Cardinal Mahony keep his job? He (and the knucklehead in Orange County) are not running fingerprint/FBI background checks on volunteers like they said they would who have contact with children if that person is an illegal alien.

They promise to supervise them closely and get two letters of reccomendation. Letters from who? Their coyotoes?

This reneging on policy will look great in front of juries who will eventually hear about the child molestation cover-ups implemented by Mahony.

Click on the headline for the story (free subscription required).

Maybe the archdicoese can change their school slogan to "A Catholic Education is a Scarring for Life."

Morons... Dangerous morons!

Valedictorian

There has been an uproar over the Clark County (NV) School District's decision to cut off the microphone of a valedictorian because her speech deviated from the approved copy. She, apparently since I cannot find the actual speecn, went beyond a mere mention of God and wandered into an area that some considered to prosletyzing. The decision to shut off her mic mid-speech was based on the concept of seperation of church and state since it was a public hign school graduation.

1) The District was wrong (regardless of what the S.C. said in the 1960's) as it was clear she was speaking for herself and not on behalf on the district. She was not a government representative advocating the establishment of an official religion. That was and is obvious to any sane person.

2) She was wrong to focus so much of the speech on herself. The proper role of the valedictorian is to speak not only for herself but, and even more so, on behalf of her class. Self-serving valedictorian speeches are boring if not irritating; and, in her case, a far cry from being humble. So much for her Christian ethics.

... are doomed to repeat it!

The Drudge Report (at the time of this writing) has a headline that reads "Will the USA Intercept?" referring to North Korea's planned test launch of a nuclear missile rocket. North Korea got to this point by lying to the Clinton Administration during negotiations about dismantling its nuclear rocket program.

Meanwhile, the Bush Administration is using the same negotiation strategy with another member of the Axis of Evil, Iran.

Those who don't study and learn from history...

Catholic = Universal. Really?

Today's Los Angeles Times reports on the vote of the U.S.C.C.B. to approve changes in the English translation of the Mass that are more accurate and more in-line with transaltions into other languages. That, in and of itself is a positive. However, the clever liguists still miss the point.

Bishop Arthur Roche of Leeds, England stated, "If the bishops of the English-speaking countries can agree on a single version of the Mass, what a sign of catholicity that will be."

How about having all Masses prayed in Latin? What a sign of catholicity that would be!

Damned Code

My workplace (a public high school) had a project where one student took a picture of another one reading, and the picture was blown up into a pro-reading poster for posting in the library and, possibly, some classrooms. Our principal encouraged this process by appearing in one of the posters holding a book. So far so goodl... but the book he is proudly holding is the Da Vinci code, the book that is slanderous to the Catholic Church and Opus Dei in particular and all Christians in general.

This particular poster is posted in the trophy case at the entrance to the main office. My personal complaint about working in a religiously hostile environment has fallen on deaf ears.

I wonder if he will take time to read this? I doubt it.

And the secular attack on faith and religion marches on.

The Lost Treasures of Our Sacred Places

With demographic shifts, economic problems, and Protestant architecture on the rise in the Catholic dioceses of the Northeast, more and more churches are being gutted and their parts sold. Sold not to other churches, but to casinos, restaurants, pubs etc.

Shouldn't the faithful of the west coast be allowed first crack at these items... oops! I forgot I mentioned the Protestant influence. Perhaps the Knights of Columbus could intervene.

The full story can be found in the New York Times

More mutliculturalist nonsense

Click on the title for the left's view on the grandson of immigrants attempt to stand up for English. If only there were a Geno's cheesesteak franchise in Los Angeles so that I could order and savor my sandwich while describing its taste in English.

Oh those Progressive Catholic Homosexuals

You have to read this.

Of course no apology can be found on their website.

Endorsements

For the June Primary (Republican and non partisan races) of California and Los Angeles County:

Governor - Robert C. Newman II;

Lt. Governor - Tom McClintock

Sec. of State - Bruce McPherson

Controller - Tony Strickland

Treasurer - Claude Parrish

Attorney General - Chuck Poochigian

Insurance Com. - Steve Poizner

State Board (4th) - Bill Leonard

U.S. Senator - Dick Mountjoy

U.S. Representative 26 - Sonny Sardo

State Assembly 59 - Barry Hartz

SC Judge 8 - Bob Henry

SC Judge 18 - Daviann L. Mitchell

SC Judge 28 - Douglas W. Wietzman

SC Judge 95 - Richard Kraft

SC Judge 102 - C. Edward Mack

SC Judge 120 - Dzintra Janavs

SC Judge 122 - Robert Davenport

SC Judge 144 - Randolph Hammock

State School Superintendent - Diane Lenning

County Assessor - John Loew

LA County Sheriff - Ken Masse

Proposition 81 - NO

Proposition 82 - NO

Tony Blair is Becoming Less Churchillian

Commentors, especially on the BBC and on conservative talk radio in the United States, have been calling British Prime Minister Tony Blair "Churchillian" for his attempts and shaping the future with a British stamp. Blair's recent proposal on expanding the United Nations Security Council's permanent members (to include Japan and India) can only sound Churchillian to someone who doesn't understand Churchill.

If one defines Churchillian as a British PM who proposes ideas that have world-wide impact, then Blair indeed is Churchillian. However, if one truly understands Churchills Sinews of Peace speech and his idea of the Special Relationship, one looks at the latest proposal as a betrayal of Churchill's ideas and legacy.

Unfortunately, Blair seems to be looking to repair his liberal and global credentials as he heads into the sunset. When leaders start focusing on their legacy, bad ideas and actions follow all too often.

And that is definitely not Churchillian.

Myspace.com

I have recently created my own my space account (myspace.com/mjmckinley) so that I may blog on topics of interest to my students and give them a space to respond to issues should they so desire outside of the classroom. Hopefully, this will allow them to better express themselves, think more clearly, give them a place to vent, and teach me a thing or two about what it is like to be a teenager in So Cal today.

Myspace has come under increasing criticism, rightly so, of late. However, its positive aspects need to be reinforced. Hopefully my new side project will do just that.

Additionally, you can check out by other Blogger blog about the clan (as in my family tree) here.

Happy Surfing!

Faithful?

The church that owns the Forum in Inglewood allowed its facility, on a Sunday night, to host the opening of the Madonna tour which included the performer's faux crucifixion as well as the need for her and her fans, including the liberal Rosie O'Donnell, to cross the picket lines of striking labor members.

This church should be ashamed of its collective self. If there is a silver lining in this cloud, at least Cardinal Mahony wasn't there to get notes on his next REC liturgical dance session.

Aren't Catholic Colleges Supposed to Instill Values?

Well, so long as those are secular "if it feels good, do it" values if your are the Catholic University in Washington D.C. The school officially condemns the behavior of the young ladies at the initiation party. I think that the coach and players need to take a break from their vacation and apolgize immediately for this rude behavior.

AP Pictures from the Border

Click on the title above; AP has some interesting pictures.

As for the President's suggestions about the National Guard, note that he left it up to the Governors of the four states involved, so... no real Federal solution has been offered to support the Border Partrol.

Kansas City

Talk about the The Church Militant!

Benedict and Immigrants

I am sure that the wacky open border crowd will hail the Pope's pronouncement (which actually is directed more at Christian-Muslim relations than anything else) as supporting their position.

Hardly.

Check out this section of his speech:

"In this activity of welcome and dialogue with migrants and itinerant peoples, the Christian community has as its constant point of reference Christ Who left His disciples, as a rule for life, the new commandment to love." For this reason, the Pope added, "believers are called to open their arms and hearts to everyone, whatever their country of origin, leaving the task of formulating appropriate laws for promoting healthy coexistence to those responsible for public life."

In the United States of America, the ultimate authority and responsibility for making laws or for the assignment of others to do it is with the people - in other words, us. In the analysis of this author, a healthy coexistence is one that is founded on a healthy respect for the reasonable laws of the land especially those that deal with border security and national security.

Build the fence!

Schools: Public versus Catholic in Los Angeles

Until very recently I have been a strong proponent of a Catholic primary and high school education for Catholic children in Los Angeles. Although the jury of my mind is still out on high schools, the decision renedred for primary schools is "no more" due to the introduction of the Virtus program in the schools. Rather than adopt a program to deal with improper touching and molestation in the wake of the sex-abuse scandals in the Church, the USCCB has adopted the Virtus progam that has sprung forth from groups and individuals with ties to organizations that are directly hostile to the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Two priests in Minnesota has gone so far as to publicly denounce the program and to refuse to implement in their parish. Their reward for standing up for the teachings of the Roman Church has been to be punished by the Bishop.

It should come as no shock that Cardinal Mahony has foisted this wolf upon the unsuspecting flock of Los Angeles along with the Good Touch/ Bad Touch program that has been explicitly rejected byBishop Vasa of Oregon for not being in line with Catholic teaching although he is in the minority.

What it comes down to is that the Church's explicit teaching on letting children be children in the early stages of life (as mentioned in one of the links above) is being ignored. A program of thinly veiled sex education is being foisted on Catholic children in Catholic schools.

So, why might a public school be better? Certainly many have similar programs in place. The difference is that parents have an easier time of opting out of said programs in a public school. Even when that might be difficult, it is much easier to explain to a child (although by no means easy overall) that a public school does not speak with the authority of the Pope or the Church. However, it is very confusing and damaging for a child to hear that same argument when the school is a Catholic one. Thus, "deprogramming" and/or protecting your child's innocence may actually be easier in some public school systems.

This appears to be true in the area in which my family now resides. Unfortunately, this is not the only theological abuse found in Catholic schools in Los Angeles today, but it is one of the more serious ones. Parents who think that the Catholic schools have their best interests in mind need to think again.

Has Andrew Sullivan Lost His Mind?

Andrew Sullivan's grasp on reality has officially been lost, and he chose the pages of Time magazine to let the world know. In his latest missive in the speudo-serious news magazine, Sullivan has coined a new term, "Christianist," to describe political movements (of the conservative side only) that espouse Christian views that should be politicized in that those folks cannot split their Christian identity from their political identity.

Sullivan is tired of Christianists co-opting all Christians into the world of right-wing politics as he sees it. In fact, in his proof by selected instances manner, he claims that many (if not implying that most) Christians who are devout are liberal. He also implies that no Christianist or conservative Christian could tolerate living next door to someone who does not share his views.

What a bunch of nonsense!

If Sullivan had bothered to do any research, he would have seen that the turning point in the last election was on morals and values which would seem to imply (or at least cause one to research the matter) that the majority of Christians are conservative and think that their public political actions should reflect their values (I cannot believe that Sullivan doesn't think that his political choices do not reflect his values). Additionally, the most devout church goers tend to be more conservative according to poll after poll, thus disproving his claim. Just looking at a Gallup poll on church attendance shows that the more conservative denominations have higher average attendance which would seem to indicate a more "devout" position.

Sullivan also implies that since Christ said that his kingdom is not of this world, that Christians should tolerate almost any behavior conducted by thy neighbor. Obviously, he has chosen to ignore the Ten Commandments, the New Testament Commandent to love thy neighbor, and that little admonition about not harming the children (oops... that might include those pesky abortions, huh, Andy?).

Here is Sullivan's final rant:

"That's what I dissent from, and I dissent from it as a Christian. I dissent from the political pollution of sincere, personal faith. I dissent most strongly from the attempt to argue that one party represents God and that the other doesn't. I dissent from having my faith co-opted and wielded by people whose politics I do not share and whose intolerance I abhor. The word Christian belongs to no political party. It's time the quiet majority of believers took it back."

Translation: I dissent from the commands of Christianity as they apply to the world. I dissent from anyone who claims to be a Christian but does not agree with my politics. I dissent from reality since I offer no substantive proof that any political party actually claims that it represents God. I dissent from publicly recognize that there is a difference between right and wrong that might actually find its way into legislation so long as I disagree with it. I dissent from the need to back up my assertions with any real evidence. I dissent from reality.

The Wacky Right

Just in case you thought I was the conservative's conservative in Church matters, allow me to lambast the heretics at Traditio. These folks refer to the Novus Ordo as the "New Mess" and the Holy Roman Catholic Church as the "NewChurch." Although the site does do an excellent job of pointing many of the more heinous abuses of the left, its refusal to recognize Petrine Authority is an abomination.

How about a trade?

I'll gladly trade Bishop Bruskewitz for Cardinal Mahony. Check out the interview from April in the The Wanderer with the good Bishop. Perhaps the best line, and one that Cardinal Mahony should paste on his mirror is the following:

Q. Why do you object to pro-abortion Catholics serving on the lay board? Aren’t a lot of prominent Catholics supporters of partial-birth abortion? Don’t they deserve representation too?

A. It’s a standing disgrace that some of these people who call themselves Catholic don’t understand the heinous evil that they support. That we should give them a position of prominence in the Church is an outrage.

Mahony's cavoring with pro-abortion political leaders like the mayor of Los Angeles (to name just one) is increasingly infuriating.

For more information on the good bishop, visit this "fan" club site.

I Couldn't Resist

I had to send an e-mail to the person who's leftist post is in the post below:

Dear Mr. Waldrop:

As a public high school teacher in Southern California I try to avail myself of the many sources on the internet for the issues that arise in my social studies classes. I read with interest your recent post on "The War on Immigrants."

As a Catholic and Fourth Degree member of the Knights of the Columbus, I, too am against policies that might lead to more abortions. Unfortunately, your claim that immigration policies that will stem the flow of illegal immigrants into our country will result in more abortions because the policy will create more economic stress on the immigrants simply does not make any sense.

The problem is one of simple supply and demand. Since the supply of low-wage immigrant workers is increasing and far outstrips the demand for said labor, simple market forces cause the wages paid to fall. A recent issue of Time magazine had a cover story that addressed this very topic. As such, migrants, legal or not, are seeing the wages they receive drop which increases their economic stress.

I have serious misgivings about many of your conclusions for which you provide no real world evidence to support. I am also concerned that a Catholic organization such as yours (which seems to be doing God's work in helping the poor in tangible ways in Oklahoma) would seem to be on the same side as the atheistic communists who are pulling the strings in the organization of these events (workers.org). Additionally, I believe if you make careful study of Gramscian-Marxism (Antonio Gramsci), you will see that your positions put you on the side of the multiculturalists who wish to tear down the positive remnants of Western civilization that very much includes the Holy Roman Catholic Church (a simple Google search of "gramscian marxism" will set you on your way).

Your post also ignores the comprehensive nature of the Catholic Catechism as it relates to immigration which states:

"2241 The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin. Public authorities should see to it that the natural right is respected that places a guest under the protection of those who receive him.

Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants' duties toward their country of adoption. Immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens. (emphasis added)."

Given the number of immigrants who have flooded the country since the change in immigration laws in the 1960s, it seems America has done quite a bit to welcome them including offering free schooling, emergency health care, welfare benefits, etc. The open border policy spouted by the communists directly contradicts the italicized portion above.

I prayerfully hope that you will reconsider you association with Marxist philosophy whether intentional or not. I also pray that you will continue your good works in Oklahoma tending to the needs of the least of our brothers.

Vivat Jesus!
Matthew J. McKinley PGK/SK

UPDATE May 6: Neither of his e-mail addresses is real!

Speaking of the loony Catholic Left...

It's been a while since I have read something as silly as this, but it's nice to know that my conclusions about the loony Catholic left are correct. The author of the piece may indeed do good works for the poor in Oklahoma, but his tenuous grasp on reality is amazing. I could go on and on about the fallacies presented in his diatribe (from which evidence to support his conclusions about world events is sorely lacking), but I shall focus solely on the statement below about abortion and illegal immigration:

"One of the great evils that flows from harsh immigration laws is an increase in abortions. Many women cite "economic desperation" as a reason for seeking an abortion. The more economic stress we put on the poor, the more women will decide to choose abortion, because they feel they simply cannot afford another child. If harsh immigration laws are passed, they will increase the economic stress on immigrant households, and thus they are likely to produce an increase in abortions. Supporters of these laws must ask themselves: How many unborn children am I willing to kill to make my political points and curry favor with the mob?"

The constant influx of illegal immigration undercuts wages made by the poorest of people in areas where immigrant labor is in high demand. Thus, not controlling immigration and allowing the market forces of supply and demand to determine wages where the demand for workers does not come close to the ever increasing supply of workers will create more economic stress for the poor. So, how many unborn children is ol' Bob willing to kill in order to make political points and curry the favor of the Marxist mob who is behind the protests? And since when is being on the same side as the atheist-Marxists a good thing for Catholics?

Death International

I wonder how many of those goofy Amnesty International Catholics will cancel their membership when presented with this news about their organizations attempt to decriminalize abortion worldwide. My guess is that they will lament how "out of touch" the Church is with modern man.

Blech!

The Truth from Down Under

The great Cardinal Pell is back to his old tricks... telling the truth about Islam. What is laughable about this story is the spokesman for Islam who claims that Pell's comments are "off the cuff." Hardly. Pell is a learned man who studined the Koran and found countless parts of it that advocate violence. The only thing that is shown by the comment of the defender of Islam is that he is a liar.

Rommel... You magnificent bastard, I read your book!

Okay, they will be here until Saturday. Now why won't the INS be there too?

It can't happen here!

Remember when Cardinal Mahony uttered nonsense about how Arab or Muslim terrorists wouldn't try to enter the United States from the south. In fact, he implied that no one other than Mexicans and Central Americans would attempt to enter the United States illegally from the South.

Ooooooops!

You Can't Do That Here!

What the folks did yesterday in the streets of many American cities is illegal in Mexico.

The Communist Answer

If you haven't figured it out yet, haven't been reading this blog regularly, or haven't had the fortune (or misfortune) of hearing my personal rants over the last month, I have constantly argued that the Gramscian-Marxists would continue to foist multi-culturalism on us until they could break us through Balkanization.

The events of today are being orchestrated by ActionLa in conjunction with A.N.S.W.E.R. which is a part of International Answer group that is funded by communists. It is run by the Workers World Party that favors abolishing private property and the introduction of communist rule that is publicly promoting the May 1st nonsense.

If you know of anyone who is supporting this nonsense, confront them on the communist backing facts. See how they react!

BTW: Here is Michelle Malkin's vent!

Why is it?

Why is it that most of the students who have skipped classes today (for me) are ones with horrid grades?

Oh, well... I am sure (not) that there participation in the protest was much more important than today's class on Cesar Chavez and farmworkers.

Don't forget to spend money today! Boycott the boycott!

Resisting the Urge

I am resisting the urge to make a mockery of the Mexican National anthem after reading the lyrics of the devisive version of the Star Spangled Banner playing on American radio stations that cater to Spanish speakers.

At least President Bush has panned it; but the real questions are, "does he get it now? Does he realize how bad the situation has become, and that his placating those who have no respect for our laws, and, now, our traditions?"

I am afraid that the answer is still, "No!"

If you are as irritated as I am about the change in the National Anthem, I suggest you take a glance at this.

No Justice = No Peas!

The fruit and produce distribution center in downtown Los Angeles will be closed on Monday to honor the asinine Day of the Law Breakers. As such, many stores, restaurants, etc. will be unable to purchase fresh produce on that day. Until I heard the story on KNX this morning, I did not realize that my eldest daughter (almost four) has been a pro-illegal alien radical for much of her short life as she has refused to eat vegtetables and most fruits for the past four years.

Given that the unemployment rate is at 4.8% according to the figures released on April 21, I suggest that the INS arrive at the produce distribution center downtown on Tuesday and raid it. Perhaps the morons who run the place will then hire some of the out of work legal residents of the county.

In an attempt to help the Republican Party in the November polls, the California State Senate voted, along party lines, to support the walk out on Monday. Perhaps they can sing "Our Anthem" which is the new Spanish version of the United States National Anthem to be released today. Balkanization anyone?

Meat processors Cargill Inc., Seaboard Corp. and Slick Willy's favorite Tyson will close on Monday. After a quick look at the website of the first two, it appears that there products do not reach California. However, if you did not stop buying Tyson during the Clinton Administration, now is the time to do so.

To learn more about the knuckleheads behind the walkout, you may access their website here, but don't blame me if it doesn't work or load very well as it did (or, I should say, did not) this morning... I guess the website administrator didn't get the memo that work was supposed to cease on Monday.

Cost

According to an article in today's Inland Daily Bulletin, the cost of incarcerating illegal aliens in San Bernardino County alone is $11 million dollars a year with about 7,000 inmates being processed. President Bush seems to think that just by saying "it won't work" that he has ended the discussion on deportation... but to what cost? If it is costing SB county $11 million per year, shouldn't we at least start deporting them?

Bush's INS seems to think so based on the article today, but past performance is not predicting a positive outcome.

More Mahony Baloney

The Cardinal is at it again. On the official website of the archdiocese, Mahony blathers on about what to do on May 1 in light of the call of many anti-American leaders to stage a walkout to protest our ability to defend our borders and decide who should be able to call themselves American by legal means.

As a parent and a teacher, his sections on what parents and students should do is appalling. You can read it for yourselves at the link provided in the previous paragraph. Here is my alternative suggestion for what you should do on May 1:

1) Go to work or school like you normally do on a Monday;

2) Wear patriotic U.S.A. clothing;

3) Refuse to participate in any consciousness raising or workshop session about immigration; tell them you have work to do and do it. America was built by doing not emoting;

4) If your child's Catholic school is holding a day of silliness, have your child stay home and work on school assignments; call your principal and pastor and tell them that they are not getting another dime from you until they learn to refer to illegal aliens as such instead of "undocumented workers," like the goofy Cardinal does.

Final note: find out what funds are designated as "restricted" at your parish and make sure that any money that you give is expressly designated for those funds. By doing this, you can prevent any of your donations from making their way to the corporate office of the Cardinal on Wilshire Boulevard.

A republican Proposition

Yes, that is republican with a small "r." The Founding Fathers of this great nation due that direct democracy on large scale issues was the enemy of liberty. One of the most heinous forms of direct democracy on a large scale is the existence of ballot propositions. If we are truly interested in democracy and not tyranny even if it is tyranny on a single issue, we need to revamp (if not eliminate) the proposition process.

Short of elimination, I propose that a new law be passed that would only allow a winning proposition to go into effect provided that at least 50% plus one voter voted on the issue. If a simple majority did not view the matter as serious enough to be voted on, then the matter should automatically be rejected so that the tyranny of the minority not prevail.

Medjalottanonsense

John Allen has repoted in the National Catholic Reporter that Bishop Peric, whose diocese includes Medjugorje, recenlty met with Pope Benedict and both of them appear convinced that Medjugorje is a fraud.

What continues to be troubling is that so many are buying into (literally) this nonsense. It is even promoted from the pulpit at some churches, and Cardinal Mahony has permitted The Tidings to run advertisements to pilmigrages there when such trips are expressly forbidden by Rome. Additionally, at the REC online session in 1997 Mahony had this exchange with a questioner:

Question: Your Eminence, what is the official position of the church on the alleged apparitions in Medjugorje and do you have a personal opinion about this?

Rmccd: No, there are many places around the world where much grace is obviously present and being poured out upon people. Whether there are actual revelations or not is not important.


What a bunch of garbage! Mahony whines about how Bishops and their territorial rights need to be repsected, but he deliberately undermines one of his fellow bishops by not toeing the Vatican line!

Heaven help us!

Adding Insult to Injury

For those of you who continue to defer to Cardinals because of their position, remember how much Cardinal Law has wrecked Boston and the faith of those who live there by reading this story.

Tridentine Rite Update

Click on the title and scroll to the bottom of the linked page. If the rumors are true, the Tridentine Rite will be freed on Holy Thursday!

Shame, shame on Ol' Notre Dame

After publicly condemning the play The Vagina Monologues the gutless president of the University of Notre Dame has decided to allow the play to be performed on campus anyway.

Perhaps he can stage a play based on the Gnostic Gospel of Judas next.

What a disgrace.

The Catechism and Illegal Immigration

(updated since the first post of 8:30 a.m.)

The Catechism of the Catholic Church seems to be more on the side of law and order than Cardinal Mahony:

"2241 The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin. Public authorities should see to it that the natural right is respected that places a guest under the protection of those who receive him.

Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible, may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants' duties toward their country of adoption. Immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens. (emphasis added)"

So, since there is an apparent rejection among many, if not most, immigrants who are currently rasing an uproar in support of La Raza, it seems equally apparent that Cardinal Mahony is, once again, way off base (HT to L.A. Catholic.)

For a man who is supposedly so intelligent, it amazes me that some of the main points of simple economics elude him.

By flooding a market with cheap labor three things happen: (1) the wages received by workers drops (as does the average living standard for said workers) since the elasticity of demand is not too great. Thus, the poor get poorer and more of them are created; (2) The rich get richer. In effect, the wealth transfer created makes the employers richer since they will have to pay less to secure employees; and (3) the strain on public services (education, health, police etc.) grows (in addition to more pollution, trash issues, etc.) which will cost all people more in the long run.

Mahony obviously has no compassion for the poor citizens of this country since he is advocating a system that will make their economic conditions worse. Couple this with his abhorent behavior in the pedophilia scandal and the only conclusion that can be reached is that his ego is running the show.

It's past the time for him to go.

The next time the knucklehead asks for money, you may want to consider giving it here instead.

Altar Boys

I have long complained that the idea to allow altar girls hampers the recruitment of young boys and men into the priesthood. I have always felt that participation in Holy Mass at the altar by boys would boost vocations. I certainly have no proof that my conclusion is true, and I am not against altar girls from any sort of gender issue. I have just felt that we need to do all we can to bolster priestly vocations and allowing only altar boys would do that.

Although it is only anecdotal evidence, the general orthodoxy and altar boy only policy of the Lincoln of Dicoese led by Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz has seemed to pay off!

In addition, as seen today on the L.A. Catholic Blog, Bishop Bruskewitz has fired back at the silly committee run by non-Bishops of the Bishops. You have to read his response to the attack by the lefties on his orthodoxy in light of the pedophilia scandals seen in so many other dioceses.

Perhaps we should pray and fast that Bruskewitz replaces Mahony soon!

The Patriotic Immigrant

NOTE on April 5: I just sent the body of this blog to the principal of Shaw Middle School in Colorado hoping that it might change her mind about the banning of patriotic clothing.

He was born in Italy in March of 1925 and died in California in March of 2006. The eulogists described his model life - a model for Catholics and Americans whether they are immigrants or not.

At the age of 17 he followed in the footsteps of his older brothers and joined the United States Army to fight for his country - the United States of America.

He fought in the Third Army, starting in Africa with Patton and moving across the northern part of the continent, eventually working his way to Italy, Anzio, and eventually Rome. Given his Italian roots, he was often used as an advanced scout sneaking back and forth over enemy lines. He and his unit moved into southern Germany and was one of the first to reach the concentration camps. He was part of the unit that captured Hitler's private mountain estate.

Along the way, he received a Purple Heart, two Bronze Stars and one Silver Star along with seemingly countless other medals and honors making him the third most decorated soldier in World War II.

May God bless you and keep you, Art Gabriel, and may your life as a patriot, husband, father, grandfather, friend and a Roman Catholic be a shining example to all Americans and to those who want to live here.

Religion, etc

The Glendale News Press printed my letter.

More importantly, the return of the Latin Mass seems to be more of a certainty.

UPDATE ON THE LATIN MASS!!!!!

You may also want to check out the L.A. Catholic blog. He's got some interesting thoughts.

It Just Gets Worse

The administration today sent an email to the staff that indicates that future walkouts will be met with tough penalites including expensive truancy tickets. But give the school's past of laying down the law and then randmonly enforcing (if at all) concerning L.A. clothing, Raider clothing, hats, phones, etc. neither the students nor the staff are ready to believe that this time the administration actually means what it says.

What further infuriates is the following line from this morning's email: "We would also appreciate it if you would not make any personal comments for or against the protests."

Here is the text of my response:

Since when did speaking out to uphold the laws of our nation become wrong in the Covina Valley Unified School District? Is the "C" for citizenship and our responsibility to be role models just talk for WASC, or does it really mean something?

I understand the desire not to exacerbate the problem in an election year, but I am not a Machiavellian. I do not plan to be a blowhard and incite the students. I shall lead by example which is more than I can see from our superintendent.

God Bless America!

I am sick and tired of the anti-American tone taken by some of our students and, apparently, the administration of our school district.

And remember the words of the Purdue band!

The Proper Response

The United States of America is a nation of laws. If we abandon that premise, we will dissolve into a quagmire. Obeying the laws is key to an orderly society that we can all enjoy.

The illegal alien issue and the choice to ignore that they are illegal is a choice to attack and destroy the concept that we are a nation of laws.

When the laws are broken, the offenders need to be punished appropriately. Our government has failed to prosecute the corporate interests that break the law, nor do they choose to effectively deal with the illegal aliens themselves. So many are not deported. Most are arrested and released on their own recognizance.

This type of "slap on the wrist" mentality sends the signal to all levels of society that breaking the rules brings minor, if any, consequences on this issue.

That is especially true at the school district level in Covina, where the district proposed and the schools accepted the following "punishment" for yesterday's walk out:

"Information in regards to today's festivities. Students who walked out are marked truant and need to be sent for readmits. Students who participated today will receive a half hour detention if they missed two periods or less, and an hour if they missed more than two periods. These truants cannot be cleared. If students choose to walk out again they will recieve the same detention, but will be cited for a truancy ticket."

The slap on the wrist response to the walk out of approximately 1,000 plus law breakers is asinine and an insult to those of us who support the rule of law.

Walkout

The students at my place of work decided to have a walk out today, replete with Mexican flags...

500,000 people protested in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday goaded on by the far left Mayor of Los Angeles.

Walk outs are happening at many southland schools today.

Where is the INS when you need them?

An Open Response to Ray Shelton

On Monday, The Glendale News Press published a letter to the editor by Mr. Ray Shelton entitled Religion defeats its own purpose which was written in response to a religious community forum in which the paper asked, "What is humanity's greatest threat? (The most common answer was, "hunger.") Mr. Shelton argued that the real answer is "religion" in that neither religion nor a God could supply directives that would then supply the basis of morality. Mr. Shelton links the commands of a potential external consciousness with threats and not morality. The Hobbesian conclusion for Mr. Shelton is that external rules are threats, therefore, the only real morality is the one that is individually and internally perceived and determined.

Michael Novak writes in his recent First Things article entitled "The Truth About Religious Freedom" (March 2006) that, "atheism, however, as (Pope) Benedict points out, may be a position of passionate commitment, but it cannot be a position of reason. No man knows enough about the conditions of existence to know for certain that there is no God." Mr. Shelton claims that it is a "fact that religion is based on a falsehood - the fantasy of a God." It seems to me, and to Mr. Novak, that a more tenable anti-religion position would be one of agnosticism, but Mr. Shelton has put himself in the God-like position of knowing for sure that God does not exist. How odd.

Mr. Shelton also claims that there is a "law of causality" that can only be described as being an external law; what, then, is its primary source? What is the primary source of the laws of physics? More importantly, what is the primary source of the laws of logic that Mr. Shelton assumes supports his argument?

Could the answer possibly be, "God?" I should think so even if he abuses the rules of logic in an attempt to make his case.

That's Amore?

I certainly hope that the Vatican has enough sense to cease its relationship with wine maker Robert Cipresso after he teamed with a porn star to create line of wines. Click on the link above for the story.

Stay the Course

Those who are against the Iraq war seem to be against Bush and Blair in their respective countries. The myopic and blatantly political tone found in the attacks against B & B indicates that those doing the attacking have no clue as to the stakes in the long term battle against terrorism. The question that should be asked is why are the enemies of democracy, Bin Laden, Iran, Syria etc. so eager to help the terrorists (aka "insurgency" in the MSM)? The answer is that democracy threatens their type of dictatorial rule and promotes human rights over their extremist philosophies.

Tony Blair gave an excellent speech in defense of the involvement of the Special Relationship led forces in Iraq yesterday. One of the better stories covering the event can be found in The Times of London.

I am thankful that leaders like Blair and Bush know what the modern sinews of peace are. Thankfully, they are trying to lift the Iron Burkha that is trying to descend over the Middle East.

Invest Right for Your Blood Type

Given that crackpot Peter J D'Adamo's nonsensical book Eat Right for Your Blood Type has conned significant numbers of people to irrationally change the way they eat and that he has made a boat load of money off of his scam, I have decided that may be I should write my own book: Invest Right for Your Blood Type.


Here is my thesis:

Type A

You are a fruit and vegetable type according to D'Adamo. Thus you should invest in agricultural products. You should also avoid investing in any cosmetic companies because the F&V type generally become smelly hippies with streaks of gray in their hair. In the long run, it is likely that you will end up locked in some human chain protesting the eventual shut down of Air America. Since it is likely that you will be gassed, maced and pummeled by the police, I suggest that you also invest in these products. Sure, you will be supporting "The Man" but you will also be making a buck off of him as well. Savor the sweet irony as it is non-caloric and not prohibited by the diet. You may also want to invest in the Peanuts line of products as you are likely to end up worshipping the Great Pumpkin.

Type B

You should eat a balanced diet, except that you should avoid chicken. So it was YOU ALL ALONG who started the bird virus! But I digress. Since you are a "balanced" person, your portfolio should be balanced as well. Of course, if you buy into all of this nonsense, you are actually way off balance, but let's go with the assumption that D'Adamo is a marketing genius. I suggest that you get hundreds of annual reports from a variety of sectors. Use the largest scale from Monty Python and The Holy Grail placing a chicken (yes, I know it was a duck in the movie, but I am sticking with the the reccomendations of the diet) on one side and the reports on the other. Adjust the number of reports until it counter balances the evil chicken and invest in them.

Type AB
You are a cross between types A and B. You should consume mostly a vegetarian diet with some protein. Sticking with this theme, you should buy stocks that mostly begin with the letter A, but with some B's thrown in for variety. Either that, or the whole AB thing is a subliminal plug for Anheuser Busch.

Type O

Oh, you univerisally wanted blood type! You are to eat mainly protein. But let's be honest. Since you are universally used, so should your money follow the same path. Send all your money to me since you would be "used" anyway. Trust me, I'll invest it wisely.

Is There Someone Worse Than Mahony

I guess that we could really hate live and live in Orange County. Bishop Ted Brown, a Mahony crony, seems to be interested in trying to out-Mahony Mahony.

Read this, but not near a meal time as you will either lose your appetite or vomit.

What I Have Learned From My Students

This past weekend I graded the essays for World War II written by my Honors World History and U.S. History classes. I learned the following:

1) Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1991.

2) Japan attacked Peal Harbor with an atomic bomb which is why we wanted to nuke them.

3) Hitler killed all the Jews because they were taking food away from Germans.

4) Stalin lived his life in a Machiavellian manor (I'd like to see that house!).

5) Stalin sheared the peasants.

6) Kulak can be spelled many different ways: kutok, kuluk, kuku, koolak...

7) So can my last name: Mckindy, McKinney, McKendrick (another teacher at the school), McKindly (obviously written by an optimist), and, my favorite, McKinky.

8) The United States used the A-bomb on two Japanese cities: Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

9) Hiroshima and Nagasaki were countries that were not associated with the Japanese and should not have been bombed.

10) Stalin personally killed over 50 million people (I'd love to see his appointment calendar).

Together in Aiding and Abetting

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is running its annual tax the rich parishes program of Together in Mission. Remember that if you parish does not meet its archdiocesan financial target, the archdiocese will simply tap into your parishes assets to make up the differnece.

This is an outrage. But the problem goes further. Since the vast majority of the financially struglling parishes apparently cater to congregations that have substantial numbers of illegal aliens, supporting those parishes aids and abets those who break the laws of our country.

This year, my wife and I are sending money to some "poor" people we know in another country, who, by the way, have properly and legally applied to immigrate to a country where the chances for economic enrichment exist (no, not the USA).

God Bless them for doing the right thing. We will reward them in our own little way with the money that would otherwise help illegal aliens.

Fixing Northview

Getting Started: Reculturing Schools to Become Professional Learning Communities by Robert Eaker, Rick DuFour and Rebecca DuFour should really delete its secondary title since the concept of reculturing does not necessarily apply to all schools. The authors point out that schools should celebrate and build on their successes, and that some schools are closer to the Professional Learning Community (PLC) system than others. Thus, some schools will need only be tweaked. Northview High School is a school in need of tweaking as it has had many successes in improving student achievement.

Schools that adopt the PLC concept make:

"'learning' rather than 'teaching' the fundamental purpose of (the) school. (Schools) (f)ocus on the three key questions: What do we expect students to learn? How will we know what they have learned? And (sic) how will we respond when students don't learn?" (p. 111)

What will these PLCs look like? In reality, the English, Math and Foreign Language Departments at Northview are already functioning as PLCs in that they collaborate, have benchmarks, and give and analyze common tests. Additionally, each department discusses ways to improve student achievement. The great benefit of the seven-period system is that these departments will be able to meet on a more regular basis during the school day instead of trying to be creative with meeting times (such as during lunch). What will the PLCs do? Part of the answer is found in the preceding paragraph; however there is more. Common assessments are critical to measuring what the students have learned (what they should learn is defined by the California and district content standards). Deciding what to reteach and which students need more time and support are outcomes of these meetings. How to teach is left to the individual teachers, but they are encouraged to share ideas and materials.

At the high school level, PLCs are generally created for each department. It is critical that the PLCs be given adequate time to actively collaborate, and the proposed seven period schedule will allow Northview PLCs to do just that. With 10 preparation periods per week for each teacher, two will be designated as PLC time. Thus the leadership at the administration level is creatively addressing the age-old lament of "we don't have enough time!"

Unfortunately, Rick DuFour uses a poor analogy when trying to emphasize that learning is the focus instead of teaching. He writes:

"Most schools are content to allow learning to be the variable, while they hold time and support as constants. But not a learning community. (sic) Learning is the only constant in a professional learning community." (p. 37)

Later he writes:

"Despite the best efforts of teachers, every year in every school - including professional learning communities - there will be those students who simply do not 'get it.'" (p. 99)

DuFour contradicts himself in that in the first quote he argues that learning is a constant and that by tweaking the variables, schools will get a constant result. The second quote recognizes that the conclusion of the first quote is wrong.

This contradiction is not a reason to reject the system. A more realistic approach can be demonstrated through an analogy: If a worker who is paid by the hour wishes to make more money at his job, he can either work more hours and/or ask for (and get) a raise. In a similar way, if teachers decide that they want their students to learn more, then they can manipulate the variables. DuFour ignores the variables of parental involvement and personal student responsibility in his initial formula, and these two variables are not given much attention in his version of PLCs.

But, that does not mean that these variables cannot be given more attention in the Northview PLC system. DuFour and his co-authors recognize that the PLC system is not a cookie-cutter system in that all PLCs should look a certain way. In fact, DuFour states that the creation of effective PLC systems may very well be messy and difficult at first. Thus the recipe for success at Northview may not be the recipe for success at Covina. What recipe works best will be decided through consensus (but not unanimity) by the department PLCs.

PLCs will not have total control over the formula. The formula for success will have to include the content standards of the district and the state. Additionally, the district is requiring that more and more disciplines adopt a common assessment system that includes benchmarks and pacing guides. The PLC system will, however, give teachers a great deal of control and, maybe more importantly, a voice that is heard. The end result should produce a staff that is passionately motivated to come to work each day that will help the students learn more than they, both the teachers and the students, originally thought was possible.

The Cowardly Cardinal

Although he did little to protect our children from open pants priests, Cardinal Roger Mahony has now weighed in again in the illegal immigration debate by proposing, among other things, much more open borders. Part of his poor reasoning rests on his assumption that terrorists would not brave crossing the desert.

Really? You mean they would brave losing their lives flying a plane into a building or blowing themselves up in a truck bomb, but they wouldn't prepare themselves well enough to hike across a desert (has he been to the Middle East lately? Most of it is a desert!).

I certainly support his and the Church's position to provide for the spiritual needs of any Catholic who presents himself to a parish in the archdiocese, but to publicly declare that he is willing to break the law and that he wants his priests and employees to follow suit in areas dealing with civil violations (therefore not dealing with spirituality and the sacraments) is to promote sedition.

Of course, the great coward is so afraid of his opponents that he won't even let them listen to his sermons, launching a pre-emptive first strike against one with no evidence that anything "bad" would have happened. At least President Bush knew that Sadaam was a bad guy and a real threat. I guess Roger felt that his power of persuasion as shown in his sermon would have little effect on his opponent.

How pathetic.