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It seems Pope Francis needs to brush up on his Tertullian!

It has been reported (in The ChristLast Media, I must note) that the current Pope does not like the phrase "lead us not into temptation...

"Let no freedom be allowed to novelty, because it is not fitting that any addition should be made to antiquity. Let not the clear faith and belief of our forefathers be fouled by any muddy admixture." -- Pope Sixtus III

Friday, December 23, 2005

And to all a good night...


MERRY CHRISTMAS

1577
Oil on panel, 106 x 75 cm
O.-L. Vrouwekathedraal, Antwerp

Three little angels kneel with Mary and Joseph in worship of the newborn Child. The ox and the ass stand behind them. Other angels in the distance announce the birth of Christ to a group of shepherds. The ruin behind Joseph symbolises the defeat of paganism by the coming of the Saviour. The artist has made the symbolism even plainer by including a relief in the classical ruin - a recumbent female nude, possibly Venus, and several playful little naked figures. These represent the pagan world and 'impure', earthly love, as opposed to the divine love in which Christ was conceived.

Marten de Vos spent some time in Italy, where he familiarised himself with the new art of the Renaissance. This is apparent in details like the lively poses, the realistic approach to the anatomy and the references to classical antiquity. The divided upper zone, one half containing an architectural setting and the other a deep landscape, was also typical of 16th-century Venetian art.


A reading from the Gospel of St. Luke (Luke 2:6-14)

2:6. And it came to pass that when they were there, her days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
Factum est autem cum essent ibi impleti sunt dies ut pareret

2:7. And she brought forth her first born son and wrapped him up in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger: because there was no room for them in the inn.
Et peperit filium suum primogenitum et pannis eum involvit et reclinavit eum in praesepio quia non erat eis locus in diversorio

2:8. And there were in the same country shepherds watching and keeping the night watches over their flock.
Et pastores erant in regione eadem vigilantes et custodientes vigilias noctis supra gregem suum

2:9. And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them and the brightness of God shone round about them: and they feared with a great fear.
Et ecce angelus Domini stetit iuxta illos et claritas Dei circumfulsit illos et timuerunt timore magno

2:10. And the angel said to them: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy that shall be to all the people:
Et dixit illis angelus nolite timere ecce enim evangelizo vobis gaudium magnum quod erit omni populo

2:11. For, this day is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David.
Quia natus est vobis hodie salvator qui est Christus Dominus in civitate David

2:12. And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.
Et hoc vobis signum invenietis infantem pannis involutum et positum in praesepio

2:13. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God and saying:
Et subito facta est cum angelo multitudo militiae caelestis laudantium Deum et dicentium

2:14. Glory to God in the highest:and on earth peace to men of good will. Gloria in altissimis Deo et in terra pax in hominibus bonae voluntatis

SEX IS DEATH. (Mommy loves you)

The latest in a continuing series.

I came to Carthage, where I found myself in the midst of a hissing cauldron of lusts. I had not yet fallen in love, but I was in love with the idea of it, and this feeling that something was missing made me despise myself for not being more anxious to satisfy the need. I began to look around for some object for my love, since I badly wanted to love something. —St. Augustine, Confessions


Kevorkian is merely a symptom. Consider this from St. John's, MI on October 14, 2002.

Mom Sentenced In Suicide Case

A woman who drove her 19-year-old son and daughter-in-law to an abandoned farmhouse and supplied the young people with drugs so they could commit suicide was sentenced Monday to 15 to 30 months in prison.
Kathleen Holey, 43, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of attempted assisted suicide in August as part of a deal with prosecutors.

Holey's attorney pleaded for her release, arguing she has already served 182 days, but a prosecutor told the judge she should remain behind bars for at least a year.

Holey's son, Patrick Holey, died in the suicide pact but his wife, Jennifer, survived. Jennifer Holey has since been sent to prison on a no-contest plea in the rape of a 14-year-old girl.

Ding ding ding ding ding ding ding! That set off the Homolka bells in my old head. (Also here. The Toronto Star has a constantly updated page devoted to Canada's most famous devotees of SEX IS DEATH.)

Before sentencing, Kathleen Holey told Circuit Judge Randy Tahvonen that she tried to get help for the two 19-year-olds when they first discussed suicide. But she said she decided to help them end their lives because they thought they were facing life in prison in the rape investigation.

What can one say?

"That's when all of us lost our sense of thinking entirely," Kathleen Holey said. "All I can say is that I ask for mercy, and I am truly sorry."

Nope. I do not think that is quite it.

She initially faced a charge of assisted suicide. Prosecutors said she supplied painkillers to the two and helped them find the abandoned Clinton County farmhouse where they tried to carry out their suicide pact on April 9.

At the time, the couple was being investigated in the rape case and state welfare workers had removed their infant daughter from their care.

Infant daughter. Rape a 14 year old girl with your husband.

Can't you smell the stench of death all around us?

Jennifer Holey now is serving a four- to 15-year sentence for her role in the rape of a minor. She gave birth to a second child in August.

May God have mercy on all their souls.

Kathleen's sister-in-law, Mary Joetta Wendland, also pleaded guilty to attempted assisted suicide and was sentenced to six months in jail. She went with the group to the farmhouse and also provided drugs.

There are some families you should avoid joining. Or abandon if you are born into them.

Clinton County Prosecutor Charles Sherman believes Kathleen Holey and Wendland are the first people to plead guilty to violating Michigan's four-year-old assisted suicide law, which was passed to stop Jack Kevorkian.

Kevorkian eventually was imprisoned on second-degree murder charges.


Part 1: SEX IS DEATH. (Stories for Boys) is here.
Part 2: SEX IS DEATH. (Distaff Death) is
here.
Part 3: SEX IS DEATH. (Joyously dispensing death) is
here.
Part 4: SEX IS DEATH. (Sex is depression) is
here.
Part 5: SEX IS DEATH. (When self-pleasuring becomes self-destruction) is
here.
Part 6: SEX IS DEATH. (Sex is theft) is
here.
Part 7: SEX IS DEATH. (A review of Bareback Mountain) is
here.
Part 8: SEX IS DEATH. (What is the ultimate penalty?) is
here.
Part 9: SEX IS DEATH. (Haven from reality) is
here.
Part 10: SEX IS DEATH. (Sin-redemption-reasons-reason) is
here.

Mass Murderer of the Day Update.

People all over the world who are depressed because they are ill are rejoicing at the sight of this headline:

Parole Board: No Pardon for 'Dr. Death'

Lansing, MI - The state parole board rejected a request to pardon assisted-suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian or commute his sentence, despite warnings that he is in grave condition.

The 77-year-old former doctor is serving a 10- to 25-year prison sentence for murder for giving a fatal injection of drugs in 1998 to a man with Lou Gehrig's disease. Kevorkian is not eligible for parole until 2007.

He is just another serial killer. Lots of them think they are helping their victims.

His lawyer, Mayer Morganroth, warned last month that Kevorkian was in "dire shape" and might not live that long. Kevorkian suffers from high blood pressure, arthritis, cataracts, osteoporosis and Hepatitis C, the lawyer said.

But the parole board, in a 7-2 vote, recommended the governor deny the application, according to documents released Thursday.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm will follow the recommendation, as she has done with similar recommendations on Kevorkian in 2003 and 2004, spokeswoman Liz Boyd said.

"I think the parole board is acting irresponsibly and outrageously," Morganroth said. "The doctor in the prison keeps telling us, 'What can I do to get him out? He shouldn't be in here.'"

The shyster is right. Ol' Jack Death should have been executed years ago.

I can think of one way for him to get out immediately...

Bush the Wild-eyed Christian Conservative Update.

Fox News/AP:Navy Chaplain Goes on Hunger Strike Outside White House Over Uniformed Prayer Rules

It's almost Christmas, and U.S. Navy chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt is on a hunger strike that includes nightly prayers outside the White House.

Lieutenant Klingenschmitt, an Evangelical Episcopal priest, says he won't eat until President Bush signs an executive order allowing military chaplains to pray according to their beliefs.

Klingenschmitt, who began his fast on Tuesday, says Navy admirals have told him that he can't pray publicly in Jesus' name unless he's wearing civilian clothes. He's continuing to pray as the Bible says Jesus instructed, but not in uniform.

More than 70 members of Congress and 170,000 petitioners also are calling on President Bush to let chaplains pray according to their faith instead of being limited to generic invocations.

The emasculation of American boys continues apace.

(CNSNews.com) - Along with the many seasonal clashes over the display of Christmas trees and religious items, there are disputes over the sale of toys like the G.I. Joe action figure and squirt guns, which the anti-war group Code Pink believes are inappropriate.

Code Pink attracted attention earlier this year for its anti-war protests outside the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Now, the group is encouraging its members to protest outside stores that sell "war toys." Such items, according to the Code Pink website, "prey on our children with pro-war propaganda disguised as innocent toys."

Code Pink spokeswoman Jodie Evans told Cybercast News Service that the group was targeting violent video games, toy guns, other make-believe weapons and anything "that encourages violence.

"The group provides activists with sticker designs that look like official warning labels and encourages them to place the stickers on toy boxes. "Surgeon General's Warning," one reads, "Violent Toys = Violent Boys."

Another of Code Pink's tactics is to buy up the violent toys and immediately return them to customer service desks, in order to "create long complaint lines, showing other customers (and hopefully you've called the media) why war toys are bad," according to the group's online action guide.

Evans said the group has not received complaints about the shopping disruptions. "When we're doing our actions outside, people -- the moms and dads -- are really supportive," she said. "It doesn't disrupt anybody's shopping."

Code Pink also distributes rewritten holiday songs that attack the war in Iraq, various members of the Bush administration, and what it deems to be violent toys. One song, to the tune of "Jingle Bells," contains these words:

Little kids will learn by what their parents do,
So when you buy their toys, it's really up to you ...
If you buy them guns, you teach them how to kill,
But violence is not a game and we have had our fill.

Evans said she doesn't know of any studies connecting violent toys to violent boys, but added that "you can extrapolate that when you're taught that that's okay and when those things are given to you, it encourages and indoctrinates a behavior that doesn't necessarily have to be there."

You see, they're the good guys. It's ok when they do it.

Former Clinton Official Contradicts Leahy on Spying
(CNSNews.com) - Claims by a top Senate Democrat that the Clinton administration's warrantless surveillance of suspected spies and terrorists was different from what the Bush administration has employed are being contradicted by a former Justice Department official who served under President Bill Clinton. Full Story

Las Vegas Sun/AP:Bush Administration Defends Spying Program

Washington Post:Daschle: Congress Denied Bush War Powers in US

Clone clowns.

South Korean Stem-Cell Researcher Resigns - AP

SEOUL, South Korea - South Korean researcher Hwang Woo-suk resigned from his university on Friday after the school said he fabricated stem-cell research that had raised hopes of new cures for hard-to-treat diseases.


Origins of 'Cloned' Dog Now in Question - AP

Panel: S. Korean Faked Stem Cell Results - AP

Stem-Cell Researcher Apologizes, Resigns - AP

S.Korea panel to give first stem-cell probe results - Reuters

High-stakes S.Korea stem cell scandal shakes science - Reuters

Stem cell controversy brings crews to town -Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

New developments in the cloning scandal embroiling a University of Pittsburgh reproductive biologist and his former colleagues seem to break every few hours.

Steelers Update.

+With two games remaining a year ago, the Steelers had already clinched the AFC North championship at 13-1 and were a mere victory away from securing home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

This year, they're 9-5 and aren't guaranteed to qualify for the postseason, as a lowly wild card even if they win their final two games.

Still, inside linebacker Larry Foote is looking at the positives in a tenuous situation, particularly on the heels of a two-game winning streak during which the Steelers have dominated the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings.

"I have a better feeling than last year," Foote said. "Last year we were struggling a little bit at the end. This year, we have that sense of urgency, that our-back's-against-the-wall approach.

"We have fighters in this locker room, people that don't want to go home. And we're not used to going home early."

+Offensive tackle Marvel Smith's upgrade this week from questionable to probable (ankle) for Saturday's game at Cleveland is a sure sign that Smith will have an opportunity to take out his frustrations on the Browns.

Smith is plenty frustrated after missing all but one quarter of the last five games.

"It's tough sitting back watching the team, not being able to go out there and contribute and help us win games," he said. "It was the toughest period I've been through in a long time."

+Linebacker Clint Kriewaldt (ankle), cornerback Chidi Iwuoma (ankle) and quarterback Tommy Maddox (illness) returned to practice on Thursday.

Fyodor's Pro Football Picks of the Week.

1) The guys who set the lines are professionals. Their job is to make each game look as attractive as possible to everyone. That way they even out the amount of money bet on each side.
Instant translation: The house wins no matter who wins. That's why people get into the gambling business.

2) I am just a fan. I won't even keep track of these picks week to week if it gets too embarrassing.

3) There is no such thing as "inside information". Especially in the pros.

4) If those idiot touts on tv and in the paper were any good, they wouldn't go public with their genius. They'd sit at Harrah's sports book from open to close and then go out and buy $2,000 an hour hookers who dress like high school girls.

5) Gambling is stupid. You cannot win.

That being said, here are my NFL picks for this week.


Saturday 12/24


Atlanta (+3) at Tampa Bay
The Bucs know how to stop Vick. Take Tampa.
FINAL: Bucs 27 Falcons 24 - PUSH!



Buffalo (+13.5) at Cincinnati
The number is too big. Take the Bills and the points.
FINAL: Bills 37 Bengals 27 - Fyodor wins! (Bengals stumble toward the playoffs.)



Dallas (+5) at Carolina
Both are struggling, but Panthers less so. Pick Carolina to cover.
FINAL: Cowboys 27 Panthers 20 - Fyodor loses! (Talk about late season swoons...)


Detroit (+3) at (sort of) New Orleans
Ta-da! The Crummy Game of the Year! Take the Lions for no apparent reason.
FINAL: Lions 13 Saints 12 - Fyodor wins! (Even crummier than anticipated.)


Jacksonville (-6.5) at Houston
Jaguars will cover easily.
FINAL: Jaguars 38 Texans 20 - Fyodor wins! (Yep.)



NY Giants (+3) at Washington
This should be a good one. I think the Redskins are hungrier. Take Washington.
FINAL: Redskins 35 NY Giants 20 - Fyodor wins! (Giants won't win a playoff game.)


Pittsburgh (-7.5) at Cleveland
A tough number for the Steelers to cover in a road rivalry game. But I'm going with 'em anyway. Pick Pittsburgh.
FINAL: Steelers 41 Browns 0 - Fyodor wins! (The Steelers' D is hot. Ben's thumb and the O line are the keys to playoff success.)


San Diego (-2) at Kansas City
Everything tells me to go with the Chargers, so I'm picking the Chiefs to cover.
FINAL: Chiefs 20 Chargers 10 - Fyodor wins! (What exactly does "deserve to be in the playoffs" mean? That is why the NFL has a 16 game regular season. And if the whiny Chargers don't like traveling from west coast to the east, move to Kansas, you big babies.)

San Francisco (+9) at St. Louis
I'll pick the Rams because they are home.
FINAL: 49ers 24 Rams 20 - Fyodor loses! (What was I thinking?)



Tennessee (+5.5) at Miami
I have no idea. But I'll take the Titans as a road dog to cover.
FINAL: Dolphins 24 Titans 10 - Fyodor loses! (The mammals have won 5 in a row! They "deserve" to be in the playoffs!)



Philadelphia (+1) at Arizona
This might be a good game to actually bet. (Just kidding.) Take the Eagles to cover.
FINAL: Cardinals 27 Eagles 21 - Fyodor loses! (I forgot the stinkin' Eagles quit a couple of weeks ago.)


Indianapolis (NO LINE) at Seattle
Take the Seahawks.
FINAL: Seahawks 28 Colts 13 - Fyodor wins!



Oakland (+13.5) at Denver
That's a big number. On the other hand, the Raiders stink. Pick Denver.
FINAL: Broncos 22 Raiders 3 - Fyodor wins! ("Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Al Davis, football genius.")


Sunday 12/25


Chicago (-7) at Green Bay
For the first time in a long time, take the Bears to cover at Lambeau.
FINAL: Bears 24 Packers 17 - PUSH!



Minnesota (+3) at Baltimore
Boller had the game of his career last week and the Ravens found out their coach will probably be back for another year. Take the Vikings.
FINAL: Ravens 30 Vikings 23 - Fyodor loses! (A gift for the rest of the league: it looks like Boller and Billick will be back next year.)


Monday 12/26



New England (-6) at NY Jets
Patriots are playoff ready. They'll cover big time.
FINAL: Patriots 31 Jets 21 - Fyodor wins! (The end of ABC's Monday Night Football? Who freakin' cares? At least there's a chance ESPN will treat it like a football game.)

Scriptural Snippets.

Today's Gospel is Luke 6:27-38.

Love thine enemies, kiddies, and do unto others as thou would have them do unto thee.

6:27. But I say to you that hear: Love your enemies. Do good to them that hate you.
Sed vobis dico qui auditis diligite inimicos vestros benefacite his qui vos oderunt

6:28. Bless them that curse you and pray for them that calumniate you. Benedicite maledicentibus vobis orate pro calumniantibus vos

6:29. And to him that striketh thee on the one cheek, offer also the other. And him that taketh away from thee thy cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also.
Ei qui te percutit in maxillam praebe et alteram et ab eo qui aufert tibi vestimentum etiam tunicam noli prohibere

6:30. Give to every one that asketh thee: and of him that taketh away thy goods, ask them not again.
Omni autem petenti te tribue et qui aufert quae tua sunt ne repetas

6:31. And as you would that men should do to you, do you also to them in like manner.
Et prout vultis ut faciant vobis homines et vos facite illis similiter

6:32. And if you love them that love you, what thanks are to you? For sinners also love those that love them.
Et si diligitis eos qui vos diligunt quae vobis est gratia nam et peccatores diligentes se diligunt

6:33. And if you do good to them who do good to you, what thanks are to you? For sinners also do this.
Et si benefeceritis his qui vobis benefaciunt quae vobis est gratia siquidem et peccatores hoc faciunt

6:34. And if you lend to them of whom you hope to receive, what thanks are to you? For sinners also lend to sinners, for to receive as much.



6:35. But love ye your enemies: do good, and lend, hoping for nothing thereby: and your reward shall be great, and you shall be the sons of the Highest. For he is kind to the unthankful and to the evil.
Verumtamen diligite inimicos vestros et benefacite et mutuum date nihil desperantes et erit merces vestra multa et eritis filii Altissimi quia ipse benignus est super ingratos et malos

6:36. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
Estote ergo misericordes sicut et Pater vester misericors est

6:37. Judge not: and you shall not be judged. Condemn not: and you shall not be condemned. Forgive: and you shall be forgiven.
Nolite iudicare et non iudicabimini nolite condemnare et non condemnabimini dimittite et dimittemini

6:38. Give: and it shall be given to you: good measure and pressed down and shaken together and running over shall they give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you shall mete withal, it shall be measured to you again.
Date et dabitur vobis mensuram bonam confersam et coagitatam et supereffluentem dabunt in sinum vestrum eadem quippe mensura qua mensi fueritis remetietur vobis

Saint of the Day and daily Mass readings.

Today is the Feast of St. John of Kanty, a role model for priests everywhere and at all times. Pray for us, all you angels and saints.

Today's reading for the Feast of St. John of Kanty is
James 2:14-17.
Today's Gospel reading is
Luke 6:27-38.


[Links to the readings will be from the NAB until I can find another chapter and verse searchable Douay-Rheims Bible on-line.]


Everyday links:

The Blessed Virgin Mary
The Rosary
Our Mother of Perpetual Help
Prayers from EWTN
National Coalition of Clergy and Laity (dedicated to action for a genuine Catholic Restoration)
The Catholic Calendar Page for Today


Just in case you are wondering what exactly Catholics believe, here is

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.


Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession,was left unaided.Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins my Mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy clemency hear and answer me. Amen.


St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse, pray for us.


Prayer to St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire

Dear St. Anthony, you became a Franciscan with the hope of shedding your blood for Christ. In God's plan for you, your thirst for martyrdom was never to be satisfied. St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire, pray that I may become less afraid to stand up and be counted as a follower of the Lord Jesus. Intercede also for my other intentions. (Name them.)


PRAYER TO SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the divine power, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Thursday, December 22, 2005

And that's where I usually lose them...

I have not received a reply to this latest e-mail, but I am sure he is a very busy guy.

Businessmen and politicians are always looking to make a deal, cut a few corners, compromise so the job gets done.

No sir, that's not my style.


Date:Tue, 20 Dec 2005 11:51:15 -0800 (PST)
From:"Fyodor Garibaldi" fyodorgaribaldi@yahoo.com
Subject:RE: And now for the bad news...
To:"Krempasky, Michael" Michael.Krempasky@edelman.com


The lesser of two evils no longer interests me. I'm shooting for evil free.

Merry Christmas, et cetera.

Fyodor





"Krempasky, Michael" wrote:

If there's a business of its size that comes closer, I'd very much like to hear about it.



From: Fyodor Garibaldi [mailto:fyodorgaribaldi@yahoo.com]
Sent: Friday, December 16, 2005 3:44 PM
To: Krempasky, Michael
Subject: Re: And now for the bad news...

So, the glass is half full, eh? I'm not looking for perfect. I'm looking for companies who reflect my values. At this moment, Wal-Mart is not one of them.



"Krempasky, Michael" wrote:

Fyodor - I've no problem with them taking lumps they deserve - but I think the details of this story may be better than you think. Not perfect, but better. Indeed, they've been the ones to embrace the Salvation Army while Target kicked them out.


-----Original Message-----

From: Fyodor Garibaldi
To: Krempasky, Michael
Sent: Fri Dec 16 10:57:16 2005
Subject: And now for the bad news...


Dear Mr. Krempasky,

Don't think I'm going to let your employer off the hook for it's capitulation in the War Against Christmas. I haven't bought any Christmas gifts at Wal-Mart and will not until it returns to sanity and reality.

Regards,
Fyodor

Doctor Implicated in Nazi Atrocities Dies

Fear not, kiddies. Dr. Gross has now been judged. And judged perfectly.

Dr. Heinrich Gross, a psychiatrist who worked at a clinic where the Nazis killed and conducted cruel experiments on thousands of children, died Dec. 15, his family announced Thursday. He was 90.

Gross, who was implicated in nine deaths as part of a Nazi plot to eliminate "worthless lives," had escaped trial in March after a court ruled he suffered from severe dementia. No cause of death was given in a brief statement issued by his family.

Gross was a leading doctor in Vienna's infamous Am Spiegelgrund clinic. Historians and survivors of the clinic had accused him of killing or taking part in the clinic's experiments on thousands of children deemed by the Nazis to be physically, mentally or otherwise unfit for Adolf Hitler's vision of a perfect world.

Gross, who proclaimed his innocence for decades, had insisted he was not present at the hospital at the time in the 1940s when most of the children were killed.

"I was always against euthanasia," he told the weekly magazine News in 2000. "I never sped up anyone's death, nor did I assign anyone to do so."
He became a prominent neurologist after the war and was awarded the prestigious Austrian Honorary Cross for Science and Art in 1975. He was stripped of the medal in 2003.

He was put on trial three times, but all the cases were dismissed. In a trial in the 1950s, the case was thrown out because of legal technicalities. A second case in the 1980s was dismissed because the 30-year statute of limitations on manslaughter had expired.

A third trial in 2000, in which Gross was accused of complicity in the murder of nine handicapped children who died as the result of abuse, was suspended after a psychiatrist testified he was unfit for trial because of advanced dementia.

Immediately after the suspension, Gross gave lively interviews in a local coffeehouse.

Across Europe, 75,000 people, including 5,000 children, were killed by the Nazis for real or imagined mental, physical or social disabilities.

Hundreds of urns containing the remains of young Austrians were buried quietly in 2002 after having been used for medical research as recently as 1978.

In September, a new play about the Spiegelgrund clinic made its debut in Vienna, underscoring how far the country has come in confronting its World War II past.

It portrays Gross as an evil Nazi scientist who views his patients only as research objects. Bone-chilling laughter hangs omnipresent over the stage during the production, which shows children confined in straitjackets, held in tiny cage beds and force-fed medication through funnels.

During a trial in 1998, German historian Mathias Dahl said his research showed that Gross published five articles between 1955 and 1965 based on research using the preserved brains of children killed because they were deemed handicapped or anti-social.

Six other articles published by him also likely used the same specimens, Dahl said.

Penguins Update.

Team Canada snubs Crosby
Sidney Crosby was hoping to celebrate a spot on Canada's Olympic team at the Penguins' annual Christmas party Wednesday night.

Pens unveil billion-dollar vision for Hill
From an office high above the aging Mellon Arena, the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday unveiled the first glimpse of a plan for a casino and a new arena team officials hope will secure the NHL franchise's future in the city.

The team intends to partner with Isle of Capri Casinos, an international gambling company based in Biloxi, Miss., and Nationwide Realty Investors, a Columbus, Ohio, company that built a privately funded arena in that city.

The partnership, called Pittsburgh First, a nonprofit the groups would form, would transform the Lower Hill District by including a casino, a new 18,000-seat arena between Centre Avenue and Fifth Avenue, and 28 acres of housing and restaurants on the site where Mellon Arena stands. The project could cost more than $1 billion.

Isle of Capri, which operates 15 casinos in six states, the Bahamas and the United Kingdom, will seek the $50 million license for the stand-alone slot machine parlor. If it becomes winning bidder, the company would set aside $290 million for the arena. Nationwide, a development arm of Nationwide Insurance, would lead the neighborhood development project.

Construction could start in early 2007, with a temporary casino in the Mellon Arena parking lots.


Penguins included in several slots bids
Even if the Penguins do not win their bid for a casino license, the team still could win a new arena from gambling money.

Lemieux out indefinitely
Mario Lemieux is out of the Penguins' lineup indefinitely with an irregular heartbeat again, and general manager Craig Patrick said on Monday that this time it's the Penguins' job to make sure he doesn't come back too soon. (2005-12-20)


Pens face grueling stretch aheadThe Penguins had the day off Sunday, and hopefully for them, they used it to rest for practice this week. (2005-12-19)
Junker: Arena from private funds should be possiblePenguins forward Ryan Malone told this newspaper that he had a different feeling driving to the rink for Friday night's game with Buffalo. "I felt everyone was well-prepared and we had a game plan." (2005-12-19)

Notebook: Mario experienced rapid heartbeat again Friday
Penguins captain Mario Lemieux experienced a recurrence of the rapid heartbeat that landed him in the hospital on Dec. 7 during the third period of Friday night's game against the Buffalo Sabres and did not accompany the team to Buffalo for Saturday afternoon's rematch. (2005-12-18)

Documentary of the Day.

I just saw Winged Migration on HDNet the other day. It features the most incredible footage of birds in flight ever. That's ever, kiddies.

Remote-controlled gliders enabled the cameras to fly alongside the birds. Amazing is the only word for the results. (Ok, incredible does work too.)

Trust me kiddies. Your kiddies will love it.

(All schedules subject to change)

Winged Migration

Rating: G
Year: 2003
Cast: Jaques Perrin
Director: Jaques Cluzaud

Synopsis:
A documentary shot over the course of three years, using revolutionary filming techniques, to show the migratory patterns of birds spanning oceans and entire continents.

Run Time:1:29
Air Dates:
4:30 PM ET / 1:30 PM PT - Sun, Dec 25th
9:15 AM ET / 6:15 AM PT - Mon, Dec 26th
5:45 PM ET / 2:45 PM PT - Sat, Jan 14th

Judge Richard Posner explains what the MSM calls 'domestic' spying.

Citizen Posner is a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit and a senior lecturer in law at the University of Chicago. He makes a lot of sense in this opinion piece, which makes it all the more remarkable that Washington's other newspaper chose to publish it.

We've learned that the Defense Department is deeply involved in domestic intelligence (intelligence concerning threats to national security that unfold on U.S. soil). The department's National Security Agency has been conducting, outside the framework of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, electronic surveillance of U.S. citizens within the United States. Other Pentagon agencies, notably the one known as Counterintelligence Field Activity (CIFA), have, as described in Walter Pincus's recent articles in The Post, been conducting domestic intelligence on a large scale. Although the CIFA's formal mission is to prevent attacks on military installations in the United States, the scale of its activities suggests a broader concern with domestic security. Other Pentagon agencies have gotten into the domestic intelligence act, such as the Information Dominance Center, which developed the Able Danger data-mining program.

These programs are criticized as grave threats to civil liberties. They are not. Their significance is in flagging the existence of gaps in our defenses against terrorism. The Defense Department is rushing to fill those gaps, though there may be better ways.

The collection, mainly through electronic means, of vast amounts of personal data is said to invade privacy. But machine collection and processing of data cannot, as such, invade privacy. Because of their volume, the data are first sifted by computers, which search for names, addresses, phone numbers, etc., that may have intelligence value. This initial sifting, far from invading privacy (a computer is not a sentient being), keeps most private data from being read by any intelligence officer.

And that, as they say, is that.

The data that make the cut are those that contain clues to possible threats to national security. The only valid ground for forbidding human inspection of such data is fear that they might be used to blackmail or otherwise intimidate the administration's political enemies. That danger is more remote than at any previous period of U.S. history. Because of increased political partisanship, advances in communications technology and more numerous and competitive media, American government has become a sieve. No secrets concerning matters that would interest the public can be kept for long. And the public would be far more interested to learn that public officials were using private information about American citizens for base political ends than to learn that we have been rough with terrorist suspects -- a matter that was quickly exposed despite efforts at concealment.

In a word, do not call, e-mail, text, or meet with terrorists or their supporters, and that credit card your wife knows nothing about will be just fine.

The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act makes it difficult to conduct surveillance of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents unless they are suspected of being involved in terrorist or other hostile activities. That is too restrictive. Innocent people, such as unwitting neighbors of terrorists, may, without knowing it, have valuable counterterrorist information. Collecting such information is of a piece with data-mining projects such as Able Danger.

A idea for rumination. You know, but you don't know you know.

The goal of national security intelligence is to prevent a terrorist attack, not just punish the attacker after it occurs, and the information that enables the detection of an impending attack may be scattered around the world in tiny bits. A much wider, finer-meshed net must be cast than when investigating a specific crime. Many of the relevant bits may be in the e-mails, phone conversations or banking records of U.S. citizens, some innocent, some not so innocent. The government is entitled to those data, but just for the limited purpose of protecting national security.

The Pentagon's rush to fill gaps in domestic intelligence reflects the disarray in this vital yet neglected area of national security. The principal domestic intelligence agency is the FBI, but it is primarily a criminal investigation agency that has been struggling, so far with limited success, to transform itself. It is having trouble keeping its eye on the ball; an FBI official is quoted as having told the Senate that environmental and animal rights militants pose the biggest terrorist threats in the United States. If only that were so.

J. Edgar Hoover doesn't look like such a fool these days.

Most other nations, such as Britain, Canada, France, Germany and Israel, many with longer histories of fighting terrorism than the United States, have a domestic intelligence agency that is separate from its national police force, its counterpart to the FBI. We do not. We also have no official with sole and comprehensive responsibility for domestic intelligence. It is no surprise that gaps in domestic intelligence are being filled by ad hoc initiatives.

We must do better. The terrorist menace, far from receding, grows every day. This is not only because al Qaeda likes to space its attacks, often by many years, but also because weapons of mass destruction are becoming ever more accessible to terrorist groups and individuals.

Sadly, Judge Posner's words of wisdom will go unheeded. It will take the deaths of many more thousands of Americans to focus our attention on the moslem terrorists.

Ann who?



There are girls, and then there are women...and then there are women.





Sometimes Lindsay Lohan reminds me of Ann-Margaret. (Yes, I am getting old.)



Especially in this one (ABOVE) and the one below.




Those boys at GQ do some fine work (ABOVE). It is a shame they always mess it up by trying to put words together to form coherent sentences.


Unfortunately, Miss Lohan seems to be a major league wingnut. On the other hand, I don't ever need to converse with her.

The strange death of Jonathan Luna.

Polygraph Loomed For Md. Lawyer

Federal prosecutor Jonathan P. Luna, whose death has confounded authorities for two years, was asked to take a lie detector test in connection with about $36,000 in missing evidence shortly before he was found stabbed and drowned in rural Pennsylvania, according to several sources familiar with the investigation.

The previously undisclosed polygraph examination sheds new light on the investigation into the Baltimore prosecutor's death, one of the region's most enduring mysteries. The sources said some investigators view the looming polygraph test as support for the theory that Luna -- whose body was found two years ago this month with 36 stab wounds, most of them superficial -- took his own life. The sources asked not to be identified because the case remains open.

It has fueled speculation, in particular, that he might have killed himself accidentally. Under that theory, Luna might have been trying to stave off the polygraph and generate sympathy by staging an abduction but went too far by nicking an artery or crucial vein.

In the weeks before his death, Luna at least once postponed his scheduled examination, citing his workload, one of the sources said.

The source said investigators discovered after Luna's death that more than $10,000 came into his possession shortly after evidence from a bank robbery case he was prosecuting disappeared. The source said investigators could not determine conclusively how Luna might have obtained the money.

Vickie E. LeDuc, spokeswoman for the Maryland U.S. attorney's office, declined to comment last night. Barry Maddox, an FBI spokesman, reiterated yesterday that the agency has not determined whether Luna committed suicide or was the victim of a homicide. A massive investigation into Luna's death turned up no evidence that he was with anyone between the time he left his Baltimore office late one evening and the discovery of his body six hours later, the FBI said a year ago.

Yet the Lancaster County, Pa., coroner's office has ruled the death of Luna, a 38-year-old father of two, a homicide. Luna's parents, who declined to comment for this article, have said they do not believe their son took his own life, as have some of his friends and former co-workers.

Many people who are thought to have had access to the missing cash, including building custodians and the assistant U.S. attorney who prosecuted the case with Luna in September 2002, took polygraph tests.
Luna's fellow prosecutor in the robbery case, Jacabed Rodriguez-Coss, confirmed that she submitted to a polygraph in late October 2003 and said Luna did not express reservations about taking the test. "I know he was willing to take one," said Rodriguez-Coss, who is now an assistant U.S. attorney in Puerto Rico.

Rodriguez-Coss said she was convinced that Luna had nothing to do with the missing money, and she said she does not believe he committed suicide, citing in part the number of stab wounds found on his body.
"I can never see Jonathan ever committing suicide," she said. "He was a man who loved his family and loved his children and would have never abandoned them."

Shortly before dawn Dec. 4, 2003, Luna's body was found off a rural road in Brecknock Township, Pa., about 100 miles northeast of the U.S. attorney's office in Baltimore. His silver Honda Accord, its engine idling, was found nearby...
(Thanks to Washington's other newspaper for the heads up.)

Ah...marketing.


Sick Headline of the Day.

Chinese inmates' organs for sale to Britons

Even if these prisoners were guilty of real capital crimes and not trumped-up commie capital crimes, it is immoral.

A Chinese company has begun marketing kidneys, livers and other organs from executed prisoners to sick Britons in need of transplants.

Hospital Doctor, a British magazine, earlier this month reported that a firm called Transplants International was trying to recruit British patients.
Operations were to be carried out at Guangzhou Air Force Military Hospital by doctors from a hospital affiliated with the nearby Sun Yat-sen Southern University.

Guangzhou is the fast-growing metropolis near Hong Kong in the heart of China's southern manufacturing zone.

The Telegraph confirmed the story in an interview with the hospital's Dr. Na Ning, in which a reporter posed as someone interested in getting involved as a business venture.

"We can sign an agreement," Dr. Na said over a business lunch in a smart Western restaurant.

"We should be cautious -- this is sensitive. There is no need to bring in lawyers or consultants. We should do the agreement on trust."

Dr. Na is one of many doctors involved in a growing organ-transplant trade that has caused revulsion around the world. In China, the practice raises few eyebrows.

Does this mean the Chinese are different from us?

Executed prisoners are the main source of organs used in the country's transplant operations, thousands of which are conducted each year.

Up to one in 10 recipients are believed to be from other nations, mainly from elsewhere in Asia. There is also a market in Saudi Arabia, according to Imad, a Jordanian working as a translator at the military hospital.

"All the operations on foreigners in China are now carried out at military hospitals," Dr. Na said.

China's Health Ministry banned its own hospitals from taking part in organ transplants from prisoners after an international outcry over the practice in the 1990s. (Thanks to The Washington Times for the heads up.)

If dried plums are called prunes and dried grapes are called raisins, what are dried cherries called?

This is not a rhetorical question. I have e-mailed the cherry marketing people and asked them.

One suggestion (from someone who shall remain nameless) is "charids". Cherry + arid = charid. Get it?

I do not know why I am even mildly obsessed with this, but I am. I may have to begin a Name the Dried Cherries Contest.

I will keep you posted.

Stinking German sons of bitches.

German Trade-off Suspected in Release of Terrorist Killer

(CNSNews.com) - Germany freed the murderer of a U.S. Navy diver despite personal intervention by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, the State Department has confirmed, amid speculation that Berlin let the Hizballah terrorist go as part of a deal to free a German hostage in Iraq. Full Story

The pot called the kettle black.

Bush-Bashing Black Charity Sits on Katrina Cash

(CNSNews.com) - The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, which slammed the Bush administration for its allegedly slow and racially insensitive response to Hurricane Katrina, has yet to spend any of the estimated $400,000 that it raised for the victims of the Aug. 29 storm. Full Story

Saint of the Day and daily Mass readings.

Today is the Feast of St. Chaeromon, bishop and martyr. Pray for us, all you angels and saints.

Today's reading is
1 Samuel 1:24-28.
Today's Gospel reading is
Luke 1:46-56.

[Links to the readings will be from the NAB until I can find another chapter and verse searchable Douay-Rheims Bible on-line.]


Everyday links:

The Blessed Virgin Mary
The Rosary
Our Mother of Perpetual Help
Prayers from EWTN
National Coalition of Clergy and Laity (dedicated to action for a genuine Catholic Restoration)
The Catholic Calendar Page for Today


Just in case you are wondering what exactly Catholics believe, here is

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.


Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession,was left unaided.Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins my Mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy clemency hear and answer me. Amen.


St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse, pray for us.


Prayer to St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire

Dear St. Anthony, you became a Franciscan with the hope of shedding your blood for Christ. In God's plan for you, your thirst for martyrdom was never to be satisfied. St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire, pray that I may become less afraid to stand up and be counted as a follower of the Lord Jesus. Intercede also for my other intentions. (Name them.)


PRAYER TO SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the divine power, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Headlinks

Pirro abandons challenge to Sen. Clinton
Yippee! How about a conservative opponent for Hitlery?

Senate blocks oil drilling in Alaska refuge
Damned insurgents!

'Comments' has been reactivated!

You can thank the fabulous Marcia at WI Catholic Musings, kiddies.

But I swear if I get one more advertisement for hair transplants, I'll...

SEX IS DEATH. (Sin-redemption-reasons-reason)

The latest in a continuing series.

I came to Carthage, where I found myself in the midst of a hissing cauldron of lusts. I had not yet fallen in love, but I was in love with the idea of it, and this feeling that something was missing made me despise myself for not being more anxious to satisfy the need. I began to look around for some object for my love, since I badly wanted to love something. —St. Augustine, Confessions


From the December 1996 issue of First Things:

Inconvenient Lives by Robert H. Bork (Another excellent reason why he should be on the Supreme Court.)

The author Naomi Wolf, who favors the right to abort, has challenged the feminists whose rhetoric seeks to disguise the truth that a human being is killed by abortion. In a 1995 article in the New Republic, she asks for "an abortion-rights movement willing publicly to mourn the evil-necessary evil though it may be-that is abortion." But she asks a question and gives an answer about her support for abortion rights that is troublesome: "But how, one might ask, can I square a recognition of the humanity of the fetus, and the moral gravity of destroying it, with a pro-choice position? The answer can only be found in the context of a paradigm abandoned by the left and misused by the right: the paradigm of sin and redemption."

I understand the "It's not a human!" crowd. They are trying to convince others (and their own consciences) it is acceptable to use murder as a contraceptive device. (See below.)

But ol' Wolfie is another thingee entirely. From the throwaway phrase "necessary evil" to the declaration of a need to reconcile the irreconcilable to her incomprehension (at best) or mockery (at worst) of the concepts of sin and redemption, Naomi Wolfe produces sounds not unlike those one would expect if dogs learned to talk. (Nope. Apparently, dogs make much more sense. Naomi is just a totalitarian. Or is she something else?*)

That seems an odd paradigm for this problem. It is one thing to have sinned, atoned, and sought redemption. It seems quite another to justify planning to sin on the ground that you also plan to seek redemption afterward. (All Catholic kiddies recognize that as a mortal sin in and of itself. Those that bother to go to Confession, that is. - F.G.) That justification seems even stranger for repeat abortions, which Wolf says are at least 43 percent of the total. Sin plus redemption falls short as a resolution of her dilemma. If that were an adequate resolution, it would seem to follow, given the humanity of the fetus, that infanticide, the killing of the elderly, indeed any killing for convenience, would be licensed if atonement and redemption were planned in advance.

I doubt she would have any compunction over killing the aged, infirm, handicapped, retarded, et cetera. Hmmmm... Sounds like nazism, doesn't it?

Nor is it clear why the evil is necessary. It is undeniable that bearing and rearing a child sometimes places a great burden on a woman or a family. That fact does not, however, answer the question whether the burden justifies destroying a human life. In most other contexts, we would say such a burden is not sufficient justification. The fact is, in any event, that the burden need not be borne. Putting the child up for adoption is an alternative. The only drawback is that others will know the woman is pregnant. If that is the reason to choose abortion, then the killing really is for convenience.

Quod erat demonstrandum.

But it is clear, in any event, that the vast majority of all abortions are for convenience. In those cases, abortion is used as merely one more technique of birth control. A 1987 survey of the reasons given by women for having abortions made by researchers with the Alan Guttmacher Institute, which is very much pro-abortion, demonstrated this fact. The following table shows the percentage of women who gave the listed reasons.

Reason/Total Percentage

Woman is concerned about how having a baby could change her life/76

Woman can't afford baby now/68

Woman has problems with relationship or wants to avoid single parenthood/51

Woman is unready for responsibility/31

Woman doesn't want others to know she has had sex or is pregnant/31

Woman is not mature enough or is too young to have a child/30

Woman has all the children she wanted, or has all grown-up children/26

Husband or partner wants woman to have abortion/23

Fetus has possible health problem/13

Woman has health problem/7

"Has health problem" does not equal "will die if gives birth". There goes Big Babykilling's favorite excuse.

Woman's parents want her to have abortion/7

Woman was victim of rape or incest/1

Oops! Only 1 percent for Big Babykilling's second favorite excuse. No wonder this survey has never been repeated.

Other/6

It is clear that the overwhelming number of abortions were for birth control unrelated to the health of the fetus or the woman. Moreover, of those who were concerned about a possible health problem of the fetus, only 8 percent said that a physician had told them that the fetus had a defect or was abnormal. The rest were worried because they had taken medication, drugs, or alcohol before realizing they were pregnant, but did not apparently obtain a medical confirmation of any problem. Of those aborting because of their own health, 53 percent said a doctor had told them their condition would be made worse by being pregnant. Some of the rest cited physical problems, and 11 percent gave a mental or emotional problem as the reason. Only 1 percent cited rape or incest.

The survey noted that "some 77 percent of women with incomes under 100 percent or between 100 and 149 percent of the poverty level said they were having an abortion because they could not afford to have a child, compared with 69 percent of those with incomes between 150 and 199 percent and 60 percent of those with incomes at or above 200 percent of the poverty level." The can't-afford category thus included a great many women who, by most reckonings, could afford to have a baby and certainly could have put the baby up for adoption.

This demonstration that abortion is almost always a birth control technique rather than a response to a serious problem with the mother's or the fetus' health must have been a considerable embarrassment to the pro-abortion forces. Perhaps for that reason no survey by them seems to have been reported since. (Emphasis mine.) More recent statistics by anti-abortion groups, however, bear out the conclusions to be drawn from the Guttmacher Institute study. The reasons most women give for having an abortion are "social": a baby would affect their educations, jobs, lives, or they felt unable to handle it economically, their partners did not want babies, etc.


* Right, so you're thinking I'm just just calling the babykillers names again. Fascist, nazi, totalitarian, babykiller, lunatic, et cetera. Ok, so maybe my vocabulary becomes truncated when I deal with such folks. My bad.

So let us consider sin. Not that lame Naomi Wolfe kind of sin, but the real thing. The SEX IS DEATH series of posts is about disordered sexual desire and its consequences. My premise is this: Sex, outside of its proper place of a lifelong, monogamous, marriage between one man and one woman, leads inevitably to horror, terror, and ultimately, death. This is not my original idea. I got it from Dr. E. Michael Jones of Culture Wars magazine and his book Monsters from the Id: The Rise of Horror in Fiction and Film. (The premise can be taken to its logical earthly conclusion. See Dr. Jones' Libido Dominandi: Sexual Liberation and Political Control. But that is another story for another day, kiddies.)

But fornication is just one mortal sin among many. Shouldn't all of them produce similar horrific results? Indeed they do.

Let's take one of our favorite subjects, politics, as an example. (I know, I know. I always pick the easy one because it's easy.) Government is necessary because of man's fallen nature. Therefore, political power is necessary. But what happens when men misuse such power? Surprise! Mass murder, war, conquest, oppression, repression...you name it.

What do we call it when a good thing (government, sex) is used improperly, kiddies? That's right, sin.

And what is sin?

Everybody together: "Rebellion against God"!

So, rebellion against God is Death. Trying to rationalize away your sin, regardless of which sin it is, leaves your conscience (Another wonderful gift of the Uncaused Cause) thrashing about, desperately trying to do its job.

Is it surprising when "ex" husbands shoot their "ex" wives and "ex" kids to death? Think of all the psychological damage done by trying to convince yourself that love, marriage, and sex are simply commodities, like...well, like sugar. If you had some, but don't now, go get some more...

Yeah, that is really healthy.

You can't change reality, kiddies, and neither can I. Not even a semi-famous intellectualoid like Naomi Wolfe can. Sin is rebellion against God and His order. That's rebellion against reality. And for creatures equipped by their Creator to detect that rebellion (conscience), trying to ignore it or pretending it does not exist is deadly.


Part 1: SEX IS DEATH. (Stories for Boys) is here.
Part 2: SEX IS DEATH. (Distaff Death) is here.
Part 3: SEX IS DEATH. (Joyously dispensing death) is here.
Part 4: SEX IS DEATH. (Sex is depression) is here.
Part 5: SEX IS DEATH. (When self-pleasuring becomes self-destruction) is here.
Part 6: SEX IS DEATH. (Sex is theft) is
here.
Part 7: SEX IS DEATH. (A review of Bareback Mountain) is
here.
Part 8: SEX IS DEATH. (What is the ultimate penalty?) is
here.

Part 9: SEX IS DEATH. (Haven from reality) is here.

Survey: Unwanted Births Up, Reason Unclear

Ok, kiddies, this is a lesson in how to prevent your brain from being manipulated.

Take the headline above. It's from those drooling uber-nazis at
Fox News, but almost every outlet carrying the AP story had a similar headline. Let me walk you through it to show you what Your Humble Servant is getting at. All the emphasis added below is my responsibility.


More American women are having babies they didn't want, a survey indicates, but federal researchers say they don't know if that means attitudes about abortion are changing.

"Didn't want"? That implies the babies are wanted now, doesn't it? Sorry for the aside. On with the show:

U.S. women of childbearing age who were surveyed in 2002 revealed that 14 percent of their recent births were unwanted at the time of conception, federal researchers said Monday.

In a similar 1995 survey, only 9 percent were unwanted at the time of conception.

Bingo! Read the two previous paragraphs again and then check the headline. Unwanted births? No, unwanted pregnancies. Is the phrase "unwanted at the time of conception" difficult to understand? The story makes this a little more clear but think about the headline and the message it is trying to convey.

(View the
Complete Report in PDF format. It's 9.9 MB.)

Anyway, this story actually does have good news for those of us who have not made murdering children our goal in life.

At least one anti-abortion group said the numbers reflect a national "pro-life shift," while others who research reproductive health issues suggested it might mean less access to abortion.

Either way, that's good news.

The latest findings are consistent with the falling rate of abortions, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a New York-based nonprofit group that researches reproductive health issues.

Nope. That's not what they are. Think of Herr Alan Guttmacher's (A German! We all know what that means, don't we kiddies?) Institute as Big Babykilling's think tank.)

In 1995, for every 100 births that ended in abortion or a birth, almost 26 ended in abortion. In 2002, 24 ended in abortion, according to Guttmacher data.

That information seems to be in synch with the federal data released Monday, said Lawrence Finer, Guttmacher's associate director for domestic research.

"The two statistics together suggest — but don't confirm — that a greater percentage of unintended pregnancies resulted in births rather than abortions," Finer said.

Yippee!

The Guttmacher Institute is nearly finished with a study of that question, but Finer declined to discuss the results before they've been published.

I can't wait for the spin on that one, kiddies.

Others feel the link is clear-cut.

"I don't think there's any mystery here," said Susan Wills, of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The new data underscores that more women are turning away from abortions, even when it's a pregnancy they don't initially want, said Wills, associate director for education in the Conference's Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities.

"It shows a real pro-life shift," she said.

More women may be carrying pregnancies to term because of increasing availability of ultrasounds and other information that show "it's a baby from an early time," Wills said.

Makes sense to me.

Finer suggested the shift may reflect not only a diminishing demand for abortions, but also a decline in abortion providers, Finer said.

The number of U.S. abortion providers fell steadily in the last decade, from 2,400 in 1992 to 1,800 in 2000. The reason is not clearly known, although increasing government restrictions of abortions have made it increasingly difficult to provide the procedure, Finer said.

Yippee! 600 down, 1,800 to go! Go get 'em, kiddies. These psycho Kindmörders are in the book, after all.

The new data on unwanted pregnancies was released by the National Center for Health Statistics, which surveyed 7,643 U.S. women on that and many other family planning and reproductive health questions in 2002 and early 2003. The surveyed women were between the ages of 15 and 44.
Among the questions: "Right before you became pregnant, did you yourself want to have a baby at any time in the future?"

If they said no, the pregnancy was defined as "unwanted." Pregnancies that occurred sooner than the woman wanted were instead classified as "mistimed," said Anjani Chandra, lead author of the federal study.

Federal researchers don't know if the survey reflects a societal shift in attitudes toward abortion, Chandra added. "People have all kinds of attitudes that don't always reflect what they choose to do. We would never want to guess at people's attitudes based on their behavior," she said.

What? Since when? Fools like you do that all the time when it suits your purposes. Whom are you trying to kid, madam?

Whatever happened to...


...Gheorghe Zamfir, Master of the Panflute?

In the mid-1980's, Zamfir was the bee's knees of mail order musicians. He's still recording and performing. The latest recording I found is an import CD called Like a Breeze/Lamentation of a Lon (My guess is Amazon.com cut off the title and it's Lamentation of a Lonely Heart or something like that. Or "lon" could be Romanian for something.) from July of this year.


You can catch Zamfir performing
live with the Athenaeum String Quintet on Tuesday, Jan 24, 2006 at 8:00 PM at the Jack Singer Concert Hall (Ecpa), in Calgary.

Saint of the Day and daily Mass readings.

Today is the Feast of St. Peter Canisius, a Jesuit, the Second Apostle of Germany, a Doctor of The Church, a teacher, a writer of catechisms, a defender of The Faith, a founder of colleges and universities, and one of the greatest Saints ever. Pray for us, all you angels and saints.

Today's reading for the Feast of St. Peter Canisius is
2 Timothy 4:1-5.
Today's Gospel reading is
Matthew 5:13-19.


[Links to the readings will be from the NAB until I can find another chapter and verse searchable Douay-Rheims Bible on-line.]


Everyday links:

The Blessed Virgin Mary
The Rosary
Our Mother of Perpetual Help
Prayers from EWTN
National Coalition of Clergy and Laity (dedicated to action for a genuine Catholic Restoration)
The Catholic Calendar Page for Today


Just in case you are wondering what exactly Catholics believe, here is

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.


Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession,was left unaided.Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins my Mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy clemency hear and answer me. Amen.


St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse, pray for us.


Prayer to St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire

Dear St. Anthony, you became a Franciscan with the hope of shedding your blood for Christ. In God's plan for you, your thirst for martyrdom was never to be satisfied. St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire, pray that I may become less afraid to stand up and be counted as a follower of the Lord Jesus. Intercede also for my other intentions. (Name them.)


PRAYER TO SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the divine power, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

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First of all, the word is SEX, not GENDER. If you are ever tempted to use the word GENDER, don't. The word is SEX! SEX! SEX! SEX! For example: "My sex is male." is correct. "My gender is male." means nothing. Look it up. What kind of sick neo-Puritan nonsense is this? Idiot left-fascists, get your blood-soaked paws off the English language. Hence I am choosing "male" under protest.

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