Wow. Sometimes there really ARE zombies!

From AFP via Yahoo! News:

US face-eater had only used marijuana, tests show

Rudy Eugene, the man who chewed off most of another man's face in a growling naked frenzy before being shot by police last month, only tested positive for marijuana, the local medical examiner said.

The 31-year-old was initially suspected of being under the influence of "bath salts", a new synthetic drug believed to have caused similar behavior in others, but the blood test ruled out the most common ingredients.

"The department's toxicology laboratory has identified the active components of marijuana," the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner said Wednesday.

"The laboratory has tested for but not detected any other street drugs, alcohol or prescription drugs, or any adulterants found in street drugs."

It said an outside forensic toxicology laboratory had "confirmed the absence of 'bath salts,' synthetic marijuana and LSD."

The grisly attack unfolded in the middle of the afternoon near a downtown bridge. When police arrived they found Eugene, naked, growling and gnawing off the face of homeless man Ronald Poppo, 65, who was also naked.

Police ordered Eugene to stop and then shot him dead when he refused. The incident, dubbed the "Zombie Attack," made headlines across the country.

Police had suggested Eugene was under the influence of "bath salts," a synthetic stimulant usually sold in shops selling drug paraphernalia which produces intense hallucinations and sparks erratic, violent behavior.

Miami police issued a warning about the drug earlier this month when a snarling homeless man threatened to eat two officers a week after the original incident.

Thanks to Steve Czaban  for the phrase "the long hot zombie summer".

Hey, guess what...John Roberts captained a Swift Boat and tried to blow up Hitler.

From ABC via Yahoo! News:

Supreme Court Strikes Down Stolen Valor: You Can Lie About Military Service

Top Court Says First Amendment Defends Right to Lie About Military Honors, Medals

 

 

Former Catholic schoolgirl Katie Holmes escapes!

Let's pray she deprograms herself and her daughter and leaves The Crutch Of Scatology.

From Yahoo!'s OMG! [That's way too many exclamation points.]:

Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes split after five years of marriage

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are divorcing after five years of marriage, reports People magazine. According to the actress’ attorney Jonathan Wolfe, “This is a personal and private matter for Katie and her family. Katie's primary concern remains, as it always has been, her daughter's best interest."

Soon after Holmes' announcement, Cruise released his own statement on the split. "Kate has filed for divorce and Tom is deeply saddened and is concentrating on his three children," his rep tells People. "Please allow them their privacy to work this out."

The Hollywood couple wed in a lavish ceremony in Italy in November 2006 with their daughter Suri, then just a baby, by their side. It was the first marriage for Holmes and the third for Cruise, who was previously wed to Nicole Kidman and Mimi Rogers.

According to TMZ, the couple has a prenup. Together, they are worth a reported $275 million, with Cruise earning the bulk of that. 

Cruise, who turns 50 on Monday, and Holmes, 33, have not been seen together in public since February when they attended an Oscars party together. The actress did not accompany her husband on the red carpet for any of his “Rock of Ages” premieres and was noticeably absent when he received the Friars Foundation's Entertainment Icon Award on June 12 – a big deal considering he is only one of four people to ever get the honor. Her excuse? Holmes had to appear at an ice skating event in China. Instead, Cruise brought along 6-year-old daughter Suri as his date, as well as his 17-year-old son Connor (whom he adopted with previous wife Nicole Kidman). "[Katie's] in China working," he said during his speech. "The women are all working. So Suri is my date this evening. Suri, thank you. My son Connor is [also] here. You guys really inspire me."

Holmes, who has been in New York City with Suri while Cruise has been filming in Iceland, hasn't exactly been acting like a woman upset over the ending of her marriage. In recent weeks, the former “Dawson’s Creek” star has looked happier than she has in a long time, smiling for the cameras, walking around Manhattan, and hanging out with pals – which ironically is exactly how she was living her life before Cruise mysteriously swept her off her feet in April 2005, just weeks after she split from fiancé Chris Klein.

On May 23 of that year, Cruise made quite a spectacle of his new love when he infamously jumped on the couch on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” and pumped his fists for joy, as he gushed to the talk show host. “What has happened to you?” joked Winfrey. “This is how I feel about it,” replied an elated Cruise. “I’m in love!” 

Less than a month later, he proposed to Holmes, then just 26, atop of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. And if it wasn’t whirlwind enough, in October of that year, the two announced they were expecting their first child together. Daughter Suri was born in May 2006. Although Cruise and Holmes often said they couldn’t wait to have more children, they never did.

The Catholic crackup continues apace...

From Roto-Reuters via Yahoo! News:

Virginia woman sues over alleged sexual abuse during exorcism

A Virginia woman who claims a priest sexually abused her while performing an exorcism is suing a Catholic diocese and an anti-abortion group for $5.3 million in damages.

The woman claims the Rev. Thomas Euteneuer abused her between April 2008 and September 2010, according to the suit filed in Virginia's Arlington County Circuit Court.

The suit names as defendants the Catholic Diocese of Arlington and its bishop, Paul Loverde, as well as the anti-abortion group Human Life International and HLI Endowment Inc.

Euteneuer had been transferred from the Diocese of Palm Beach, Florida, to serve as president of Human Life International and HLI Endowment in 2000. He resigned in August 2010.

The woman, identified in the suit as Jane Doe, said she signed an "agreement for spiritual help" with Euteneuer in February 2008 because "she believed she was in desperate need of the rite of exorcism," the suit said.

Euteneuer repeatedly hugged, kissed and groped the woman, and said he was "blowing the Holy Spirit into her," according to the suit, which was filed on June 19.

Euteneuer told the woman to undress on about six occasions, touched and kissed her body, and put his finger in her vagina, court documents said.

The suit alleges that Loverde and the Diocese of Arlington knew Euteneuer would perform an exorcism on the woman.

Asked about the suit, the Diocese of Arlington said Euteneuer had never been its employee. He worked for Human Life International, an independent company, subject to his bishop in Palm Beach, it said.

"Rev. Euteneuer was not authorized to perform an exorcism on the plaintiff," it said in a statement, adding that the diocese had its own exorcist.

The woman's attorney, Demetrios Pikrallidas, said Euteneuer was not named as a defendant because he had reached a private settlement with her.

Dianne Laubert, a spokeswoman for the Diocese of Palm Beach, said Euteneuer had been recalled when the allegations surfaced. His "priestly faculties" were withdrawn and he can no longer celebrate Mass or administer sacraments, she said.

May God have mercy on his soul.

The woman is seeking $5 million in compensatory damages and $350,000 in punitive damages.

Euteneuer's behavior "was never within the scope of his employment with" Human Life International, the anti-abortion group said in a statement. "We intend to vigorously defend HLI from the false accusations made against it."

BOBBY JINDAL FOR PRESIDENT!

Louisiana's governor is a real mensch and a real Catholic. Pray for him as he fights the good fights against the enemies of God and man.

From Yahoo!'s The Ticket:

Louisiana Gov. Jindal still refuses to implement Obamacare

The Supreme Court upheld President Barack Obama's health care law on Thursday, but Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a possible Republican vice presidential contender who has refused to establish a federally mandated health care exchange in his state, said Friday that he will continue to ignore it.

"We're not going to start implementing Obamacare," Jindal said during a conference call with Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell. "We're committed to working to elect Gov. Romney to repeal Obamacare."

Under the Affordable Care Act, states must set up a health insurance exchange program by Jan. 1, 2014, and will receive grants from the federal government to implement it. Several Republican governors, including both Jindal and McDonnell, have put off setting up the exchanges in the hope that the law would be repealed or struck down by the court. Now that the law has been upheld, Jindal said he won't change course and is looking to presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney to lead the repeal effort if he takes office in 2013.

"Here in Louisiana we have not applied for the grants, we have not accepted many of these dollars, we're not implementing the exchanges," Jindal said. "We don't think it makes any sense to implement Obamacare in Louisiana. We're going to do what we can to fight it."

Despite the court ruling, there is still a chance that Republicans in Congress can repeal much of the law next year even if they don't have a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. Because Chief Justice John Roberts ruled that the mandate to purchase health insurance—one of the key provisions of the law—was a tax, Republicans can use a procedure called "budget reconciliation" to pass a repeal bill that requires only a simple majority to pass. But this scenario relies on the Republicans' ability to win the White House, keep the majority in the House and gain enough seats in the Senate.

On the same conference call on Friday, McDonnell, also considered a contender to become Romney's running mate, said he would "evaluate" his options in Virginia now that the court has upheld the law.

"We don't even know exactly what that federal exchange would look like, so there's still some uncertainty at this point as to what the right course is, and in the next days and weeks we're going to be evaluating the case as well as the options for Virginia," McDonnell said. "I think each state is going to have to weigh that and look at the time frame to determine what to do. But I agree absolutely that the priority right now is to elect a new president and a new Senate so this law can be repealed."

McDonnell, the chairman of the Republican Governors Association, added that he has not yet polled fellow state executives in the GOP about how they plan to proceed after the ruling, but said that most are looking to the election in November for guidance.

Africa is an unholy mess, but you can help...

This one is personal for Your Humble Narrator, kiddies. I have friends who immigrated from Burkina Faso [formerly Upper Volta for you old school Risk players] a couple of years ago and just got their children out last week. I also have friends working in Burkina for the Mennonite Central Committee, trying to help the people there as best they can. [Even heretics can do good works, kiddies.]

Sahel Food Crisis: Burkina Faso Refugee Camp

 

The temporary refugee camp in Fererio, northern Burkina Faso, is about 30 miles from the Malian border. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 65,000 refugees have fled rebel violence in Mali for Burkina Faso since January 2012. Many thousands more are in neighboring countries. 

Burkina Faso—along with other countries in the Sahel—is already facing a severe food crisis after rains failed, food prices rose and instability in the region limited migrant work. Catholic Relief Services is helping refugees cope with this worsening emergency through food distributions and by offering water, sanitation and hygiene facilities.

Catholic kids are cool, kiddies. Pray they never outgrow it.

From CRS:

...And now, the kids. We at CRS have many opportunities to see your kids in action, and we probably don't share those stories enough. Your children's generosity is overwhelming and touching and encouraging. Their spirit is instructive and humbling. Please check out this story about Catholic kids who were moved by the KONY 2012 video to help strangers whose names they will never know, but whose lives they have touched as deeply as they have touched ours.

KONY 2012 Video Inspires Students’ Legacy

By Patrick Carney
 
It started with a YouTube video and ended with a legacy.

When Trey Book and Cheyenne Warren, 8th graders at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic School in Henderson, Kentucky, saw the KONY 2012 video, a YouTube sensation by the nonprofit group Invisible Children, they saw an opportunity to make a difference. They just didn’t know how to go about it.

School Principal Sandy Fleming directed the students to Father Larry McBride, pastor at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church.

“Father Larry talked about KONY 2012,” Principal Fleming says, “and he asked, ‘Are you aware of Catholic Relief Services?’ ” Neither one of the students really knew much about the agency, so Father Larry described CRS as a well-established, Catholic, faith-based relief and development agency.

Jada Paustino was captured and tortured by the Lord’s Resistance Army. He finally escaped and made it back to his home in Palotaka, South Sudan, where he is a catechist. Photo by Karen Kasmauski/CRS

“He was very upfront telling us we don’t need to do KONY 2012 — we need to do CRS,” says the principal. For years, CRS has helped victims of Joseph Kony, who commands a violent rebel group called the Lord’s Resistance Army in East and Central Africa.

Trey and Cheyenne took their pastor’s advice and organized a car wash to raise money for CRS. Principal Fleming made it clear from the beginning that this would be a student-run project.

Surprise!

On a Saturday morning in April, students gathered to wash a few cars and raise a few dollars for CRS. Trey and Cheyenne had convinced more than half of their classmates to volunteer on the same day as a very popular local festival. To everyone’s surprise, for the next 7 hours, cars streamed in—two lines of four to five cars each—all waiting for a good scrubbing.

“We weren’t expecting how hectic and crazy it was going to be,” Trey says. “A lot of parents actually stepped up and helped.”Their efforts paid off: The class raised more than $1,000 to support CRS and help poor and oppressed people around the world.

“Through this car wash, I think it showed how much of a change we can make whenever we do come together,” Trey says.

Throughout the past school year, students at Holy Name focused on their school theme “legacy.” Trey and Cheyenne are certainly leaving theirs.

“I just want everyone to remember me as someone who actually stepped up and wanted to help and make a change as I grew in my faith,” he says.

Trey and Cheyenne plan to meet with the incoming student council president about continuing their legacy. They’re going to recommend that, every year, each 8th grade class engage in a fundraising project to support the Church’s international relief and development work through CRS.

The KONY 2012 video led Trey and Cheyenne to making a bigger difference in the world by putting their time and talents into a project that supported CRS. Going a step further, they decided to take the Catholic approach to KONY 2012.

“We felt that Catholic Relief Services impacted more than the KONY 2012 organization [Invisible Children],” says Principal Fleming. “You’re able to take our money and actually put it to where we thought it really needed to go.”

Patrick Carney is a CRS writer, editor and web producer. He is based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Update from Catholic Relief Services

From CRS:

Cool Catholic Kids and Independence

We have a really cool little story coming up about Catholic kids. You won't want to miss it. But first….

A key principle that Catholics carry with them when venturing to help poor and vulnerable people is independence. The Church's teachings on social justice takes care to avoid causing dependency when giving our poor brothers and sisters a hand up.

That's the true definition of charity, kiddies. Anything else is manipulation of the poor by totalitarians of one sort or another.

Catholic Relief Services designs our programs to promote independence. In work with microfinance, the principle is obvious: We help people learn to save and gain financial independence. In other work, the principle abides. It is so ingrained in our own guiding principles that we abide too: We remain at our brothers and sisters' side until the work is done. Independence comes over the long haul.

That's so clear in Sudan and South Sudan. For years, with peacebuilding and other emergency aid, the Church remained alongside the Sudanese. Last year, the southern Sudanese first voted for and then—on July 9—marked their independence from Sudan. We celebrated their joy and wept with them over the sorrow of dividing their country.

We remain with the people of Sudan; Darfur, in western Sudan; and South Sudan. Political independence did not vouchsafe peace. Only peace can vouchsafe true independence. The Church will remain at their sides.

We likewise remain with the people of the Sahel of West Africa. Through CRS, the Church—again, for years—has supported people in this semidesert region. Today, as those in the Sahel face long-term drought, an influx of refugees and dwindling resources, we seek to strengthen our efforts on their behalf.

In East Timor, we pray and yearn for your prayers for peaceful elections. After South Sudan, East Timor is the world's second youngest country...

Want to read about cool Catholic kids? Go to my next post...

Just one more thing, kiddies...

When I type "America is dead", I mean precisely that. There is no legitimate government in this country any longer. We are Somalia with white bread and indoor plumbing.

So, if you want to kill and eat some bureaucrat or judge or elected official, I won't stop you. In fact, I hereby declare I won't vote to convict even if you are seen on Youtube gnawing the face off some kleptocrat. [If they let you have a jury of your "peers" hear your case, that is. Hee-hee. Common Law is funny.]

You aren't gonna pay taxes, either? What do I care? Our descendents' [all of them] taxes have been spent. 

Just be careful if you start looting and pillaging the good guys, even if it is "government" sanctioned. Some of your prey is still armed and free...

Help us, St. Michael!

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.

And now, a few words from men smarter than all of us put together...

Unhappy is the soul enslaved by the love of anything that is mortal. 
-- St. Augustine




The sin is caused not by the flesh, but by the will of the soul, and the corruption contracted from sin is not sin, but sin's punishment. 
-- St. Augustine




See how the perfection of the Cross is folly in the eyes of the world precisely because it embraces what is abhorrent to human nature. It loves correction and submits to it; it not only takes pleasure in being corrected, but has no greater pleasure than in being reproved and corrected for faults and failings. They will arrive at the highest degree of perfection. 
-- St. Francis de Sales

...ignore them at your peril.

Pay heed, kiddies.

Psalm 79:1-5, 8-9
 
[1] Unto the end, for them that shall he changed, a testimony for Asaph, a psalm. [2] Give ear, O thou that rulest Israel: thou that leadest Joseph like a sheep. Thou that sittest upon the cherubims, shine forth [3] Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasses. Stir up thy might, and come to save us. [4] Convert us, O God: and shew us thy face, and we shall be saved. [5] O Lord God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy servant? 

[8] O God of hosts, convert us: and shew thy face, and we shall be saved. [9] Thou hast brought a vineyard out of Egypt: thou hast cast cut the Gentiles and planted it.

 
Matthew 7:21-29


[21] Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. [22] Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, have not we prophesied in thy name, and cast out devils in thy name, and done many miracles in thy name? [23] And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity. [24] Every one therefore that heareth these my words, and doth them, shall be likened to a wise man that built his house upon a rock, [25] And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded on a rock.


[26] And every one that heareth these my words, and doth them not, shall be like a foolish man that built his house upon the sand, [27] And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and they beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall thereof. [28] And it came to pass when Jesus had fully ended these words, the people were in admiration at his doctrine. [29] For he was teaching them as one having power, and not as the scribes and Pharisees.

Saint of the Day and daily Mass readings

Today is the Feast of St. Vincenza Gerosa, a co-foundress of the Sisters of Charity. A native of Lovere, Italy, originally named Catherine, she was orphaned in her youth and ever after gave her life to aiding the poor. About 1824, she and St. Bartolomea Capitanio founded the Sisters of Charity of Lovere to help the poor and sick and educate children, Following the passing of Bartolomea in 1833, Vincenza assumed the directorship of the Order and expanded its efforts until her death after a long illness on June 29. She was canonized in 1975 by Pope Paul VI.

Pray for us St. Vincenza.



Today's first reading is 2 Kings 24: 8-17 
[4 Kings 24:8-17 in your Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible
- F.G.]

Today's Responsorial Psalms are Psalm 79:1-5, 8-9
Today's Gospel reading is Matthew 7:21-29



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
ZENIT - The World Seen From Rome


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

The Apostles' Creed [The new and improved translation effective Advent 2011]

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again 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 the life everlasting. Amen.

And for good measure, here is the new translation of the Nicene Creed:

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God,
born of the Father before all ages.
God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made,
consubstantial with the Father ; through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven,
and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds
from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son
is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.
And one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.
I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection
of the dead and the life of the world to come. 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.


Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me; Body of Christ, save me; Blood of Christ, inebriate me; Water from Christ's side, wash me; Passion of Christ, strengthen me; O good Jesus, hear me; Within Thy wounds hide me; Suffer me not to be separated from Thee; From the malicious enemy defend me; In the hour of my death call me; And bid me come unto Thee; That I may praise Thee with Thy saints and with Thy angels Forever and ever. Amen.


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.


Prayer to End Abortion

Lord God, I thank You today for the gift of my life, and for the lives of all my brothers and sisters. I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion, yet I rejoice that you have conquered death by the resurrection of Your Son. I am ready to do my part to end abortion. Today I commit myself never to be silent, never to be passive, and never to be forgetful of the unborn. I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement, and never stop defending life until all my brothers and sisters are protected and our nation once again becomes a nation with liberty and justice, not just for some, but for all. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.


Prayer For Vocations

Send forth your Spirit, Lord, into the hearts of your faithful people, that we may be conscious of our vocation to holiness and sevice to others. Grant that many of us may dedicate ourselves to You through the priesthood and the religious life.We pray especially for the needs of our own parish and diocese. Grant that we may always have sufficient good and holy priests, and dedicated Sisters to serve our commumities.We pray, too, for religious orders; that generous men may join them to become zealous missionaries in preaching the Gospel in word and action, especially to the poor and abandoned.We make this prayer through Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Redeemer. Amen.


Prayer Before The Crucifix

Behold, O kind and gentle Jesus, I kneel before Thee and pray that Thou would impress upon my heart the virtues of faith, hope, and charity, with true repentance for my sins and a firm purpose of amendment. At the same time, with sorrow I meditate on Thy five precious wounds, having in mind the words which David spoke in prophecy: "They have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones."


Divine Praises

Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
Blessed be His most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be His most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints.
May the Heart of Jesus in the most Blessed Sacrament
Be praised, adored and loved
With grateful affection at every moment
In all the tabernacles of the world
Even to the end of time. Amen.


Prayer to Saint Benedict

Sanctissime Confessor Domini, monachorum Pater et dux,
Benedicte, intercede pro nostra omniumque salute.

V. Domine Deus virtutum converte nos.

R. Et ostende faciem tuam et salvi erimus.


Oremus.


Excita, Domine, in Ecclesia tua Spiritum cui beatus Pater noster Benedictus Abbas servivit: ut eodem nos repleti, studeamus amare quod amavit, et opere exercere quod docuit.

Da nobis, quaesumus, Domine, perseverantem in tua voluntate famulatum: ut in
Diebus nostris et merito et numero populus tibi serviens augeatur. Per Christum Dominum Nostrum. Amen.


For those whose Latin is a bit rusty:

O most holy Confessor of the Lord, Benedict, father and guide of monks, intercede for our salvation and that of everyone.

V. Lord, God of armies, convert us.

R. Show us Thy Face and we shall be saved.


Let us pray.

Awaken, O Lord, in Thy Church the Spirit that our blessed Father Saint Benedict
obeyed, so that, filled with the same Spirit we may strive to love what he loved and practice what he taught.

Grant us the grace to persevere in the service of Thy will, so that our days may
see the people of Thy servants grow in merit and number. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

JOHN ROBERTS JOINS THE COURT COMMIES, DECLARES THE CONSTITUTION UNCONSTITUTIONAL!

You laughed when I typed America was long dead. Now I get to laugh at you naive idiots who put your faith in the rule of men [jug-eared commies, dictators in long black dresses, et cetera.] instead of the rule of law. [See my post from March 8, 2012 Fyodor peers into the future.   I must be getting younger. I actually allowed a sentence or two filled with earthly hope creep into that one.]

This "ruling" means everything and anything is permitted. John Boehner and Mittens the Pompadoured Heretic can't save you now. You won't have to wait long to see the left-ghouls bloodlust unleashed. [I'm guessing November 7th is the day.]

Have you ever read any books [I could stop this post right there. Get it?] about the bad old days or even today's news out of Syria, China, Korea, the entire continent of Africa, or even "civilized" places like Greece, Italy, Spain, or France? The rule of the gun, the bomb, and the knife is the history of humanity. All Americans are about to learn this the hardest way possible. 

We have had a decent 200 year run made possible by the fact this continent was so big we could just move to an empty spot when government inevitably showed its "man is wolf to man" fangs. [BTW, kiddies, this Supreme Fascist decision now proves beyond a reasonable doubt that the Indians - the real ones, not Ward Churchill or Elizabeth Warren - were right. They knew we'd fuck it up. You can take the man out of a third-world hellhole, but you can't take the sinfulness out of the man.

The worst part [so far, that is] is all the brave men who fought, died, or got mutilated fighting for a lie. America was never a shiny beacon of freedom on a hill beckoning to the oppressed masses of the world. It was just another mousetrap [albeit one that has been sprung excruciatingly slowly] built and ruled by men who don't know God, who know Him incorrectly, or who know Him correctly but do not fear him because they are insane. [Take your pick, kiddies. They are all the same in the end.] It certainly was a comfortable mousetrap, filled with cheese-like delights such as money, pornography, easy divorce, muscle cars, and the like. But like all mousetraps, it ultimately serves just one purpose. [I simply can't wait to hear what the "conservatives'" favorite living serial adulterer  has to say today. "We've really got to vote Repansycan now to restore everything to the way it was before the 1960's, which is when I started paying attention!" BTW, Glenn "mormon doesn't mean you believe stupid and dangerous things unless you're Harry Reid" Beck was preempted this morning by live coverage of The Decision from Washington. At least LeBron James won't be saddled with the dumbest dumbass decision of all time label any longer.]

What I'm trying to type is this: We are no better off than some poor dumb bastard in North Korea who is trying to keep his family alive by feeding them dirt. If you think we are, [or if you think you are] it's time to remove the blinders.

  

Hobbes had it half right in Leviathan when he described the lives of men before there was government as "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short". That's the way our lives have been since we invented government, too. We have simply chosen to pretend things are different now. You neo-darwinists in the audience would refer to this as a defensive adaptation.

What to do, what to do, what to do...

Heck, I'll type it, but it won't make a bit of difference...

Pray. Go to confession. Go to Holy Mass. Partake of the Sacred Body and Most Precious Blood of God Himself. Love thy neighbor. Teach your children The Way. [You unbelieving and improperly believing kiddies better hurry home to Rome. I doubt the power-mad will let us keep our doors open much longer now that even the pretense of constitutional government is gone.] Go underground if you can. Try to keep your head down if you can't. Wage war against evil as best you can. Hope in God. Trust in God...but not in man.

May God have mercy on all souls.

 Supreme Court upholds individual mandate

BTW, for you bread and circuses types, Italy plays Germany today in EuroSnooze 2012.

Our children are vicious morons because that is what we are.

So, your little angels would never make a helpless and innocent lady cry...


We are working on our third Lost Generation in a row, kiddies, and there isn't enough goodness out there to turn it around. Even public humiliation [Live on TV!] and corporal punishment of these children and their parents would be too little and way too late.


We have met the enemy, and he is us.

From Youtube:

Bus Monitor Bullied By Students

I refuse to post the video here. It is too sad and infuriating for my taste.

 

From CNET .com:

The clip of Karen Klein, being mercilessly tormented on the bus ride home by unseen creatures resembling young humans, went up earlier this week and has logged more than 3.9 million views.

An Internet benefactor from Toronto, Max Sidorov, created a fundraising site to give Klein the "vacation of a lifetime." Klein, who worked as a bus driver in the Greece Central School District for 20 years prior to becoming a monitor three years ago, is said to earn $15,506 a year.

The total is now $655,640 with 24 days left for people to contribute. There are easily enough guilty consciences out there to make it an even $1 million.
 

Today is the sixth day of the Fortnight For Freedom.

The Catholic Association [via Youtube] explains why we fight:

We Are Catholics

 

 

 

From The Diocese of Harrisburg, PA:

Fortnight for Freedom, June 21 to July 4, 2012  Click Here for Local Events and Efforts       Religious Liberty Resouces

The “Fortnight for Freedom,” is a 14-day period of prayer, education and action in support of religious freedom, from June 21-July 4 that was called for by the Ad Hoc Committee on Religious Liberty of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops because of concerns over threats to religious freedom, both at home and abroad.

In the Diocese of Harrisburg the following events are resources are available to assit in defending our first freedom.

Read the Media Release

Opening Mass - Friday, June 22, 2012 at 8:30  a.m. at St. Patrick Parish, 87 Marsh Drive, Carlisle.  Bishop Joseph P. McFadden will open the Fortnight for Freedom on the feast of St. Thomas More with this Mass   All are encouraged to attend.  Following the Mass, the St. Thomas More Society of Central Pennsylvania will host a light breakfast in the school cafeteria.  This will be a time to greet the Bishop, mingle with others.

Closing Mass - Wednesday, July 4, 2012 at 9: a.m. at St. Patrick Cathedral, 212 State Street, Harrisburg, PA   

Video Novena for Liberty Bishop Joseph P. McFadden will lead a special on-line daily video Novena during the Fortnight for Freedom, June 21 to July 4, 2012. The prayer sessions will include a special daily reflection on the importance of Religious Liberty. Join with Bishop McFadden and witness for religious liberty. Click the dates below to view. Links will also be shared via the Diocesan Facebook page. Litany for Liberty Prayer Text

June 21	June 22	June 23	June 24	June 25	June 26	June 27
June 28	June 29	June 30	July 1	July 2	July 3	July 4

 Video Presentations
 
These video recordings of four presentations from, "A Forum on Religious Freedom and Health Care Reform" took place on May 22, 2012 at St. Margaret Mary Church, Harrisburg. 




  “Moral and Pastoral Perspectives on the H.H.S. Mandate" by Fr. David L. Danneker, Ph.D., a Medical Ethicist and Pastor , St. Peter Church, Elizabethtown   




  “The Next Mandate: Abortion Services” by Michael Ciccocioppo, PA Pro-Life Federation. 


 “Answering Tough Questions About the H.H.S. Mandate” by Amy Hill, Pennsylvania Catholic Conference


  "Church and State: Relative Competencies" by Fr. Paul Schenck, Director of the Respect Life Office, Diocese of Harrisburg

Resources

- USCCB Resources

- Bishop McFadden Letter Fortnight

- Fortnight for Freedom Liturgical Notes

- Ecumenical Prayer Service fortnight4freedom

- Prayer English-guadalupe-religious-liberty-

- Prayer English-immaculate-conception-religious-liberty

- Prayer English-st-thomas-more-religious-liberty

- Homily Helps for Fortnight4freedom

- Reflections for fortnight4freedom Novena.

- USCCB-Conscience-Bulletin-Insert_English

- USCCB-Conscience-Bulletin-Insert_Spanish

- Dear Represenative

- Dear Senator Casey

- Dear Senator Toomey

	Find out what your diocese is doing during the Fortnight For Freedom here.	.

What do you give the newly "married" sodomite couple that has everything?

More communism, of course.

Boshevik The Clown stars in the new circle-jerker pic "Four Sham Weddings and Four More Years of Fetus Funerals".

From Mark Whittington of the Yahoo! Contributor Network:

Giving Money to Obama Event Registry Tacky Beyond Belief

Weasel Zippers has stumbled upon an "Event Registry" courtesy of the Barack Obama re-election campaign. It invites everyone with a birthday, wedding or anniversary to ask for donations to the campaign in lieu of gifts.

Words almost fail. 

One suspects this proposal is directed at people who do not have a wide circle of friends or with any particular needs; in other words, rich liberals. It is an open invitation for a conservative relative to not only avoid the wedding, birthday or anniversary but to cut the particular person out of their will. 

I attended the wedding of a relative recently. Knowing she is a lady of discernment and taste, he and his wife gave her and her stalwart Air Force lieutenant groom some more practical items than a contribution to a political campaign in their name. One of them was the complete episodes of "Stargate: Universe." 

As Salon reports, there have been instances of people who have decided to make political statements from beyond the grave, almost always in the form of "in lieu of flowers, give money to anyone running against Obama." It is surprising the Obama campaign has not thought of that one. After all, when the death panels have sent one to eternity, nothing quite says thank you, Mr. President, than a campaign contribution. 

Also, as with this cancer charity, people with a big day have often requested donations to good causes in lieu of gifts. But a charity that helps kids with cancer is on a slightly more elevated moral plane than the desperate campaign of a failed president which is casting about for any source of cash to stave off ruin and defeat. 

Here is a better suggestion to a bride, groom, birthday boy or girl, or whomever. If the spirit moves, ask for a donation to a worthy cause such as curing a disease, helping people beset by disaster or starving children in the Third World. Have them make that donation in the name of President Obama and arrange for a note to be sent to the White House. One is sure the president will appreciate that public spirited gesture more than some tacky campaign cash. 

Oh, and a gravy boat is probably appreciated too. How else does one serve gravy, after all?

 

Sometimes a swastika is just a swastika.

Still, nobody should trust a religion that depends on ETs taking true believers to the planet Lovetron. [See "Black Muslims", the "Heaven's Gate" cult, and the Crutch of Scatology, et al.]

From AP via Yahoo! News:

Plane tows swastika banner, startles NJ beachgoers

A group that claimed responsibility for flying a small plane towing a swastika banner over New Jersey's shore and New York City over the weekend said the display was not meant as an endorsement of anti-Semitism, but as an attempt to resurrect the symbol's more benign roots.

The sight startled beachgoers on Saturday afternoon and set Twitter abuzz. A group called the International Raelian Movement, which believes humans were created by extraterrestrials, says it was responsible.

The movement said on its website that the flyover was part of its third annual Swastika Rehabilitation Day. In a statement posted Sunday, the group reiterated its belief that the swastika is actually a symbol of peace and beauty that was corrupted by Nazis in 20th century Germany.

"Any negative emotions regarding the swastika by people under the age of 70 years old are obviously linked to their education and not to their experiences," the statement read in part. "It's about time people were re-educated to understand the original meaning of the oldest and most recurrent symbol in the world."

Etzion Neuer, acting head of the Anti-Defamation League in New Jersey, also noted that the swastika predates Hitler by hundreds, if not thousands, of years. He said that the group is not racist and that towing the swastika was a "misguided, but not malicious, act."

"They use the swastika in the traditional Eastern context, not the Nazi context," he said. "But to us it's incredibly insensitive because it's dismissive of the pain it causes to the Jewish community. It's an egocentric attitude, completely unconcerned about the way it's viewed by others."

Don Pripstein, president of the Jewish Community Center of Long Beach Island, said some of his congregants saw the plane and "some said it practically ruined their weekend."

"They may have good intentions, but the image is more powerful than good intentions at this point," he said. "The image is so horrendous that no matter what their ultimate purpose is, it's extremely negative. We still have people in this generation who lost parents or grandparents" in the Holocaust.

A phone message left at the Raelians' office in Las Vegas wasn't returned Monday. A letter on the website www.proswastika.org attributed to the North American Raelian Movement addressed Pripstein directly.

The group is "extremely sympathetic to the horrors suffered by the Jewish people at the hands of Adolf Hitler and the Nazis," the letter reads. "We work incessantly so that nothing of the sort will ever be able to take place again — for Jews or any peoples."

Raelians believe humans were created by extraterrestrials, according to the movement's website. The group claims to have more than 70,000 members worldwide.

Penis good? Vagina...scary?

Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...words.

From AP via Mail.com:

P-word? OK. The V-word? That's trickier

Kayt Sukel, an author who writes about neuroscience and sexuality, has given lectures around the country on the issue. And there's one word, she finds, that never fails to make some in her audience squeamish.

Golly, I hope she pronounces her first name "Katie".

"There's just something about the word 'vagina' that startles people — I don't know what it is," says Sukel. "People sit back a little bit. Sometimes they start giggling. I end up using euphemisms just to make them more comfortable, and more receptive to what I am saying. And we don't seem to have the same problems with the word 'penis.'"

In a much different setting, Judy Gold has similar experiences. The popular standup comic and actress, who last year starred in her own successful off-Broadway show, focuses her routines on being gay, Jewish, a New Yorker and a mother. Her audiences presumably know what they're getting into. Yet she, too, hears gasps in the audience when she says the V-word.

And so neither woman was extremely surprised when they heard about the recent incident in Michigan, where a lawmaker was temporarily barred from speaking in the state legislature after using the word "vagina" during a debate.

It all began when Lisa Brown, a Democrat, was speaking against a bill requiring doctors to ensure that abortion-seekers haven't been coerced into ending their pregnancies. "I'm flattered you're all concerned about my vagina," Brown said. "But no means no." Brown believes she was censured because of the word "vagina," though her Republican opponents later said it was the "no means no" part, which they claimed likened the law to rape. The lawmaker denies she was doing anything of the kind.

But politics aside, many are baffled that even in 2012, the V-word retains shock value — much more than its male counterpart — even though it is finally beginning to surface regularly in mainstream entertainment, popping up in network TV shows as well as in newly bold references in advertising.

"I mean, you can say 'penis,'" says Gold. "You can say 'erection,' 'erectile dysfunction,' even 'vaginal probe.' But 'vagina'? Suddenly it's a dirty word. And it's the correct anatomical term!" Can an anatomical term really be a bad word? Even the Parents Television Council, a watchdog group that tracks what it sees as objectionable content on TV, acknowledges that difficulty.

"I've got a toddler, and when you read potty-training books, they discourage the use of euphemisms for body parts," says Melissa Henson, the group's director of communications. But what troubles the PTC, she says, is "the use of this language in the context of cheap sex jokes. It's dumbed-down humor that's in no way respectful of the audience."

The PTC studied the appearance of "penis" and "vagina" in scripted shows on five networks, comparing the 2010-2011 season to 2001-2002. Not surprisingly, it found a large increase, largely in the last year or two.

The word "vagina" was used 35 times in shows on NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox and CW in the 2010-2011 season, and only four times a decade earlier. In addition, the PTC found, it was used 12 times in the first two months of the 2011-2012 season on just one show, "2 Broke Girls" on CBS, which follows a couple of 20-something waitresses in Brooklyn.

As for the word "penis"? The term was used much more than its female counterpart, 30 times a decade ago, and 116 times in 2010-2011. (But that's hardly a shock: it was way back in 1982 that the young boy in "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial," one of the most beloved family films of all time, called his brother "penis breath" — and only got an order to "Sit down!" from his Mom.)

In advertising, there's been a huge shift as well the last few years, with one of the bolder examples being the "Hail to the V" ad campaign for the Summer's Eve line of feminine cleansing products. But Fleet Laboratories, which makes Summer's Eve, has had some problems determining what's fun and edgy and what goes too far. A year ago it had to withdraw one set of TV ads that showed female hands of different races forming talking vaginas — the characterizations were seen as racially insensitive.

The recent emergence of the V-word in pop culture has not gone unnoticed — the New York Times even called the current TV season "the season of the vagina." Whitney Cummings, one of the co-creators of "2 Broke Girls," quipped to the paper: "Vagina jokes paid for my house."

And yet the networks hardly seem eager to discuss the word. One executive at a major network who declined to speak for this article indicated it just wasn't worth the trouble of attracting negative attention.

Where does the squeamishness come from? Author Sutel feels sex education in schools is lacking. She says there aren't enough teachers like the one she had in 8th grade who "went around the room and made us say 'penis, vagina,' just to get used to the words."

Comedian Gold sees a darker reason — misogyny, and the over-sexualization of women by men. "The woman has become so sexualized, and saying 'vagina' takes the sex out of it," Gold says. "Men prefer other words for that body part."

 So does Okra Whingefree.

Mia Blitstein, a 34-year-old Philadelphia mother, thinks the issue may stem from our parents, whose own attitudes about sex we absorb at an early age. "The attitudes that our parents model for us, and the words they use, are very important," says Blitstein, who says she tries to impress upon her own son that names of body parts are not dirty.

In fact, Blitstein herself is very comfortable with the V-word, a fact she attributes to her "hippie-ish" parents who even let her watch her brother's birth. When her son was born, she was so overcome that, wheeling down the hospital corridor with her newborn, she yelled out: "A person just came out of my vagina!" Some laughed. Others looked at her like she was crazy.
Dr. Judith C. Wenger, a New York gynecologist, finds the issue a generational one. "I think the older people are, the more difficulty they have with the word," Wenger says. Echoing Blitstein, she adds that an important factor is the way people's mothers spoke to them growing up.

So what does lawmaker Brown think was the real reason for her censure? She says leadership first said the ban, which in effect only lasted a day, was about the V-word, then changed their story. She has her suspicions, though, that it's all politics. "If you watch the video, it's all Republicans sitting behind me. There's no gasp, there's no jaws hitting the ground," she told The Associated Press in a recent interview. "The fact that it came out the next day, to me it's very suspicious."

In any case, support has poured in for Brown from organizations across the country — from the American Civil Liberties Union to the National Organization for Women and NARAL Pro-Choice America. A petition has collected more than 48,000 online signatures calling on the Republican House speaker and the majority floor leader to apologize to Brown.

And most visibly, some 3,000 people gathered by the Michigan House steps to watch Brown, other lawmakers and several actresses perform "The Vagina Monologues," Eve Ensler's groundbreaking 1996 play on the vagina as a symbol of female empowerment. Ensler flew in from California to oversee the performance.

"Half of these people who are trying to regulate vaginas, they can't even say the word," she told the AP. "They can legislate it, but they can't say it?" But perhaps the best "vagina zinger," which is what late-night host Jon Stewart called Brown's original remark, came from Stewart himself.

"What are they worried about?" he said on "The Daily Show." ''Vaginas aren't like Voldemort or Beetlejuice. Invoking the name 'vagina' doesn't make them suddenly appear. Believe me, if it did, high school would have been very different for me."

Real men play softball.

Our Boys will always be boys at heart. A couple of missing limbs can't stop 'em.

Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team

 

Yet more high crimes and misdemeanors from America's first token president.

What do you call it when the highest law enforcement official chooses to selectively enforce federal laws based on his criminal left-fascist ideology?

No, not Obamastan, but that's close.

From the The Daily Beast:

Obama Piles On Arizona

Arizona’s Latino and civil-rights leaders had long planned to gather Monday on the lawn of the Arizona capitol in Phoenix to protest Mitt Romney’s closed-to-the-press fundraiser in nearby Scottsdale. The capitol gathering had been promoted by the Obama campaign, which called Romney an immigration extremist who sees Arizona’s immigration law, SB 1070, as a “model.”

Then, in what seemed like perfect timing, the U.S. Supreme Court made public its decision to strike down three provisions of the law. The court let stand the section that permits Arizona police officers to question the immigration status of those they stop, detain, or arrest if there is reasonable suspicion the person is in the country illegally.
 

The Obama administration reacted swiftly, rescinding the 287(g) agreements with seven Arizona police departments, which give the police permission to partner with the federal government on immigration enforcement. The administration also directed federal immigration officials not to respond to local traffic stops or law-enforcement encounters in Arizona unless the detained person is a recent border crosser, has already been removed from the country and reentered the United States unlawfully, or is a convicted criminal. (Federal immigration officials will still respond to telephone calls from Arizona law-enforcement authorities seeking the immigration status of a person who is legally stopped, detained, or arrested.)

“As though we needed any more evidence, President Obama has demonstrated anew his utter disregard for the safety and security of the Arizona people,” Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said in a statement of the administration’s decision to revoke 287(g) agreements. She later added on CNN: “The people of America ought to be outraged. This is absolutely an assault.”

 President Obama, who has presided over record deportations and net zero migration from Mexico, claimed partial victory in the Supreme Court decision but warned against potential civil-rights abuses. He said he would work for comprehensive immigration reform. The Romney campaign, meanwhile, said in a short statement that the president has failed to lead on immigration.

In Phoenix after the court’s announcement, migrants sat near a Virgin of Guadalupe painting on the capitol lawn, near flag-waving oldsters in yellow “Viva la SB 1070” shirts, college students dressed in “Adios Arpaio” shirts, elected immigration hardliners, Democrats who had opposed the law, union representatives, and Latino leaders.

Arizona immigration hawks heralded the court’s decision as a victory, while local Democrats called for beefed-up voter registration and hinted at the dire effect of a possible Latino exodus on the tax base. Latino leaders expressed mixed emotions about the court’s ruling as they stood in the ovenlike sun, saying they thought enforcement of the law would cause civil-rights abuses but that they were thankful the court didn’t enact the other three provisions. Inside the capitol complex, Brewer, who signed the law in 2010, called the court’s decision a “victory” because “the heart of SB 1070 has been proven constitutional.”

 “If they think this is the heart, the law will soon need a heart transplant,” said Randy Parraz, the Latino leader who was key in the recall-election defeat of state Sen. Russell Pearce, the law’s sponsor.

Parraz said the law had an unintended silver lining, galvanizing the Latino electorate into action. And while Arizona has “SB 1070 fatigue,”  he said, the Latino electorate has “no fatigue for justice.”  He predicted the downfall of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio and other hardliners in the 2012 election. (Arpaio, who has attracted nationwide attention for his raids on Latino workplaces and neighborhoods, has said SB 1070 would not affect how he does business. He arrests migrants for violating other Arizona laws, such as the human smuggling law, which makes it a crime for an immigrant to smuggle himself through Arizona, among other things.)

Standing in the shade of a skinny palm tree, state Rep. John Kavanagh, a former New Jersey policeman who retired in Arizona and is one of the chief promoters of SB 1070, said it was “unfortunate” but “not fatal to the law” that the court had struck down three provisions of SB 1070. (Those provisions include criminalizing an undocumented immigrant for working in Arizona, allowing cops to arrest a person without a warrant if they believe he or she is an undocumented immigrant, and requiring immigrants to “register” with the government.) Kavanagh said the heart of the law still stood and would be implemented soon.

The high court was ruling Monday on an Obama administration lawsuit seeking to overturn SB 1070, largely on grounds that the federal government, not the states, has the constitutional responsibility to enforce immigration.

While the court’s decision allows Arizona police to check on the immigration status of those they stop, detain, or arrest if there is reasonable suspicion they are in the country illegally, Arizona can’t force the federal government to deport anyone.

 

The Obama administration’s Department of Homeland Security, led by former Arizona governor Janet Napolitano, has the say over who gets deported. In that regard, immigration enforcement still rests solidly in the hands of the federal government. And the government has said it wants to focus on deporting undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes that threaten the nation. 

“ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] will not issue detainers unless they meet priorities,” a senior official at the Department of Homeland Security told the Arizona Republic on Monday.

“I’m upset,” said Alison Culver, a truck driver carrying a large American flag at the Arizona Capitol, “because [the decision] allows illegals to stay. They don’t have rights. Illegal is illegal, period.”

 As Culver endured the Phoenix heat, Romney raised $2 million at his Scottsdale fundraiser, his campaign said. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee, who has vowed to “veto” the DREAM Act, said unauthorized immigrants should self-deport and embraced the endorsement of SB 1070’s author, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, has struggled for the support of Latino voters. With Latinos voicing their approval of Obama’s recent administrative order granting some young undocumented immigrants renewable two-year permissions to stay and work in the country, however, Romney has appeared to back away from his hardline immigration stance. On Monday in Scottsdale, he told donors that he had hoped the court would give states more enforcement power, according to the Associated Press.