Blog of the Day.

Crossed The Tiber is the blog of a Catholic gentleman who wandered in the desert of protestantism for thirty years before finding his way back home.

I do not know how awful (thank God) that separation must have felt, but I'm guessing it is similar to having my soul burdened by sin before partaking of the Sacrament of Penance - knowing that the distance between God and my soul is my fault and mine alone.

Thankfully, The Church has preserved this and all the Sacraments given to us by Our Lord and Savior to help us save our souls. Those who claim to follow Christ without the benefit of His Church and His Sacraments must be pitied and we must pray for their conversion.

DAY 44: PLUTO HELD HOSTAGE

The Pagepot Dome scandal rages on.

Well, well, well...

Drudge: CLAIM: FILTHY FOLEY ONLINE CHATS WERE PAGE 'PRANK GONE AWRY'...

**Update**

According to two people close to former congressional page Jordan Edmund, the now famous lurid AOL Instant Message exchanges that led to the resignation of Mark Foley were part of an online prank that by mistake got into the hands of enemy political operatives, the DRUDGE REPORT can reveal.

According to one Oklahoma source who knows the former page very well, Edmund, a conservative Republican, said he goaded an unwitting Foley to type embarrassing comments that were then shared with a small group of young Hill politicos. The prank went awry when the saved IM sessions got into the hands of political operatives favorable to Democrats.

The primary source, an ally of Edmund, adamantly proclaims that the former page is not a homosexual. The prank scenario was confirmed by a second associate of Edmund. Both are fearful that their political careers will be affected if they are publicly brought into the investigation.

The prank scenario only applies to the Edmund IM sessions and does not necessarily apply to any other exchanges between the former congressman and others.

The news come on the heels that Edmund has hired former Timothy McVeigh criminal attorney, Stephen Jones.

Late Thursday, Jones stongly denied the exchanges with Foley were a prank by the former page. Jones said, "There is not any aspect of this matter that is a practical joke nor should anyone treat it that way."

But peers to Jordan Edmund stand by their accounts of what Jordan told them.

More on Pagepot Dome from Drudge:

Ethics Inquiry to Look at House, Not Foley...

FBI's Foley 'assessment' focuses on 21 year old staffer...

Many conspirators seen behind scandal...

ABC: 3 MORE EX-PAGES ACCUSE FORMER CONGRESSMAN OF ONLINE 'SEXUAL APPROACHES'...

Page's family to media: Leave our 'hero' son alone...

Panel Approves Subpoenas...

Watchdog Group Disputes FBI's Claims on E-Mails...

ONLINE GLITCH LEADS TO IDENTITY OF FOLEY ACCUSER...

This would help...

...but a volunteer citizens' militia would be better.

Drudge: LAWMAKER SAYS TEACHERS SHOULD BE ARMED...

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A state lawmaker, worried about a recent string of deadly school shootings, suggested arming teachers, principals and other school personnel as a safety measure and a deterrent.

VIDEO: Congressman suggests arming teachers

It might not be politically correct, but it has worked effectively in other countries, Republican Rep. Frank Lasee said Wednesday.

"To make our schools safe for our students to learn, all options should be on the table," he said. "Israel and Thailand have well-trained teachers carrying weapons and keeping their children safe from harm. It can work in Wisconsin."

In Thailand, where officials have been waging a bloody fight with Muslim separatists for the last two years, some teachers carry weapons for self defense as they are viewed as part of the government. In Israel, teachers are not allowed to carry weapons in the school, but security guards at the entrances are armed.

Lasee said he planned to introduce legislation that would allow school personnel to carry concealed weapons. He stressed that it would hinge on school staff members getting strict training on the use of the weapons, and he acknowledged he would have to work around a federal law that bans guns on school grounds.

The director of school safety for Milwaukee Public Schools, Pete Pochowski, opposed the idea.

"Statistically, the safest place for a child to be is in school," Pochowski said. "We have problems in our schools, but not to the point where we need to arm our teachers and principals."

Said the human ostrich.

Saint of the Day and daily Mass readings.

Today is the Feast of St. Bruno, priest, professor of theology, hermit, and founder of the Carthusians. Pray for us, all you angels and saints.

Today's reading is Job 38:1, 12-21; 40:3-5.
Today's Responsorial Psalm is Psalms 139:1-3, 7-8, 9-10, 13-14.
Today's Gospel reading is Luke 10:13-16.


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 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.


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."

Groovy.

HAHAHAHAHAHA...hey, wait a minute...

It Takes A Village To Staff A Gestapo Unit Update.

The continuing adventures of Our Gal Hit, Senatrix Hitlery Schicklgruber (N-NY)...

Star-Gazette: Planned Parenthood endorses Clinton
Planned Parenthood Advocates of New York announced its endorsement of Hillary Rodham Clinton for another six-year term in the U.S. Senate.

Wow. Who in the world saw that one coming?

AP: Clinton rival calls her 'serious threat'

Raising images of war and stressing his experience as a Vietnam veteran, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's Republican challenger says in a new fundraising letter that her "ruthless campaign to seize power is a serious threat to a secure future for America."

No kidding. SHE'S A NAZI!

1010 WINS: Poll: Clinton Prez Run Won't Affect Senate Work

Six in 10 New York voters aren't concerned about a 2008 presidential run by Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton adversely affecting her work for them in the Senate, a statewide poll reported Thursday.

Of course it won't. Grasping for power and abusing power go hand in hand.


WVEC: Hillary Clinton endorses Webb in Virginia Senate race

I didn't know there were jackbooted thugs in Virginia, too...

Why not Heather Graham? (Part Two)

From the pages of The King Abdullah Gazette:

What's up, docs?

Or, in vitro, no one can hear you scream.

ITV.com: Human-rabbit hybrids planned

British scientists are seeking permission to press ahead with controversial plans to create hybrid human and rabbit embryos.

Three teams in London, Newcastle and Edinburgh are due to make applications this month for permission to carry out the work as part of their stem cell research programmes.

They are seeking licences from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority allowing them to create embryos that are 99.9 per cent human and 0.1 per cent rabbit.

The scientists are also looking at the possibility of creating similar "chimera" embryos by mixing human and cow genes.

Moo-velous.

The aim is to find a ready source of "human" embryonic stem cells without the ethical problems of tampering with human life.

Making the chimeras would involve removing the nuclei from animal eggs and replacing them with genetic material taken from human cells.

The resulting embryos would be mostly human, but would also contain small numbers of animal genes.

Speaking of Democrass campaign stunts not working...

The American Spectator squashes left-fascist hypocrisy and quiets the thundering hearts of those Repansycans who think flight instead of fight.

They'll Regret It
Washington Prowler
In going too far in the Foley scandal, Democrats risk major exposure themselves.

Double Standards on Pedophilia
Streetcar Line
Let's compare Bill Clinton to Dennis Hastert.

When Nancy Met Harry
Special Report
Nancy Pelosi winks at man-boy love.

Memo To The Party of Blasphemy, Buggery, and 'Bortion:

It's not working.

The Washington Times: Poll shows Allen leading Webb by six points

Virginia Sen. George Allen holds a six-point lead over his Democratic challenger, James H. Webb Jr., a new statewide poll released yesterday shows.

Speaking of hockey, what's the deal with the Buffalo Sabres' hideous new logo and sweaters?

Bring back the blue and white, the recognizable buffalo, and the crossed swords, you knuckleheads!





Star-Gazette: Sabres are scary good; logo is just scary

USA Today: Sabres officially unveil new uniforms

Two days after having a photo of a new jersey leaked, the Buffalo Sabres officially introduced their new uniforms at an open practice Saturday. The new logo, a gold bison charging in an arc, was leaked during the summer, and more than 20,000 fans signed online petitions protesting the new look.

Penguins Update.

The fix is in, kiddies. Either a casino moves in or the Pens move out to Canada and become the Hamilton Pussycats or something.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-review: Pens deal likely today

The Penguins' owners are expected to announce today the sale of the team to Canadian millionaire Jim Balsillie, sources close to the negotiations said Wednesday.

Balsillie, who heads the company that makes BlackBerry wireless communication devices, is close to signing a purchase agreement to buy the hockey team for about $175 million, sources said.

It's likely that Balsillie will keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh as long as the team has a viable plan for a new arena. But it's uncertain what kind of lease terms he would want from the city-county Sports & Exhibition Authority.

The deal would require approval from the National Hockey League, which could take several months.

Mrs. Helen Chenoweth-Hage, Requiescat in pace.

There are two things I know about Helen Chenoweth-Hage: She kept her promise to serve only three terms in congress even though she could have been re-elected again and again, and she was a better person than those who attacked her.

I'm guessing now that The Whole Truth has been revealed to her, she will be content to know she was closer to It than those who called her names were.

BOISE - From the tips of her boots up to the blue collar of her denim shirt, Helen Chenoweth-Hage approached every issue from a uniquely Western perspective.

Many loved her, others hated her.

Who can forget that rude protester who splattered Congressman Chenoweth with rotten salmon at a Montana hearing in 2000 -- an incident she handled with humor and grace.

"She didn't want to stop the hearing," remembers daughter Meg Chenoweth Keenan. "She said, 'let's keep going with the hearing.'"

Nobody in Idaho was indifferent about this Sagebrush Republican rebel, who died at age 68 in a one-car accident Monday in Nevada.

Years ago we asked her why that was. "I really don't know," she said in 1996. "I find that much of what is said about me by the opposition is untrue."

Now, as they cope with her sudden death, Chenoweth-Hage's daughter and son say the truth about their mom is simple.

"She was a very real person, very genuine," said daughter Meg. "What you saw was really Helen Chenoweth. She had real passions,real loves, and she knew where all that came from."

Chenoweth-Hage called for the disarming of federal resource agents in 1995 after claiming that they had landed black helicopters on private land in eastern Idaho to enforce the Endangered Species Act. The claim drew national criticism, and she later conceded she had never personally seen the now-infamous gunships.

When elected to Congress in 1994, she promised to serve only three terms -- and kept her word -- although she compared it to jumping from a moving train.

"It was hard for her to jump," said her son, Mike Chenoweth. "Her constituents didn't want her to jump, they wanted her re-elected. But she promised, and so she jumped off that train."

"She was very clear, very straight up with voters," said Gov. Jim Risch. "A lot of people didn't agree with her on things, but they always knew where she stood."

Helen Chenoweth-Hage lost her husband Wayne to illness in June, then her sister Charlene passed away in August. But her children say faith got their mom through rough times.

"My mother did not fear dying," said Meg. "She knew she would step from this life into the next one."

Helen Chenoweth-Hage will be buried at a private service on her Nevada ranch. A public memorial service will be held Oct. 9 at 2 p.m. at the Capital Christian Center at 2760 E. Fairview Ave., Meridian. (Thanks to KBCI in Boise for this obituary.)

For those of you still interested in his motives.

Call me old fashioned, but when a guy invades an amish schoolhouse carrying guns, lumber, wire ties, and K-Y Jelly and then dismisses the boys and the adult females, I'm guessing he is not just looking to become an ordinary suicide-by-cop.

RedNova: Experts Differ on Reason for Pa. Attack

If the attacker at a Pennsylvania school really acted out of overwhelming guilt from molesting relatives in his youth, as police suggest, he would be a very rare breed, even in the bewildering annals of multiple murder, say experts in such crimes.

The history of school shootings and multiple murders is full of attackers who feel bullied or rejected at school, at work, or in marriage. They strike out for symbolic revenge, not out of tortured guilt. Several authorities contacted Tuesday were unable to point to a multiple killing clearly motivated by the latter.

Deluded parents who kill their children typically act out of a warped desire to save them from something worse, said Dr. Phillip Resnick, a psychiatrist at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland who testified in the trial of Andrea Yates, who drowned her young children in Texas.

In the Pennsylvania school shooting, the official explanation "just doesn't add up," Resnick said.

At a news conference Tuesday, investigators laid out a murky scenario of how and why 32-year-old Charles Carl Roberts IV may have conceived of his attack in Nickel Mines, Pa.

He told his wife in a phone call from the one-room Amish school that he had molested two girl relatives, ages 3 to 5, two decades before, when he would have been about 12 years old. He indicated that, in recent years, he had dreamed repeatedly of those molestations and the possibility he'd molest someone again.

He also said he never recovered from the death nine years ago of his own baby girl, who was born prematurely. He said he had become furious with God and with himself.

It's likely he meant to sexually assault the girls, ages 6 to 13, according to authorities. He brought a sexual lubricant and ties, wood, and bolts that might be used to keep the girls still. He instead shot the girls methodically and then, as police stormed the school, fatally shot himself in the head. Five girls died, and five were hospitalized.

Several experts on violent minds said the suicidal behavior of the attacker makes sense if he still felt guilty over his sexual misconduct long ago. But the murder of the girls is harder to comprehend from a psychological viewpoint.

Perhaps Roberts came to view little girls as a painful reminder of losing his own, suggested psychologist Joseph Tecce at Boston College, who has studied the motivations of violence.

"He wants to exact his revenge against the little girls, because they have no right living since his little girl is dead," said Tecce. However, at least one of the attacker's own three living children is a daughter.

If Roberts felt painfully conflicted about a sexual desire for little girls, he might have blamed the children themselves and acted out his rage on them, one expert said. He might have considered them "responsible for his downfall," said criminal psychologist Eric Hickey at Alliant International University in Fresno, Calif.

More likely, that. Even if he never molested his younger relatives, he may have wanted to.

If Roberts was tortured by guilt over molesting little girls in his youth, he'd more likely donate money to a school than kill students, said multiple-murder researcher Jack Levin, at Northeastern University in Boston.
"I've never heard of anything like that, never, never," he said. "Usually the killer feels he was a victim of injustice and wants sweet revenge."

Levin said it would be more plausible if the attacker had been caught molesting relatives, reprimanded, and perhaps ostracized by his peers - even though his parents were said to deny any knowledge of him molesting anyone.

Whatever the psychological history of the attacker, his demons could have been uncorked with the attack in Colorado last week, when a man is said to have molested girls in a classroom before killing one and himself, several experts said.

"When the floodgates are full to the top and somebody sees them open in somebody else, sometimes they will act," said male-violence specialist William Pollack, a psychologist at McLean Hospital outside Boston.

Bingo! I vote for that last one!

DAY 43: PLUTO HELD HOSTAGE

USA Today: Sorry you asked? I should hope so.
Before the day starts, I simply must share the exchange I saw over at Yahoo Answers, where someone posted what I hope was only a semi-serious question about how Pluto's reclassification would affect their horoscope.

Richmond Times-Dispatch: Passion, science of Pluto's ranking
Author Dava Sobel says her chapter on Pluto in "The Planets" still stands, despite the icy body's recent demotion in the solar system.

The Daily Iowan: From black holes and Mars to plunking Pluto
Of all the fields of science, astronomy is one of the most tumultuous. New hypotheses and discoveries come nearly every week - from finding a "puffy" planet lighter than cork to cutting Pluto from the planetary team to colliding galaxies - and there's no sign it will ever let up.

UPI: The Almanac
Today is Thursday, Oct. 5, the 278th day of 2006 with 87 to follow. The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Mars and Saturn. The evening stars are Mercury, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, Venus and Pluto.

Ha! Take that, astronomical community! (Sorry) If UPI says it's a planet, it's a planet!

Happy 75th to Dick Tracy, America's greatest cop.

Chicago Sun-Times: Chicago's most famous detective turns 75

For 75 years, Dick Tracy has been busting bad guys -- ones with flat heads, guys who mumble and a few whose faces look like prunes. Like many real police officers, he'll be honored today in Naperville for his public service as part of "Dick Tracy Day," marking the comic strip's 75th anniversary.

CSI: Malipoo*

"What? Me pollute? I'm a star, damn it!"

Watch what happens when our moral and intellectual superiors' effluvia hits the fan...

Chicago Sun-Times: Search for Malibu pollution may lead to stars' toilets

MALIBU, Calif. -- Just whose waste is fouling the most star-studded stretch of the Southern California coast?

Los Angeles County officials intend to find out, and if the evidence leads back to the toilets of some of Hollywood's rich and famous, the sewage could really hit the fan.

''This is going to get messy,'' predicts Mark Pestrella, the public works official assigned to the project.

I'll bet this guy has a screenplay he's been shopping for years.

Environmentalists and health officials suspect Malibu homeowners' leaky septic tanks are allowing what gets flushed down the toilet to flow down the hills and into the Pacific Ocean. To identify the offenders, authorities intend to use DNA testing and, if necessary, get court warrants to inspect septic tanks.

Under pressure from Southern California regulators, investigators over the next few months will begin testing sea water. If DNA shows the waste is human they will follow the trail up creeks that traverse neighborhoods in Malibu, where clean-water advocates such as Pierce Brosnan and Ted Danson live.

* Thanks to Scott Linn of The First Team on Fox for that one.

I would say the mormon crackup continues apace, but they have been cracked since the beginning...

Oh, ok, here's the gratuitous shot at the salamander-whisperers...

Her parents probably wanted her to marry a guy with some experience, one with three or four wives.

KTVB: Authorities say Utah parents kidnap daughter to foil wedding

SALT LAKE CITY -- Some parents plan weddings, others unplan them. Authorities in Utah say parents Lemuel and Julia Redd of Provo, told their 21-year-old daughter they were taking her shopping back in August, a few days before her planned wedding.