Black Hat Man Does It Again

One of the most thoughtful of Catholic bloggers, the Man in Black Hat, on the Catholic celebrity racket.

He may not have all the latest headlines, but he may well have the best insights.

This Day In History

On this day three years ago, May 10th, 2005, Thoughts of a Regular Guy was launched.

It recently passed 100,000 unique hits (almost 1500 just yesterday, thank you Duggar family!).

I'd like to invite you to take a look at the archive, especially the "posts to remember".

Wow, three years; who would have thought that I could have kept up anything for so long?

Archbishop Wrong, Regular Guy Pleased

As we all know, it's wrong to deny communion to pro-abortion politicians. People like me who advocate such denial simply haven't a leg to stand on, church teaching and canon law nothwithstanding.

And yet, I must admit to being delighted at this news (H/T: Ten Reasons):

Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City has announced that Governor Kathleen Sebelius should not receive Communion because of her support for legal abortion.

In a column appearing on May 9 in the archdiocesan newspaper, The Leaven, the archbishop said that Governor Sebelius has sent a "spiritually lethal message" by implying that she could remain a Catholic in good standing while supporting abortion on demand.

The archbishop's column cited in particular the governor's veto of the Comprehensive Abortion Reform Act, which would have required abortionists to inform women about the effects of the procedure and alternatives to abortion.

The governor's stand in favor of abortion is particularly painful, Archbishop Naumann wrote, because Sebelius is a Catholic. He reported that he had met with her "several times over many months to discuss with her the grave spiritual and moral consequences of her public actions." Because the governor has now rejected his pleas and her public stand constitutes a scandal to the faithful, the archbishop said that he has now directed her to refrain from receiving Communion. Archbishop Naumann reported that he has asked Governor Sebelius to accept this directive, so that she will "not require from me any additional pastoral actions."

The governor will be welcomed back to Communion, the archbishop wrote, if she acknowledges her error, goes to Confession, and makes "a public repudiation of her previous efforts and actions in support of laws and policies sanctioning abortion." [Emphasis added.]

Careful, Governor, don't make the archbishop go pastoral on you!

A Distinction Without A Difference

What's the difference between being "pro-choice" and "pro-abortion"?

Beats me.

"I Always Wanted To Be A June Bride"

Bishop Vicky to marry!

The Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire, will be "marrying" his longtime partner in a civil union:

In an interview with Matt Lauer of NBC, practicing Homosexual controversialist Bishop Gene Robinson announced plans to enter into a ‘Civil Union’ with his Male Paramour.

He told the interviewer it was “what God is telling me to do”

Just as the splintering Anglican Communion was preparing for its International Lambeth Conference. Just as the controversy surrounding the actions of some orthodox Anglicans planning an alternative Conference seemed to be out of the limelight. Right at this time,a controversialist Bishop named Gene Robinson once again enters the limelight to make himself the center of attention...

With a broad smile he announced with pride, "I always wanted to be a June bride."

Will somebody please tell me again how gay "marriage" is no threat?

All of the staff, cast and crew here at Thoughts of a Regular Guy would like to wish Bishop Robinson luck, congratulate Mr. Andrew, and offer our condolences to those members of the ECUSA who would like them.

Seventeen Going On Eighteen

Michelle Duggar is pregnant with her eighteenth baby!

And the comments have already begun on my other Duggar posts. So I have a request of any future commenters on this or any other Duggar post: please mention who you support for president. I have a hypothesis I'd like to test.

The Duggar family, Jim Bob, Michelle, 17 children ranging in age from 20 years to nine months, and another on the way, stands as a rebuke to a culture that rejects children, that seems poised to elect a president who views children as "punishment". We live in a culture of death, and this is evidenced by the common reactions of horror, contempt and, yes, hatred of the Duggar family for no other reason than their embrace of their fertility. Unlike most people, they don't believe in contraception, much less abortion

The Duggars believe in God's right to choose. And they embrace God's will in their lives. That's an example more of us should follow.

If you haven't been to this blog before, I encourage you to click the words "Duggar Family" at the bottom of this post to see my prior posts about the Duggar family. Check out the comments those posts have garnered.

People like John Adams and Benjamin Franklin were the products of similarly large families. I'll be most curious to see how the Duggar kids turn out.

So to Jim Bob, Michelle, and all the kids, if you ever read this, congratulations, and God bless you!

Infertility Is Not Hereditary

Or, if your parents didn't have children, you probably won't either...

In the immortal words of Larry Niven: "Think of it as evolution in action."

It's Really Very Simple

The Question of Whether to Deny Communion to Public Supporters of Abortion

I haven't blogged about this because I was busy thinking about it. Now I think I'm ready to say something.

To recap: the Blogosphere has been bubbling since the Holy Father's visit about pro-abortion Catholic politicians like Pelosi, Kerry, Kennedy, Dodd, and Giuliani receiving Communion at papal masses when the Pope visited Washington and New York last month. It was well known in advance that these famous supporters of abortion, some of the most prominent Catholic pro-aborts in the world, would approach to receive Holy Communion.

I've already written about my disappointment that they were admitted to communion at a mass celebrated by the Pope. Clearly, neither the Holy Father, the Papal Nuncio, nor the Archbishops of those dioceses, took any action to prevent this from happening. My view is that this lack of action is highly indicative, and that it places people like me (who would prefer to see Communion denied to famous pro-aborts) solidly in the wrong.

Within minutes after my post, it was brought to my attention that the well-respected John Allen at the not-so-well-respected National Catholic Reporter had made essentially the same argument.

Conservative columnist (and Catholic) Robert Novak, at The Washington Post, published a column blaming Cardinal Egan of New York and Archbishop Wuerl of Washington for permitting this to happen.

Cardinal Egan quickly responded with a statement faulting Mayor Giuliani (this link is to Father Z's excellent blog for his fine analysis) for violating a private agreement they'd reached several years ago, to the effect that Giuliani would not receive communion while he still supported abortion. This was a remarkable rebuke, and many people chose to remark on it. In a comment to a post at the very fine blog Pro Ecclesia on the topic, I wrote:

You know, as nice as it is to see Cardinal Egan's comments, I wonder if it doesn't just cause more harm in the long run if the effect will be to show in even sharper the relief the acquiescence to abortion of prelates like Archbishop Wuerl.

In a similar discussion at the very good Southern Appeal blogger Morning's Minion of Vox Nova (where one can often read defenses of pro-abortion politicians written from a Catholic perspective) (there's no link because one of my rules for blogging is that life is too short to read Vox Nova) called my remarks about Archbishop Wuerl "outrageous and despicable". Perhaps they were. All I know is that the American bishop who could do the most to prevent people from saying "I'm Catholic and I support abortion rights" has failed to prevent anyone from saying that, and is not making any public effort in that respect, and has no successes to show for any private efforts he may be making. That looks like acquiescence to me.

Meanwhile, the no-longer-anonymous Anchoress seems to feel that we shouldn't care about this question. At least she doesn't seem to want to.

And then Archbishop Wuerl released a statement, and it still looks like acquiescence to me. It's not his job, he says, to protect the sacrament from national politicians who are just visiting his turf. That's the job of their own local bishops.

And then at Rich Leonardi's excellent blog Ten Reasons, Rich's post and its subsequent comments finally brought me clarity on this issue. I had expressed my discouragement on the issue, and several subsequent commenters encouraged me to write letters and pray, and not give up hope.

It's very much as the piercing wit of Diogenes said at Off the Record:

Imagine a mother whose toddlers crawl past her legs under the kitchen sink, open various bottles marked with the skull-and-crossbones, pour the contents into sippy-cups, and then trot off drinking the contents while she shakes her head in bemused resignation. Either the woman is criminally negligent, or she doesn't believe the marked bottles really contain poison. There is no third possibility.

The eerie but incontestable fact is that most Catholic pastors behave like this unnaturally nonchalant mother. The Church still labels certain bottles with the skull-and-crossbones -- i.e., she still professes a belief in mortal (soul-destroying) sins, but even those of her clergy who give verbal assent to Church doctrine seldom conduct their office in a way that is intelligible if the doctrine were true.

It is very evidently the settled teaching of the Catholic Church -- the Pope and the bishops teaching in unison -- that even the most prominent and vocal supporter of abortion cannot face even the slightest canonical consequence for their advocacy.

And why is this? It is traditionally the duty of a bishop to "teach, sanctify and govern." Perhaps it's much harder to govern than to teach and sanctify. Perhaps governance is where the teaching is given teeth, and a toothless teaching is much less frightening.

As it is, the stated policy of the USCCB is that any bishop is free to take action on this issue, or not. And so the vast majority (the exceptions can be counted on the fingers of one hand) take the path of least resistance. I expect that in future, it will be enforced that no bishop may deny communion to prominent abortion rights advocates.

Clearly, as evidenced by the determined refusal to act by the bishops, the papal nuncio, and even the Holy Father, there is no danger to the souls of Speaker Pelosi, Senator Kennedy, Senator Kerry, Senator Dodd, and all the rest (I could mention from my own state Senator Durbin, Mayor Daley, Governor Blagojevich, and many other pro-aborts who are routinely admitted to communion by Cardinal George).

Just as clearly, there is no danger of legitimate scandal on the part of the laity. Clearly there is nothing wrong with people like me being led to believe that it is fully acceptable to dissent from the toothless teaching that abortion is wrong, and even to dissent publicly. Such dissent is not and should not be any barrier to receiving communion.

I can confidently say this because, if souls were in danger, if scandal were a concern, surely the bishops would not wait to be deluged with letters from the laity. The Church is not a democracy. The rules to be followed are explicit.

Either, for the good of the soul of the public dissenter, and for the avoidance of scandal, a public abortion supporter should be denied communion; or else it's OK to vocally and publicly dissent from the Church's teaching on abortion. The bishops are not stupid men; they know what is at stake. Clearly, given their actions, there is really no problem.

Or else they are willfully negligent on such a scale as to boggle the mind. I don't see a third possibility here.

Would anyone care to weigh in and claim that it's negligence? That would be "outrageous and despicable". But would it be untrue?

Why Homeschool, part 18

Dancing! Brendan Fraser from the ultimate homeschooling movie, Blast from the Past:

Constitution Party Nominates Radio Host Baldwin

Rejects Alan Keyes by large margin

The Constitution Party has nominated for President the Rev. Chuck Baldwin, their 2004 vice presidential nominee. The convention was made more interesting by the presidential bid of former UN ambassador Alan Keyes:

Convening its national convention in Kansas City today, the Constitution Party picked radio talk-show host Chuck Baldwin over former Ambassador Alan Keyes as its 2008 presidential candidate.

The pick was seen as something of an upset, given Keyes' higher national profile. Known for his fiery stem-winders, Keyes is a two-time GOP presidential candidate who abandoned the Republican Party this month to join the Constitution Party, which believes in limited government and is committed to ending abortion and bringing American troops home from Iraq.

But Baldwin's roots in the Constitution Party run deeper. He was the party's 2004 vice-presidential candidate, and party members said his stands were more in line with party thinking.

"Chuck is the real deal," said Jim Clymer, the party's national chairman.

Still, the two waged a fierce battle described as the most contentious in the party's 16-year history. Baldwin wound up winning easily on a 384-126 vote. The Missouri and Kansas delegations basically split their votes between the two.

"They just rejected the most qualified man to be president," said Tom Hoefling of Lohrville, Iowa, Keyes' national political director. "Chuck Baldwin will have no impact on this election whatsoever."

The party's immediate tasks, Clymer said, are raising money and gaining ballot access in each state. The party now has qualified to be on the ballots of 21 states. He expects the eventual total to top 40 and include Kansas and Missouri.

"We're always short on money," Clymer said.

In his acceptance speech, Baldwin said his presidency would result in the ending of illegal immigration, abortion, the streamlining of the federal government, the tapping of oil reserves in Alaska and withdrawal from Iraq.

"We will stop the international meddling...this international empire-building," Baldwin said.

When he takes office, Baldwin said, "The new world order comes crashing down!"

He pledged not only to pull out of the United Nations, but to push the international organization out of New York.

"The U.N. is going to have to find themselves another (home) because their rent is up in New York City," he said.

He said he would phase out the Internal Revenue Service and end the paying of personal income taxes. He said the country should return to the gold standard.

Home schoolers, he said, would have the best friend they ever had in the White House.

The convention was opened by a speech from party founder and former presidential nominee Howard Phillips, who opposed Keyes' candidacy:

Phillips came out swinging at Alan Keyes – a former US Ambassador, former Assistant Secretary of State, conservative and newly minted Constitution Party candidate for President.

Phillips pulled no punches – his speech turned into a verbal assault on Keyes. He hit often. He hit hard. He hit Keyes, calling him a “neo con”, on his opinions on the War in Iraq, the United Nations, aid to other nations and demonizing him as an “enemy to Ron Paul”. Phillips spoke explicitly in favor of the nomination of Rev. Chuck Baldwin.

Even though he threw in a few “I respect Alan Keyes” here and there – his attack got personal, saying Keyes is worse than the Republican Party and driven by his ego.

Phillips praised Ron Paul (big applause) and even complemented Bob Barr, but claimed that Paul won’t endorse him (Barr) because he’s more likely to help Baldwin.

You could see the blood pressure rising among the Keyes supporters – many of whom left after several minutes of the assault.

More than one Baldwin supporter and Phillips fan admitted to me that they were caught off guard by the level of hostility in Phillips’ speech.

Party Chairman Jim Clymer returned to the stage at the conclusion of Phillips’ speech and explained that he disagreed with what had just taken place and encouraged everyone to not attack fellow party members.

In this video, Dr. Keyes reacts to his defeat philosophically, and discusses his future plans.

Book Review, Danny Gospel

Danny Gospel
by David Athey
Bethany House, 269 pages, $13.99

It was the second time that this blog had generated email from the author of a novel. The first time was when I mentioned that Anne Rice had written a new Christian novel. She commented to thank me for mentioning her, which led to a brief email exchange. I reviewed Christ the Lord - Out of Egypt here, and on-line ads for the book linked to my blog review.

This time, though, I had not mentioned the book, nor even heard of it, when David Athey emailed me to say:

I like your blog and the way you think. I just have one little complaint… not enough novels on your website.

I think you’d like DANNY GOSPEL.

Athey attached a page of praise for his book.

So I wrote back to say that when other bloggers write about books, it's because they've been sent copies. So he sent me a copy, kindly inscribed "To Paul, a great regular guy! Blessings! David A."

I'll tell you honestly, this is not the sort of book I normally read. And yet I found it remarkably engaging.

As a regular guy who tries to discern the will of God in my life, I quickly identfied with young Danny "Gospel", so known because he had grown up in a family of gospel singers who had gained local fame as "The Gospel Family". Danny, a young man who, for all his interior dialog feels much more than he thinks, strives to know God's will in his own life. And not just for big plans either but for little things like which way to turn at an intersection. He discerns messages from God in many things, including even the flight of a mosquito.

And, as a man of faith, Danny acts promptly when he believes that he knows what God wants of him. Several times, he rushes out of his house without even putting on his shoes. This understandably leads to some difficulty.

But Danny is an engaging character, the kind I'd certainly like to have as a neighbor, and indeed he is well-liked by his neighbors. He is selfless, loving, and wonderfully impractical; qualities I can really get behind. But when what he suspects is an angelic visitor wakes him one morning with a kiss, his adventures begin, and he's off across the cornfields of Iowa on a journey of exploration and self-discovery that takes him across the country and back again.

It's a journey I quite enjoyed, and I suspect you will too.

Something To Look Forward To

McCain to aggressively court pro-life voters

This is only what I've been asking for:

A Republican Party leader says John McCain's presidential campaign will "aggressively" reach out to pro-life voters this year. With a stark contrast between McCain's pro-life views on abortion and the ardently pro-abortion views of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton it could be a key focus this election.

Republican National Committee Deputy Chair Frank Donatelli spoke with CBN News about the outreach the McCain campaign plans.

“All I can say is that it will be aggressive," he said. “We are going to have a very aggressive program to reach out to religious voters whether they are Evangelical, Protestant, Catholic or whatever."

"Senator McCain’s aides at all levels will be talking to pro-family groups. Senator McCain himself will engage with pro-family groups," Donatelli added.

The GOP official said the Democratic Party has already talked about reaching out to pro-life voters, especially Catholics, but he said the party will have a hard time attracting pro-life voters because of it's staunchly pro-abortion views and those of its eventual nominee.

"The problem with the DNC outreach is the party that embraces abortion on demand ... I would think would have a great deal of difficulty reaching pro-family voters," he said.

On the other hand, Donatelli told CBN News that McCain's pro-life views on abortion line up with pro-life voters.

"The issues that are of concern to religious voters ... namely, appointing and supporting judges to the federal bench that will interpret the constitution and not make social policy ... those are bedrock issues as far as Senator McCain is concerned," he said.

While the pro-life community has been hesitant to quickly embrace McCain, because of his support for embryonic stem cell research funding and his sponsorship of a bill that curtailed some campaign activities, Donatelli told CBN News he thinks pro-life voters will come around.

For me, what will be most persuasive will be appeals by Senator McCain himself. Appeals by surrogates on his behalf (Senator Brownback comes to mind) will carry much less weight with me. A solidly pro-life running mate will be another important gesture.

Black Genocide

It couldn't be hidden permanently. Rev. Wright has one point right. There is a group out to destroy African Americans. Planned Parenthood:

The Planned Parenthood Federation of America has perpetuated a “genocide on the black community,” says a group of African-American pastors who claimed Thursday the birth control and abortion provider has had a racist agenda since its beginnings in 1921.

Holding a brief vigil and press conference in front of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Washington, D.C., the group of pastors and activists said they were incensed by the results of recent “undercover” inquiries into several Planned Parenthood clinics across the country.

“Every day … over 1,500 black babies are murdered inside the black woman’s womb,” said Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson, of Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny (BOND). “This is a race issue.”

The pastors urged Congress to initiate an audit of the organization and have written letters demanding that money for Planned Parenthood be eliminated from federal Title X funding, of which the group got $65 million for fiscal year 2007, according to pro-life Concerned Women of America. In total, Planned Parenthood received $300 million in government contracts and grants in the current fiscal year.

The national office of Planned Parenthood provided FOX News with a lengthy statement on Thursday in which it said its role in the African-American community is widespread because the need is greater. [Emphasis added.]

Yeah, the "need is greater" because black people have a greater need to not reproduce. Not my opinion; but evidently theirs.

McCain Picks Up Important "Endorsement"

This is one of the most compelling reasons to vote for McCain: NARAL opposes him (H/T: Southern Appeal):

Meet The Real McCain!

The REAL John McCain is not the "moderate maverick" the pundits like to swoon over. The REAL McCain has spent the last 25 years amassing one of the worst anti-choice voting records in Congress.

If elected president, he has pledged to be the anti-choice movement's most faithful ally, carrying their water and enacting their dangerous agenda: "If I am fortunate enough to be elected as the next President of the United States, I pledge to you to be a loyal and unswerving friend of the right to life movement." [Statement by Sen. McCain read by Sen. Sam Brownback at the March for Life in Washington, DC, January 22, 2008.] [Emphasis in original.]

Of course, I've often wished that Republican officeholders could be as hardcore on abortion as Democrats always threaten they will be, but it's a good sign that NARAL doesn't like McCain.

So, let's add it up: NARAL opposes, Republicans for Choice endorses, National Right to Life endorses. Democrats for Life opposes.

It would be nice to hear more from McCain himself on this topic.

Pro-Life Governor Sets An Example

Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, 44 years old, gave birth to her fifth child this past Friday, a month prematurely, and in spite of conventional wisdom to abort the child, which had been identified as likely to have Down Syndrome. 80% of Down Syndrome babies are aborted.

On Tuesday, Palin confirmed her baby, named Trig Paxson, has Down syndrome.

"Trig is beautiful and already adored by us," Palin said in a statement LifeNews.com obtained.

"We knew through early testing he would face special challenges, and we feel privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives," she said.

'We have faith that every baby is created for good purpose and has potential to make this world a better place. We are truly blessed," the 44 year-old governor added.

Trig was born on Friday, one month before his due date, and he weighed 6 pounds, 2 ounces.

Governor Palin is a true pro-life leader.

All of the staff, cast and crew here at Thoughts of a Regular Guy would like to salute Gov. Palin, and offer our congratulations to her and her family on this blessed event.

Expelled Proves Its Point

So, the Extraordinary Wife and I got out to see Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed over the weekend. In case you haven't heard about it, it is Ben Stein's new documentary about the debate -- or lack thereof -- between advocates of intelligent design theory and Darwinists.

In my opinion, Expelled proves its point. Unless its point is that life must have been created by a supernatural intelligence. The movie doesn't successfully make that argument, and I would suggest it's not trying to make that argument.

The point that is proved by this movie is that the powers that be in academia, education, and the mainstream media have refused to allow a debate on the relative merits of Darwinism and intelligent design, and have gone to great lengths to marginalize and silence anyone in the academy or the media who tries to make the case for intelligent design.

He also goes into some of the fruits of Darwinism (eugenics, Nazis, Planned Parenthood), as well as some of the failings of Darwinism to explain the origin of life. He has one scientist explaining vaguely that life might have begun "on the backs of crystals", and has footage of Richard Dawkins explaining that no one knows how life began, but that it couldn't have been created by God, although aliens from outer space might have planted life on earth.

If I were a Darwinist, I would not find my faith in Darwin shaken by this film. But I would wonder why we couldn't find anyone to answer these arguments.

On the whole, I found it entertaining and thought-provoking and I recommend it.

For Earth Day: Conceive Your Next Child

Conservatives have a baby, liberals buy a dog. Environmentalists hate your children (H/T: Southern Appeal):

Be fruitful and multiply," says the book of Genesis, and Lord knows we have. To the tune of more than 300 million at home and more than 6 billion abroad. But as we go about the heavenly task of multiplying, a poignant question arises: Might our religion be killing us?

Well, this guys sounds like a pro-abortion environmentalist whacko atheist, so yes, his religion is killing people.

...

Here's why. The hundreds of scientists who make up the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned recently that the environmental crisis is more dire than originally believed. We might have reached a tipping point. Even if we stop producing harmful greenhouse gases immediately, temperatures could continue to rise and ocean levels along with them for the next 1,000 years. How much? The IPPC says by as much as 11 degrees this century with a corresponding rise in ocean levels of nearly 2 feet. Other scientists, such as Britain's James Lovelock (who is credited with discovering that chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, were polluting the atmosphere), say it will be far worse and happen sooner. Both predictions portend drought, starvation and species extinction.

Downsizing families

Hopefully, not ours. Of course, much of our environmental problem is due to overpopulation. There are simply too many people for the planet to sustain — at least the way we expect to be sustained. Each new person requires more food, water and oxygen. At the same time, each is producing more carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and methane (the big culprits of global warming). For each additional human, planet Earth (and the rest of us) pays a price. The world knows where this is all headed. In fact, we even devote an entire day — Earth Day, which we'll mark Tuesday — to promote awareness.

There are two types of people in the world. Those who believe this sort of nonsense, and who should not -- and do not -- reproduce. And those who recognize this sort of nonsense for what it is, and whose children will govern America.

Democrats Promise To Reduce DC Buglaries By Reducing Need For Burglaries

Democratic presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were trying to out-do each other today during the run-up to the all-important Pennsylvania primary by promising to reduce the number of burglaries in the District of Columbia:

"It's important that we respect a burglar's right to choose what to do with his own crowbar. No one is pro-burglary, but we can work together to reduce the need for burglaries by providing financial assistance, jobs programs, and free daycare for the burglars," Senator Clinton was quoted as saying.

Meanwhile, Senator Obama was not to be outdone.

"Republicans only care about possessions, they don't care what happens to the burglars," Obama said, promising to increase funding for lock-picks and flashlights for the lower-income Americans, in order to protect their right to commit burglaries. "However," said Obama, "we are proposing a reduction in the penalty for robbing convenience stores, in order to bring about a reduction in burglaries of homes."

Meanwhile, GOP candidate Senator John McCain, claiming to be both "pro-property" and "pro-burglar" proposed federal funding to provide counseling for people who have committed burglaries, but rejected calls to outlaw burglary entirely. "I look forward to the day when burglary will no longer be necessary," said McCain. Asked if he would be willing to choose a running mate who favored burglary, McCain said that it would be difficult, but not a totally disqualifying factor.

The Pope In America: What I Wish Had Happened, And What Happened Instead

I'm not criticizing the Holy Father here. He's smarter, older and wiser that I am, and he is guided by the Holy Spirit in ways that I will never be. I'm just a regular guy, and I don't perceive the subtleties that seem to prevent simple solutions to big problems.

But there is something I wish he had done when he was in Washington this week: I wish he'd held a meeting with the 18 Catholic members of the U.S. House who signed the letter last May asserting their "right" to be both Catholic and defenders of abortion rights. I wish he'd read them the riot act and told them to either get with the program or get out of the Church. They are public heretics, preaching as Catholicism a faith that is inimical to Catholicism. I wish he had called them out and treated them as such.

Instead of this, which I think would have been a Good Thing, a Bad Thing happened. Several famously pro-abortion Catholics were admitted to the Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist at papal masses this week. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Mayor Rudy Giuliani foremost among many, received communion at masses celebrated by the Holy Father. Neither the Holy Father himself, nor the ordinaries of those archdioceses, nor the priests distributing communion, saw any need to enforce the clause of canon law that forbids admitting infamous sinners to the Blessed Sacrament.

Please don't fault me for not looking up the exact citation in Canon Law and linking it, because it doesn't matter. That canon might as well not exist. None of those who have tried to cite it in arguing that pro-aborts shouldn't be admitted to communion, including the worthy Archbishop of St. Louis, have a leg to stand on anymore. Pelosi and Giuliani were given communion at papal masses. What more is there to say? If it was a problem, the Holy Father would have said something; he didn't, so it isn't.

My six-year-old son made his first communion last week. I've worked to help him understand the significance of it. I don't look forward to when he finds out how the Eucharist is treated in the "real world". It'll be worse -- far worse -- than finding out that Santa Claus doesn't exist.

I'm just a Catholic in the pew, a regular guy trying to raise his kids right. But I'm disappointed. I'm scandalized.

UPDATE: Well, that didn't take long.

Why Homeschool, part 17

So that your children can make a political statement without looking like a moron:


(H/T: Redstate)

Happy Passover

To the Jewish members of my family, my Jewish friends, and anyone reading this who celebrates the observance of Passover, may your celebration be blessed with joy and grace.

The Caveman On Illegal Immigration

Is it showing good Christian compassion to condone illegal immigration? The Catholic Caveman says no:

And lets not forget that there is a little known Catholic teaching centered around the "Four Sins Crying to Heaven for Vengeance".

One of these, is defrauding a laborer of his just wages (Deut 24:14-15; Jas 5:4). Do I really need to tell any of you the horror stories of the hard working American citizens who have gone out of business because of cheap, illegal labor? Guys who use to make a decent living in the various construction trades, who now are working for $7.50 an hour, upwards of 60-80 hours a week just so their kids can eat... just so they don't lose their homes. I don't see a lot of bishops weeping alligator tears for these folks and their kids.

That brings me to the meat and potatoes of this post -- the illegal aliens themselves. The vast majority of them are working for peanuts. Those Economic Benedict Arnolds that illegally hire them fully understand that, and want it that way. [Emphasis in original.]

I always read the Caveman. So should you. There's more to this; the Caveman's writing style is a tad coarse, but his points are unassailable.

My own view is that no one who locks his doors at night is really for open borders. If he claims the right to regulate who comes into his house, he must admit the right of a nation to regulate who enters its borders. Next time someone tells you we have to let them all in, and grant them amnesty once they're here illegally, ask if he locks his doors at night.

Officially Sorry!

When I saw that Lapped Catholic and Ward Wide Web had been nominated for "Sorriest Excuse for a Catholic Blog" in the The Crecast's 2008 Cannonball Catholic Awards, I thought, "wait, my blog is much, much sorrier than either of theirs!"

And now the votes are in, and I am vindicated! I do indeed have the sorriest excuse for a Catholic blog! Thanks to the Carolina Cannonball and the 26 people who voted for me. To my many fellow nominees, I say thanks for dividing up the other votes, and keep your eyes here for a consistent example of how to be truly sorry!

"The Objectionable Language Has Been Withdrawn..."

... from a Senate resolution welcoming the Pope to the United States!

The objectionable language:

Whereas Pope Benedict XVI has spoken out for the weak and vulnerable, witnessing to the value of each and every human life...

It seems that Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), found this language to be "objectionable", on the grounds that it is a reference to the Church's opposition to abortion.

The resolution's sponsors agreed to drop the offending paragraph, and the resolution was adopted. So it's good that, having been here two days already, the Pope is now officially welcome.

But it seems to me that there's a problem from the pro-abortion side: If it's "objectionable" to witness "to the value of each and every human life," then which human lives does Sen. Boxer wish to deny the value of?

If she denies the value of unborn human lives, desiring to maintain the right to kill them for any reason or no reason, then isn't Sen. Boxer admitting that the unborn, are, in fact, human lives?

Isn't this essentially an admission that what happens in abortion is, in fact, an outright denial of the value of human life?

(H/T: The Crypt via Creative Minority Report)

Six Words

What is it about six words?

Hemmingway said his best story was his shortest, only six words: "For sale, baby shoes, never worn."

Weird Al Yankovic did a spoof of an old pop song that he called "(This song's just) Six Words Long".

And now Amy at Modern Commentaries has tagged me for the Six Word Memoir Meme:

The Rules

1. Write your own six word memoir.
   
2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want.
   
3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to the original post, if possible, so we can track it across the blogosphere.
   
4. Tag at least five more blogs with links.
   
5. Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to play.

Six word memoir meme:
All that potential; what a shame.


I've decided to diregard rules 3 through 5, but please feel free to play if you like!

The Texas Polygamists

After the ATF disastrously raided the Branch Davidian compound in Waco as a fund-raiser to demonstrate their need for increased federal funding so that they could fight against whacked-out religious groups, gun control opponents for awhile circulated a bumper-sticker that said, "IS YOUR CHURCH ATF APPROVED?"

The idea being that, if the government thought your faith was wacky enough that most people wouldn't sympathize with you, they could take away your rights.

So unless HBO's Big Love has inspired in you a great sympathy for polygamists, the government is at it again, this time to prevent people of faith from raising their children to be people of faith. On one single apparently fraudulent complaint of child abuse, over 400 children have been taken from their parents:

Among the hundreds of children, lawyers and caseworkers involved in an unprecedented child custody hearing this morning, one person will be noticeably absent -- the 16-year-old girl whose call for help set in motion the largest child protection case in U.S. history.

Texas authorities say they have not located or identified the girl, though they have said they believe she is among the 416 children from a polygamous sect who were taken into state custody nearly two weeks ago.

Some people are now questioning whether she exists at all.

Though the girl is not key to today's hearing, her absence looms over the case. Without her, any potential criminal charges that might be brought against members of the sect in the future could be jeopardized, legal experts say.

Call me crazy, but taking 416 children from their parents because they're members of a religious group that had a single complaint sounds a lot like guilt by association to me.

When they came for the Branch Davidians, I didn't speak up because David Koresh was a whacked-out loon with delusions of godhood.

When they came for the Fundamentalist Mormons, I didn't speak up because their leader was in jail for a conviction in Utah while awaiting trail for another charge in Arizona, and because polygamy is a sin.

Then came the day they came for the Catholics, and no one else spoke up because, hey, you know what those priests do to kids, and those parents shouldn't be taking kids to a Catholic priest.

The Joker Would Be Proud

World's Second Homicidal Artist

In the 1989 movie Batman, Jack Nicholson, playing The Joker, explains to Kim Basinger, "I am the world's first homicidal artist. I make art until somebody dies."

Now, Yale heralds the world's second homicidal artist (H/T: Drudge):

Art major Aliza Shvarts '08 wants to make a statement.

Beginning next Tuesday, Shvarts will be displaying her senior art project, a documentation of a nine-month process during which she artificially inseminated herself as often as possible while periodically taking abortifacient drugs to induce miscarriages. Her exhibition will feature video recordings of these forced miscarriages as well as preserved collections of the blood from the process.

The goal in creating the art exhibition, Shvarts said, was to spark conversation and debate on the relationship between art and the human body. But her project has already provoked more than just debate, inciting, for instance, outcry at a forum for fellow senior art majors held last week. And when told about Shvarts' project, students on both ends of the abortion debate have expressed shock saying the project does everything from violate moral code to trivialize abortion.

But Shvarts insists her concept was not designed for shock value.

"I hope it inspires some sort of discourse," Shvarts said. "Sure, some people will be upset with the message and will not agree with it, but it's not the intention of the piece to scandalize anyone."

The "fabricators," or donors, of the sperm were not paid for their services, but Shvarts required them to periodically take tests for sexually transmitted diseases. She said she was not concerned about any medical effects the forced miscarriages may have had on her body. The abortifacient drugs she took were legal and herbal, she said, and she did not feel the need to consult a doctor about her repeated miscarriages.

Shvarts declined to specify the number of sperm donors she used, as well as the number of times she inseminated herself.
...

"I believe strongly that art should be a medium for politics and ideologies, not just a commodity," Shvarts said. "I think that I'm creating a project that lives up to the standard of what art is supposed to be."

The display of Schvarts' project will feature a large cube suspended from the ceiling of a room in the gallery of Green Hall. Schvarts will wrap hundreds of feet of plastic sheeting around this cube; lined between layers of the sheeting will be the blood from Schvarts' self-induced miscarriages mixed with Vaseline in order to prevent the blood from drying and to extend the blood throughout the plastic sheeting.

Schvarts will then project recorded videos onto the four sides of the cube. These videos, captured on a VHS camcorder, will show her experiencing miscarriages in her bathrooom tub, she said. Similar videos will be projected onto the walls of the room. [Emphasis added.]

You create new human life, and then promptly destroy it for obscure and macabre reasons. It sounds like embryonic stem cell research; she should apply for federal funding.

Recreational death. Only on the best Ivy League campuses.

Praise For McCain

I have been stingy, to say the least, in praise for Senator McCain on this blog. Here's something I've been longing to hear (H/T: Southern Appeal):

... the respect and cherishing of the right of the unborn is one of the fundamental principles of my party and it's a deeply held belief of mine... the rights of the unborn is one of my most important values.

I need to hear more like this from McCain, but this isn't a bad start.