OF ANGELS, ROCKY ROADS …AND HEROISM:
A Local Singer’s Battle and Triumph

We were heart-broken to learn this past weekend that Grace Griffith, a very talented and much-loved Washington, DC-area-based singer-songwriter well-known to fans of traditional and contemporary Celtic and folk music here and around the US, faces a long, hard, rocky road ahead in the form of advancing Parkinson’s Disease, a gradually crippling neurological disorder.

Anyone who has experienced Griffith’s music, whether on CD or (especially) in one of her small, intimate local concerts (which, sadly, have become much less frequent), can testify to the magic she works with her voice, a magic which goes straight into the listener’s heart and soul. This is to be expected, for Griffith pours her own heart and soul into her performances; so much so that, even long before PD set in, the experience would, she has said, leave her completely drained both emotionally and spiritually at the end of a concert. Not surprisingly, then, she developed a large, loyal following over her 20-plus-year-long music career.

But even more noteworthy than her wonderful voice (which, happily, remains unaffected by PD), Griffith is known among friends and colleagues for her kindness and generosity, especially towards other lesser-known singers, songwriters, and musicians --including one (about whom more in due course) who would later surpass her in fame and attention. For example, although she is a talented composer and lyricist in her own right she rarely records her own work, preferring instead to give other artists a chance to give their work more exposure.

In a highly competitive field like professional music, it’s unusual for one recording artist to risk his or her own career advancement for the sake of another performer. To do so would be seen by many as foolhardy rather than as what it really is –unselfish and noble.

Yet in early 1996, Griffith did exactly that when she convinced her record company, Blix Street, to sign on the phenomenally talented singer Eva Cassidy, who at that time was playing Washington, DC area pubs and other small venues. Once Blix Street followed Griffith's advice, Cassidy become an international star almost overnight, and continues to remain popular in Europe and Canada since her untimely death later that same year. Griffith's career, on the other hand, seems to have been eclipsed by Cassidy's.

In an article she wrote earlier this year, Griffith downplayed her risky act of generosity because, she noted, she had struggled with the decision to carry it out:

…My debate was between my better self and my ? less-than-better self. The better self was inclined to pass her beautiful music along regardless of any potential cost to my own position, because beauty should be shared. The less-than-better self was voicing concern that I might be shooting myself in the foot by making my record label aware of an artist of such caliber -- I have often been accused of not being competitive enough in a competitive world, and I was thinking twice about this one. But I am a person who must follow a certain way to be comfortable in my own skin.

In our opinion, not only was what Griffith did objectively praiseworthy in and of itself, the very fact that it was the result of a spiritual struggle -- a conflict between one's better inclination to serve another at risk to oneself and one's lesser impulse to “look out for number one”-- made her choice something more than merely praiseworthy.

It made her choice heroic.

The same choice would not have been as significant --or heroic-- if it had been made by someone who had no such conflict to overcome. Such battles within ourselves –battles, ultimately, between self-giving love and self-serving egotism-- are often more important than any other battles we may find ourselves engaged in, even when we end up "losing" in the end:

For when such a choice is made we enter the ranks of the angels.

In her case, Grace Griffith's battle between her "better self" and "less-than-better self" ended in a triumph rather than a loss, for it resulted in a great accomplishment: Were it not for Griffith’s efforts to promote her younger, much lesser-known “competitor” --who also happened to be one of her most ardent fans-- the world would probably not have known about Eva Cassidy.

For that gift, as well as for the gift of her own music, the world has Grace Griffith to thank.

"SAPPY ECUMENICISM" VS. TRUTH-SEEKING:
Why Religious Debate Is Important, Now More Than Ever

Two years ago, in response to movie actress Nicole Kidman's decision to leave the Church of Scientology (a popular Los Angeles-based sci-fi-oriented "self-help" cult she and now-ex Tom Cruise belonged to) and return to the Catholic Church of her youth, taking her children with her, National Review writer Arthur Stuttaford made the following astute observations in his article Scientology Chic:

....Ask most Americans, and they will tell you about their respect for the spiritual, but it is a sloppy and uninformed devotion, a pastiche piety with no intellectual force behind it, more Hallmark than holy, the perfect background for a new cult recruit. Ironically, Nicole Kidman herself provided an example of this mindset in a 1998 interview with Newsweek. Asked about her religious beliefs, the actress replied, "there is a little Buddhism, a little Scientology. I was raised Catholic, and a big part of me is still a Catholic girl."

Hand in hand with such an attitude is an unwillingness to debate the religious beliefs of others. Such debate is now believed to be insensitive at best, bigoted and hateful at worst. These days everyone is meant to be a little bit Buddhist, Catholic, Scientologist , whatever. A sappy ecumenicism is now America's civic religion, and it appears to include just about everyone (other, interestingly, than atheists and agnostics). We are taught that such supposedly inclusive tolerance is the hallmark of a tolerant society, when, in fact, it is precisely the opposite. True religious tolerance is the acceptance of the right of others to follow a different creed. In our ersatz, contemporary version, however, it is denied that there are any different creeds. Instead, we are encouraged to think that all religions are basically the same, just different routes to the same transcendental Truth.

In the name of "diversity," we try to erase difference. When it comes to religious belief, this is a country chary of controversy and anxious about argument. In the interest of fraudulent civility and soi-disant "respect" we have removed the right of the religious to disagree with each other. On the face of it, traditional religious distinctions remain, but all too often they have been trivialized and shrunk down to the superficial, reduced to a matter of folklore or ethnic heritage, nothing more consequential, say, than a choice of headgear: Yarmulke, or turban?

This is a mistake. Old-style rigorous religious debate was bruising, tough, and frequently impolite, but it served a function. Homo Sapiens is a credulous creature, ready to believe just about anything, but, fortunately, he has an innate love of argument. Controversy sharpened our great faiths and pushed them, however painfully, towards some form of intellectual coherence. More than that, it acted as a filter for the worst of the nonsense that people would otherwise be tempted to accept. Now that filter has disappeared. The more established religions are gutted, sunk into PC blandness, or, ironically, introspective fundamentalism. In their intellectual retreat they have left behind a spiritual landscape in which anything goes....

SANITY AND REASON ABOUT "THE PASSION":
David Horowitz Reviews Mel Gibson's New Film

One of our heroes, former far-left activist turned conservative activist David Horowitz, who now devotes his time blowing the whistle on the hypocrisy and deceptions of liberalism and the Left, had the following to say on his web log in defense of Mel Gibson's new film, which he viewed earlier this year.

One of the most remarkable aspects of Horowitz's review is that he is not only not a Catholic, he's not a Christian of any kind. He's a secular Jew.

....Gibson's film is an artistic vision and must be judged that way. ...It is an awesome artifact, an overpowering work. I can't remember being so affected by a film before. It is extremely painful to watch and yet the violence is never gratuitous. You never feel like you want to take your eyes off the screen. It is a wracking emotional journey which never strays from its inspirational purpose. It is as close to a religious experience as art can get.

It is not anti-Semitic, as the film-burners have charged. [For example,] Jesus is referred to in the film as "rabbi," and there is never any distancing of Jesus or his disciples from their Jewishness....

...The moral of this Christian story -- of Mel Gibson's film -- is that we all killed Jesus -- Jew and Gentile alike -- and tortured him, and we do so every day. But if you believe the vision that Gibson has rendered so searingly and so well, Jesus forgives us for that very act. Whosoever will give up cruelty and love his brother will enter paradise. That is the message that Gibson has framed in his extraordinary work. The effort to shut down his film before it opens is just another station of the cross.

HURRCANE ISABEL ON THE MOVE:
Storm Heading for Virginia, Maryland, and DC

Back in 1985, Virginia Beach-based televangelist Pat Robertson said he prayed away Hurricane Gloria, which was threatening his newly built Christian Broadcasting Network facilities there.

So where is Robertson now that we need him?

ATTACK OF THE PHANTOM CHADS:
California's Recall Election is Recalled, At Least for Now

It seems the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals found a problem with the voting machines in six counties --the same machines which, albeit rather antiquated, were used to help elect Governor Gray Davis only 12 months ago.

These are punch-card machines similar to those used in Florida prior to the Gore-Bush election fiasco. Thus, apparently fearing the prospect of hanging chads, the judges decided the recall election should be post-poned until the machines' more modern replacements sometime next Spring.

But given the track record of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals --the same folks who issued that lamebrained decision a few months ago which found the Pledge of Allegiance "unconstitutional"-- the decision may not stand once it reaches the Supreme Court, which it may very well do in the very near future.

SO MUCH FOR FEMINISM ON CAMPUS:
The Washington Post Profiles Georgetown U's "Sexpert"

(Hey, ya gotta do something to keep those circulation numbers up, right?)

The "sexpert" in question is a college student who writes a "dating and sex advice" column for the student newspaper of the ostensibly Catholic Georgetown University. She seems to think of herself as a "feminist" and advocates forms of dating which end with sitting and talking rather than heading for the nearest bedroom.

So far, so good.

But she has also clearly jettisoned one of the better (and one of the central) principles of feminism which got that movement started in the first place: Namely, decrying casual sexual encounters ("hookups") with men who want the goodies but don't want the demands and requirements of a real relationship.

For example, she writes:

"It's my opinion that if you're completely realistic about what you're getting out of the situation, there's absolutely no harm in a hookup. People have needs, right? I think the problem comes when people expect a relationship to come out of it. That's the hard part."

IOW, gals, why not think and behave just like all those self-centered guys you call "jerks"?

Betty Friedan, call your therapist.

DISSING THE VICTIMS AND HEROES OF 9/11:
When NetLoons Have Waaaaaay Too Much Time on Their Hands

Unfortunately, horrible tragedies like 9/11 seem to draw all sorts of kooks and nincumpoops out of the woodwork.

Such is the case with a truly weird web site, apparently authored by someone trying to pull our collective cyberlegs in order to push some lunatic-fringe political agenda. The theme of this site is that the "official story" (whatever that means) of what happened on 9/11 is a "hoax." (You know, just like the Holocaust, heliocentricity, evolution, and those manned landings on the moon.)

For a more detailed look at, and debunking of, this strange "theory" see our commentary at our Bullies 'N' Bozos web log.

MORE 9/11 RECOLLECTIONS AND REFLECTIONS:
At the Catholic Web Log Heart, Mind, and Strength

Many thanks to HMS blogger Kevin Miller at that site for posting these accounts by his readers of their experiences on that awful day:

Among these are the following powerful and poignant accounts written by one of his readers, a New York City resident, during the first three days after that tragedy:

From Day Two, 9/12/01:
Yesterday
and
Overcoming Evil with Good

From Day Four, 9/14/01:
Life Goes On

Several more moving recollections and thoughtful reflections, including by Mr. Miller, can be read starting HERE

"WHERE WERE YOU
When the World Stopped Turning on that September Day?"

Country Music singer-songwriter Alan Jackson's reflections on 9/11

Listen to the song and read the lyrics HERE

A profoundly moving piece, whether you're a Country-Western Music fan or not.

"LEST WE FORGET: REFLECTIONS ON 9/11"
by Megan, a Catholic College Student in Chicago, Illinois

On the Eve of September 11, 2003: Lest We Forget

At the end of August, I was at the site of another memorial of another national tragedy. As I looked down into the crystal clear waters of Pearl Harbor at the remnants of the USS Arizona, I couldn't help but think of 9/11. And as I watched the images of the Japanese fighter planes bombing the naval base and the battleships, I could not help but remember 9/11. I was not alive during Pearl Harbor--so 9/11 is like my generation's Pearl Harbor. And ironically it happened during the 60th anniversary year of that day.

I think about my generation. We're starved for lack of heroes. Our teenagers look to Madonna, Eminem, and Britney Spears as role models. Let us take this time to remember and honor real heroes, the firemen and other workers that gave their lives to help their fellow men in trouble. Let us remember them and the ultimate sacrifice they paid. Lest we forget.

I'm proud to be an American. I know that America has her faults and her sins. But I also see alot of good in the USA and that good was shown in the heroic examples of her citizens who showed remarkable unselfishness and courage in the face of danger. Let us not forget the sacrifice they paid. Let us pray for their souls, for all of the souls of the dead that day. Let us remember the courage that led the over 300 firemen to their deaths that day. God bless them. They are true heroes. They deserve to be honored and remembered. God have mercy on their souls and God have mercy on our land.

And, once, again, in my mind I go back to the crystal blue waters of Pearl Harbor and lay a flower on the waters of the tomb of those men who fell, remembering at the same time my generation's Pearl Harbor. Aloha and God be with you.

"THE HOLE IN THE SKYLINE"
National Review Writer Rod Dreher's Reflections on 9/11

In his column at NROnline Dreher notes, in part:

It is, I think, good to be reminded of the tragic sense of life — good, because it reflects the truth, and having that front and center, day and night, helps one guard against blithe optimism, our American temptation. Forewarned is forearmed. Before September 11, I used to marvel at the Twin Towers and the lower Manhattan skyline. The morning sun glinted off the towers, twin diamonds in a crowning achievement of mankind: New York City, the breathtaking palace atop that shining city on the hill that is America. At night, the lights of the towers glittered against the scrim of night, a constellation of our own making. You cannot see the stars at night from New York City, but you didn't have to if you had the Twin Towers.

The last time I saw the towers as they were was one year ago tonight, I had a drink with a friend in the neighborhood, and said goodbye to him at my doorstep, watching him walk away with the towers over his shoulder. I next saw them on fire, and within two hours, saw nothing.

They were there and now they are not: that simple brute fact I still have trouble accepting. Video of the plane crashes and the two collapses doesn't bother me; rather, what I can't take are pre-9/11 images of the World Trade Center. Not long ago, my little niece showed me video of her visit to New York three years ago. At one point, there is a shot with the Twin Towers in the distance. As soon as I saw them there, my chest tightened, tears leapt to my eyes, and I had to leave the room. That video clip was a snapshot from a time and place when we could take things for granted, from a day when the mighty towers were mere background scenery. Of course, we never could, not really; but it was easy in our peace and prosperity, to forget that.

How true, and how very well said.

THE PRIESTS OF 9/11:
More Little-Noticed and Unsung Heroism on That Awful Day

Most of us know of the incredible acts of courage on the part of the hundreds of New York City firefighters and police officers who put their lives on the line on Sept. 11, 2001 helping those caught in the burning WTC twin towers to escape, often at the cost of their own lives.

We know also of the hundreds of rescue workers who, painfully and out of compassion as well as a sense of duty, risked their own lives searching for victims and survivors among the ruins of that calamity.

We know also of the ultimate sacrifice paid by Fr. Mychal Judge, the courageous Catholic chaplain with the NYC fire department who lost his life ministering to his FDNY colleagues as they lay injured or dying from the continually falling debri.

But most of us don't know about the dozens of Catholic priests who, alongside dozens of their colleagues of other faiths, went into that Hell on Earth to help others instead of run for their lives. After the dust and debris at Ground Zero settled, dozens more mobilized to help and comfort those hundreds of firefighters, police, rescue workers, survivors, and victims' family members who needed them.

This, and not the unfortunate sex abuse scandals on which the media seem so fixated, is what being a Catholic priest or any other cleric in any other religion is really all about, or at least should be all about.

9/11 TWO YEARS LATER:
And the Nation Remembers Its Fallen Loved Ones and Fellow Citizens

But while we in the USA still live relatively free of terrorism since that awful day, terrorism continues in Israel, Iraq, and the rest of the world.

God help those for whom terrorism is a daily reality, and God bless and comfort those who have lost their friends and family members to terrorism.

ANOTHER O'HAIR-BRAINED ANTIC:
The American Atheists Want the Ground Zero Cross Removed

Shortly after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, while Ground Zero was being cleared of debris, a segment of three joined steel girders was found which uncannily resembled a perfectly symmetrical Christian cross. At the urging of the men and women who spent weeks searching for survivors and body parts, the NYC committee in charge of establishing a memorial at the site may include that 20-foot tall artifact in its memorial plans.

But not if the perennially cranky American Atheist organization has its way, as we take a look at this silly outfit and it's equally silly complaint at our Bullies 'N' Bozos web log.

FROM THE SO-WHAT-ELSE-IS-NEW? DEPARTMENT:
The Church of $cientology Is at It Again --TWICE!

According to an on-line report by NBC News, members of the Church of Scientology, including celebrities like Tom Cruise, John Travolta, and Juliette Lewis, who want to move up into the upper ranks in their religion are now required to sign a contract which relinquishes to their "church" some key rights, "including a right to psychiatric care and the right to see their families."

Apparently this new requirement came about in the wake of a successful malpractive suit brought against the "church" by the family of a mentally ill member who died from dehydration and starvation while under the "care" of her colleagues.

And the Catholic Church's critics think we're the bad guys???

For a more in-depth look at this story, see our commentary at our Bullies 'N' Bozos web log.

GETTING BOOTED BY THE POPE?
Gay Porn Priest May Get Fired by the Vatican

Sounds like a good beginning. All we need now is for the U.S. Bishops to start cleaning house, as they promised to do over a year ago.

PAUL HILL'S UPCOMING BIG SURPRISE:
When "Christians" Borrow a Page from Al-Queda

Ten years ago, a former Presbyterian minister turned psychopath with a Messiah Complex deliberately and premeditatedly gunned down an abortionist and his bodyguard in the name of life and the God of life.

Today he sits on death row awaiting his execution in Florida. less than an hour from now.

Any sane person in the same situation who also professed Christ as his Lord and Savior would have long ago repented of his sin and expressed contrition and grief for committing such a heinous act. But not Paul Hill, who remains convinced that his cold-blooded murders of Dr. John Britton and his bodyguard were not only "moral" but even earned him Brownie Points with the Almighty: Said Hill, smiling, "I expect a great reward in heaven" and "I am looking forward to glory.'' He added, "More people should act as I have acted."

Apparently, Mr. Hill had forgotten what he learned in his Presbyterian seminary regarding the rule of law and the fact that the private individual has no biblical or other religious warrant for taking the law, including God's law, into his or her own hands. He had also forgotten, it seems, the Presbyterian doctrine of interposition first codified by John Calvin, i.e., that, except in self-defense, no Christian is permitted under God's law to take up arms against another, no even a tyrant, unless so directed by the magistrates ruling over him. Neither the Bible nor Christian Tradition knows or condones anarchy, least of all murderous anarchy, no matter the "reason."

We suspect that like the Al-Queda terrorists who crashed into the Pentagon and World Trade Center two years ago expecting to be greeted in Paradise by Allah and thousands of beautfiul young virgins for their act of "martyrdom," Mr. Hill will have a big surprise awaiting him on the other side of this life. And we seriously doubt that it'll involve either Heaven or glory.

KIND OF REMINDS US OF ITALIAN POLITICS
California's Recall Governor's Race Gets Whackier and Whackier

First, it was the recall movement engineered by God-only-knows-who. The Democrats claim it has been the Republicans, which may very well be true since a wealthy Republican politico first got that ball rolling. But the polls have been showing that the recall movement has been a grassroots effort crossing all political lines.

Next, just about everyone began announcing his or her candicacy for Gray Davis' seat, from Davis' own Lieutenant Governor to a pink-and-blonde porn "actress" (euphemistically referred to as a "model" by the mainstream media) to porn kingpin Larry Flynt. Now action film star Arnold Schwarzenneger has declared his own intentions to Terminate the current Governor.

Of course, entertainers running for public office in California is nothing new. Witness Pat Brown and Ronald Reagan. But the last time a porn star ran a high-profile campaign for public office was back in 1990 when Italian porn queen Ilona Staller was elected to the Italian Parliament, where she later flashed her breasts to her colleagues and voted for things like sex for prisoners, sex education for young kids and sexual liberation for everyone. And just before the first Gulf war, she publicly offered to have sex with both George Bush, Sr. and Saddam Hussein in order to avert the coming war. (How that would've worked she never said.)

So there is a precedent established for porn stars running for public offices and actually serving in them, and California seems the most likely place to continue that tradition. After all, as in Italian politics, California politics seems run more and more by weirdos.

IS THE POPE ”PETRIFIED BY SEX”???
What Happens When Non-Liberals Join the New Know-Nothing Party

On August 3, in the New York Daily News, self-styled "middle-of-the-road" columnist Mike Barnicle joined ranks with his colleagues in the liberal news media to bash the Pope for having the temerity to issue a document on July 31 which did nothing more than defend the universal, timeless and time-honored institution of marriage against those attempting to both weaken and radically ("at the root") redefine it by rushing gay “marriage” legislation into the nation’s law-books.

A central theme of the Vatican's document, aptly titled Considerations Regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition to Unions Between Homosexual Persons, is that what has always constituted and defined marriage was, and continues to be, determined by logic, natural law, and gender rather than the wishful thinking of a noisy special interest group.

In short: It's the biology, stupid.

On a sociological and psychological level, Considerations also points out, it has long been established that children grow and develop best under male and female parents. However, it remains to be seen that, on the whole, children --most of whom (if not all) are born heterosexual-- can do so (or worse, grow and develop adversely) under parents of the same gender; hence the Vatican's opposition as well to adoption by gay couples whether they are "married" or not. After all, it's one thing for two consenting adults to tinker with their own lives, and quite another for them to tinker with the lives of innocent children who have no say in the matter.

Moreover, as Considerations also points out, the institutions of marriage and the family, as the most fundamental building block of any civilization, predates both church and state by at least several millenia; hence, neither church nor state has the right or authority to reinvent it from the ground up by including same-sex "unions." Why, one may as well extend the definition of "marriage" to same-person unions (see our July 9 blog, Next Up In Canada: Same-Person Marriage, below).

Yet Barnicle doesn't even address any of the aforegoing concerns, nor does he address any of the other arguments against gay "marriage" raised by Considerations. It's as if the man never came across the term "philosophy," much less ever studied the subject. Instead, Barnicle opened his column with the following preposterous statement, which was quickly followed by other equally preposterous statments (emphasis via bold text and underlines added):

If you're Catholic, you really have to have faith to keep the faith these days. One day, a new archbishop is installed in Boston and instantly adds a breath of fresh air to a church that has been battered by the behavior of liars, hypocrites and obstructors of justice in Roman collars. Then, just when you think it's safe to relax, the Pope and the isolated crew around him issue their latest assault against homosexuals. That was predictable because the Vatican --hey, the hierarchy of the Catholic Church-- is petrified by sex.

Of course, the irony of the above statement is that the "liars, hypocrites, and obstructors of justice in Roman collars" to whom Barnicle refers are the very same homosexual priests who committed the crimes in question, along with the look-the-other-way bishops who protected them. After all, well over 90% of the clerical sexual abuse cases in the American Catholic Church are male-on-male, not male-on-female --a very relevant fact barely mentioned in the secular media and apparently ignored by Barnicle. In fact, had "the Pope and the isolated crew around him" staged a wholesale purge and defrocking of these clerics at least ten years ago --as they should have done-- Barnicle most likely would've waxed indignant about "their latest assault against homosexuals." Logic would suggest that if the Pope should favor gays taking marriage vows (as Barnicle apparently believes), the Pope should likewise favor gays taking priestly vows.

Nevertheless, in the remainder of his diatribe Barnicle showed nary the slightest indication of informed familiarity with the Catholic Church’s teachings in the areas of marriage (regarded as a sacrament by the Church!), sexuality, and sexual ethics. Nor did he present a shred of evidence to support his claim that Pope John Paul II & co. are "petrified by sex."

Instead of doing his homework in order to address these issues with something resembling coherence and intelligence, he apparently decided instead to create a straw-man which he then proceeded to dismantle. But such intellectual laziness seems typical of Barnicle, who according to the news media was once booted from The Boston Globe for repeatedly plagiarizing other writers' work.

On August 4, we sent the following response to Barnicle's column via e-mail to the editors of the Daily News. To date, our letter seems not to have seen the light of day there, much less any space in the Daily News' Letters section --even in a much shorter and heavily edited form. Nor have we yet to receive a reply:


Letters to the Editor
New York Daily News
August 4, 2003

Mike Barnicle's attempt on August 3 to "critique" the Vatican's rejection of gay marriage has got to be most clueless piece of balderdash on things Catholic I've come across since the last time I read a Jack Chick tract.

Barnicle claims, with zero evidence to back up his assertion, that Pope John Paul II, among other Church leaders at the Vatican, is "petrified by sex."

REALLY????

Obviously, Mr. Barnicle has never come across the vast corpus on marital relationships, sexuality, and sexual ethics --collectively known as "theology of the body"-- written by the Pope which proves the exact opposite.

Consider, for example, the following excerpts from the Pope's book Love and Responsibility, first published over 40 years ago in his native Poland:

"Sexologists state that the curve of arousal in woman is different from that in man--it rises more slowly and falls more slowly... The man must take this difference between male and female reactions into account, not for hedonistic, but for altruistic reasons. There exists a rhythm dictated by nature itself which both spouses must discover so that climax may be reached both by the man and by the woman, and as far as possible occur in both simultaneously...

"Non-observance of these teachings of sexology in the marital relationship is contrary to the good of the other partner to the marriage and the durability and cohesion of the marriage itself. It must be taken into account that it is naturally difficult for the woman to adapt herself to the man in the sexual relationship, that there is a natural unevenness of physical and psychological rhythms, so that there is a need for harmonization, which is impossible without good will, especially on the part of the man, who must carefully observe the reactions of the woman. If a woman does not obtain natural gratification from the sexual act there is a danger that her experience of it will be qualitatively inferior, will not involve her fully as a person…

"In the woman this produces an aversion to intercourse, and a disgust with sex which is just as difficult or even more difficult to control than the sexual urge. It can also cause neuroses and sometimes organic disorders (which come from the fact that the engorgement of the genital organs at the time of sexual arousal results in inflammation in the region of the so-called little pelvis, if sexual arousal is not terminated by detumescence, which in the woman is closely connected with orgasm). Psychologically, such a situation causes not just indifference but outright hostility. A woman finds it very difficult to forgive a man if she derives no satisfaction from intercourse…."

Does any of the above sound like something written by a man "petrified by sex"???

But perhaps Barnicle was merely trying to make a clever Peter-as-the-Rock pun based on Matthew 16: 18 ("And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church"): The word "petrified" and the name "Peter" --another name by which all Popes are known-- have the same root, the Greek word petros, "rock." However, we doubt that Barnicle is that original: Just ask The Boston Globe. And by all indications, he's not a New Testament scholar either.

As we've pointed out before, whether it comes from intellectually challenged secular pundits or backwoods semi-literate John Calvins, anti-Catholic nincumpoopery is still alive and well on planet Earth.

THE NEW KNOW-NOTHINGS vs. "THE PASSION":
A Catholic Writer Critiques Mel Gibson's Critics

On his web log, Catholic blogger Jim Cork makes some excellent points about those in the media and in the liberal Establishment who have been going out of their way nowadays trying to portray Mel Gibson's upcoming movie "The Passion" --which none of them have ever seen!-- as "anti-semitic," a cinematic equivalent of the Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion.

According to Cork, it seems their chief reason for this shameless propaganda campaign is nothing less (or more) than that Gibson is a traditionalist Catholic. This means, in the view of the ADL's Abraham Foxman (whose long track record for knee-jerk overreaction suggests he's never to have met a Christian he hasn't disliked), that "Mr. Gibson ...is supportive of views of church policy that question or reject the many 20th-century changes, including the revolution in attitudes toward Jews beginning with [Second Vatican Council document] Nostra Aetate in 1965." Therefore, in the half-baked minds of Gibson's critics, both Gibson's motives and his attitudes toward Jews must be automatically suspect.

Cork does a fine job not only of debunking their baseless assertions, but also of turning the tables on them to show what's really beneath and behind their vacuous caterwauling --namely, an unabashed anti-Catholicism worthy of the Know-Nothing Party of the late 1880s.

Jim Cork on Mel Gibson's Clueless Critics

”JUDGES NEEDED; CATHOLICS NEED NOT APPLY”:
The U. S. Senate’s New Know-Nothings Institute a Religious Test

"No religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States." -- Article VI, Constitution of the United States

Back in the late 1800s and early 1900s –the “good ol’ days” of open hostility and discrimination against Catholic immigrants by Protestant political activists known collectively as the Know-Nothing Party-- signs bearing messages such as “Workers Needed; Irish Need Not Apply” were commonplace. Thankfully, most Americans eventually came to their senses and public sentiment went against the bigots.

However, it seems you can’t keep anti-Catholic bigotry down for very long:

Enter U. S. Senators Charles Schumer and Dianne Feinstein, as well as Ted Kennedy, Richard Durbin, Tom Daschle, and Patrick Leahy (nominal cafeteria Catholics who have repeatedly sided with the abortion lobby) –all Democrats and most of them on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Enter also, before that Committee, Alabama Attorney General William Pryor, a devout Catholic who opposes abortion and is a nominee to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.

Consider also the fact that, by all media accounts, during his tenure as Alabama’s Attorney General Pryor strictly abided by all Supreme Court precedents and decisions vis the abortion issue despite his pro-life commitment and his dedication to Catholic teaching in general.

But this was not good enough for the New Know-Nothing Party composed of Schumer, Feinstein, Kennedy, and Leahy. For them, the fact that Pryor is a committed orthodox Catholic and past president of one of his state’s pro-life organizations alone disqualified him for a seat in the U. S. Court of Appeals.

For example, Schumer announced that Pryor “feels so deeply, so passionately about Roe v. Wade that we can't believe he'll be objective.”

And Feinstein, in a response to Pryor, noted that "Virtually in every area you have extraordinarily strong views which continue to come out in a number of different ways.” [Pryor had referred to the Roe vs. Wade decision as "the worst abomination in the history of constitutional law".] “Your comments about Roe make one believe, could he really, suddenly, move away from those comments and be a judge?"

Lest some dismiss this as a fluke or just a case of Democrats being merely anti-Republican rather than anti-Catholic, all recent judiciary nominees who also “just happen” to be devout, practicing Catholics received the same treatment by the Committee’s Democratic members and other liberal Democrats in the Senate. Among these rejected Catholic candidates were Leon Holmes (in the eastern district of Arkansas), Carolyn Kuhl (in the Ninth Circuit), Bob Conrad (eastern district of North Carolina) and three of the four other stalled nominees from Michigan (Sixth Circuit).

The Holmes case is especially repugnant: During his hearing before the Committee, Feinstein ripped out of context statements Holmes had written in religious (not legal) articles he wrote for Catholic theological (not law) publications and spun these as "evidences" of his alleged unfitness for office as a judge.

As William Donohoe, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, put it so succinctly regarding the Pryor nomination, "[I]t is precisely Pryor's religious convictions that are being scrutinized. Given the cast of mind of some of his critics, it makes it virtually impossible for practicing Catholics to ascend to the federal bench." Similar objections to the Democratic Senators’ approach have also been voiced by leading Protestants such as Chuck Colson.

But Catholics and other Christians are not the only ones horrified by the Senate Democrats’ conduct vis Pryor and other Catholic nominees. The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America wrote this regarding Pryor: "We are profoundly troubled by the manner in which this opposition has been framed. . . . We are deeply troubled by those who have implied that a person of faith cannot serve in a high-level government post that may raise issues at odds with his or her personal beliefs."

So the real test for "Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States" in the minds the New Know-Nothings is not Mr. Pryor’s record but rather Pryor’s, and therefore any Catholic’s, ”deeply held beliefs;” specifically, his deeply held Catholic beliefs. It is, at the bottom line, a religious test, a test specifically prohibited by Article IV of the U. S. Constitution, the same document the New Know-Nothings repeatedly claim to revere.

A MUSLIM WOODY ALLEN?
The Comedic Aspirations of a Canadian Filmmaker

Contrary to the impression most of we non-Muslim Westerners have about Muslims, at least some of them have a sense of humor.

See, for example, this story in The Washington Post about the satirical films created by Canadian filmmaker Zarqa Nawaz, a Muslim woman.

Nawaz apparently follows her religion faithfully yet with her tongue firmly planted in cheek when it comes to Muslim manners, attitudes and culture as well as Western perceptions of and attitudes toward Muslims.

NOW THAT'S ALCOHOL ABUSE!
Jim Beam Loses 1,000,000 Gallons of Good Hootch...

...in a fire this week, according to this article.

THIS IS A SCREAM:
Check Out Oliphant's Vatican vs. Gay "Marriage" Cartoon

Syndicated editorial cartoonist Pat Oliphant may not be very kind to the Catholic Church in this one, but his lampooning of the gays and gay "marriage" is priceless. Note the purse carried by one of the guys, and the high heels on the other, and the "His" and "His" shirts. Too much!

Note also the veiled reference to current goings-on within the Episcopal Church by the tiny bird character Oliphant uses in all his cartoons.

Oliphant's Gay "Marriage" Cartoon

No doubt Oliphant's very politically incorrect portrayal of his two gay characters will earn his syndicate far more angry letters than will his poke at the Vatican.

A "GLOBAL CAMPAIGN AGAINST GAYS"???
The Chicago Sin-Times Lies About the Vatican's "Considerations" Document

In the wake of Pope John Paul II's July 31 document opposing the current growing trend towards legalizing gay unions and redefining marriage by lifting civil bans against gay "marriage," the liberal pro-homosexual Chicago Sun-Times lost no time spinning this modest and very reasonable response by the Vatican to a legitimate moral issue into some kind of imaginary pogrom against gays themselves.

In response, Chicago's Cardinal George sent an open letter of apology to the Pope on behalf of the people of Chicago and lambasted the Sun-Times from his pulpit. The Catholic News Service reports on this as follows:

Headline saying pope attacks gays draws ire of Chicago cardinal

By Catholic News Service

CHICAGO (CNS) -- Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago used an Aug. 3 homily to defend Pope John Paul II against a newspaper headline that charged the pope with launching a campaign against homosexuals.

Cardinal George said an Aug. 1 headline in the daily Chicago Sun-Times that read "Pope launches global campaign against gays" was a "false accusation" he felt compelled to defend.

The headline on the front-page article appeared a day after the Vatican released a 12-page document that called on lawmakers to offer "clear and emphatic opposition" to same-sex marriages, which it said were contrary to human nature and ultimately harmful to society.

In releasing the document, the pope was re-affirming the "nature of marriage," the cardinal said.

"Marriage is a lifelong union of a man and a woman who enter into a total sharing of themselves for the sake of family," he said.

The cardinal said the nature of marriage was decided by biology, predates the church and that neither government nor the church had the authority to change it.

"What the Holy Father concluded from the fact that there is neither biological nor moral equivalence between heterosexual marriage and homosexual unions is that there should be no legal equivalence either in a well-ordered and wholesome society," the cardinal said.

Cardinal George said the drive to legalize same-sex unions was because of "morality based upon desires" supplanting a "morality based upon the truth of things," and that those who oppose the unions are denounced as "homophobic."

"Because of a concerted effort in movies and TV shows in recent years to shape public imagination and opinion into accepting same-sex relations as normal and morally unexceptional, obvious truths now are considered evidence of homophobia," he said.

The cardinal said he wrote a letter to Pope John Paul apologizing for the headline, and that he hesitated before signing his title to the letter.

"I'm ashamed that this false accusation against the pope was made in our city. At the very least it is unfair, and we pride ourselves on fairness," he said.

Cardinal George said many who attacked the pope were anti-Catholic, but stopped short levying that charge against the Chicago Sun-Times.

"What I must say today is that a line has been crossed, and Chicago Catholics cannot ignore what has happened," he said.

The Sun-Times defended its headline, saying that when read in its entirety it "accurately reflects the church's view on same-sex marriage and the role the church requires Catholic politicians to play in this issue."

The paper said that the full headline read, "Pope Launches Global Campaign Vs. Gays," followed by the subhead, "Vatican: Catholic pols have 'moral duty' to oppose homesexual (sic) rights."

END

In our view, it's time for all rational and fairminded people to start flooding the offices of the Chicago Sun-Times with letters of protest.

A LEGEND TAKES HIS FINAL BOW:
Bob Hope Leaves Us at Age 100

World renown comedian Bob Hope passed away over the weekend, less than two months after the USA and the rest of the world celebrated his 100th birthday.

Unlike way too many modern-day comedians, Mr. Hope's comedy was both very clean and very, very funny. He kept whole families, from the kids to their grandparents, in stitches for over 60 years, beginning in 1938 with his first movie, "The Big Broadcast of 1938" and his radio shows for NBC in the early 1940s.

In addition to the scores of movies and hundreds of radio and t.v. shows which made him a household name, Mr. Hope has been especially well known for donating his talent, time and energy to entertaining US troops overseas through the USO from World War II to the 1991 Persian Gulf War. As honory President of USO, Mr. Hope both inspired and personally pursuaded countless other entertainers to "go forth and do likewise" ever since he began doing his own USO tours in 1941.

In 1997, the U. S. Congress bestowed an honor on Mr. Hope which has never been given to anyone before or since: He was named as an honorary U.S. veteran because of his decades of support to the American military men and women living far away from home. Mr. Hope was deeply touched: "I've been given many awards in my lifetime," he replied, "but to be numbered among the men and women I admire the most is the greatest honor I have ever received."

Bob Hope was a gem, and he will be sorely missed.

SOME GREAT CHRISTIAN ONE-LINERS
Yes, It's Another Slow News Day

After all, it's the middle of July for Heaven's sake. So here are some gems we found posted on a Catholic message board:

Christian One Liners

Some people are kind, polite, and sweet-spirited-until you try to sit in their pews.

Many folks want to serve God, but only as advisers.

It is easier to preach ten sermons than it is to live one.

The good Lord didn't create anything without a purpose, but mosquitoes come close.

When you get to your wit's end, you'll find God lives there.

People are funny, they want the front of the bus, the middle of the road, and the back of the church.

Opportunity may knock once, but temptation bangs on your front door forever.

Quit griping about your church; if it was perfect, you couldn't belong..

The phrase that is guaranteed to wake up an audience: "And in conclusion."

God Himself does not propose to judge a man until he is dead. So why should you?

To make a long story short, don't tell it.

If your left hand doesn't know what your right hand is doing, you should consider running for a job in Washington, DC.

Some minds are like concrete, thoroughly mixed up and permanently set.

Peace starts with a smile.

I don't know why some people change churches; what difference does it make which one you stay home from?

A lot of church members who are singing "Standing on the Promises" are just sitting on the premises.

We were called to be witnesses, not lawyers or judges.

Outside of traffic, there is nothing that holds this country back as much as committees.

Be ye fishers of men. You catch them - He'll clean them.

Coincidence is when God chooses to remain anonymous.

Don't put a question mark where God put a period.

Don't wait for 6 strong men to take you to church.

Forbidden fruits create many jams.

God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.

God grades on the cross, not the curve.

God loves everyone, but probably prefers "fruits of the spirit" over "religious nuts!"

God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

He who angers you, controls you!

If God is your Copilot - swap seats!

Prayer: Don't give God instructions -- just report for duty!

The task ahead of us is never as great as the Power behind us.

The Will of God will never take you to where the Grace of God will not protect you.

We don't change the message, the message changes us.

You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him.

The best mathematical equation I have ever seen: 1 cross + 3 nails = 4 given.

NEXT UP IN CANADA: SAME-PERSON MARRIAGE
It's Only Fair to Canadian Narcissists, Activists Argue

In the wake of the gay lobby's success in getting the Canadian government to legalize gay marriage, a national coalition of narcissists --people who are able to fall in love only with themselves-- have begun to lobby Parliament for the right to marry themselves.

"We're beside ourselves with joy" over the recent proposed change in Canadian law to allow same-sex marriage, said rock star Madonna, celebrity spokesperson for the self-rights group To Thine Own Self Be True. "We self-lovers deserve the same right as gay and straight couples to be happy without being discriminated against."

The group has already received full support from the National Association of Canadian Divorce Attorneys, which has begun drafting proposed laws to allow estranged narcissists to be represented in court by two or more opposing attorneys at the same time.

CLUELESS ON THE INTERNET:
Why Love and Romance Have Been Going Belly-Up

This week CNN, Money Magazine and America On-Line jointly posted an article and on-line survey on the dating habits and ethics of modern Americans vis the issue of who should pay for dates.

On an accompanying AOL message board dedicated to the article and survey, a woman posted the following rather innocuous manifesto:

If a man wants my company, then he should respect me enough to WANT to pay the bill. I do NOT abuse and use that privilege, though. I always order light and help provide great conversation. And, I do NOT owe that man anything else -- just company and companionship for the evening.

Very fair and very reasonable, in our view: What the lady is doing here is nothing more or less than asserting her natural right to be treated with deference as one person invited by another person to share an enjoyable evening of entertainment and conversation. Common sense alone should tell any reasonable person that all she expects is what she has the right to expect, i.e., that if another person desires her “company and companionship,” that same person should respect her enough to not expect her to pay for the evening as well, whether in whole or 50-50. In fact, there’s a word for folks who would expect her to:

“Self-centered”

Incredibly, however, her very reasonable statement of dating expectations set off a storm of protest from some of the male posters, most of whom responded with often cynical comments such as:

I pity the poor guy that goes out with you.

And,

… "WHAT DO WOMEN WANT?" The answer is surprisingly simple. Women only want three things. 1. They want it ALL. 2. They want it NOW. 3. They want it FREE. That's it! Now use that to guide you in ALL your relationships with women. GOOD LUCK!

And,

I would run from "Ms. Respect" as far and as fast as I could. She's an arrogant, self centered hustler. She's the type that will spend a $100 of your money on a date, smile sweetly at the door and say, "Thank you" and, after you have left, invite the impoverished pot smoking, playboy pool cleaner in for the night.

And,

Here's a stupid female boob completely out of touch with the times! "Respect"...Gimmie a break! Ever hear of 2003? Are you aware of what this number implies? Are you aware that we went to another century more than three years ago?

You remind me of Melvin Udall's evaluation in his novelette female characters in As Good As It Gets: "I think of a man...and I take away reason and accountability".

What are men to you? Chopped liver? Are they to be eaten, digested, and pooped out? Somebody must have locked you up in a pumpkin shell 'cause you pissed them off rather well. (lol)

And, last but by no means least in the How to Justify Stinginess Department, we read this:

…Women have been lobbying for equal rights, parity in compensation, etc. for years. It's ironic to me that despite their often strident and dramatic demands to be treated as equals, very few of them want to be treated as equals when the check arrives. Generally, when one of my buddies and I go some place, it's understood that we share the expenses no matter who extended the invitation. When a woman expects a man to pay her way, she places herself in a subordinate role. Interestingly, when the military draft was still in effect, very few women demanded that they be subject to the draft. The inconsistent behavior just described reminds me of the adolescent who moves out of his/her parents' home because of a desire to "be an adult" then asks mommy and daddy to help with the rent.

RESPECT? Give me a break. I provide reciprocal companionship and conversation. Consequently, it seems that if I'm paying for everything, I'm giving more than I'm receiving.

If women want to be treated as equals, then they must be willing to accept the obligations and well as the benefits of "equality."

But, contra the “gentleman’s” decision to lay all the blame at the feet of feminism, this is beside the point (which we’ll get to in due course). Moreover, he totally misunderstands the concept of equality in the political and economic sense, i.e., that women ought not be penalized in the marketplace or in the political arena merely on the grounds that they are women.

One fellow, however, did post a fairly reasonable response:

…The more beautiful the woman, the more she'll want from you. Which is sad because so many people feel that the more money someone has, the better person he or she is. Yet women bitch all the time about the guys they date and are always asking "where the good guys are?" If they would get the money symbols out of their eyes, they'd probably see us. We are the working class guys who work 9-5, make a good living at it, but don't make 6 figures, don't drive the Jaguar's, and don't have the classically handsome looks. Ladies, get off the money horse and find happiness where happiness is, in the heart. :)

Of course there have been gold-diggers at least as long as there have been cads. But Ms. Respect hardly seems to fit into that former category.

Reading these replies, one would think that Ms. Respect was proposing mandatory castration followed by indentured servitude as a precondiction for dating her.

Amazing.

Common sense alone should tell these guys that “Love your neighbor as you love yourself,” the Golden Rule of respect and benevolence (what people generations ago called “charity” before that word became emptied of its original meaning; i.e., selflessness and a generosity of spirit), would go a long way toward establishing and enriching any relationship, dating and non-dating alike.

Why should men who ask women out on dates at least be willing to pay for the dates, and be prepared to do just that?

First of all, because it’s just. The party proposing a project should also be the party subsidizing that project –not pass the cost on to someone else, including one who may benefit from it, unless they agree or offer to cover it. Secondly, because doing so is, in and of itself, an act which communicates caring, respect, and a willingness to give and be vulnerable rather than indulge in egotism and pure self-interest.

With such cluelessness about human nature so rampant on the modern dating scene –at least as it manifests itself on the Internet— is it any wonder that so many singles have become convinced that real love is an illusion and lasting romance an impossibility?

THE UNRAVELING OF LIBERAL KATHOLICISM:
Are Leftist Anti-Vatican "Catholic" Groups Going Belly-up?

Well-known orthodox Catholic apologist Karl Keating of Catholic Answers, a national lay Catholic apologetics organization based in San Diego, seems to think so.

And he's not alone:

Even some liberal observers such as the late New Testament scholar Fr. Raymond E. Brown have lamented that the rapid of growth of Catholic orthodoxy (especially via Pope John Paul II's influence) and the various "traditionalist" Catholic movements since the late 80's --especially thru large influxes of highly educated converts, some of them ordained ministers and professional Bible scholars, from Evangelical and Fundamentalist Protestantism since the early 1990s-- spells doom for the future of "democracy" and theological "progress" (read: "junking the Faith") in the Church. As Brown whined to Time magazine about a year before his death, the Catholic Church is being taken over by "the fundamentalists."

Make no mistake: Liberals still make a lot of noise and still have way too much influence in Catholic seminaries, colleges, and universities, and in the Church's hierarchy, especially in the US, Canada, and many European countries (particularly France, the Netherlands, and Germany). And, as both insiders and outsiders have observed, they've been chiefly to blame for the mess the Catholic Church in the US currently finds itself in --especially the seemingly unending sex abuse scandals. But the same liberals are also getting older and older, with fewer and fewer younger liberals around to replace them.

On the whole, Generation-X and younger Catholics --as well as many if not most Baby Boomer converts and reverts-- find the beauty and truth of Tradition, Scripture, theological orthodoxy, and time-honored forms of spirituality and piety (such as the Rules of the Benedictines, Franciscans and Dominicans) far more challenging, fulfilling, and compelling. In the long run, liberalism has simply flunked.

Here is what Keating says on this issue in his latest e-mail newsletter:

THE WAVE OF THE PAST

We just got our invitation to [dissident far-left activist group] Call to Action's national conference, which will be held in November in Milwaukee (but not on Church property). The conference theme is "Called to Be Peacemakers: Prophetic Leadership for World & Church."

The irony is that, while there is "prophetic leadership" in the Church, one will not find it in Call to Action, which is becoming increasingly moribund as its members get ever grayer and as its ideology seems ever less intriguing. What might have been thought avant garde twenty years ago seems old-fashioned today, on the principle that whoever marries the spirit of one age will become a widow in the next.

Consider CTA's pleas for increased "diversity": "We are very much aware that the membership and leadership of Call to Action fall short on ethnic diversity." After all these years, this "progressive" organization has not been able to meet its self-imposed quota of non-white faces. It sedulously has employed its own forms of affirmative action, but still it can't find enough blacks, Hispanics, Eskimos, and others for its membership rolls.

I take this as a hopeful sign: Such Catholics may be getting fed up with being thought of only in ethnic terms and may be tired of being used to assuage liberal guilt.

I do not worry much about CTA's influence on the Church in the U.S. Its time has passed. The organization will continue to exist for many more years, but each year it will have less to say and will be less listened to. The big names associated with it are no longer young and soon will be gone: Charles Curran, Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, Bernard Cooke, Bob McClory, Edwina Gateley, Rosemary Ruether, Anthony Padovano. There is no evident line of succession.

There was a time when CTA was successful in its own way, but now it is just another one of those crabbed organizations that is slowly drying up in the spiritual drought that is religious liberalism.

VIDEO SHOWS SADDAM HUNTING FOR TRUFFLES:
Maybe He's Not Such a Bad Guy After All...

...being a gourmet and all.

Maybe it's time to give Saddam a break after all. Reuters reports today that some newly released home videos show the Butcher of Bagdad...

...leading a family expedition to the desert to search for truffles. His wife Sajida, wearing a voluminous cape and a wide-brimmed hat, follows behind with the couple's daughters. They scamper around, digging in the sand with special hoes.

Saddam gives a snort of disgust when he unearths a rather small specimen. Turning to his family, he bellows: "Do you think Saddam would bother with something so small?"

The video is dated March 15, 1990 -- just months before Saddam ordered his troops to invade Kuwait.

"Daddy, daddy, look what I found," cries Rana, one of his daughters, running up to Saddam with a truffle in her hand. Saddam glances at it then resumes his search.

The eight tapes, obtained by Reuters from a former employee of one of Saddam's inner circle, show a variety of family occasions -- birthdays, an engagement party, a hunting trip,...

But of course, Saddam's relatives and family relationships are not all that typical, as indicated in another video by one of Saddam's sons, Qusay, who showed up to one of Saddam's birthday parties "sport[ing] a silver pistol tucked casually into the waistband of the trousers."

At the same birthday party and on the same video were Saddam's sons-in-law Saddam Kamel and Hussein Kamel, who always wore military fatigues "even on the truffle hunt." The report notes that both sons-in-law "are now dead. Five years after the video shows them standing around the birthday cake with Saddam, he ordered their murder in revenge for their shortlived defection to Jordan."

But at least he appreciates fine culinary delicacies. What more can one ask for?

On the other hand, perhaps Saddam had found a way of converting truffles into some of those Weapons of Mass Destruction both the UN inspectors, and the Bush administration after them, have thus far been unable to turn up.

Apparently it never occurred to them that the Iraqi biological weapons laboratories may have been the Iraqi gourmet kitchens all along. After all, truffles, as everyone knows, are a mainstay in French gourmet cooking and (as everyone also knows) French cuisine --composed mostly of oils, creams, rich pastries, and other forms of fatty and fattening ingredients-- tends to wreak havoc on we hapless Westerners' cholesterol levels.

ON THE LIGHTER-THAN-AIR SIDE:
Some Very Funny Air Traffic Controller Vignettes

Courtesy of Molly's Musings, in honor of the late Robert ("The Untouchables") Stack for his very funny performance as an air traffic controller in the classic spoof Airplane!. Stack died last week at the age of 84.

Here's a sample story from Molly's blog:

A Pan Am 727 flight engineer waiting for start clearance in Munich overheard the following:

Lufthansa (in German): "Ground, what is our start clearance time?"

Ground (in English): "If you want an answer you must speak English."

Lufthansa (in English): "I am a German, flying a German airplane, in Germany. Why must I speak English?"

Unknown voice (in a beautiful British accent): "Because you lost the bloody war!"

IN TEXAS, THEY HAVE THE RIGHT IDEA:
Legislators Flee Lone Star State to Avoid Vote

According to the Associated Press, 51 Democrat legislators from the Texas House of Representatives are holed up across the border in Ardmore, Oklahoma in order to prevent a quorum from being formed to vote on a Republican-sponsored redistricting bill they disagree with.

In order to vote on the bill before the House's Thursday night deadline, after which the bill must be scrapped, the House Republicans need the presence of their Democratic colleagues, who decided to flee the state rather than fight a battle they knew they’d lose. Instead, the Democrats intend to stay in Oklahoma until Friday morning, long oast House’s deadline:

Republicans castigated their absent colleagues for the growing heaps of bills in jeopardy of not being passed.

"We want our colleagues back," Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who presides over the Senate, told reporters before the GOP House members convened Wednesday. He said lawmakers are only days away from completing "a historically successful session'' that will balance the state's budget without a tax bill, despite a $9.9 billion shortfall.

The House Republicans quickly adjourned to move into committee hearings, which are allowed without a House quorum as long as a majority of a committee is present.

Despite the work stoppage, Republicans remain focused on legislative business, said Gov. Rick Perry.

…Texas already has a court-drawn redistricting map, but Republicans say it doesn't reflect state voting trends and want to redo it. Their plan could add five to seven GOP House seats to the 15 the Republicans already have.

From their motel in Ardmore, Okla., the Democrats blamed U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay for the shutdown of the Texas House of Representatives.

"We have a message for Tom DeLay: Don't mess with Texas,'' said House Democratic Legislative Caucus leader Jim Dunnam. "We did not choose the path that led us to Ardmore, Okla. Tom DeLay chose that path.''

In Washington, DeLay mocked the Democratic legislators. "I have never turned tail and run,'' DeLay said. "Even when I'm losing, I stand and fight for what I believe.''...

[On a historical note, in 1988 then-U. S. Senate Majority leader Robert Byrd (D–W.Va) needed a quorum, but didn’t have enough willing members on hand to fill it. So he sent the Senate’s Sargeant-at-Arms, accompanied by the Capitol Police to every Senator’s office on the Hill to “persuade” the absent Senators to join him on the floor. One Senator, Robert Packwood (R-Ill.), locked his office door and refused to come out. When the police tried to force the door open, Packwood pushed against them but was overwhelmed in short order. He was taken out feet first and carried to the Senate Chamber.]

PRESIDENT HAS AFFAIR WITH INTERN:
No, We Don't Mean Bill Clinton....

...We mean none other than Bill Clinton's idol and role model, John F. Kennedy, known affectionately to the White House Press Corps during his administration as "Jack the Zipper." According to a story from the Associated Press today, it seems that JFK had an affair with a 19-year-old White House intern:

...''She had no skills. She could answer the phone,'' Robert Dallek, author of ''An Unfinished Life,'' told ''Dateline NBC'' in an interview that aired Sunday. ''Apparently, her only skill was to provide sexual release for JFK on those trips and maybe in the White House.''

Dallek learned of the affair from a White House aide, Barbara Gamarekian, whose oral history was recently unsealed. Gamarekian told the Daily News that she remembers only the young intern's first name, which she refused to reveal.

...Kennedy is known to have had numerous extramarital liaisons, but this is the first report of an affair with an intern. ''There were lots of women,'' Dallek, whose book comes out Tuesday, told the newspaper. ''The real question is: Did it distract him from his job as president? I think it really didn't.''

Like in the Bay of Pigs fiasco, for example? Yeah, right.

ON RICK SANTORUM:
He's No Trent Lott

One of the most irritating things about Rick Santorum's treatment by the media and pro-gay liberals is the constant comparison of Santorum's views on sexuality to Trent Lott's boneheaded condoning of the racist Dixiecrats back in the 50s and 60s.

Liberals both inside and outside the media know full well that unlike Trott's sympathy for Strom Thurmond's presidential run as a segregationist, Santorum's very nuanced and very tolerant views regarding sexual orientations reflect those of the vast majority of Americans.

So when they attack Santorum as a "bigot," they attack all of us as "bigots."

SHE FOUGHT "TO THE DEATH":
Rescued POW Jessica Lynch Did Not Want to Be Taken Alive, Army Says

Today's Washington Post reports that the recently rescued POW, 19-year-old Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch, continued fighting the Iraqi soldiers who ambushed her unit, Army 507th Ordnance Maintenance Company, even after receiving several gunshot wounds and three broken limbs. And when she was finally subdued and captured, she was stabbed in the process. But she had already taken out two Iraqi soldiers:

"She was fighting to the death," [an Army] official said. "She did not want to be taken alive."

...Several officials cautioned that the precise sequence of events is still being determined, and that further information will emerge as Lynch is debriefed. Reports thus far are based on battlefield intelligence, they said, which comes from monitored communications and from Iraqi sources in Nasiriyah whose reliability has yet to be assessed. Pentagon officials said they had heard "rumors" of Lynch's heroics but had no confirmation.

...Lynch, of Palestine, W.Va., arrived yesterday at a U.S. military hospital in Germany. She was in "stable" condition, with broken arms and a broken leg in addition to the gunshot and stab wounds, sources said. Other sources said both legs and one arm were broken. Victoria Clarke, a Pentagon spokeswoman, gave no specifics of Lynch's condition, telling reporters only that she is "in good spirits and being treated for injuries."

But one military officer briefed on her condition said that while Lynch was conscious and able to communicate with the U.S. commandos who rescued her, "she was pretty messed up." Last night Lynch spoke by telephone with her parents, who said she was in good spirits, but hungry and in pain.

"Talk about spunk!" said Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), whom military officials had briefed on the rescue. "She just persevered. It takes that and a tremendous faith that your country is going to come and get you."

One Army official said that it could be some time before Lynch is reunited with her family, since experience with those taken prisoner since the Vietnam War indicates that soldiers held in captivity need time to "decompress" and reflect on their ordeal with the help of medical professionals.

"It's real important to have decompression time before they get back with their families to assure them that they served their country honorably," the official said. "She'll meet with Survival, Escape, Resistance and Evasion psychologists. These are medical experts in dealing with this type of things."

...One intriguing account of Lynch's captivity came from an unidentified Iraqi pharmacist at Saddam Hussein Hospital who told Sky News, a British network, that he had cared for her and heard her crying about wanting to be reunited with her family.

In other news, the Governor Bob Wise of Pfc. Lynch's home state of West Virginia has announced that the state government will "see that she becomes" the kindergarten teacher she wants to become by paying for her college education at any West Virginia public college or university of her choosing.

We salute this brave young woman, and all our troops in the war against Saddam, and wish her the very best of God's blessings.

WHERE'S SADDAM???
Two Weeks and Counting, Still No Hussein

Since the war in Iraq began just a fortnight ago, the coalition forces have subdued over half of Iraq and destroyed half of its military and paramilitary leverage. During that period of day-and-night bombing and missile attacks, Saddam's key government buildings and military installations have been reduced to rubble.

Yet the Iraqi government, apparently in a near-psychotic state of denial, insists to its television and radio public that it is "winning" the war. But at no time during these past two weeks has Saddam shown his face in public to assure his followers that he is still in full control. much less to personally intimidate the Iraqi people into refraining from joining the allies against him.

The only high-profile Iraqi official these days seems to be the Minister of Information, who, when he's not issuing threats if suicide bombings against the coalition soldiers and marines, insists that Saddam is still alive and well. In our opinion, if he really was, he'd have shown his face by now.

THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS:
5 Hours to G-Day

All indications are that the ever-defiant Saddam Hussein will not take up President Bush's invitation to "get out of town," at least not by 8:00 pm EST tonite. Thus the 300,000 US, UK, and Australian troops and 1,000 warplanes amassed at his borders are now on the move.

Associated Press reporter David Crary relates the following details (Fair Use extracts in blue text; emphases via underlines added):

(March 19) -- Hours before the deadline set by President Bush, Saddam Hussein gave no sign of yielding, and long columns of U.S. armored vehicles moved through swirling Kuwaiti sandstorms Wednesday toward Iraq's border.

In Baghdad, fortified by trenches and sandbags, streets were quieter than usual, with light traffic and some shops shuttered. Saddam ordered residents to stack wood and oil barrels to be set afire in hopes of concealing targets from bombardment.

Iraq's rubber-stamp parliament, at a special session, rejected the U.S. ultimatum and reaffirmed support for Saddam. The idea that he would flee into exile ''is absolutely unthinkable,'' said Speaker Saadoon Hammadi.

Just across Iraq's southern border, U.S. and British troops piled ammunition and combat gear into fighting vehicles and broke camp, ready to invade on short notice. One major deployment involved the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division - its 20,000 soldiers and thousands of vehicles were ordered to positions close to the border.

...''We are one day closer to making history,'' Col. Michael Linnington, commander of the 101st Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade, told his officers at a briefing Wednesday morning.

...Though U.S. defense officials hope for a quick victory, with minimal casualties on both sides, they raised the possibility that Iraq would use chemical weapons. Pentagon officials said intelligence reports suggest Saddam has given field commanders authority to use such weapons.

The top American general in Kuwait, Lt. Gen. David D. McKiernan, warned against any such tactics. ''It would be a hugely bad choice on the part of any Iraqi leader or commander to employ chemical weapons,'' he said.

Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix said he does not believe Saddam's government would use chemical or biological weapons even as a last resort because it would turn world opinion in favor of the United States. ''Some people care about their reputation even after death,'' Blix said.

Interestingly enough, Blix does not mention that as recently as the past few months Saddam has been telling the UN Security Council and its weapons inspectors in Iraq that he does not possession chemical or biological weapons.

Obviously, as has now been established, Saddam had been lying all along. Yet Bush's critics, especially in the Democratic Party, continue on their self-deluding merry way as if nothing has changed:

....Some determined opponents of the war - including a group of black members of Congress - refused to abandon hopes for a diplomatic settlement.

''We are making one last plea not only on behalf of ourselves but on behalf of millions of people throughout our country, millions of people throughout our world,'' said Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif.

Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said black lawmakers had asked to meet with Bush but were rebuffed....

WINDS OF CHANGE IN IRAQ:
And Whirlwinds of Defeat for Saddam

Before this week is out the disarming of Saddam and the liberation of the Iraqi people by the coalition forces of the US, UK, and others will begin. In yesterday's edition of his End of Day e-newsletter, Gary Bauer of the Family Research Council notes that in recent days the Iraqis themselves have been protesting against Saddam despite the oppression and violence they face for doing so. He writes:

Hussein In The Crosshairs

Events are now swiftly moving toward war. The Azores "summit" resulted in the allies giving "diplomacy" one more day, but even one more month would not have mattered. France again made it clear they would veto any U.N. resolution that contained an ultimatum and without an ultimatum there is no chance Hussein would ever cooperate.

Now comes word that President Bush will address the nation tonight at 8:00 pm after briefing congressional leaders. Rumors swirling through Washington suggest that he will give Hussein 48 to 72 hours to leave Iraq. But even before the President's speech, an Iraqi spokesman said Hussein will not leave and that the only thing that will avert war is for President Bush to resign!

Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence is picking up signs that the chemical weapons Iraq doesn't have, that Blix couldn't find, and that the French insist don't matter, are being distributed to Republican Guard units around Baghdad. Speaking of Blix, he is planning on leaving Iraq tomorrow and will soon be replaced by 225,000 G.I. inspectors who have a bit more passion for the job than the U.N. bureaucrat has shown in the last six months. In fact, very soon Blix, Kofi Annan, Jacques Chirac and the peace demonstrators will be taking a backseat in the news to the bunch of kids from Everytown, U.S.A., who will, once again, liberate - not conquer - and make us all proud.

Cracks In Iraq

Reports are beginning to leak out of Iraq about what is going on there as liberation nears. Twenty thousand demonstrators in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk marched demanding Hussein's overthrow. There are reports of sabotage all over the country. Posters of Hussein are being vandalized. Last weekend a demonstration against Hussein by Iraqi Shiite Muslims was brutally suppressed. In short, freedom is in the air in Iraq. If I were Jacques Chirac, I would vacate my Iraqi embassy now.

ANOTHER GREAT IRISH SAINT:
Maybe Patrick Drove Out the Snakes, But....

...according to beer writers Steve Frank and Arnold Meltzer Ireland's own St. Brigid (457-525 AD) turned water --including dirty bath water-- into fine ale:

Probably the best known Irish saint after Patrick is Saint Brigid (b. 457, d. 525). Known as "the Mary of the Gael," Brigid founded the monastery of Kildare and was known for spirituality, charity, and compassion. St. Brigid also was a generous, beer-loving woman. She worked in a leper colony which found itself without beer, "For when the lepers she nursed implored her for beer, and there was none to be had, she changed the water, which was used for the bath, into an excellent beer, by the sheer strength of her blessing and dealt it out to the thirsty in plenty." Brigid is said to have changed her dirty bathwater into beer so that visiting clerics would have something to drink. Obviously this trait would endear her to many a beer lover. She also is reputed to have supplied beer out of one barrel to eighteen churches, which sufficed from Maundy Thursday to the end of paschal time. A poem attributed to Brigid in the Brussels library begins with the lines "I should like a great lake of ale, for the King of the Kings. I should like the family of Heaven to be drinking it through time eternal."

Unfortunately, we're not told what the Ph levels were in the water, nor what kinds of hops St. Brigid used, nor whether or not she employed a single or double decoction. But we trust the resulting brew was at least as good as Guinness.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

-----------

FOR THOSE OF IRISH DESCENT....
...And Those Who Wish They Were

Here are some links to Irish folk songs and other goodies:

Irish Songs Music, Lyrics and Midis for Traditional, Drinking and Folk
Songs

Irish Folk Songs

Ireland 20,000 Volkslieder, German and other Folksongs

Traditional Irish Songs

Irish Folksongs. Airs, Ballads, Ditties, Folksongs, Hymns, Jigs, and Reels of Ireland

Irish Songs and Stories

MAYBE WE SHOULD SPELL IT "M-O-R-O-N"
Northern Virginia's Resident Dolt Places Foot in Mouth Once More

In a Q&A session with a group of local anti-war protesters this week, liberal U.S. Congressman James Moran (D-VA) has raised the ired of the Jewish community with his looney "observation" that were it not for "Jewish influence," the Bush administration would not be set upon waging war against Iraq in the near future. His comments came as part of a response to a protester who identified himself as a Jew and asked Moran what could be done to stop the march to a second Persian Gulf war.

This is just another in a long, long line of dumb and dumber things popped off over the years by the Rep. Moran, who reminds us of something Dorothy Parker once said way back in the 1930s to a particularly air-headed New York City socialite who seemed unable to resist the temptation of making a public jackass out of herself in a similar manner:

"Madam, is there any thought in your head you've left unsaid?"

GOOD NEWS FROM UTAH:
Abducted Kid Found Alive and Well!

Back in June of this past year, 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped at gunpoint from her home in Salt Lake, Utah. The authorities search for weeks, but weeks turned into months as clues became scarcer and the abductor's trail grew colder.

Eventually everyone gave up --except her friends and family, who kept the pressure on the police and Elizabeth's name and face in the media. Their patience and persistence paid off when Elizabeth and her abductor were spotted this week by two alert citizens, who alerted the police. Now Elizabeth is back with her family.

As most of us know, most kids taken by strangers almost never turn up, much less turn up alive. Happily, this was a joyful exception. Praise God!

For more info on the heartbreaking issue of child abduction and missing children as well as the campaign to pass a national Amber Alert law, go to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children web site.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

"At the center of the universe is a loving heart that continues to beat and that wants the best for every person. Anything we can do to help foster the intellect and spirit and emotional growth of our fellow human beings, that is our job. Those of us who have this particular vision must continue against all odds. Life is for service." --Fred Rogers

GOOD-BYE, GOOD NEIGHBOR:
It's a Sad Day in the Neighborhood

"When I think about heaven, it is a state in which we are so greatly loved that there is no fear and doubt and disillusionment and anxiety. It is where people really do look at you with those eyes of Jesus." --Fred Rogers

Fred McFeely Rogers, the host of public t.v.'s children's progam "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," who for 30 years practically turned kind-and-gentle into an art form, passed away today after a bout with stomach cancer. He was 74.

In 1968, Rogers, an openly avid Christian and an ordained Presbyterian minister who was greatly influenced by Catholic contemplative theologian and psychologist Fr. Henri Nouwen while studying early child development at the University of Pittsburgh, wanted to use television to encourage pre-school children to love themselves and others. His goal was to inspire in them the virtues of selflessness, tolerance, and respect for everyone around them in order to help them grow into happy and well-adjusted community-and-family-oriented adults. To that end, he composed and sang simple songs and created colorful puppet characters for the often funny scripts he wrote, stories and dialogues which usually included lessons about sharing, or honesty, or patience, or dealing with fear or anger.

During the Persian Gulf War, Rogers assured his young audience that "all children shall be well taken care of" and asked their parents to repeatedly tell them that they would always be safe. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Rogers recorded public service announcements telling parents how to help their children deal with the attacks. He also advised parents against letting young children watch replays of the attacks because, he noted, "they might think it's happening at that moment."

Throughout his career, Rogers, by all accounts a naturally soft-spoken and gentle man, made a point of being himself both on screen and off. His soothing voice and kindly demeanor made him such a hit with the youngsters who watched him that most remained fans as adults with young children of their own.

Fred Rogers had a very positive influence on millions of children since 1968, many of whom are now loving and committed parents. Few have left better legacies than that.

Thanks, Mister Rogers. You were special just the way you were.

NOTES:

To read more about Fred Rogers' life and career, go to this page at his Family Communications web site.

In its March 6, 2002 issue, Christianity Today published its cover story on Fred Rogers and how he communicated his faith and Christian values through his t.v. show.

See also Focus on the Family's tribute to Fred Rogers.

THE ULTIMATE C.Y.A. MANUEVER?
Missouri Prosecutors Favor Executing the [Potentially] Innocent

From today's New York Times and Kansas City Star comes a story on what can only be called "The Ultimate Cover-Your-Ass[ets] Maneuver" proposed by some in the legal system.

According to the Times and the Star, the following exchange took place in the Missouri Supreme Court between the judges and a prosecutor attempting to block an appeal by a death row inmate to have his case re-opened based on new evidence which had surfaced long after his conviction:

Judge Laura Denvir Stith: "Are you suggesting [that] even if we find Mr. Amrine is actually innocent, he should be executed?"

Assistant State Attorney General Frank A. Jung: "That's correct, your honor."

Judge Ronnie White: "So you would put an innocent man to death as long as he got a fair trial."

According to the Star, Jung replied that

...[T]he remedy in such a case is the governor, who has the power to pardon. The Supreme Court, however, has adopted the proposition that innocence should be considered only if a constitutional violation has occurred, [Jung] said.

Judge Michael Wolff, however, questioned how the courts could allow a wrong decision to stand. He mused that such a policy would require the courts to depend for a just outcome on a political decision by the governor, who is not obligated to issue such a pardon.

The Times article goes on to say that state prosecutors and attorneys general are becoming increasingly resistant to allowing those facing execution to try to vindicate themselves based on DNA testing and other newly discovered evidence or potential evidence once the standard appeals deadlines have passed:

While death row inmates have always peppered the courts with legal filings, the recent wave of death row exonerations, based on DNA and other evidence, has inspired more defense lawyers and academics to seek to reopen death penalty cases in a sustained and vigorous way.

Courts are beginning to express concern that they may be parties to the occasional miscarriage of justice. Gov. George Ryan's commutations of the death sentences of all 164 prisoners on death row in Illinois focused public attention on the issues of wrongful convictions and flaws in the capital justice system.

Jeremiah W. Nixon, Missouri's attorney general, said Mr. Jung's response to Judge Stith was a legally correct answer to an inflammatory hypothetical question. The point Mr. Jung was trying to make, he said, is that there must come a time when cases can be closed.

"Is the state required to prove every day that someone committed an offense beyond a reasonable doubt?" Mr. Nixon asked.

Well, yes --if new reasonable doubt arises as the result of covering grounds which had not been covered before. Damned right! After all, the last time we looked the proper role of American jurisprudence is to protect the innocent and punish the guilty, not the other way around. (Unless, of course, one is an ACLU lawyer; but we digress...)

Nevertheless, Messr.s Nixon and Jung "argue" that the legal system should not be so terribly inconvenienced by such petty matters as life and death. After all, they seem to say, isn't it more important to stay on schedule? As well as save the courts all that extra time and work? But we suspect that there's another more "important" reason for such adamant quasi-bureaucratic insistence upon adhering to deadlines and procedures:

As we all know, state prosecutors make their careers and reputations on the quality of their track records in court: The more conviction notches you can put on your belt, the better are your chances for becoming Mayor, or Governor, or Senator. Or being named United States Attorney General by the next President. Or being recruited by a high-profile New York City law firm.

On the other hand, the more of those whom you've prosecuted manage to get their convictions overturned, the more likely you'll end up becoming a law clerk in Moose Knee, Montana.