Rick Warren Loses

I've just watched the Saddleback interview session, and the big loser is Pastor Rick Warren. By pussyfooting around with Obama, he has probably lost a lot of credibility with his flock since they applauded sooooooooooo much more for McCain on his responses on moral issues.

Labor Day

One Tyson foods plant in Tennessee has voted to replace Labor Day as a paid holiday with the the end of Ramadan; the link attached to the title of this post gives a brief history of Labor Day.  In short, some of the major beneficiaries of the original Labor Day was immigrants.  However, since it was a day off for all of Labor, it can be argued that it benefitted all of American labor, and was a unifying date.

The move by this particular Tyson plant is for the benefit of 250 of 1200 employees who are Somali Muslim immigrants.  Instead of a unifying event, this plant is dividing itself from the rest of America.

How sad.

About Time

About time... click on the link above to see changes that will irritate the lefty Catholics.

Note to Barry

1) You are running for president of the United States - NOT THE WORLD (or are you?);

2) By not mentioning Kennedy or Reagan in your speech, you just showed the world that you have the world's biggest ego.

Politically Correct Fox News

Click on the link above.  Okay... I am not PC, so I have to ask if Islam had anything to do with this, and if the answer is "yes", then why is it not part of the story.  If "no", then that should be made clear as well so people like me don't make stupid assumptions.

A Good Priest

Perhaps Cardinal Mahony could use him for inspiration.  Click on the link above.

Churchill is Spinning in His Grave

Click on the link... First it was the Archbishop of Cantebury, and now England's top judge has lost his mind.

The Pope is Right... AGAIN!

How soon will kneeling be in vogue in Los Angeles?????? Ok, stop laughing, but click on the link above.

Amazing!

An European woman with shaved armpits?  She's obviously not French - she's German, but all the same...

The Supreme Court Gets One Right

The United States Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, has gotten one right:  it has struck down the District of Columbia's inane and dangerous anti-handgun legislation.  Click on this post's title for more.

No Ego Problem Here!

(HT: Glenn Beck)

St. Sabina, Chicago - Is it Catholic Anymore?

St. Sabina, the "faith community" led by the bombastic anti-American Fr. Pfleger has two interesting things on its two websites. At www.saintsabina.org (which appears to be a conduit to the main site) is the picture above.  What exactly is this a representation of?  It is not St. Sabina; is it a Black God, which, therefore, rejects the concept of a Jewish Aramaic Savior?

On it's main website, is a silly little bit asking for the immediate re-installation of Fr. Bombastic as pastor.  They're lucky that it's only two weeks.  Actually they would be really lucky if a real Catholic were to take charge of the pastor's chair.

Pope Benedict v. Fr. Pfleger

On  May 25th in his sermon, Fr. Pfleger, among other things, told the congregation at Trinity that "America is the greatest sin against God."  The Pope, on his visit to the White House, praised much of what is America's heritage and finished with: "Mr. President, dear friends: as I begin my visit to the United States, I express once more my gratitude for your invitation, my joy to be in your midst, and my fervent prayers that Almighty God will confirm this nation and its people in the ways of the justice, prosperity and peace.  God Bless America!"

Chicago Sanity

Thanks to the Roman Catholic Blog.  Click on the title above.  Too bad the UCC doesn't have this sort of guts or control.

Northview Baseball is #1

1-0 over Diamond Ranch this evening at Dodger Stadium.  Pic is from the LAT (check link above for more).

Obama the Liar

Click on the link above. I don't believe that he is a Muslim now, but he keeps lying about the fact that he was one as a child.

Global Warming Rejected

Click on the title.  More and more scientists are jumping on the anti-global warming hysteria bandwagon.

Obama is Clueless

click on the title... His ignorance is amazing.

Seven Reasons to Vote McCain

Barr and Paul are jackasses.  The next president will likely appoint six new Supreme Court justices plus have to fight the war in Iraq.  Conservatives need to remember this when going to the polls or the convention.

Obama in the 18th Century

On Meet the Press on Sunday, Senator Obama stated that if the Iraqi government and nation wasn't fixed by the end of 7 years, that it would not be fixed by our intervention continuing for 14, 28 or 56 years.

Let's apply that logic to the Constitutional Convention in the United States and abolition.

Meet the Press: So, if you cannot convince the delegates to the Constitutional Convention to abolish slavery now, what will you do?

Abolitionist: Well, if we cannot convince them now, we won't be able to convince them ever; so, we should pull out of the union with the south...

Better in Latin Merchandise

Click on the title above.

Wright's new House in an ALL WHITE Neighborhood - Sort of

Click on the title for the full article.

Here is a pic of the house under construction in an all-white neighborhood on a golf course.

Well, 1.9% of the community is black.

Hagee is NOT Wright

Gee, will the DNC back down now?  Doubtful...

Obama's Angry and Outraged

So, Senator Obama is now angry and outraged over Rev. Wright's comments of yesterday stating, "Yesterday we saw a very different vision of America. I am outraged by the comments that were made, and saddened over the spectacle we saw yesterday. The person I saw yesterday was not the person I met 20 years ago. His comments were not only divisive and destructive, but I believe ended up giving comfort to those who prey on hate."

Really?!?!?!

Obama has already admitted that Wright is controversial. There is absolutely no indication that what Wright said yesterday differs from what he has been saying for the last 20 years based on the Wright's long term embrace of black liberation theology.

Obama is either ignorant or a liar. From the standpoint of judgement, he is not fit to hold the office he currently holds let alone the Presidency.

Wright's Deficient Talk

Today, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright spoke in front of the National Press Club.  Where he was dishonest was in his deliberate failure to explain that liberation theology is grounded in Marxism.

His claim that the Iraq war was started over a lie is a lie in and of itself.

The implication that his own military service and that of his God daughter's somehow makes his unpatriotic and hate filled attack on the United States on the Sunday after 9/11 is intellectually dishonest.

His claim that the United States has not sought reconciliation for slavery is dishonest.  He ignores the Civil War and the 13th and 14th Amendments as it relates to reconciliation.

His explanation of liberation theology was not just "different" but deficient.

His claim that the Iraq war is based on a lie was not just "different" but deficient.

His justification of his hateful and unpatriotic comments was not just "different" but deficient.

His ignoring the dead soldiers of the Union army who fell to eradicate slavery in this country was not "different" but deficient.

Jeremiah Wright is a racist, and his justification for his hate-filled theology is not just different or deficient, but just flat out wrong.

Snobama

Boycott Absolut Vodka

There are plenty of good vodkas on the market.  You don't need to buy one that insults America and promotes idiotic Atzlan garbage.  Click on this posts title.

Invading Iraq was the Right Thing to Do

The liberals in America, be they in the press, politics (like Obama), religion (like Reverend Wright) or down the hall from me, are rejoicing over the Defense Departments release of 600,000 documents seized in Iraq which conclude that, "This study found no 'smoking gun' between Saddam's Iraq and al Qaeda."

So how can I argue that the invasion was the right thing to do? Well, this little tidbit from the conclusion is sufficient for me:

"One question remains regarding Iraq' s terrorism capability: Is there
anything in the captured archives to indicate that Saddam had the will to use his
terrorist capabilities directly against United States? Judging from examples of
Saddam' s statements before the 1991 Gulf War with the United
States, the answer is 'yes'....

In the years between the two Gulf Wars, UN sanctions reduced Sadam's ability to shape regional and world events, steadily draining his military, economic, and military powers. The rise of Islamist fundamentalism in the region gave Saddam the opportunity to make terrorism, one of the few tools remaining in Saddam' s "coercion" toolbox, not only cost effective but a formal instrument of state power. Saddam nurtured this capability with an infrastructure supporting (1) his own particular brand of state terrorism against internal and external threats, (2) the state sponsorship of suicide operations, and (3) organizational relationships and "0ut reach programs "for terrorist groups. Evidence that was uncovered and
analyzed attests to the existence of a terrorist capability and a willingness to use it until the day Saddam was forced to flee Baghdad by Coalition forces."

The Pope and Iraq

George Weigel writes at NRO that the Vatican is now against an immediate withdrawal from Iraq as it would be disastorous.

When are the libs at the USCCB going to accept this?

Obama's Bumper Sticker

I am working on a new bumper sticker for the Senator from Illinois for his run in the fall.

I think I need to change the slogan from "Change we can believe in" to "Crackers will believe anything."

As for his running mate: Machiavelli.

Not Qualified

It is patently obvious to anyone of any intelligence that Barak Obama is not qualified to be the President of the United States of America.  World Net Daily has several articles on its site today outlining just how whacky and wrong the Senator is.  

A week or so ago, Rev. Wright appeared on Hannity and Colmes, and kept asking Mr. Hannity if he was familiary or had read any of the key black liberation theology.  Apparently, the one person that Wright likes so much and patterns his preaching on is James Cone.  According to WND, Cone is a complete kook who claims that if God is not black and against the whites then we (the blacks) should kill him.  It is inconceivable that this message would not be made perfectly clear in over 20 years of sermons to Obama.

Thus, I can only conclude that:

1) Obama is a racist; and/or

2) Obama is a Machiavellian opportunist who used his church membership for street and political (in Chicago) credibility; and/or

3) Obama is a moron.

Any of the three scenarios on its own or in combination shows that not only is he not qualified to be POTUS, but that he should resign as the junior senator from Illinois immediately.

Bad Judgement - Bad Father

I was going to blog on the topic of being a bad father, but NRO has done so quite well.

Barack's Bumble

Wow.

What an eloquent speech that simply did not address the two major concerns:  1) Senator Obama's poor judgement, and 2) Senator Obama's cluelessness.

On the first point, why did Senator Obama fail to address his close friend and mentor, Rev. Wright, about the hateful and factually incorrect statements that he has made publicly including the ability to buy the "greatest hits" from the church on its website?  Was he afraid, or did he just not care until it was a political liability not to?  Is this the type of judgement we want in a President?  I should hope not!

On the second point, if he was clueless about the depth of Wright's animosity to America and to facts, is that the type of out touch man we want as President?  Once again, I hope not.

On a final note, the same big government "solutions" that have generated most of the problems to which he refers (think Detroit) are not what the country needs.  Senator, that isn't change, that is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result - that is the definition of insanity.

I HATE Daylight Savings Time

It adds pollution, and probably costs us $$$$$$!  Click on this post's title.

Venerable Fr. McGivney

Click on this post's title for the good news!

Vivat Jesus!

More on Jeremiah Wrong... err... Wright

Obama's twenty your spiritual connection with this man should tell us much about how wrong a choice Obama is for America.  Click on the post's link.

What is the Tragedy?

The death of people in fires is a tragedy.  I am not here to make light of that.  However, under the "Local" section of the New York Post and not the "Strange but True" section is this story.

Homeschoolers Take a Big Hit

Click on the title.  Big Government attacks the liberty of parents again as the court rules that it takes village idiots to educate children.

Those Shirts

Obama's Racist Pastor

The Reverend Jeremiah Wright, whom Obama defends, is very scary man. Click on this post's title for more.

The Truth on Taxes

Will the two remaining candidates for the Democratic nomination for president please shut up about the evil tax structure that punishes the average man and let's the rich off easy. Looking at the tax structure for the years 2000 and 2007, you will see that the rates dropped for everyone, but that the richest folks will pay 35% of their income to the Federal government (this does not include what they may owe in their own states). This is a drop of 4.6 % from the year 2000.

If you compare what I made last year and adjust it for inflation and compare it to 2000, my tax rate has dropped 3% from 28% to 25%. Looking at the links in the previous paragraph, you will see that all Americans have benefited contrary to what Billary and Obamarama keep claiming.

Long May She Wave

Senator Obama has CHOSEN not to wear a lapel pin of the American flag as a sign of his protest against the war. Heck, why doesn't he end every campaign rally with a flag burning? (click on posts title)

He is an unpatriotic jackass. He can certainly be against the war in Iraq while still showing respect for the flag and all the good that it represents.

Maybe he can make a trip to visit Bin Laden and have his picture taken with said terrorist. Maybe that would make people forget about Hanoi Jane!

Crazy California Legislators (Democrats)

A couple of days ago, Bill Stall wrote a silly little opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times arguing for an increase in taxes because even Governor Reagan had raised taxes. He also took a swipe at people who buy yachts and get tax credits. What he conveniently ignores are true hard facts: 2% of the population pay over 50% of all taxes; the bottom 50% pays only 3%; our state budget was $105.3 Billion in fiscal year 2004-05; the original proposed budget for 2007-08 was $143.4 Billion. I seriously doubt that our expenses have risen around $38 Billion in three years. Methinks there is too much spending by liberal politicians who think like Bill Stall.

Uncle Gerry: 1927-2008 R.I.P.

Dear Uncle Gerry:

First of all, I am flattered and gratified that you kept asking about when my sister, Maureen, and I would arrive to visit you.

I am lucky that I was able to spend some quality time with you (as you happily ate, in your words, your favorite food of mashed potatoes, gravy, meat and butter - that butter being on the potatoes as you were a "Wisconsin Yankee!").

Conversing with you during your last supper in your R.V. (or "The Box" as your beloved family calls it) was an honor and a privilege for both Maureen and me. I am still in your debt for your spiritual, physical, and emotional help that you gave to my mother (and me), Sylvia, a few short years ago.

I hope and pray (as have my girls) that you now have a prime seat that would make the horsemen at Santa Anita jealous. Give my love to my Mother, Ida, Ralph, Don, Chuck, Cal and all the rest.......................

While in Wisconsin, thanks for treating my family and me like honored guests as we came through Marengo even though we did not stay in the house. Thanks for allowing my two oldest (when they were three and two) to run up and down the stairs, as I did as a child, while you laughed.

Thanks for coming out and sharing the Rose Parade, the VIP Party and game with me.

Thanks for being there after my Mom died.

Thanks for making Mom (Sylvia) proud by your actions after Uncle Vernon died.

Thanks for offering me Ida's "you know what"... that my mom insisted be framed... may it find worthy hands.

Thank you soooooo much for being FAMILY.

May you rest in peace.

God Bless!
Vivat Jesus

Your nephew,
Matthew J.McKinley
SK/PGK

Shootin' for the Moon

While traveling today in Louisiana, I was listening to KEEL AM radio 710 out of Shreveport to radio commentator Moon Griffon who was commentating on the Saturday primary in his state. Perhaps he clarified his views (or maybe a caller did) at a time when I was not able to listen, but, for the sake of this post, I will assume that he did not.

Mr. Griffon was concerned that conservative voters in the GOP might feel the need to vote for Senator McCain tomorrow in order to show party unity. He argued that a protest vote was in order, and, based on the brief time that I was able to listen, implied that the protest vote would be for Mitt Romney.

Now the three of you who read this blog know that I endorsed Mitt ages ago (although the Thompson campaign made me rethink that position), voted for him in California (and by the way, donated to him last week), and still respect him a great deal. My objection with Mr. Griffon's position is that a vote for Romney is not a protest vote; rather, it will send a clear signal to Mr. McCain that his mea culpa (sort of) at the CPAC convention was not enough.

I hope all the conservatives yet to vote choose to vote for Romney (versus Mr. West Virginia back-door winner Huckabee).

Send the RIGHT signal.

(and I hope the knucklehead in the room next to my shuts up soon!)

The Aftermath

The title of this post is a link to Hugh Hewitt who is absolutely correct when he argues that if McCain is the Republican nominee, those of us who don't like him need to hold our noses and vote for him because the War on Terror and the potential to nominate six Supreme Court Justices are issues that cannot be left in the hands of Obama or Clinton. That said, the Dobson Declaration is idiotic. If he really is interested in promoting family values, letting the Democrats take over the Supreme Court is a sure way to see those values critically injured for the next 40 years.

Spanking Berkeley

The leftist nut jobs in Berkeley are at it again. Click on the link above to see Senator De Mint's brilliant idea of how to deal with these nuts.

More Election Blathering

First, let me say that I messed up with the 91 vote as it is a redundant piece of legislation. So, if I had to do it all over again, it would be "No" vote.

Huckabee needs to realize that as much as he might dislike Romney personally, a Romney presidency would be more sympathetic to his core cultural values than a McCain one; thus, Huck needs to get out now. Unfortunately, his ego probably won't let him.

The only good news is that the latest Rasmussen poll shows McCain defeating both Obama and Clinton. McCain would be better than either of those two, but by how much?

My Vote

The title of this post is a link to the CA SOS office and the official voter's guide for the Feb. election.

I voted absentee yesterday:

President - Mitt Romney
With Thompson out, Mitt is the best conservative alternative. Is he perfect? No, but let's face it, the only other person who has a shot at beating the Dems is Rudy, and his campaign maybe dead after Florida. McCain needs to be beaten.

Prop 91
Yes - stop redirecting infrastructure money for the roads.

Prop 92
No - poorly written. On top of that, we need to have a serious discussion on the role of Community Colleges. They should be Colleges, not grades 13 and 14 with silly community driven classes (the old basket weaving joke) added. Vocational education could be accommodated as a branch of CCs while the other branches actually have college rigor.

Prop 93
Yes - this will allow current legislators to extend their time in office. That is a good thing. In fact, term limits should be abolished completely. The current system has allowed lobbyists and staffers to become even more powerful. They are unelected, and their newly found power is undemocratic. The focus should be on reasonably created districts and not term limits.

Props 94 - 97
No - poorly written; non-gaming tribes could see significant reductions in funds received. I could care less about expansions, but I have no interest in awarding tribes who got lucky because Eisenhower created an interstate system. Rewrite and resubmit.

Romney is Winning

Just in case you missed the real news, Romney is winning as he has 30 delegates, Huckabee has 21, and McCain has 10... my favorite, Thompson, has 6. Now, I endorsed Romney ages ago since Fred was unwilling to jump in when the race was heating up early on.

Frankly, I am bitter about Thompson not getting in earlier. Even though I am a fan of absentee balloting, I may wait and submit my vote on election day.

I would have posted this about an hour ago but I gouged my left index finger today at lunch at Joe's Crab Shack due to their error and typing requires on less finger and a lot of corrections.

Thompson-Romney! if that is typed correctly... ouch... typing hurts and my right hand is now out of it... no pun intended.

Don't Tread on Me!

The CVUSD has been blocking webpages because of content... or so they say. Now I understand that some content on the web is reprehensible and has no place in an education setting. However, the blocking includes many political websites that can provide very important information for both students and teachers alike, especially those studying government and politics.

I got tired of fighting with the district, so I bought a Sierra Wireless USB 881 connection and subscribed to AT&T's wireless network service. Teachers often complain that they have to spend money out of their own pockets for basic supplies. In this day and age, isn't relevant information a basic supply?

In Covina-Valley, it is not.

Pete "Barry Switzer" Carroll

Given USC's poor sportsmanship on display yesterday during the Rose Bowl, it appears that the Trojans are starting to behave like Oklahoma and Miami did before their programs imploded from poor behavior. It began with the goofy dancing with each kickoff. Perhaps that was just a way for the players to get up for the game, but when the same players began to mock the Illinois fans by clapping above their heads along with the Illinois fans to one of their bands numbers, it became embarrassing. Add that mocking behavior to the idiocy of Desmond Reed and the others who got unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, and the smell of the Rose was just not as sweet.

How Can Tony Blair be a Catholic?

Or so asks a commentator in the English Press (as seen in the link above). The questions are fair enough, except for one thing- they are based on Blair's behavior and actions from before his official conversion. If Blair continues his anti-Catholic positions now that he has converted, then criticism of him is fair... but only when that happens.

Pakistan

Unstable? Corrupt? Anti-democratic?

Why is ANY of this news. Assassinations are horrid; but, let's be honest, the country is a basket case.

How the Coaches Voted

The BCS championship game should be between two of the following three teams: LSU, Oklahoma and USC. Ohio State, with its lousy non-conference scheduled coupled with a very weak Big 10 (for the second year in a row) does not deserve a shot.

I don't blame Frank Beamer of Va Tech for voting LSU first and his team second.

However, the following is a list of coaches that really need to have their heads examined:

Mike Belotti (Oregon): #1 Ohio State

Bret Bielema (Wisconsin): #1 Ohio State

Larry Blakeney (Troy): #1 Ohio State

Bobby "Senile" Bowden (FSU): #2 Ohio State, #8 Arizona State and #9 USC!!!!!

Tommy Bowden (Clemson): #1 Ohio State

The list goes on and on... the following are knuckleheads who voted for Ohio State either first or second:

Jeff Bower, Mack Brown, Bill "Fired" Callahan, Neil Callaway, Lloyd "Forced to Retire" Carr, Sylvester Croom, Bill Cubit, Mark Dantonio, Bill "Fired" Doba, Randy Edsall, Dennis "Forced to Resign" Franchione, Phillip Fulmer, Jeff Genyk, Jim Grobe, Steve Kragthorpe, Mike Leach, Rocky Long, Sonny "Forced to Retire" Lubbick, Bill Lynch, Doug Martin, Les Miles (setting up a patsy game with his LSU Tigers first, and the Buckeyes second), Shane Montgomery, Hal Mumme (Whoa there Hal! Hawaii #1 and OSU #2????), Joe Novak, Houston "See y'all later" Nutt, Tom O'Brien, George "Liar" O'Leary, Gary Patterson, Chris Petersen, Mark Richt, Mike Riley, Rich Rodriguez, Greg Schiano, Howard "Should be retired" Schnellenberger, Mark Snyder, Frank Solich, Rick Stockstill, Bob Stoops (OK #1 and OSU #2), Jeff Tedford, Joe Tiller, Bob Toledo, Dick Tomey, Jim Tressel (well, you can't blame him), Charlie Weiss, Tyrone Willingham, and Ron Zook.

Now, I have to give some credit to the following (whose names appear above):

Neil Callaway's 2-5: GA, LSU, USC OK.

Tedford, Doba and Willingham had USC second.

Tressel's 2-4: LSU, USC and OK.

And for the coaches who appear to have some sense:

Art Briles (Houston to Baylor) #1 LSU and #2 OK

Butch Davis (North Carolina): #1 LSU and #2 USC.

Joe Glenn (Wyoming): #1 LSU and #2 OK.

Steve Superior (So. Carolina): #1 OK and #2 LSU

Tommy Tuberville (Auburn): #1 LSU and #2 OK.

Fire the Tournament

USC v. Illinois??????

The White Coats should be flogged.

Politics as Usual

I know I have been very delinquent in my postings. Part of the reason is that with three little ones and much reduced internet access at my workplace (they block all blogs out of paranoia), I have don't have much time to post. However, for the three of you who care what I think, I will try to be more diligent once the primaries and caucuses begin.

Although I was hoping that Fred Thompson would light a spark on the GOP side, he simply has not, and I have no reason to back off my very early endorsement of Mitt Romney. This does not mean that I cannot be swayed. I have no fire in the belly, so to speak right now (Turducken not included) for any of the candidates.

But they are all better than Obama, Billary, and Hair Model.

If you have not read The Looming Tower yet, get on it!

Turducken

Turdon't... At least don't buy into the hype. We had it tonight since Granny is leaving for two months holiday in Australia tomorrow, so a traditional Thanksgiving was out of the question.

We got the one that was stuffed with cornbread dressing. Salt lick dressing is more like it; and, it is spicy. I don't think it is a bad idea, but it certainly did not live up to its billing. I hope when we get around to the crab cakes we will be happier.

Bad Coaching

He is a great recruiter, but I really question his ability to check his ego and make good decisions especially when he has a lousy DC and an OC who doesn't seem to know how to manage the clock and timeouts (which has been a problem ever since Pete got hired).

Holt has to go.

Brandon boy has to go.

And Pete needs to listen to Kenny Rogers and know when to hold them, know when to fold them...

And I am writing this with 33 seconds left.

Happy Birthday Packers

On this date in 1919 newswriter George Whitney Calhoun named the Green Bay team the Packers.

And to celebrate, they whacked the Giants!

Sign up!

Move On Dot Kill Us

Click on the above andjudge for yourself!

If you build it, they won't come

It is time to build a "wall" along the entire Mexican border. It should be patrolled by the U.S. Armed Forces including gunships (helicopters). Here is another reason why.

E pluribus unum NOT!

Click on the headline... 'nuff said!

Seattle's Tourists... or Terrorists?

Hey they are. Click on the title above for more.

Winning the War is the Answer

I've got my own Cafe Press Shop!

Are you sick and tired of the "War is not the answer" crowd? Then buy, buy, buy!

Here is the image:

This and that

Barry Bonds should get into the Hall of Fame about 20+ years after Pete Rose.

Why is it that the only people in the Church who are concerned that the return of the Mass in Latin will be divisive are the liberals who have been shoving divisive "innovations" down our throats for the last 30 years or so?

It has been unseasonably cool the last couple of days. Darn that global cooling!

Should we call China's bluff? It is threatening to tank the dollar by dumping their holdings of dollars (in various forms) that might cause a recession in the United States. The threat is a result of our demand for a fair revaluation of the yuan. But the elephant in the room is that if the Chinese put us into a recession, they will lose money since we are their number one buyer of Chinese goods. Perhaps we could offset part of any recession by increasing military sales to Taiwann and allowing Japan to have a full fledged army assuming they purchase their equipment from us.

Happy Anniversary

Thanks for seven great years, Teresa! No itch here (well, except for that spot off my left should blade that I cannot reach!).

Love,
Matthew

Wake up ADL!

I don't know what is worse: the whining uninformed ADL or the liberal press that runs to it to present an "informed" counter view on the release of the Latin Mass from jurisdictional jail.

The whining ADL complains that the Good Friday service in the Latin Rite contains a prayer for the conversion of Jews. In the first place, there is nothing wrong with praying for the conversion of anyone who is not Catholic regardless of their fatih. Secondly, Pope Benedict XVI has gone out of his way (and, due to the reaction of the nuts at the ADL, without good reason it turns out) to explicitly disallow any part of the older version of the Latin rite during the Easter Triduum which obviously includes Good Friday!

"Art. 2 In Masses celebrated without the people, each Catholic priest of the Latin rite, whether secular or regular, may use the Roman Missal published by Bl. Pope John XXIII in 1962, or the Roman Missal promulgated by Pope Paul VI in 1970, and may do so on any day with the exception of the Easter Triduum."

Now why the AP would go to someone who is not in the Church and rely on him to tell the world what Catholic theology is beyond comprehension unless one believes, as I do, that the press is biased against the Church.

Heaven help us!

Yes, but...

Pope Benedict writes, "The most sure guarantee that the Missal of Paul VI can unite parish communities and be loved by them consists in its being celebrated with great reverence in harmony with the liturgical directives. This will bring out the spiritual richness and the theological depth of this Missal."

Yes, but what is to be done with the priests, bishops, and liturgists who continue to refuse the liturgical directives? That is what has gotten us into this mess in the first place.

The hippie bishops who generally are afraid of a split in the church should be more concerned with the charismatics.

And from the Hermeneutic of Continuity:

It's Better in Latin

Tomorrow is the day! I hope that the release lives up to the hype. Please note that I am not against the vernacular, just the banal liturgy and music that have "evolved" in a Protestant manner over the last 30+years.

It's Been Awhile

I'm sorry that I haven't been blathering lately. The folks at the district office have decided that all blogs are evil and will cause damage to the children of the Covina Valley school district. Thus, my pre-school and lunchtime missives have been killed off. That, of course, is not all bad, but what is bad is that I cannot read commentary from good sources for current events for my social studies students.

One thing of importance that my wife and I have done is opt-out our children from the evil Virtus/TAT program that is being shoved down the throat of parents in the Achdiocese of the child molester protector (Roger Mahony for the rest of you). Even the Catholic Medical Association has come out against it claiming that it damages the children.

But what the heck, since the majority of the stockholders of the group that produces Virtus/TAT programs are church dioceses and archdioceses, what's a little damage when there is a buck to be made?

Straw Poll

Time to Go?

President Bush has stated that the United States of America will leave Iraq if we are asked. Borrowing for Dennis Prager, it is time to organize a plebiscite in Iraq that allows the people of that country to make that decision.

In the meantime, the Congress should provide full funding through a plebscite date (September 1). This would allow the Iraqi's to see whether or not real progress has been made by thier government as well as with the Surge. If the Iraqi's vote to have us leave, then the Congress should renew funding with a timeline for withdrawal that the President should sign. If the Iraqi's vote for us to stay, Congress should provide full-funding, and the Democrats should SHUT UP!

Latin Laughter

I stole this one from romancatholicblog.com.

Welcome Sylvia!

Born May 19 at 12:08 a.m.

Backbone for Roger

Will Cardinal Mahony finally stop coddling the pro-abortion politicians in this state and his arch-diocese (including visitors like Senator John Kerry) now that the Pope appears to be taking a harder line along the lines of ex-communication.

I doubt it!

Tommy Thompson

One of the great things about looking at candidates this early is that you have time to change your mind. Although I haven't jumped off the Mitt bandwagon, former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson looked and sounded good after the debate last week.

For more on him, click here. Also, to take a look at all the candidates, and potential candidates, for both parties, check out this site which will also allow you to search other candidates in other races.

The Problem with Penner

There has been some discussion locally about the decision of Mike Penner, Los Angeles Times sports writer, to become Christine Daniels. In his own words Mr. Penner tries to explain his decision.

Moral issues aside, two points bug me about all this. 1) After reading his article, there was a distinct feeling that this was a selfish person. With his new name choice, he has decided to insult and forget the family that brought him into the world as he is forgoing the family name. Additionally, why not "Michelle"? Perhaps there are some hard feelings either now or in the past between Mike and his parents, but the lack of comment on the issue is glaring.

2) Later during the day on which the article was published, I learned from Air America (yes, the liberal station) that Mr. Penner is also married (and, now going through a divorce). Where is the public apology to his wife?

So long as he remains silent on these issues, he will continue to be seen as a selfish individual regaradless of what a surgical knife does to his genetalia.

Rosie's outta here!

I guess the folks at The View finally got tired of the nut job as she is to leave the program at the end of the season in June.

A Step in the Right-Moral Direction

The Supreme Court finally got one RIGHT!

Will They Still Come?

In yesterday's Los Angeles Times, Shannon O'Neil (a political science professor at Columbia) wrote that the United States will have a major employment problem in the future because of the changing demographics in Mexico. Mexicans are no longer having large families; rather, they are now having children at a rate just above the replacement rate.

Interesting, but written in the dark. In yesterday's Wall Street Journal, David Luhnow reports that Mexico's oil production is dropping in a rather alarming manner due to the fact that Mexico is simply running out of oil. Given the fact that the revenue from oil is the number one source of income for Mexico, the country will need to find other sources of income or increase there current sources. According to a recent video on migration and geography that I showed in my class, (available at learner.org) the money sent back to Mexico from migrants is the fourth largest source of revenue for Mexico behind oil, tourism and agriculture.

It appears that the best possibility for an increase in revenue for Mexico is to increase funds coming back from migrant workers in the United States.

We shall find the answer in the future.

No Dentist Left Behind

My sister and fellow teacher, Molly, forwarded this to me over the weekend.


No Dentist Left Behind

My dentist is great! He sends me reminders so I don't forget checkups. He
uses the latest techniques based on research. He never hurts me, and I've
got all my teeth.

When I ran into him the other day, I was eager to see if he'd heard about
the new state program. I knew he'd think it was great.

"Did you hear about the new state program to measure effectiveness of
dentists with their young patients?" I said.

"No," he said. He didn't seem too thrilled. "How will they do that?"

"It's quite simple," I said. "They will just count the number of cavities
each patient has at age 10, 14, and 18 and average that to determine a
dentist's rating. Dentists will be rated as excellent, good, average, below
average, and unsatisfactory.. That way parents will know which are the best
dentists. The plan will also encourage the less effective dentists to get
better," I said. "Poor dentists who don't improve could lose their licenses
to practice."

"That's terrible," he said.

"What? That's not a good attitude," I said. "Don't you think we should try
to improve children's dental health in this state?"

"Sure I do," he said, "but that's not a fair way to determine who is
practicing good dentistry."

"Why not?" I said. "It makes perfect sense to me."

"Well, it's so obvious," he said. "Don't you see that dentists don't all
work with the same clientele, and that much depends on things we can't
control? For example, I work in a rural area with a high percentage
of patients from deprived homes, while some of my colleagues work in upper
middle-class neighborhoods. Many of the parents I work with don't bring
their children to see me until there is some kind of
problem, and I don't get to do much preventive work. Also, many of the
parents I serve let their kids eat way too much candy from an early age,
unlike more educated parents who understand the relationship
between sugar and decay. To top it all off, so many of my clients have well
water which is untreated and has no fluoride in it. Do you have any idea how
much difference early use of fluoride can make?"

"It sounds like you're making excuses," I said. "I can't believe that you,
my dentist, would be so defensive. After all, you do a great job, and you
needn't fear a little accountability."

"I am not being defensive!" he said. "My best patients are as good as
anyone's, my work is as good as anyone's, but my average cavity count is
going to be higher than a lot of other dentists because I chose
to work where I am needed most."

"Don't' get touchy," I said.

"Touchy?" he said. His face had turned red, and from the way he was
clenching and unclenching his jaws, I was afraid he was going to damage his
teeth. "Try furious! In a system like this, I will end up being rated
average, below average, or worse. The few educated patients I have who see
these ratings may believe this so-called rating is an actual measure of my
ability and proficiency as a dentist. They may leave me, and I'll be left with only the
most needy patients. And my cavity average score will get even worse. On top
of that, how will I attract good dental hygienists and
other excellent dentists to my practice if it is labeled below average?"

"I think you are overreacting," I said. "'Complaining, excuse-making and
stonewalling won't improve dental health'... I am quoting from a leading member of the DOC," I
noted.

"What's the DOC?" he asked.

"It's the Dental Oversight Committee," I said, "a group made up of mostly
lay persons to make sure dentistry in this state gets improved"

"Spare me," he said, "I can't believe this. Reasonable people won't buy it,"
he said hopefully.

The program sounded reasonable to me, so I asked, "How else would you
measure good dentistry?"

"Come watch me work," he said. "Observe my processes."

"That's too complicated, expensive and time- consuming," I said. "Cavities
are the bottom line, and you can't argue with the bottom line. It's an
absolute measure."

"That's what I'm afraid my parents and prospective patients will think. This
can't be happening," he said despairingly.

"Now, now," I said, "don't despair. The state will help you some."

"How?" he asked.

If you receive a poor rating, they'll send a dentist who is rated excellent
to help straighten you out," I said brightly.

"You mean," he said, "they'll send a dentist with a wealthy clientele to
show me how to work on severe juvenile dental problems with which I have
probably had much more experience? BIG HELP!"

"There you go again," I said. "You aren't acting professionally at all."

"You don't get it," he said. "Doing this would be like grading schools and
teachers on an average score made on a test of children's progress with no
regard to influences outside the school, the home, the community served and stuff like that.
Why would they do something so unfair to dentists? No one would ever think of doing that to schools."

I just shook my head sadly, but he had brightened. "I'm going to write my
representatives and senators," he said. "I'll use the school analogy. Surely
they will see the point."

He walked off with that look of hope mixed with fear and suppressed anger
that I, a teacher, see in the mirror so often lately.

Marquette is anti-Catholic

Click on the post's title. If you have yahoos like this on "tenure" (dissenting ex-priests who have links on their official Catholic University website) then your school is not Catholic.

If you have children, don't send them to Marquette.

If you went to Marquette or have sent them money in the past, stop.

I guess "shame, shame on ol' Notre Dame'" needs to be extended around Lake Michigan on the highway to the northwest. Of course, it has a "Jesuit identity."

And they used to be the Warriors (now the Golden Calves... err Eagles"!.

Methodist Showdown Averted

The the conspiracy of liberal Jesuits, Georgetown has "defeated" Vanderbilt, thus preventing a showdown between two schools who were originally founded with strong Methodist ties (Vandy v. USC) assuming the Trojans can hold on to their half-time lead.

The G-Town player TRAVELLED before hitting the game winning shot.

What a crock!

Mahony's "Mass"

Click on the title above... and stop giving money to the Archdiocese, or to your parish unless you earmark it for parish use only.

BTW: the mass was invalid based on what Rohr said and not prayed.

Sean Hannity - Bad Catholic

For those of you who think I only point out bad liberal Catholics, Sean Hannity is now on my radar screen. There are others who are more eloquent and influential than I on this issue, so click here to get a good priest's take (as well as a bad one listed at the bottom of the same page) on Mr. Hannity's anti-life stance.

Here is the good Father's take on his appearance on thew show.

Well, done Fr. E!

FS Bob on the Republican Presidential Candidates

It appears that one of my readers cannot post replies anymore. Anyway, here it is (via e-mail):

I too support Romney, but I am also a pragmatist.  I want a Republican in office.  Therefore I support the Republican candidate.  If, however, McCain is the nominee, this would create a serious concern that the process has gone seriously wrong.  Regardless of what liberals believe or profess to believe, there is a serious fight between good and evil for which many in this country do not have to sacrifice.  As a result, this country borders on the free love experiment of the '60's.  Back then though the military was supported by a draft.
Romney presents an interesting case of someone who won the governship in a definite blue state.  Despite being surrounded by the left, he was able to reform the government and left it in better shape than when he started.  I believe he can do it again with the Fed.  I am also a strong supported of Guiliani.  He is a case of not getting everything you want, but you still get a lot of good things.
 
FS Bob

Segregation - The Gay Way?

Hat tip to Fr. Toborowsky for his mentioning this article on his website. It seems that heterosexual couples are moving into the predominantly gay Castro district of the city of San Francisco. Many gays are disturbed that their community is being invaded.

Segregation anyone?

Benedict v. Mahony

Pope Benedict tabbed the very conservative Cardinal Biffi to give the annual Lenten retreat lecture. Cardinal Biffi focused on the fact that the anti-Christ and his minions walk amongst us, and their work can be identified in their "liberal" approach to religion.

At his annual train wRECk conference, Cardinal Mahony, once again, brought out the loonies whose speeches would seem to identify them as those who adhere to the anti-Christ message identified by Cardinal Biffi. (Note: you'll have to scroll down a bit to get to past former speakers to this years list in the linked .pdf file.)

I strongly urge you to protest Mahony's blatantly anti-Catholic message by not giving a single penny to Together in Mission. Rather, give it directly to the poor (as my wife and I are in the process of doing by helping out loyal Catholics in Samoa), or give money to the Bishop Appeal's Fund in other areas of the country that have a loyal catholic bishop as their leader (a couple are permanently linked in the sidebar to the left of this post.)

Hot Air Al

Gore's mansion uses over $1000 per month in electricity. People, please, stop giving this cretin any respect!

Musical Torture

If you simply are tired of the sappy music played in your church, you may want to join the petition to ban the awful noise as my wife and I have.

Here is one of the parodies (sung to "Here I am, Lord") you can find on the site:

Here I Am, Lord, Where Are You, Lord?

See the Blessed Sacrament
where the tabernacle went
in that little alcove there off to the side.
When folks come into the nave,
they don't know how to behave:
should they genuflect or not?
They can't decide.

Here I am, Lord. Where are You, Lord?
Are You in that niche way over there?
Once You were, Lord, front and center.
Now I cannot see You anywhere.

The Traditionalist Mass

The quote below is from an interview that can be found here with a Domincian Abbot in New Mexico:


But is the traditionalist world so important that the Holy Father should risk his pontificate by giving them a motu proprio?

Abbot: Jesus Christ, when talking about the Good Shepherd and the lost sheep, spoke about leaving the ninety-nine in order to seek out the one. We are talking about one percent. But we are also talking about the very vocation of the Good Shepherd. It is interesting to note that some Bishops speak about the Traditionalists as a “drop in the ocean.” As a matter of fact, the traditionalist world constitute a little over one percent of the Catholic Population. How Christ-like indeed it would be to offer a gesture of pastoral love in the form of a motu proprio!

Play by the Rules

The yellow flag rule in NASCAR is in effect for the safety of drivers. Why wasn't it put out after the last crash on Sunday? Weren't their drivers behind the crash who were in potential danger? The answer, of course, is "yes."

Shame on NASCAR.

A Sensible Man

Oh, Al Gore, will you now attack the great Cardinal of Sydney, Australia?

My guess is that Cardinal Pell will not be at any one of nut-job's backed global warming concerts!

Click here for Pell's latest common sense post. Remember, that there is a direct link to his Archdiocese on the left hand side of this page.

Now what, Roger?

Cardinal Mahony's consistently soft stance has failed once again to prevent an allegedly Catholic politician from further promote the culture of death. California Speaker Fabian Nunez is now fully on board with assisted suicide for the terminally ill under the belief that pain and suffering need to be eliminated even if it means hastening death.

Tell that to the crucified Christ.

Sick of Marriage

This last Sunday was World Day for the Sick and the World Day of Marriage in the Catholic Church. Am I the only to notice the odd combination?

Two Down

The other Edwards' knucklehead has resigned.

One down

The Edwards campaign has accepted the resignation of one bigot, who, by the way, simply blames one Catholic for harassing her... but, alas, it wasn't me!

My Letter to John Edwards

I just sent this one off via his website's e-mail program:

Dear Mr. Edwards:

Your disgusting decision to stand by the bigots on your staff is probably causing John F. Kennedy to spin in his grave.

As a teacher in a mixed school (ethnicity, religion, etc.) I teach about tolerance. I can only point to your recent example as the type of intolerance that still exists in society that needs to be eradicated.