The Visitation

May 31 is the feast of the Visitation of Mary

Catholic Culture has more information.

The feast of the Visitation recalls to us the following great truths and events: The visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary to her cousin Elizabeth shortly after the Annunciation; the cleansing of John the Baptist from original sin in the womb of his mother at the words of Our Lady's greeting; Elizabeth's proclaiming of Mary—under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost—as Mother of God and "blessed among women"; Mary's singing of the sublime hymn, Magnificat ("My soul doth magnify the Lord") which has become a part of the daily official prayer of the Church. The Visitation is frequently depicted in art, and was the central mystery of St. Francis de Sales' devotions.

The Mass of today salutes her who in her womb bore the King of heaven and earth, the Creator of the world, the Son of the Eternal Father, the Sun of Justice. It narrates the cleansing of John from original sin in his mother's womb. Hearing herself addressed by the most lofty title of "Mother of the Lord" and realizing what grace her visit had conferred on John, Mary broke out in that sublime canticle of praise proclaiming prophetically that henceforth she would be venerated down through the centuries:

"My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior. Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me, and holy is His name" (Lk. 1:46).

OBAMA-PFLEGER TIE RUNS DEEP

Move over Reverend Wright...Obama's latest headache is with the embarrassing Rev. Michael Pfleger.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on Rev. Michael Pfleger’s remarks at Sen. Barack Obama’s church that led the Catholic priest to apologize and the Democratic hopeful to renounce them:

“Most commentators are already focusing on the inappropriateness of the race-baiting comments by Father Pfleger. More serious is the venue in which he delivered his diatribe and his long-standing ties to Sen. Obama.
“Father Pfleger’s tirade would be inexcusable anywhere, but it is even more offensive when it happens in a church. It does not matter that it was not his own, nor does it matter that it happened in a church that has a record of allowing demagogues to exploit it. When churches become forums for political rallies, both religion and the First Amendment are corrupted.

“Obama and Pfleger are no strangers. Indeed, when Obama was in the state senate in Illinois, he conveniently arranged for Father Pfleger’s St. Sabina’s Church to receive state monies for its social programs. Of course, the guardians of church and state separation said nothing then and they are saying nothing now. That’s because they’re all in the tank for Obama. Just as important, why is it that of all the wonderful Catholic priests in the Chicago Archdiocese, Obama long ago chose Pfleger to hang with? Truth be known, Pfleger has a very troubling history: he has welcomed the anti-Semite Louis Farrakhan to preach in his church; he has hired prostitutes to worship there; he has been arrested for defacing billboards; and he once urged the crowd at an anti-gun rally to hunt down a gun store owner ‘like a rat’ and ‘snuff’ him. Every time he opens his mouth he makes a fool of himself...he clearly needs some "help".

story here

I will not post the YouTube of Pfleger's tirade on this blog. You can see it HERE, but I advise you that you will probably find it offensive, as I did.

So what will it take for Cardinal George to get rid of this loser?

Cardinal George regrets Chicago priest’s “personal attack” on Sen. Clinton

Popular Pro-Life Movie Bella Becomes Novel, Headed to Bookstores Nationwide

cross-post from Catholic Media Review

Great news for Bella fans..I loved this movie!

The popular pro-life movie Bella is prepared to make another nationwide impact as the film has been turned into a novel that is available at bookstores across the country. The novel provides a more in-depth look at the movie and the characters who have touched millions of lives.

As a movie, Bella took on some of the giants of the summer season in 2007, earning more ticket sales per theater than some of the most popular movies at the time.

Then, Bella became the most popular pre-sell DVD in its category at Amazon.com after the movie went to video.

Now, the producers of the film tell LifeNews.com about the latest chapter in the Bella saga.

"Bella has become such an amazing phenomenon that book publisher Thomas Nelson and award-winning author Lisa Samson decided to adapt the Bella story onto the written page and make it available in both English and Spanish," Bella producers Sean Wolfington and Leo Severino said.

story here

Father Raymond J. de Souza on Sex and the City: The story of four insecure women searching for love

Father Raymond comments on the Sex and the City movie, which opens today.

cross-posted from Catholic Media Review

To great popular culture fanfare, the Sex and the City movie opens on Friday. I don’t expect that I shall see it, so I thought I might offer a comment beforehand. Indeed, I rather missed the entire television series, but for a rather extraordinary confluence of events.

Some years ago, I was asked by my friends at Maclean’s to arrange for the participation of Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Archbishop of Quebec City, for their big 100th anniversary bash in Toronto. The program featured leading Canadians from industry, literature, science, show business, politics, etc., all giving various summaries of the decades of Maclean’s history. The cardinal was to arrive late from the airport, so he was assigned the last decade. Which was just as well, as the 1960s were introduced by Canadian actress Kim Cattrall, of Sex and the City fame, but of whom I was only vaguely aware. She did her bit in character, and had I known her character, I would not have wondered why a woman would present herself in public as more than a little bit trampy. At any rate, I was relieved that I did not have to explain to Cardinal Ouellet why I had asked him to be part of such a production, and nothing was said when he finally did arrive.

source here

Canadian Mainstream Media Reps Blast Bishops for Failing to Speak Out Strongly on Moral Issues

It looks like our Catholic neighbors to the north have the same concern as we do... the U.S. Bishops don't speak out enough either. I would love to see ALL Bishops speaking out more.

The first day of the International Catholic Media Convention in Toronto yesterday heard from a panel of the mainstream media. CTV news anchor Lloyd Robertson, CBC Radio producer Peter Kavanaugh and National Post Religion Reporter Charles Lewis addressed a standing-room only 'master camp' of Catholic media professionals.

Those attending found the session quite interesting with the panelists addressing how a story makes it "from the street to the front page". But far more interesting was the extensive Q & A session which followed the presentation.

The questions were led off by Catholic Insight and Interim reporter Tony Gosgnach who asked CBC specifically and the panel more generally about the total lack of coverage of the National March for Life and lopsided coverage by CBC of World Youth Day and related Catholic news. That question evolved and led to the highpoint of the session.

CBC's Kavanaugh had a fascinating story to tell. He told of spending ten days in England at the introduction of the human embryology bill which similar to such bills in North America allowed for in vitro fertilization and embryonic stem cell research. "Much to the shock of the Gordon government," Kavanaugh recalled, "the Catholic Church went ballistic, they blew up, they issued denunciations of the bill from the pulpit."

story here

I'm not sure I would entirely agree with that. The U.K. Bishops have indeed been speaking out more against the fertilisation and embryology bill, But, as with the U.S. Bishops, I occasionally see stories like these. Here are a couple of Canadian Bishops(1 is a Cardinal)

Archbishop of Toronto chastises wayward Catholic school board



As the Toronto Catholic District School Board works to avoid being taken over by the provincial government, the Archbishop of Toronto has rebuked the board for losing public trust, poorly representing the Catholic community, and falling “far short” of expected standards.

Toronto archbishop joins critics of Catholic school board

Cardinal tells media Catholics must reaffirm their role in Quebec



Cardinal Oullet seems to partially agree... he is calling upon Catholics to live their faith.

Cardinal Marc Ouellet, who last year sparked controversy with his remarks about religion in Quebec society, said Catholics "need some more militance" to reaffirm "the values of our Catholic tradition in Quebec." LOL..only secularists would consider religion "controversy".

He cited Catholic contributions in health care, education and social services and said, "All of this was and is very positive."

The cardinal told Catholic media professionals at the 2008 Catholic Media Convention in Toronto May 30 that after 40 years of secularization in Quebec "the moment has come" for a new way of looking at the church's historical role in society.

"There is a fear that the influence of the church will return," he said during a question-and-answer session after he addressed the audience about the church's call to evangelize and the media's role in that call.

Assisted Suicide Bill Passes California Assembly

I am really sick and tired of this "culture of death" that promotes abortion , assisted suicide and euthanasia...all forms of ending life. Why don't doctors and nurses focus more on protecting and caring for life rather than ending it?

An assisted-suicide bill that allows doctors and nurses to suggest death by unconscious dehydration has barely passed the California State Assembly.

AB 2747 would authorize total sedation without nutrition and hydration for depressed and confused patients, whether or not their natural death was imminent. The bill would also allow family members to order the death of a mentally disabled person when a nurse opines they have less than a year to live, similar to Terry Schindler Schiavo's death at the hands of her husband.

AB 2747 passed the Democrat-controlled Assembly Wednesday afternoon on a 41-32 vote, a one-vote margin of victory in the 80-member lower house. The vote was virtually party line, Democrats for, Republicans against. AB 2747 is authored by the same Democrats who unsuccessfully carried physician-assisted suicide bills for the last three years.

"This deceptive bill will cause death and shorten life, despite its claims," said Randy Thomasson, president of Campaign for Children and Families, a leading California-based pro-life, pro-family organization. "Drying up and shriveling to death through dehydration is a fate worse than lethal injection. By transforming palliative sedation into a vehicle for assisted suicide, AB 2747 would transform doctors and nurses from healers and comforters into killers like Dr. Jack Kevorkian." Kevorkian has some legacy, huh? He will forever be known as "Dr. Death".

story here

Unborn Personhood Amendment Makes Colorado Ballot

Good news for babies, bad news for pro-aborts. This should really be a "no brainer", but adding it to the state constitution, and setting a precedent for the U.S. Constitution and the U.S. Supreme Court, is critical.

An amendment to the Colorado Constitution that defines a "person" as "any human being from the moment of fertilization" will go before state voters in the Nov. 4 general election. This definition is key to overturning Roe v. Wade.

Amendment 48, entitled "Definition of a Person," was approved for a statewide vote on Thursday by Colorado Secretary of State Mike Coffman, whose office validated 103,000 signatures on petitions for the ballot initiative -- 27,000 more than required.

The petition drive -- which actually collected 130,050 signatures -- originated with 20-year-old Kristi Burton, who said in a news release that she developed a deep passion for the pro-life movement at 13 years of age.

"All humans should be protected by love and by law, and this amendment is a historic effort to ensure equal rights for every person," Burton noted in her statement.

"We at Colorado for Equal Rights are incredibly thankful for our many volunteers who worked so hard for each signature we delivered to the secretary of state's office and the churches who stood behind us and supported us," she added. "This victory is the voice of the people, and all credit goes to our Creator."

If approved by voters next fall, the amendment would guarantee every person, at every stage of life, the right to life, liberty, equality of justice and due process of law, Burton said. And while the initiative would not make abortion illegal, supporters and opponents alike believe it could lay the legal framework to legislate against abortion. And why not? There are some animal rights nuts in Austria that want to have a gorilla (yes, I said gorilla) declared a person, and given rights and protections. Why shouldn't a real human baby be protected?

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Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

Today is the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Catholic Culture has more information.

"I promise you in the excessive mercy of my Heart that my all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in my disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. My divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment" (Jesus to St. Margaret Mary).

Sixteenth century Calvinism and seventeenth century Jansenism preached a distorted Christianity that substituted for God's love and sacrifice of His Son for all men the fearful idea that a whole section of humanity was inexorably damned.

The Church always countered this view with the infinite love of our Savior who died on the cross for all men. The institution of the feast of the Sacred Heart was soon to contribute to the creation among the faithful of a powerful current of devotion which since then has grown steadily stronger. The first Office and Mass of the Sacred Heart were composed by St. John Eudes, but the institution of the feast was a result of the appearances of our Lord to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in 1675. The celebration of the feast was extended to the general calendar of the Church by Pius IX in 1856.

Vatican decrees excommunication for participation in 'ordination' of women

The Vatican deals with some "Grannies Gone Wild"

The Vatican declared today that any women who attempt “ordination” or any bishops who attempt to “ordain” women are automatically excommunicated from the Church by their actions. As they should be. The decree from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is said to be absolute, universal and immediately effective. It's about time :)

The decree which was published in the Vatican daily, L’Osservatore Romano, comes in the wake of several women attempting to be “ordained” as Catholic priests. "attempting" is the key word... there are NO woman priests, and there cannot be woman priests. They are dissidents.

The most recent attempt to ordain a woman occurred on May 4 in Winona, Minnesota when Kathy Redig, participated in a ceremony of ordination.

Bishop of Winona Bernard Harrington responded to the news of Redig’s purported ordination by saying it made him “very, very sad.” The bishop also said that “She, by her actions, has excommunicated herself.”

Another occurrence of attempted ordination occurred in St. Louis, Missouri on November 11, 2007. The ceremony involved a German woman named Patricia Fresen conducting a would-be ordination ceremony at a St. Louis synagogue. Fresen used the formula and rite of a Catholic ordination to “ordain” as priests two St. Louis-area women, Rose Hudson and Elsie McGrath.

story here

Fom the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
1577 "Only a baptized man (vir) validly receives sacred ordination." The Lord Jesus chose men (viri) to form the college of the twelve apostles, and the apostles did the same when they chose collaborators to succeed them in their ministry. The college of bishops, with whom the priests are united in the priesthood, makes the college of the twelve an ever-present and ever-active reality until Christ's return. The Church recognizes herself to be bound by this choice made by the Lord himself. For this reason the ordination of women is not possible.

An excellent follow-up:

Vatican reaffirms Church teaching on ordination to the priesthood

The secretary for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Archbishop Angelo Amato, said this week only men can be ordained to the priesthood because “the Catholic Church is not authorized to change the will of her founder, Jesus Christ."

"Therefore," the archbishop continued, "in the participation in the life and mission of the Church, women cannot receive the sacrament of Holy Orders and therefore, they cannot carry out the functions proper to the ministerial priesthood.”

see the difference? :)

Obama Praised Wright, Criticized Traditional Black Churches on Homosexuality

Homosexuality has become Obama's #2 issue (Abortion is #1 for him). First he wants to repeal the Defense of marriage act, and now he's calling black churches homophobic, because they are too traditional.

In an Apr. 10 interview with The Advocate magazine, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) said "homophobic" messages are coming from the pulpits of black churches because "most African-American churches are still fairly traditional in their interpretations of Scripture." In the same interview, Obama praised the controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright, his former pastor and long-time spiritual adviser, for being on the right side of the homosexual debate.

"There's plenty of homophobia to go around, but you have a unique perspective into the African-American community," Kerry Eleveld, news editor of The Advocate , a homosexual publication, said to Obama, during the interview.

"I don't think it's worse than in the white community," Obama replied. "I think that the difference has to do with the fact that the African-American community is more churched and most African-American churches are still fairly traditional in their interpretations of Scripture. Maybe that's because basic truths don't change :)

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Habitat for Humanity Accused of Helping Planned Parenthood Abortion Center

It's really difficult to support a charitable organization when you have to be concerned about who they are supporting. One example is the Komen Foundation (identified with a pink ribbon); it seems great to support finding a cure for breast cancer, but they give money to Planned Parenthood. Another example is this:

The Christian non-profit housing ministry Habitat for Humanity stands accused of helping a Florida-based Planned Parenthood overcome a hurdle to building a new abortion business. A pro-life advocate says Planned Parenthood would have been stymied in building the new center without the group's help.

Planned Parenthood has been looking to build a new abortion facility in the Rosemary District north of downtown Sarasota.

However, according to local zoning rules, the abortion business can't build the new center unless a multi-family housing unit is built on the back of the lot. I can't help but wonder what the purpose of that rule is. It's pretty ironic to insist on a mult-family dwelling next to an abortion business.

According to Jim Sedlak of STOPP International, a Planned Parenthood watchdog group, the pro-abortion group approached the local planning board and asked for a five-year extension since it is not a builder and couldn't find a buyer for the lot.

The board denied the request and insisted Planned Parenthood obtain a building permit for the residential building.

Planned Parenthood came up with a creative solution and sold the lot to Habitat for Humanity for $10.

"So, Habitat for Humanity, an organization that claims to be a Christian ministry, is now working with Planned Parenthood," Sedlak told LifeNews.com.

story here

UPDATE:

Christian Ministry ‘Habitat for Humanity’ Agrees to Work with Abortion Giant Planned Parenthood
Habitat for Humanity has verbally agreed to an arrangement that would help Planned Parenthood open an abortion facility in Sarasota, Florida. The agreement, which reportedly has not been finalized, would fulfill a city requirement that would allow Planned Parenthood to acquire the occupancy permit it needs to open.

“According to zoning regulations, Planned Parenthood cannot build their abortion facility in the planned location without the presence of a multifamily liner building,” said Jim Sedlak, vice-president of American Life League. “Unfortunately, Planned Parenthood found a creative solution to its problem and is using Habitat for Humanity to achieve its objective. Planned Parenthood plans to sell land to Habitat for $10 so it can meet city requirements.”

UPDATE:

Habitat for Humanity in Florida Still Considering Helping Abortion Business

A local Habitat for Humanity chapter accused of helping a Florida-based Planned Parenthood overcome a hurdle to building a new abortion business is still considering its decision. It appears the massive amount of calls and emails is helping, but some of them have been counterproductive.

Schismatic St. Louis parish loses appeal to Vatican

And why would they expect to win the appeal? They are simply dissidents.

Note to the Holy Father: Archbishop Burke would be a great candidate for Cardinal :)

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has confirmed Archbishop of St. Louis Raymond Burke’s decree excommunicating the board of directors of a schismatic parish. Archbishop Burke had excommunicated the leaders of the breakaway ethnically Polish parish for hiring a suspended priest to celebrate the Sacraments and sacramentals. He is 100% right.

The priest could be defrocked for remaining in schism, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has warned.

St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish had operated under a structure in which the pastor is subject to the authority of the parish governing board, in violation of canon law. Archbishop Burke sought to bring the parish into line with canon law, but the parish resisted his efforts. In August the archbishop removed priests assigned to St. Stanislaus and moved Polish language masses to a nearby parish. In January 2005 parishioners voted 299-5 to retain full control of the parish. Excuse me...aren't you forgetting the Bishop? and the Pope? They both out-rank you :)

In December 2005 Archbishop Burke issued a decree of excommunication condemning the church’s board of directors and the priest they had hired to celebrate their sacraments at the church.

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Pope to host Italian TV show?

I doubt it.
But if Osama Bin Laden can release tapes, the Pope could certainly make a video once in a while :)

Italian tabloid Chi reports that Pope Benedict XVI is considering a television program in which he would discuss the Bible.

The Chi story-- which the Vatican has not confirmed-- indicates that the Pontiff would appear on a program aired by Italy's national public-service broadcaster, Rai Uno, beginning in October of this year.

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Motherhood looks gorgeous on Nicole Richie

I try to keep this blog a "Paris-free zone" and "Nicole-free zone", but once in a while, I need to make an exception when there's something worth posting. In this case, I need to give Nicole kudos for appreciating her baby's life, and motherhood, as she does.

If you've ever wanted to see how dramatically motherhood could change a woman's life, look no further than Nicole Richie. She's on the cover of the current issue of Harper's Bazaar and says of her daughter, Harlow, "I owe the baby my life."

After stints in rehab, serving time for a DUI (okay, all of 82 minutes) and dealing with an eating disorder, the one-time reality star has definitely changed her ways. Long gone are her partying days with Paris Hilton and jailbird-inspired fashion spreads.

Nicole's embracing motherhood like nobody's business. and Obama called having a baby "punishment"

Now living with boyfriend and baby daddy Joel Madden, the frontman for the band Good Charlotte, the two seem near picture perfect in the beautifully shot photos for Harper's Bazaar.

In the accompanying article, she dishes on how being a mom has impacted her style, her new, post-baby body and her man.

story here

Ahmadinejad wants meeting with Pope Benedict

It's very clear that Mahmoud is trying to make himself seem more important in world issues by being photographed with the Pope, but it doesn't seem like the Holy Father is too anxious to meet with someone who keeps threatening to nuke Israel.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hopes to meet Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) during a visit to Rome next week, according to the Italian daily La Repubblica.

The Vatican has not disclosed any plan for a meeting between the Pontiff and the controversial Iranian leader.

Citing an unidentified diplomatic source, La Repubblica said that Ahmadinejad wanted to brief the Pope on his government's position in current international disputes. The Iranian regime has made several efforts to enlist the help of the Holy See in its conflicts with the US and other Western powers.

The Italian paper said that Iran's ambassador to the Holy See has put in a request "repeatedly" for a papal meeting with Ahmadinejad. The Iranian leader will be in Rome to attend a meeting of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization. .

story here

Some people may not know this, but Mahmoud was one of the radicals that held Americans hostage for 444 days in the late 1970's (thanks for nothing, Jimmy Carter :)

Ahmadinejad says Israel will soon disappear

Archbishop Naumann Defends His Call for Pro-Abortion Politicians to Refrain from Communion

Note to the Holy Father: Please make Archbishop Naumann a Cardinal ASAP!

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City on Friday published a question and answer explanation and defense of his May 9 public request to Governor Kathleen Sebelius to refrain from receiving Holy Communion until repenting of her political support for abortion. The Archbishop also confirmed plans to address other pro-abortion Catholic politicians. That is exactly what Bishops should do: support Church teaching.

"In this column, I want to provide you with my responses to some of the more common questions and misunderstandings regarding my pastoral action." wrote the Archbishop in the diocesan newspaper The Leaven.

"Governor Sebelius holds the highest elective office in the state of Kansas, making her the most prominent Catholic in public life," responded the archbishop to accusations of "singling out" Sebelius. S singled herself out by publicly opposing Church teaching and supporting abortion.

"It is a time-intensive process to enter into verbal and written dialogue, as is necessary, to insure a person is aware of the spiritual and moral consequences of their actions, as well as to understand the scandal their actions cause for others."

"It is my intention eventually, as much as the limitations of my own time permit, to have similar pastoral dialogues with other Catholics in elective office who support legalized abortion," added the Archbishop. Let's include Giuliani, Pelosi, Kerry, Kennedy. as well as Sebelius.

story here

U.S. Bishops Right to Make Abortion the Top Political Issue for Catholic Voters

Archbishop explains admonishment of pro-abortion Kansas governor

CENSORS TARGET KANSAS CITY ARCHBISHOP

A Fly in the Ointment

Paul Nichols did this very good cartoon on the same article I posted about. Hopefully, liberal Catholicism IS dead.

Potential Obama Running Mate Sebelius Would be Vice President for Abortion

Another example of "pro-abort" vs. "pro-choice"
This is the pro-abort dream team. They would promote, support, and encourage abortion in every way possible.

Sebelius, who calls herself Catholic, is not only pro-abort, but has supported abortionist George Tiller The Killer. He has also supported her.

Kathleen Sebelius - Tiller's Governor

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann, whose Roman Catholic archdiocese covers northeast Kansas, on May 9 called on Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to stop taking Communion until she disowns her support for the "serious moral evil" of abortion.

That put the church in conflict with a rising star of the Democratic Party, often described as a "moderate" and perhaps the leading prospect to become Barack Obama's vice presidential running mate.

Naumann also took Sebelius to task for her veto April 21 of a bill, passed two to one by both houses of the Kansas Legislature, which would strengthen the state's ban on late-term abortions by authorizing private lawsuits against providers. That followed by a year her veto of a bill requiring explicit medical reasons for a late abortion, which was preceded by vetoing other abortion legislation in 2006, 2005 and 2003.

Those positions are necessary for Democratic politicians to pass their party's pro-choice litmus test, but Sebelius' connection with abortion is more intimate. Exactly. No one goes very far in the Democratic Party if they are pro-life.

story here

Kansas Gov Kathleen Sebelius Held Secret Event With Late-Term Abortionist

Rock Star Courtney Love Resisted Coerced Abortion, Reports Memoir

A perfect example of "pro-choice" vs. "pro-abort".

As debate wages over prohibiting preventing coerced abortion, Why is that? Is there anyone who really believes in coerced abortion? other than China? Isn't this a "no-brainer"?, a new book reveals that renowned rock star Courtney Love resisted pressure to have an abortion.

A new memoir reveals that those closest to Love encouraged her to abort her child with Kurt Cobain, front man of the rock band Nirvana, due to health complications Love's heroine use was expected to cause her child. Granted, it was stupid of her to do heroine, especially when pregnant. However, they had no right to decide the baby should die rather than live.

"You're not telling me to have a [bleep]-ing abortion, are you?' asked Courtney, her voice rising with her trademark hostile whine. 'I mean I'm pro-choice, but that doesn't mean that anyone has the right to tell me to have a [bleep]ing abortion.'" reports former CEO of Warner Bros. Records and Nirvana manager Danny Goldberg in his new book "Bumping Into Geniuses."

"[The doctor] suggested that it might not be safe for the baby, and Courtney, who was only six weeks pregnant, went into a confrontational mode. 'Is that a medical fact, or is that just your opinion? I want to see it in a medical book.' She was interested in medical facts, not a sermon."

"[He] sheepishly acknowledged that at this early stage of pregnancy a woman could discontinue heroin use with no physical or psychological damage to the fetus. Courtney looked triumphant as she towered over the doctor seated at his desk," recalled Goldberg.

After ending heroine use, Love gave birth to a completely healthy child named Frances Bean in August 1992.

story here

Book Claims Daughter of Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love Almost Victim of Abortion

Clinton Speaks of Faith in Face of Adversity

Hillary is such a chameleon. She is constantly changing her persona and trying to be whoever her audience is. It especially bothers me that she uses religion and God for her purposes.

Hillary Rodham Clinton on Sunday offered a spiritual defense for continuing her presidential campaign despite the long odds of overtaking rival Barack Obama.

Speaking to a full congregation at the Pabellon de la Victoria evangelical church, Clinton spoke in measured terms about faith in the face of adversity.

"There isn't anything we cannot do together if we seek God's blessing and if we stay committed and are not deterred by the setbacks that often fall in every life,"Clinton said. Oh do you mean like the comment you made about RFK's assassination? or ducking sniper fire?

Clinton is campaigning for Puerto Rico's primary on June 1, which offers 55 pledged delegates to the national Democratic convention. The New York senator is expected to win the contest, thanks partly to her ties to the large Puerto Rican community in her home state.

Clinton spoke of her determination to stay in the race despite trailing Illinois Sen. Obama by nearly 200 delegates, with 2,026 needed to win the party's nomination. Obama was about 50 delegates short of the number needed to clinch _ and Clinton says she will keep going until one of them does.

"If I had listened to those who had been talking over the last several months we would not be having this campaign in Puerto Rico today," she said, alluding to calls during the past few months for her to drop out of the race.

"But I believe this is an opportunity unlike any in recent history for the needs and interests and diversity of the people of Puerto Rico to be in the spotlight. This is an opportunity to educate everyone about this wonderful place," Clinton said.


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Abortion debate not over, British cardinal says

One of my favorite Cardinals speaks out on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill abomination that recently passed Parliament.

Reacting to the conclusion of a heated debate in Parliament, Britain's leading Catholic prelate has insisted that "the vote to maintain the status quo on abortion is not the end of the question."

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor of Westminster argued, in a column published by the Daily Telegraph, that this week's debate on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill might prompt a wider discussion of abortion and related moral issues, because the political dispute had "woken us all up to the reality of what is being done in our name."

Cardinal Murphy-O'Connor said that there are "many people of all sides of the abortion debate who yet agree that 200,000 abortions a year is far too many." A serious discussion of the issue is overdue, he said.

The cardinal rejected the notion that Parliament's approval for the creation of "hybrid" embryos constituted a victory for science over religious beliefs. There is no contradiction between science and religion, between faith and reason, he said. "Ethics needs to keep pace with the science, and the public must not be left behind." The worst part is placing science over the value of life. In fact, embryonic stem-cell research has not even produced any results. But it still wouldn't justify killing babies even if it did.

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Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - PG13

cross-post from Catholic Media Review

I saw "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" today, and I really enjoyed it, as I have enjoyed all the Indiana Jones movies and I am a real Harrison Ford fan.
However, I have to admit that it felt like something was missing; I think that may be because of his age. I don't mean to sound discriminatory or critical, but it just wasn't the same. The theme here was consistent with the other Indiana Jones movies, he is looking for something (you can tell by the title it is a crystal skull), and so are the "bad guys", who in this case, are the Russians. Keep in mind the year is 1957, during the "cold war". Cate Blanchett was the main "bad guy", and she really reminded me of the story of Adam and Eve, because her quest was really for infinite knowledge, which is ultimately her downfall.
In this movie, Indiana Jones is reunited with someone from his past, and finds a relative he didn't know about. That was one of the things I liked best about it.
There was also a UFO/alien connection which I didn't expect.

In terms of content warnings, there was no nudity or sexual situations and there was no objectionable/offensive language.
Despite my initial comments at the top, there was still plenty of action.
At the end, look for a hint of the future of "Indiana Jones".

http://www.indianajones.com/site/index.html

From Letterman's Top Ten:

Top Ten Things Overheard in Line to See the New Indiana Jones Movie

10. "Indy's so old in this one, his whip needs Cialis"
9. "185 million dollar budget -- there better be some damn monkeys"
8. "Dude, why the hell are you dressed as Spock?"
7. "I can't wait for the next one in 2027"
6. "Is this the movie about those four women who go slutting around New York City?"
5. "If Indiana Jones wants to defeat evil, he should go after the oil companies -- zing!"
4. "Yes, Harrison, you're eligible for the senior citizen discount"
3. No number 3 -- writer waiting in line to see new Indiana Jones movie
2. "If I want to see an old guy running around, I'll go to a McCain rally"
1. "Shouldn't you be at the White House, Mr. President?"

Corpus Christi

Today is the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, Corpus Christi.

Catholic Culture has more information.


"While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said, 'Take it; this is my body.' Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, 'This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many.'"

Where the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ is not observed as a holy day, it is assigned to the Sunday after Trinity Sunday, which is then considered its proper day in the calendar.

Corpus Christi (Body and Blood of Christ) is a Eucharistic solemnity, or better, the solemn commemoration of the institution of that sacrament. It is, moreover, the Church's official act of homage and gratitude to Christ, who by instituting the Holy Eucharist gave to the Church her greatest treasure. Holy Thursday, assuredly, marks the anniversary of the institution, but the commemoration of the Lord's passion that very night suppresses the rejoicing proper to the occasion. Today's observance, therefore, accents the joyous aspect of Holy Thursday.

Rev. Thomas Euteneuer: Senator Ted Kennedy is The "Last Lion" of Abortion

As usual, Fr. Euteneuer, one of my pro-life heros, tells it like it is.

Sen. John McCain responded to the news of Sen. Edward Kennedy's brain tumor saying that Ted Kennedy was the "last lion of the Senate." Nice words, but hollow.

Clearly Kennedy has been a forty-year force to reckon with in the US Senate, but lionizing him for his headstrong political partisanship over four decades is a little like saying that sticking around for a long time and being opinionated qualifies as a "legacy."

That very record of anti-life advocacy is the measure by which his soul will be judged.

While I pray for Sen. Kennedy's recovery from a brain tumor, I pray more for his recovery from the cancerous metastasis of abortion ideology in his soul. Ironically, in the same years in which abortion has become less and less acceptable to the American public, it has become more and more of an obsession for Sen. Kennedy.

Prior to Roe v. Wade, Sen. Kennedy had actually held a pro-life view of the sanctity of life. In a letter to a constituent he said,

"While the deep concern of a woman bearing an unwanted child merits consideration and sympathy, it is my personal feeling that the legalization of abortion on demand is not in accordance with the value which our civilization places on human life. Wanted or unwanted, I believe that human life, even at its earliest stages, has certain rights which must be recognized - the right to be born, the right to love, the right to grow old." (See http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=31615)

However, post-Roe, Kennedy's record of recognizing the "value which our civilization places on life" has been, shall we say, less than stellar.

In fact, he has a 0% record of voting in favor of life, and there is not one life-related issue in which his vote reflects a concern for the weakest members of our society, let alone the concern that his supposed Catholic faith places on them.

And let's not forget the King and Queen of pro-aborts:

President Bush Signs Genetic Nondiscrimination Act Protecting Both Born and Unborn

If Hillary (gag!) or Obama(shudder!) become President, you can count on them to overturn this law. Both of them are obsessed with aborting as many babies as possible.

I personally think Bush has done a very poor job. However, supporting life with legislation like this has consistently been his strong point.

In an important blow to the eugenics movement, President George Bush yesterday signed into law a bill preventing health insurance companies and employers from discriminating against born or unborn individuals on the basis of genetic information.

"It protects our citizens from having genetic information misused, and this bill does so without undermining the basic premise of the insurance industry," said Bush of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA).

Proponents of the GINA have expressed fears that healthy individuals with genetic dispositions toward certain diseases could end up paying more for insurance. They also fear that employers would only hire or retain individuals without genetic dispositions towards disease in order to avoid future instances of an unhealthy workforce.

The version of the GINA signed yesterday included important language protecting families from discrimination based upon genetic abnormalities found in their unborn children or in those they were about to adopt.

story here

UN Population Fund (UNFPA) Sending 220,000 Condoms to Myanmar Survivors

Yet another example of how useless the UN is. The rest of us have been sending food and medical supplies, but the UN seems to think the first thing cyclone survivors will want and/or need will be condoms. I guess this shows what their agenda really is.
They also include contraceptives in their "health" kits.
"The United Nations will send nearly a quarter of a million condoms into cyclone-hit Myanmar to help needy survivors with no access to contraceptives," a UN official says.

UNFPA aid advisor Chaiyos Kunanusont said 72,800 condoms had so far been delivered to "survivors struggling to maintain their family planning after the storm hit in early May."

"We don't want regular use of contraception disrupted. An emergency usually damages the health system, so people don't have access to condoms and contraceptives," said Chaiyos.

"Reproductive Health Kits" developed for "the initial acute phase of an emergency," are also high on the UN's list of priority relief supplies. These kits include condoms, oral and injectable contraceptives (including the abortifacient morning-after pill) and IUD's, as well as supplies and equipment such as razor blades and clean sheets to help in the safe delivery of babies.

story here

Vatican daily derides package of anti-life measures passed in Great Britain

What a radical, anti-life, pro-death legislation this was/is:

Catholic MPs disappointed over Human Fertilization and Embryology vote


The L’Osservatore Romano published an article this week slamming an anti-life package passed this week by Britain’s House of Commons that includes measures allowing the creation of human-animal embryos, in vitro fertilization, and artificial insemination for lesbians who want to have a child.

LOR reporter Assuntina Morresi explained in her article that the most controversial measure in the package is the approval of human-animal hybrids. “There is no demand for these embryos in the scientific community, despite reports in the media. So far only two British groups have requested permission to create the hybrids, using egg cells from cows and adult human cells,” Morressi said.

She called the proposed research “outdated and useless,” noting that last December Ian Wilmut, the creator of the sheep Dolly, publicly announced his refusal to continue harvesting embryonic stem cells from therapeutic cloning, saying “the technique is inefficient and has never worked in humans and has done nothing but harm to animals.” Where are the animal rights nuts when you need them? :)

Oh yeah...here they are:

Chimpanzee should be a legal person, animal rights activists say

Animal rights advocates are appealing to the European Court of Human Rights to declare a 26-year-old chimpanzee named Matthew to be a legal person. How about declaring an unborn HUMAN baby a person? And giving them the right to live?

British teacher Paula Stibbe and activists with the Vienna-based Association Against Animal Factories want to declare Matthew a person so that Stibbe may be appointed his legal guardian if the bankrupt animal sanctuary where Matthew lives in Vienna shuts down, the Evening Standard says.

Matthew lives with another chimpanzee and a crocodile in an animal shelter. The shelter requires about $8,000 each month in expenses. While donors have sought to support Matthew, under Austrian law only humans may receive personal gifts.

HAGEE PULLS McCAIN ENDORSEMENT

The liberal media is really distorting this story.
Here's the real story.
Maybe Obama and 'Reverend Wright' could learn something from McCain and Hagee.

Pastor John Hagee has pulled his endorsement of Republican presidential candidate John McCain; McCain subsequently renounced Hagee’s endorsement. Catholic League president Bill Donohue commented on this development today:

“One week ago today, I met with Pastor Hagee in my office. I found him to be sincere, apologetic and friendly. I also found him to be the strongest Christian defender of Israel I have ever met, and that is why attempts to portray him as anything but a genuine friend to Jews—one for whom the Holocaust is the horror of horrors—is despicable.

“Hagee’s decision to sever all ties to McCain is noble: He knows he has become a liability to McCain, even after he has made amends to Catholics. What this proves is that Hagee, unlike Rev. Jeremiah Wright, is not an egocentric man. He is also not like the partisans at the Interfaith Alliance which today called on McCain to reject Hagee: when it was founded, the Interfaith Alliance received $25,000 in seed money from none other than the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

“Pastor Hagee can now move in the religious circles he has become accustomed to, and continue his ministry without distraction.”

story here

McCain rejects pastor's endorsement

McCain on 'DeGeneres Show': Marriage Between Man, Woman

I give both John McCain and Ellen credit for being willing to discuss this issue, each knowing the other has a differing viewpoint.

Presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain, long opposed to gay marriage and even civil unions, appeared on Thursday's "The Ellen DeGeneres Show,' saying that he disagrees with the California decision, but wishes her all the best as she makes plans to walk down the aisle with girlfriend, actress Portia de Rossi.

DeGeneres tried to sway McCain's opinion by explaining to the senator that she views the issue in the same way as when blacks and women didn't have the right to vote.

'Women just got the right to vote in 1920, and blacks didn't have the right to vote until 1870,' she noted, adding, 'It just feels like there's this old way of thinking that we are not all the same. We are all the same . . . You're no different than I am.' Sorry Ellen... all people are equal, but a homosexual relationship is NOT the same as marriage.

'I've heard you articulate that position in a very eloquent fashion,' McCain countered. 'I just believe in the unique status of marriage between man and woman, and I know that we have a respectful disagreement on that issue; and I along with many, many others wish you every happiness.'

At times looking uncomfortable, McCain acknowledged the necessity of partnerships for legal agreements: 'I think people should be able to enter into legal agreements. And I think that it is something we should encourage, particularly in the case of insurance and other areas where decisions have to be made.'

'So, you'll walk me down the aisle?' DeGeneres said to laughter and applause from the audience. 'Is that what you're saying?'

'Touche,' was the senator's response to loud applause.

story here

Dem Senators Divided on Obama's Call for Repealing Defense of Marriage Act

Here's a preview of what an Obama Presidency would be like. There are two main issues he will fight for: homosexuality and abortion.

A sampling of Senate Democrats expressed sharply divergent views yesterday on whether they would support Sen. Barack Obama's (D-Ill.) call to "fully repeal" the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which in the wake of this week's California Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex marriage as well as a similar 2003 decision by the high court of Massachusetts, would have the effect of legalizing same-sex marriage nationwide.

Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.) said she would support Obama's position, while Sens. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and Thomas Carper (D-Del.) said they would not. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) expressed surprise that Obama had taken a position in favor of full repeal of DOMA.

The Defense of Marriage Act, signed into law by President Clinton in 1996, protects states from having to recognize same-sex marriages contracted in other states. Ordinarily, under the "Full Faith and Credit Clause" of the Constitution, states are required to recognize "the public Acts, Records and judicial Proceedings of every other State."

story here

Pro-Life Movement Offers Sen. Kennedy Prayers and Forgiveness as He Faces Potentially Fatal Brain Tumor

Ted Kennedy went home from the hospital yesterday. His malignant brain tumor will more than likely be fatal.

Because of Chappaquiddick, and his opposition to Church teachings on abortion, same-sex marriage, etc, he has received much criticism, and although much of that criticism was well-justified, I would like to suggest that we pray for his change of heart and repentence, and that he does reconcile with God and be a faithful Catholic.

In light of Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy's recent discovery of a malignant brain tumor, pro-life leaders have invited the outspoken Catholic supporter of abortion, embryonic stem cell research, and same-sex "marriage" to repent of his opposition to his Church's stance on life and family issues and experience forgiveness before his imminent death.

"We're all praying for him," Joe Scheidler, head of the Pro-Life Action League, told LifeSiteNews.com.

"We hope his ailment will bring conversion. We can't wish anyone eternal punishment."

"Christ forgave the very people who crucified Him. The least we can do is to forgive the enemies of our cause."

"I try not to make anything personal in the fight for life. If they have a change of heart, we'll forgive them in a second," said Scheidler of opponents of life and family such as Kennedy.

Scheidler noted that, through his conversion, Kennedy "at the very end could help other Catholics" who are opposed to the Church's moral teachings.

"I hope he will denounce publicly his support for abortion."

Scheidler added that he would consider a day of prayer for the Massachusetts senator as a reminder of the mercy and forgiveness available to even the most hardened proponents of the culture of death.

story here

Christian Culture Isn't "Outdated," Says Pope

And it never will be.
Christ is eternal, and eternal truths never change

The beauty of the Christian cultural inheritance is not something that is "outdated," but rather something that will remain alive and current in the measure of a lively faith, says Benedict XVI.

The Pope said this today upon delivering his weekly catechesis today in Paul VI Hall in which he commented on the Christian poetry of Romanus the Melodist, a theologian, poet and composer was born in Syria at the end of the fifth century.

The Holy Father explained that Romanus was an ordained deacon who dedicated himself to an original form of catechesis.

It is said that the Virgin Mary appeared to Romanus in a dream, explained the Pontiff, and gave him the gift of poetic charism. From that moment on he began preaching in the form of "chanted metrical hymns known as 'kontakia,' consisting of an introduction and a series of stanzas punctuated by a refrain."

"Faith is love," commented Benedict XVI, "and so it creates poetry and music. Faith is joy, and so it creates beauty."

Christian-inspired art, music are living treasures, pope says

story here

British MPs Defeat all Pro-Life Provisions in the HFE Bill

Wow...the UK Parliament is really on an anti-life frenzy.

British MPs voted to retain the 24 week gestational age limit for legal abortion after a three hour debate in the House of Commons last night. This week, a whirlwind of votes and debates on the most controversial aspects of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (HFE) Bill culminated in a series of votes retaining all of the bill's anti-life and anti-family proposals.

On Monday, MPs voted down amendments that would have banned the creation of human/animal hybrids and so-called "saviour siblings", those embryos created and implanted to provide replacement tissues for seriously ill siblings.

Tuesday night amendments that might have supported the current law's insistence on the necessity of fatherhood for children born of in vitro fertilisation treatments were also voted down. So the homosexuals must be as happy as the pro-aborts. The bill's provision will be retained that requires doctors only to consider the child's need for "supportive parenting" in providing IVF treatments.

Four different amendments to lower the age limit were proposed, ranging from 12 to 22 weeks, with the number of MPs voting with the pro-abortion lobby exceeding 390 of a total of 646 members.

Anthony Ozimic, the political secretary of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, said that the moral ambiguities of the bill were now removed and that it must be defeated in its entirety. This bill was absolutely rammed through the legislature by pro-aborts.

Here's a hint about the direction the UK is headed:

Down the slope

story here

Michelle Obama Under Fire for 2004 Letter Defending Partial-Birth Abortions

Warning: potentially offensive content

Our possible future first lady is as pro-death as her husband.

I think I'll call her 'Angry' Michelle.

Angry Michelle Obama, the attorney wife of pro-abortion Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, is coming under fire for a letter she wrote defending partial-birth abortions. The 2004 letter, written to help Obama in his campaign for his U.S. Senate seat, opposes the ban on the abortion procedure.

In February 2004, Angry Michelle Obama penned a fundraising letter to help her husband Barack raise funds for his Illinois-based Senate seat.

The letter contends the federal ban on partial-birth abortions "is clearly unconstitutional" and "a flawed law." A ban on killing fully-developed babies is flawed? I think there is a much bigger flaw in those that support partial-birth abortion and infanticide.

Though the three-day-long partial-birth abortion procedure involves the partial birth of a baby during the middle trimester of pregnancy and the jamming of scissors into the back of her head to kill her, Obama's wife describes it as "legitimate" medicine.

"The fact remains, with no provision to protect the heath of the mother, this ban on a legitimate medical procedure is clearly unconditional and must be overturned," Angry Michelle Obama writes in the letter.

She also said the Bush administration should not encourage the abortion practitioners who sued to reverse the ban to drop their lawsuit to make it unconditional. The Supreme Court later sided with Bush and Congress in saying the ban is legitimate.

In closing, Obama told prospective donors that they could "count on" Barack to "keep the Bush team from appointing the Supreme Court justice that will vote against Roe v. Wade."

Noted pro-life advocate Jill Stanek highlighted the letter on her blog and said Michelle was "leeching off the partial birth abortion ban" to raise funds for her husband. Jill is right...Anyone that can approve killing babies will stoop to anything.

story here

Since Michelle thinks it is so wonderful, let's review the steps:

1) Guided by ultrasound, the abortionist grabs the baby's legs with forceps.

2) The baby's leg is pulled out into the birth canal.

3) The abortionist delivers the baby's entire body, except for the head

4) The abortionist jams scissors into the baby's skull. The scissors are then opened to enlarge the skull.

5) The scissors are removed and a suction catheter is inserted. The child's brains are sucked out, causing the skull to collapse. The dead baby is then removed.

Pro-Gay, Anti-Christianity

A good discussion of the danger of accepting homosexuality as just another lifestyle, when it is anything but....

A learned friend of mine recently wrote an op-ed piece for a newspaper in which she argued that the drive for same-sex marriage is not simply about same-sex marriage; it is also about winning moral approval for homosexuality. If society, acting through the state, tells us that homosexuals can marry one another, then it is by the same token telling us that there is nothing morally objectionable about homosexual conduct. Homosexual "marriage" only threatens and weakens the family unit.

My friend is, of course, correct. But I'll add to this that the drive for same-sex marriage is not simply about same-sex marriage or the moral legitimization of homosexual behavior; it is also about the de-legitimizing of Christian morality. More, it is about the de-legitimizing of Christianity itself. What homosexuals desire more than anything else is affirmation of their "lifestyle".

The taboo on homosexual conduct is as old as Christianity itself (pace the late gay historian John Boswell, who argued -- absurdly -- that the taboo didn't appear until many centuries after the foundation of Christianity and is therefore not an essential part of Christian morality). And it is older even than that. It clearly goes back to Old Testament times. And if there is such a thing as natural law, the taboo is rooted in natural law; for nature (or God as author of nature) seems to have designed the anatomy and physiology of human beings in such a way that sex between men and women is sex "according to nature." Sex between men and men or between women and women, though it can be accomplished in an unnatural manner, doesn't seem to be what nature/God had in mind.

From the Catechism:
2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.

story here

Judges stance bolsters McCain

Yet another reason to support McCain...

Our best hope to overturn Roe v. Wade and to reign in activist judges like the California Supreme Court is to have good judges on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Prominent conservatives and activists are indicating they will put aside their differences with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain and rally their supporters to his side because of one issue: federal judgeships.

In big gatherings and small, in e-mails and one-on-one conversations, conservative opinion leaders fear a Democratic president, especially Sen. Barack Obama, will use the presidential power to appoint federal judges who will remove references to God and religious symbols from public places.

They predict the incoming president likely will fill more vacancies on the federal bench over the next four years than at any time in recent memory, giving a Democratic administration the power to shape the courts to reflect a liberal worldview.

The American Civil Liberties Union "has been on a national rampage to remove God from every public place: the Pledge of Allegiance, the Ten Commandments, plaques in courthouses, the Boys Scouts when they meet on public property," said Phyllis Schlafly, head of the Eagle Forum, a pro-family group that held a private meeting for conservatives yesterday in a Washington hotel.

"These subjects should get out on the table so people understand what's going on in the courts," she said.

ACLU general counsel Peter J. Ferrara, a former Reagan White House aide, said, "McCain said he'd appoint people like [Supreme Court Chief Justice John] Roberts and [Justice Samuel] Alito. Obama is saying he'd name people like [Justices Ruth Bader] Ginsberg and [David] Souter."

story here

And here's the best reason of all:

Next Stop for Hillary, Supreme Court?

'Good Catholic' Cherie Blair defends contraception

Another Catholic public figure sets a bad example for Catholics.

The wife of former British prime minister Tony Blair on Tuesday defended her use of contraception despite calling herself a "good Catholic girl".

Blair, whose husband converted to Catholicism after leaving office last June, made the comments after she revealed in a new book how her fourth child was conceived accidentally, during a holiday with Queen Elizabeth II.

"People seem to be quite shocked that perhaps a Catholic girl even uses contraception," she told GMTV television.

"But it is really an important thing for women .. One of the reasons women's lives have changed is that they have been able to control their fertility, it is an important issue," she added.

In her recently-published autobiography, "Speaking for Myself," Blair describes how the birth of the couple's last child Leo followed a visit to the Queen's Balmoral Scottish residence in 1999.

She tells how she had not packed her "contraceptive equipment" because the previous year it had embarrassingly been discovered, unpacked along with a "range of unmentionables". Thanks for sharing, but we don't need that visual Cherie :)

story here

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
2370 Periodic continence, that is, the methods of birth regulation based on self-observation and the use of infertile periods, is in conformity with the objective criteria of morality. These methods respect the bodies of the spouses, encourage tenderness between them, and favor the education of an authentic freedom. In contrast, "every action which, whether in anticipation of the conjugal act, or in its accomplishment, or in the development of its natural consequences, proposes, whether as an end or as a means, to render procreation impossible" is intrinsically evil:

The Beginning of the Gospel of Barack Obama, the Son of God (According to Mark Shea)

It really is concerning how the liberal media has gone to such lengths to portray Obama as a "messiah" or God-like". Mark Shea does a great job highlighting this.
Personally, I view Obama more as an anti-Christ.

1:1 As it is written in the AP Manual, “Behold, I send my press corps before thy face, who shall prepare thy way”. And so it came to pass that pundits went forth into all that country, preaching a vote of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And lo, these pundits spake by the Spirit of the Age, going into all their towns and cities and declaring:

1:2 “He is not operating on the same plane as ordinary politicians . . . [he is] the agent of transformation in an age of revolution, as a figure uniquely qualified to open the door to the 21st century.” - Gary Hart

1:3 “Barack Obama is our collective representation of our purest hopes, our highest visions and our deepest knowings . . . He’s our product out of the all-knowing quantum field of intelligence.” - Eve Konstantine

1:4 “This is bigger than Kennedy . . . This is the New Testament.” “I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don’t have that too often. No, seriously. It’s a dramatic event.” - Chris Matthews

1:5 “[Obama is] creative imagination which coupled with brilliance equals wisdom . . . [He is] the man for this time.” - Toni Morrison

1:6 “Obama’s finest speeches do not excite. They do not inform. They don’t even really inspire. They elevate. . . . He is not the Word made flesh, but the triumph of word over flesh . . . Obama is, at his best, able to call us back to our highest selves.” - Ezra Klein

1:7 “Obama has the capacity to summon heroic forces from the spiritual depths of ordinary citizens and to unleash therefrom a symphonic chorus of unique creative acts whose common purpose is to tame the soul and alleviate the great challenges facing mankind.” - Gerald Campbell

1:8 “We’re here to evolve to a higher plane . . . he is an evolved leader . . . [he] has an ear for eloquence and a Tongue dipped in the Unvarnished Truth.” - Oprah Winfrey

1:9 “I would characterize the Senate race as being a race where Obama was, let’s say, blessed and highly favored. That’s not routine. There’s something else going on. I think that Obama, his election to the Senate, was divinely ordered . . . I know that that was God’s plan.” - Bill Rush

story here

Obama Wins Oregon and Clinton Gets Kentucky, Exit Polls Show Weakness

Come on Hillary! Keep this "Battle of the pro-Aborts" going!

Barack Obama captured a win in Oregon on Tuesday night and Hillary Clinton won Kentucky’s Democratic primary, but exit polling data shows Obama would have a tough time in November against John McCain. In Kentucky, large numbers of Democrats said they would back McCain over Obama. Good news :)

Clinton easily won the Kentucky Democratic primary with 65 percent of the vote compared to just 30 percent for her pro-abortion rival Obama.

Meanwhile, Obama had a strong showing in Oregon with 58 percent of the vote over Clinton, who took home 42 percent.

Obama passed what his campaign called a milestone by accumulating a majority of the number of pledged delegates that he will have no matter the results of the final primary contests.

Because superdelegates are also involved, Obama does not have a majority of the total delegates needed to become the nominee and may not achieve that with the final contests.

After tonight's votes, Democrats now head to Puerto Rico on June 1, and then to South Dakota and Montana on June 3. Together, the states have 86 delegates, not enough for Clinton to catch Obama.

Unless Clinton can get the Michigan and Florida delegates seated, where she has a strong advantage, or can convince dozens of superdelegates to abandon Obama and return to her camp, she will not likely become the nominee.

story here

Backlash begins as a New York magazine boycotts Sex And The City

When I saw this article, I was glad to see someone speaking out about this movie. I was quickly disappointd to see they were only complaining about the over-saturation, not the content. This one is pretty self-explanatory. Like the show, it is sure to contain graphic sex scenes. Anyone who is trying to live their faith should NOT see this film.

It appears the relentless promotional blitz surrounding Sex And The City movie has reached saturation point for some - and it hasn't even opened in cinemas yet.

New York's Time Out magazine, which has a reputation for capturing the city's Zeitgeist, has hit stands promising a Sex And The City free edition (albeit using an image of the women on the cover).

With Sarah Jessica Parker and co's mouths all taped up under the strap line "No Sex!", the magazine declares "Enough already - we love 'em, but it's just too much."

story here

And they're not the only ones:

Jerusalem says 'no sex in this city'

Forum Films, the Israeli distributor of the soon-to-be-released "Sex and the City" movie, won't be hanging advertising posters and billboards in Jerusalem and Petah Tikva because officials there don't want the word "sex" on display, said company spokesman Arye Barak.

Municipal officials there asked to have the word "sex" removed from the posters, Barak said. "We told them, the way you don't remove the word "Coca" from "Coca-Cola" and just leave "Cola," we can't do it in this case," he said. "It's ludicrous."

Advertisemnts for the movie, based on the popular TV series, were to go up elsewhere in Israel on Tuesday night, said an official at Maximedia, the Israeli company that is handling outdoor advertising for the movie.

cross-posted from Catholic Media Review