Great column by Paul Long of the Michigan Catholic Conference on Adult Stem-Cell Treatments today.
Quote: "Carron Marrow, a 58-year-old mother of two from Alabama, who, after receiving adult stem cell treatments following a heart attack, stated: "I don't understand why we have this huge political mess going on about stem cells. I'm living proof that adult stem cells work far better than embryonic. I'm here to say: 'It saved my life.' "
And for a list of conditions treated by adult/cord blood stem cell vs. a those treated by embryonic stem cell "progress" go here.
Remind us again why California taxpayers shelled out $3billion+ for immoral unethical embryo destroying research that has yet to show a single cure, while adult & cord blood stem cells are curing people left and right?
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Pro-Life Film Festival in SF
The Respect Life Office of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, in conjunction with the Archdiocese of Oakland and Ignatius Press, is inaugurating it's First Annual "Cinema Vita Film Festival."
The first Cinema Vita Festival will take place March 7, 2008. Submissions are currently being sought.
For submission guidelines and other information about the festival, go here.
The first Cinema Vita Festival will take place March 7, 2008. Submissions are currently being sought.
For submission guidelines and other information about the festival, go here.
That's Tolerance
Here are some excerpts from an article (Imposing Tolerance) by Fr. John Flynn, L.C. quoted in Monday’s edition of Zenit.org).
State laws on homosexuality are increasingly creating conflicts for Christians who wish to follow their conscience. In recent days, news came from England of a Christian couple who face being forced to give up their role as foster parents because they were not prepared to promote homosexuality…
An article published the same day by the Daily Mail newspaper added that the new laws are part of the Equality Act 2006, which make discrimination on the grounds of sexuality illegal. The change comes at a time when the Daily Mail said there is a critical shortage of foster parents, with an additional 8,000 needed….
The Daily Mail also warned that the new law will have widespread consequences. For example, a Christian printer will not be able to refuse producing material promoting homosexuality, and churches will not be allowed to refuse to rent out conference centers or parish halls to homosexual groups …
Then there was the case earlier this year in New Zealand, where a homosexual Iranian won asylum while another Iranian, a Christian, was denied the same status. According to a Feb. 9 report by the New Zealand Herald, the Refugee Status Appeals Authority allowed Ahmad Tahooni to stay, even though in his original appeal he had claimed asylum on political and not sexual grounds….Meanwhile, Thomas Yadegary, also Iranian, converted to Catholicism after arriving in New Zealand in 1994. He was arrested in November 2004 and his application for refugee status was rejected. Yadegary argued that Muslims who convert to Christianity face a potential death penalty in Iran…
That’s tolerance??
State laws on homosexuality are increasingly creating conflicts for Christians who wish to follow their conscience. In recent days, news came from England of a Christian couple who face being forced to give up their role as foster parents because they were not prepared to promote homosexuality…
An article published the same day by the Daily Mail newspaper added that the new laws are part of the Equality Act 2006, which make discrimination on the grounds of sexuality illegal. The change comes at a time when the Daily Mail said there is a critical shortage of foster parents, with an additional 8,000 needed….
The Daily Mail also warned that the new law will have widespread consequences. For example, a Christian printer will not be able to refuse producing material promoting homosexuality, and churches will not be allowed to refuse to rent out conference centers or parish halls to homosexual groups …
Then there was the case earlier this year in New Zealand, where a homosexual Iranian won asylum while another Iranian, a Christian, was denied the same status. According to a Feb. 9 report by the New Zealand Herald, the Refugee Status Appeals Authority allowed Ahmad Tahooni to stay, even though in his original appeal he had claimed asylum on political and not sexual grounds….Meanwhile, Thomas Yadegary, also Iranian, converted to Catholicism after arriving in New Zealand in 1994. He was arrested in November 2004 and his application for refugee status was rejected. Yadegary argued that Muslims who convert to Christianity face a potential death penalty in Iran…
That’s tolerance??
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Most Holy Redeemer: Good News!
It's often said that light is the best disinfectant.
That certainly seems to be true with the firestorm ignited by Archbishop Niederauer's inadvertantly giving communion to the two "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence" at MHR on October 7.
Reading my "Catholic San Francisco" newspaper this week, I couldn't avoid noticing how many "Letters to the Editor" (unsurprisingly, almost the entire letters section was given over to this subject) faulted those who publicized the sacrilege, instead of those who committed and abetted it.
But the now-famous video has already apparently had one excellent result: the s/m motorcycle club, the "Golden Gate Guards," have abruptly moved their scheduled November 17 Anniversary Party from Most Holy Redeemer to another location. Since every one of the "Golden Gate Guards" Anniversary Parties dating back to December 1, 2001 have been held at Most Holy Redeemer, and the "Golden Gate Guards" events calendar was changed on October 12, right after that video hit the web, a little cause and effect seems to be in operation.
Go to qdomine.com for links to a website (be sure to visit the site's entry page prior to clicking on the links) that hosts photos of some of the Golden Gate Guards Anniversary Parties held at MHR, and tell me it's not a good thing that such an event is no longer being held in a Catholic parish!
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
That certainly seems to be true with the firestorm ignited by Archbishop Niederauer's inadvertantly giving communion to the two "Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence" at MHR on October 7.
Reading my "Catholic San Francisco" newspaper this week, I couldn't avoid noticing how many "Letters to the Editor" (unsurprisingly, almost the entire letters section was given over to this subject) faulted those who publicized the sacrilege, instead of those who committed and abetted it.
But the now-famous video has already apparently had one excellent result: the s/m motorcycle club, the "Golden Gate Guards," have abruptly moved their scheduled November 17 Anniversary Party from Most Holy Redeemer to another location. Since every one of the "Golden Gate Guards" Anniversary Parties dating back to December 1, 2001 have been held at Most Holy Redeemer, and the "Golden Gate Guards" events calendar was changed on October 12, right after that video hit the web, a little cause and effect seems to be in operation.
Go to qdomine.com for links to a website (be sure to visit the site's entry page prior to clicking on the links) that hosts photos of some of the Golden Gate Guards Anniversary Parties held at MHR, and tell me it's not a good thing that such an event is no longer being held in a Catholic parish!
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Free Speech
The American Center for Law and Justice sent me this notice, which should be known to all who treasure freedom of speech in the USA:
AmericansLiberals on Capitol Hill are getting nervous. They're desperately trying to silence the voice of their opposition.In fact, they'd like to replace freedom of speech with just that:SILENCE. And you and I are not only witnesses to their desperation ... we could be victims of it as well.
As we move into this critical year leading up to the national elections, the liberal faction of Congress is looking for any way possible to stifle the opposition and suppress opposing views.
Their answer? The so-called ''Fairness Doctrine.''
Our response? The Broadcaster Freedom Act.
Trying to reinstate the ''Fairness Doctrine'' (a regulatory policy which mandates that broadcasters provide equal coverage of controversial topics) is a slap in the face of our constitutional right to guaranteed free speech. It would stifle religious and conservative programming and force the liberal agenda back into the marketplace. But even more outrageous is the current attack brought by some in leadership in the House of Representatives - led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi. House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi, along with other liberals, refuses to even bring the Broadcaster Freedom Act, a very deserving bill, to the floor for a vote. It's is an offensive show of power ... an attempt to strong arm left-wing liberalism into the laws of our land. The Broadcaster Freedom Act is an important piece of legislation that the ACLJ fully supports. It would strike down the Fairness Doctrine - and prohibit the FCC or any future President from attempts to resurrect it.
But Congressmen Mike Pence and Greg Walden aren't about to let these political games threaten your constitutional rights. They have instituted a procedure in the House known as a ''Discharge Petition.'' If they can get 218 member signatures on it, the leadership will be forced to schedule the bill for a floor vote. We must send a strong and united message to Speaker Pelosi and House liberals: As citizens of the United States of America, we fully expect our elected leaders to uphold and protect free speech. Do not allow a liberal faction of Congress to dangerously promote their agenda - unopposed.
Add your voice to this critical campaign and stand with the ACLJ in support of the Broadcaster Freedom Act ... and YOUR right to free speech!
AmericansLiberals on Capitol Hill are getting nervous. They're desperately trying to silence the voice of their opposition.In fact, they'd like to replace freedom of speech with just that:SILENCE. And you and I are not only witnesses to their desperation ... we could be victims of it as well.
As we move into this critical year leading up to the national elections, the liberal faction of Congress is looking for any way possible to stifle the opposition and suppress opposing views.
Their answer? The so-called ''Fairness Doctrine.''
Our response? The Broadcaster Freedom Act.
Trying to reinstate the ''Fairness Doctrine'' (a regulatory policy which mandates that broadcasters provide equal coverage of controversial topics) is a slap in the face of our constitutional right to guaranteed free speech. It would stifle religious and conservative programming and force the liberal agenda back into the marketplace. But even more outrageous is the current attack brought by some in leadership in the House of Representatives - led by Speaker Nancy Pelosi. House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi, along with other liberals, refuses to even bring the Broadcaster Freedom Act, a very deserving bill, to the floor for a vote. It's is an offensive show of power ... an attempt to strong arm left-wing liberalism into the laws of our land. The Broadcaster Freedom Act is an important piece of legislation that the ACLJ fully supports. It would strike down the Fairness Doctrine - and prohibit the FCC or any future President from attempts to resurrect it.
But Congressmen Mike Pence and Greg Walden aren't about to let these political games threaten your constitutional rights. They have instituted a procedure in the House known as a ''Discharge Petition.'' If they can get 218 member signatures on it, the leadership will be forced to schedule the bill for a floor vote. We must send a strong and united message to Speaker Pelosi and House liberals: As citizens of the United States of America, we fully expect our elected leaders to uphold and protect free speech. Do not allow a liberal faction of Congress to dangerously promote their agenda - unopposed.
Add your voice to this critical campaign and stand with the ACLJ in support of the Broadcaster Freedom Act ... and YOUR right to free speech!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
The Problem is not the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence...
...it's Most Holy Redeemer Parish, and the failure to exercise rightful authority by the successive Bishops of San Francisco. By now we have all seen the video of Archbishop Niederauer giving communion to the two SPI's on October 7.
But the latest revelation from qdomine.com is in some ways even more shocking. The Church was hosting meetings of "leather (read S/M)" motorcycle clubs for over six years, and a photographer who chronicles such things was there taking photos. Remember, the things you see are taking place on church property.
http://www.qdomine.com/Morality_pages/MHR2.htm
The SPI's attending Mass could have been shrugged off as a one-time event (though obviously it wasn't) where everybody was caught by surprise, even though some parishioners are obviously familiar with and welcoming to, the SPI's. But these latest pictures show what was considered to be completely acceptable behavior taking place on Church property over at least the past six years. What the hell is our Archdiocese going to do about this?
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
But the latest revelation from qdomine.com is in some ways even more shocking. The Church was hosting meetings of "leather (read S/M)" motorcycle clubs for over six years, and a photographer who chronicles such things was there taking photos. Remember, the things you see are taking place on church property.
http://www.qdomine.com/Morality_pages/MHR2.htm
The SPI's attending Mass could have been shrugged off as a one-time event (though obviously it wasn't) where everybody was caught by surprise, even though some parishioners are obviously familiar with and welcoming to, the SPI's. But these latest pictures show what was considered to be completely acceptable behavior taking place on Church property over at least the past six years. What the hell is our Archdiocese going to do about this?
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
Safety Zones
Tonight the Oakland City Council’s Public Safety Committee will discuss a plan to establish “medical safety zones at abortion clinics.” The plan is to put an eight foot “safety bubble” around those coming to seek abortions.
Perish the thought that anyone would get close enough to someone seeking an abortion in order to save them from murdering the infant in their womb!
It’s being called an unnecessary intrusion in freedom of speech by ant abortion activists who seek to hand out literature. Those coming to the clinic are often ignorant of the total implications of what they are planning to do and have been dissuaded by the literature given them.
One escort at several Oakland clinics has said that the ordinance is “essential to women who are scared away from getting access to reproductive health care…This is a public safety issue. It provides a respect zone.”
Public safety? Not for the safety of the baby in the womb!
Respect zone? Where’s the respect for the baby in the womb!
Perish the thought that anyone would get close enough to someone seeking an abortion in order to save them from murdering the infant in their womb!
It’s being called an unnecessary intrusion in freedom of speech by ant abortion activists who seek to hand out literature. Those coming to the clinic are often ignorant of the total implications of what they are planning to do and have been dissuaded by the literature given them.
One escort at several Oakland clinics has said that the ordinance is “essential to women who are scared away from getting access to reproductive health care…This is a public safety issue. It provides a respect zone.”
Public safety? Not for the safety of the baby in the womb!
Respect zone? Where’s the respect for the baby in the womb!
Monday, October 22, 2007
Save the Children
There is an enlightening article by Paul Kengor on the Clintons and their abortion advocacy. His book God and Hillary Clinton, is published by HarperCollins.
The Clinton's God - National Catholic Resister:
“Hilary “scores a 100% rating from NARAL and a 0% rating from the National Right to Life Committee. While, like Bill, she is willing to compromise on numerous political issues, she will not budge on abortion. It is neither uncharitable nor inaccurate — nor name calling — to say that on the subject of abortion Hillary Clinton is fanatical.
“There is no issue that impassions her more. She has not changed her position on any meaningful life issue, from federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research to banning partial-birth abortions to supporting funding for ultrasound machines to backing legislation to protect babies injured in the womb by outside parties.
“But here is maybe the saddest part of her intransigence: As a lifelong committed Methodist, Hillary sees no contradiction in supporting abortion. Quite the contrary, she points to her church’s leadership as a source of guidance. …
“No president did as much to advance legalized abortion as Bill Clinton, who is now poised to be exceeded in that capacity only by his spouse, who has an exceedingly good chance of becoming our next president, and no doubt will be the Democratic Party’s nominee for 2008.”
The Clinton's God - National Catholic Resister:
“Hilary “scores a 100% rating from NARAL and a 0% rating from the National Right to Life Committee. While, like Bill, she is willing to compromise on numerous political issues, she will not budge on abortion. It is neither uncharitable nor inaccurate — nor name calling — to say that on the subject of abortion Hillary Clinton is fanatical.
“There is no issue that impassions her more. She has not changed her position on any meaningful life issue, from federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research to banning partial-birth abortions to supporting funding for ultrasound machines to backing legislation to protect babies injured in the womb by outside parties.
“But here is maybe the saddest part of her intransigence: As a lifelong committed Methodist, Hillary sees no contradiction in supporting abortion. Quite the contrary, she points to her church’s leadership as a source of guidance. …
“No president did as much to advance legalized abortion as Bill Clinton, who is now poised to be exceeded in that capacity only by his spouse, who has an exceedingly good chance of becoming our next president, and no doubt will be the Democratic Party’s nominee for 2008.”
"The Culmination of Years of Dissent"
More on Most Holy Redeemer and the Archbishop:
Diogenes offers a thought experiment.
And at Spero News Joni Durling makes the same points we've been making here, and here.
"This is not some new problem that suddenly appeared on October 6 (sic), 2007. This is the culmination of years of dissent in the parish of Most Holy Redeemer.
Archbishop Niederauer has missed the golden opportunity to educate
the laity of his diocese regarding the teachings of the Church on homosexuality."
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney.
Diogenes offers a thought experiment.
And at Spero News Joni Durling makes the same points we've been making here, and here.
"This is not some new problem that suddenly appeared on October 6 (sic), 2007. This is the culmination of years of dissent in the parish of Most Holy Redeemer.
Archbishop Niederauer has missed the golden opportunity to educate
the laity of his diocese regarding the teachings of the Church on homosexuality."
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Stem-Cell Update!
A while back, Fr. Malloy posted to a Zenit story about the Michigan Catholic Conference's very impressive new statewide stem-cell educational program.
Now the Conference's package is online. It is a fantastic resource that addresses basic questions such as "What is a stem-cell?" and also the differences between adult/cord-blood stem-cells and embryonic stem cells. It lists the various conditions treated by adult/cord blood stem-cells (lots) vs. those conditions treated by embryonic stem-cells (zero). Theres is also video and an excellent brochure clearly outling church teaching on the subject. And for those who want to pursue the subject more deeply, there is a 16 page guide to peer-reviewed literature on the subject.
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
Now the Conference's package is online. It is a fantastic resource that addresses basic questions such as "What is a stem-cell?" and also the differences between adult/cord-blood stem-cells and embryonic stem cells. It lists the various conditions treated by adult/cord blood stem-cells (lots) vs. those conditions treated by embryonic stem-cells (zero). Theres is also video and an excellent brochure clearly outling church teaching on the subject. And for those who want to pursue the subject more deeply, there is a 16 page guide to peer-reviewed literature on the subject.
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
MHR: Outrage is not "Overblown", it's Overdue.
Given what goes on regularly at Most Holy Redeemer parish, one can understand Fr. Steven Meriwether's complaint that the outrage over Archbishop Niederauer giving communion to the two SPI's as "overblown."
After all, as qdomine.com has reported: Just a week before the Archbishop's visit, the parish had hosted a drag queen beauty pageant, with no objection from the Archdiocese.
And on June 24, MHR made its annual appearance at the Gay Pride parade, with no objection from the Archdiocese.
And on April 29, MHR hosted a "Gay Service" broadcast worldwide on the BBC, with no objection from the Archdiocese.
And on February 17, MHR hosted "Awards Night" for the "Inter-Club Fund" a leather (read S/M) motorcycle club, who are big fans of that foretaste of hell, the Folsom Street Fair, with no objection from the Archdiocese.
And on Jaunary 27, the members of the MHR Young Adult Group were presented as debutantes at the "SF Transgender Cotillion" with no objection from the Archdiocese.
And this was just in 2007!
Yes, given the tolerance of these activities, it's no wonder Fr. Meriwther is surprised that a little thing like giving the Holy Eucharistic to church-mocking transvestites might be considered out-of-bounds. Apparently, nobody ever told him there were any bounds.
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
After all, as qdomine.com has reported: Just a week before the Archbishop's visit, the parish had hosted a drag queen beauty pageant, with no objection from the Archdiocese.
And on June 24, MHR made its annual appearance at the Gay Pride parade, with no objection from the Archdiocese.
And on April 29, MHR hosted a "Gay Service" broadcast worldwide on the BBC, with no objection from the Archdiocese.
And on February 17, MHR hosted "Awards Night" for the "Inter-Club Fund" a leather (read S/M) motorcycle club, who are big fans of that foretaste of hell, the Folsom Street Fair, with no objection from the Archdiocese.
And on Jaunary 27, the members of the MHR Young Adult Group were presented as debutantes at the "SF Transgender Cotillion" with no objection from the Archdiocese.
And this was just in 2007!
Yes, given the tolerance of these activities, it's no wonder Fr. Meriwther is surprised that a little thing like giving the Holy Eucharistic to church-mocking transvestites might be considered out-of-bounds. Apparently, nobody ever told him there were any bounds.
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
Thursday, October 18, 2007
When all else fails, blame the messenger....
seems to be the latest take from our Archdiocese on the Archbishop Niederauer/ Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence/ Most Holy Redeemer event.
One question: the Archbishop celebrates Mass every Sunday at the Cathedral. If the SPI's "wanted an opportunity to welcome the Archbishop to San Francisco" as they claim, why did they wait 18 months until the day he celebrated Mass at Most Holy Redeemer?
Update:
Diogenes & American Papist weigh in.
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
One question: the Archbishop celebrates Mass every Sunday at the Cathedral. If the SPI's "wanted an opportunity to welcome the Archbishop to San Francisco" as they claim, why did they wait 18 months until the day he celebrated Mass at Most Holy Redeemer?
Update:
Diogenes & American Papist weigh in.
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
See, We Told You So.....
Not 48 hours ago we mentioned the relationship between Most Holy Redeemer Church and the University of San Francisco, specifically the appointment of Fr. Donal Godfrey, SJ, (who wrote an approving book about MHR: see here and here) to the position of Executive Director of Campus Ministry at USF.
As if on cue, the Jesuits chime in on the scandal of Archbishop Niederauer's giving communion to two members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. From this morning's San Francisco Chronicle:
"The general sacramental principle is that you don't deny the sacrament to someone who requests it," said the Rev. Jim Bretzke, professor of moral theology at University of San Francisco, a Jesuit Catholic university....."Over-accessorizing and poor taste in makeup is not an excommunicable offense."
Fr. Bretzke is the co-chair of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at USF. He's also on the Advisory Board of the Lane Center for Catholic Studies and Social Thought, who sponsored the "Queer Perspectives" seminar last February at Most Holy Redeemer.
"Over-accessorizing and poor taste in makeup is not an excommunicable offense." If I were a Catholic parent spending $25K per year to send my Catholic son or daughter to an ostensibly Catholic University, I'd expect this issue to be taken a little more seriously.
Update: Lifesite News & Curt Jester are on the case.
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
As if on cue, the Jesuits chime in on the scandal of Archbishop Niederauer's giving communion to two members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. From this morning's San Francisco Chronicle:
"The general sacramental principle is that you don't deny the sacrament to someone who requests it," said the Rev. Jim Bretzke, professor of moral theology at University of San Francisco, a Jesuit Catholic university....."Over-accessorizing and poor taste in makeup is not an excommunicable offense."
Fr. Bretzke is the co-chair of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at USF. He's also on the Advisory Board of the Lane Center for Catholic Studies and Social Thought, who sponsored the "Queer Perspectives" seminar last February at Most Holy Redeemer.
"Over-accessorizing and poor taste in makeup is not an excommunicable offense." If I were a Catholic parent spending $25K per year to send my Catholic son or daughter to an ostensibly Catholic University, I'd expect this issue to be taken a little more seriously.
Update: Lifesite News & Curt Jester are on the case.
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
Calfornia & Sex-Ed
The California Catholic Daily, an on-line publication, has this revealing article on the consequences of our sex-ed public school policy :
How does Planned Parenthood explain this?
Rate of sexually-transmitted diseases soars among young Californians
A study published last month in the Californian Journal of Health Promotion reports that in 2005 there were 1.1 million new cases of sexually-transmitted infections among young people in California. The 1.1 million figure is ten times higher than previously believed, and it means that in the 15-24 age group, diseases such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HPV and HIV now infect almost one out of every four young Californians. Is this because of a lack of sex-ed in the public schools? Apparently not. According to Chris Weinkopf, editorial-page editor of the Los Angeles Daily News, the California Department of Education reports that "96 percent of California school districts provide comprehensive sexual health education" and all California schools have been required to teach HIV/AIDS prevention education since 1992. Can we blame the abstinence-only programs promoted by the Bush administration? Not in California.
Weinkopf notes that state law prohibits 'abstinence-only' education in the public schools. In addition, California may be the only state in the country that has refused to accept millions of federal dollars for abstinence education. "This [soaring rate of sexually-transmitted infections] is no surprise," said Linda Klepacki, sexual health analyst for Focus on the Family Action in an online press release. "California has insisted on teaching contraceptive-based sex education in their schools all along. They expect teens to be sexually active. They don’t raise the health standard to abstinence…
It's clear California supports sexually active teens, and STI rates will naturally explode with these policies." Another factor in the out-of-control disease rates among California children and young adults may be the introduction of the “morning-after” pill. According to testimony offered to the FDA in 2004, sexually-transmitted infections soared in the British Isles when “Plan B” (the morning-after pill) was made available without prescription in 2000. Ignoring the warning signals from the UK, California subsequently became one of the first states to permit the sale of Plan B over-the-counter without an age limit. (Compiled testimony of Wendy Wright, Carole Denner, and Jill Stanek, "The Morning-After Pill: An Ill Wind This Way Blows.")
The new study on sexually-transmitted infections among young people in California was completed by the Center for Research on Adolescent Health and Development at the Public Health Institute in Oakland. Study author Dr. Petra Jerman told Medical News Today that the statistics revealed an epidemic of which, like an iceberg, only a small part is visible. The authors acknowledged that their figures are underestimated because of incomplete screening of sexually active young people, and failure to confirm the effectiveness of treatment through follow-up testing. Ed Thomas of OneNewsNow.com added another dimension to this distressing picture by reporting that a striking increase in suicide rates among people ages 10 to 24 has been confirmed by recently released statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control .
At the same time, says Thomas, UCLA psychiatrist Dr. Miriam Grossman is convinced that promiscuity is the root cause of much depression. Dr. Grossman argues that the promiscuity-depression-suicide link is being ignored by doctors who fail to caution students against the documented self-destructive dangers rampant in the university’s sexual “hook-up” culture.
How does Planned Parenthood explain this?
Rate of sexually-transmitted diseases soars among young Californians
A study published last month in the Californian Journal of Health Promotion reports that in 2005 there were 1.1 million new cases of sexually-transmitted infections among young people in California. The 1.1 million figure is ten times higher than previously believed, and it means that in the 15-24 age group, diseases such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, HPV and HIV now infect almost one out of every four young Californians. Is this because of a lack of sex-ed in the public schools? Apparently not. According to Chris Weinkopf, editorial-page editor of the Los Angeles Daily News, the California Department of Education reports that "96 percent of California school districts provide comprehensive sexual health education" and all California schools have been required to teach HIV/AIDS prevention education since 1992. Can we blame the abstinence-only programs promoted by the Bush administration? Not in California.
Weinkopf notes that state law prohibits 'abstinence-only' education in the public schools. In addition, California may be the only state in the country that has refused to accept millions of federal dollars for abstinence education. "This [soaring rate of sexually-transmitted infections] is no surprise," said Linda Klepacki, sexual health analyst for Focus on the Family Action in an online press release. "California has insisted on teaching contraceptive-based sex education in their schools all along. They expect teens to be sexually active. They don’t raise the health standard to abstinence…
It's clear California supports sexually active teens, and STI rates will naturally explode with these policies." Another factor in the out-of-control disease rates among California children and young adults may be the introduction of the “morning-after” pill. According to testimony offered to the FDA in 2004, sexually-transmitted infections soared in the British Isles when “Plan B” (the morning-after pill) was made available without prescription in 2000. Ignoring the warning signals from the UK, California subsequently became one of the first states to permit the sale of Plan B over-the-counter without an age limit. (Compiled testimony of Wendy Wright, Carole Denner, and Jill Stanek, "The Morning-After Pill: An Ill Wind This Way Blows.")
The new study on sexually-transmitted infections among young people in California was completed by the Center for Research on Adolescent Health and Development at the Public Health Institute in Oakland. Study author Dr. Petra Jerman told Medical News Today that the statistics revealed an epidemic of which, like an iceberg, only a small part is visible. The authors acknowledged that their figures are underestimated because of incomplete screening of sexually active young people, and failure to confirm the effectiveness of treatment through follow-up testing. Ed Thomas of OneNewsNow.com added another dimension to this distressing picture by reporting that a striking increase in suicide rates among people ages 10 to 24 has been confirmed by recently released statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control .
At the same time, says Thomas, UCLA psychiatrist Dr. Miriam Grossman is convinced that promiscuity is the root cause of much depression. Dr. Grossman argues that the promiscuity-depression-suicide link is being ignored by doctors who fail to caution students against the documented self-destructive dangers rampant in the university’s sexual “hook-up” culture.
Monday, October 15, 2007
They're Not Sorry....Part II
...because they don't think they've done anything wrong. That's why Most Holy Redeemer in San Francisco was willing to give space in their October 14 bulletin to a "Sister of Perpetual Indulgence" thanking the parish for the lovely welcome back on October 7, despite the nationwide scandal caused by Archbishop Niederauer giving Communion to two members of the SPI. As we argued back on August 27, 2007, in the post "MHR and How it Got That way" , where we reviewed of Fr. Donal Godfrey's history of Most Holy Redeemer:
"Relentlessly and beyond doubt, (Fr. Godfrey's book "Gays and Grays") shows that the authentic community-forming experience at Most Holy Redeemer Parish in San Francisco is not Catholicism, but homosexuality. Existentially, Most Holy Redeemer is not a Catholic parish. It is not a Christian parish. It is a gay parish."
hence:
"...such events (i.e., the Archbishop giving Communion to the SPI) will not be experienced by the parishioners as blasphemous, because they validate the community-forming experience."
and, we argued:
"The fault lies squarely with the Archdiocese of San Francisco, which, as detailed in Fr. Godfrey’s book, allowed a Catholic parish to turn into an heretical spiritual institution."
It's important to note that Fr. Godfrey's book views the corruption of MHR with a mostly approving eye. He is, of course, the same priest, who celebrated the "gay service" at MHR earlier this year. It is equally important to note that, with full knowledge of Fr. Godfrey's background, on August 1, 2007 he was appointed the Executive Director of Campus Ministry at the University of San Francisco.
Qdomine.com has more on the USF/MHR connection.
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
"Relentlessly and beyond doubt, (Fr. Godfrey's book "Gays and Grays") shows that the authentic community-forming experience at Most Holy Redeemer Parish in San Francisco is not Catholicism, but homosexuality. Existentially, Most Holy Redeemer is not a Catholic parish. It is not a Christian parish. It is a gay parish."
hence:
"...such events (i.e., the Archbishop giving Communion to the SPI) will not be experienced by the parishioners as blasphemous, because they validate the community-forming experience."
and, we argued:
"The fault lies squarely with the Archdiocese of San Francisco, which, as detailed in Fr. Godfrey’s book, allowed a Catholic parish to turn into an heretical spiritual institution."
It's important to note that Fr. Godfrey's book views the corruption of MHR with a mostly approving eye. He is, of course, the same priest, who celebrated the "gay service" at MHR earlier this year. It is equally important to note that, with full knowledge of Fr. Godfrey's background, on August 1, 2007 he was appointed the Executive Director of Campus Ministry at the University of San Francisco.
Qdomine.com has more on the USF/MHR connection.
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
How Tolerant and Compassionate Was Jesus?
Tolerance is a word that has bugged me for a long time and I have written and preached about it often. I received this article from a good friend and it expresses my opinion (and the Church’s) beautifully:
Are You Compassionate? By Abbot Joseph
(Abbot Joseph, a monk for 22 years, has for the past five years been the Abbot of Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Redwood Valley, California, a Byzantine-rite monastery in the Ukrainian Catholic Church.)
I have nothing but compassion for people who misuse the term "compassion." This does not mean that I tolerate such misuse in the least, as you will see. One of the most beautiful divine qualities, in which we are invited to share -- "Be compassionate as my Father is compassionate" (Lk. 6:36) -- is all too often twisted into something that is tantamount to offering people a license to sin. "Compassion," in modern parlance, means something like universal tolerance with a dose of sentimentality, which turns a blind eye to evil. In the Byzantine tradition, Christ is often called "The Lover of Mankind" and "The Compassionate One." But He is never referred to as "The Tolerant One," and with good reason.
There are different ways to express compassion, based on the need of those to whom we show mercy. To show compassion to the hungry is to give them food; to show compassion to the homeless and unemployed is to help them find housing and work. If you wish to be compassionate to the sick or elderly, comfort and assist them. But if you want to be like Jesus in showing compassion to sinners, invite them to repent.
Christ came into the world to save sinners. He didn't come to make sinners feel good about themselves or to instruct us on how to blur the distinction between good and evil, based on current trends or personal preference. Some people attempt to justify their (or society's) wrongdoing by saying, for example, that Jesus refused to condemn the woman caught in adultery and that He spent much of His time eating and drinking with sinners. They don't seem to be willing or able to understand why He did that.
Jesus' words to the adulterous woman, "Neither do I condemn you" (Jn. 8:11), are filled with forgiveness, not tolerance. She knew her own sin, and He knew that she did, whereas the would-be stone-throwers weren't reflecting upon theirs. So Jesus had to deal with them first. But after He forgave the woman, notice that Jesus did not say, "Go, follow your feelings, celebrate diversity, and try not to hurt anyone." He said, "Go, and sin no more." To the paralytic, He added a further warning: "Sin no more, lest something worse befall you" (Jn. 5:14). Compassion does not equal tolerance, especially where sin is concerned. If compassion, like genuine love, is not rooted in truth, it is at best misguided emotion and at worst a refusal to enlighten a soul in danger of damnation.
As for being found in the company of sinners, Jesus also gave His reason for that: Sick people need a physician. He ate with sinners, not to approve their lifestyle, but to call them to repentance (Lk. 5:29-32). Jesus knew, and the Church has always known -- until relatively recently, it seems -- that the salvation of souls is the most urgent and essential task that can be undertaken on earth. Therefore, compassion is expressed most perfectly by whatever one does for the eternal benefit of others. The most genuine love is concern for their salvation. Does it occur to anyone that Jesus was being compassionate to the money-changers by casting them out of the temple, or to the Pharisees by His fiery denunciations of their hypocrisy? Everything He said or did was an expression of divine love and compassion, with the goal of leading people to everlasting life in Heaven. If people are unaware that their behavior is sinful, we must make them aware of it -- not to hurt, but to heal; not to condemn, but to save.
Sometimes compassion is equated with a sort of nebulous, ineffectual "kindness," one that ends up refusing to let someone know that his soul is in danger. God's kindness is different: "Do you not know that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?" (Rom. 2:4). We are not being compassionate if we allow friends or loved ones to walk the broad path to perdition simply because we are too "kind" to upset them by attempting to awaken their consciences. Today's "kind and compassionate" people say that God loves us as we are, but I once heard a wise and necessary addition to that statement: "but He loves us too much to let us stay the way we are."
A number of years ago, a man who was a caregiver for AIDS patients (he was affiliated with a religious order) visited our monastery. In the course of our conversation I innocently asked him -- not realizing at the time how inflammatory a question this was -- if he encouraged the patients to reconcile with God before they died. His face acquired a horrified expression and he exclaimed: "Oh, no! We believe in a nonjudgmental God!" Is it compassionate to deny a sinner a last chance to repent? Is it compassionate thereby to consign him to Hell, with the kindly look on your face the last thing he sees? That is the devil's "compassion," not the Lord's.
The Lord's compassion, however, goes beyond calling sinners to repentance. We have to be careful not to fall into pharisaical self-righteousness by limiting our relationship with public sinners to a perfunctory, even haughty: "You need to repent!" To be compassionate is to be at the service of others' repentance. Jesus went to the Cross to prove the genuineness of His love for sinners and desire for our salvation. "By this we know love, that He laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" (1 Jn. 3:16). This does not mean that we literally have to die for sinners -- the only One who could effectively do that has done it -- but it does mean that we have to pray fervently and make sacrifices for others, to speak the truth in love, making whatever practical efforts we can to contribute to the Church's work of saving souls, that is, of leading souls to the Savior. To paraphrase the Apostle John, let us not be compassionate only in word, but in deed and in truth.
In clerical circles, there's another similarly abused word: "pastoral." It seems that almost any manifest disregard for Church teachings is practiced for "pastoral" reasons. This usually includes tolerance of abortion, homosexual behavior, artificial contraception, or invalid marriages. How is it pastoral for a shepherd to encourage his sheep to walk into the mouth of the wolf? How are we being sensitive and caring by numbing consciences that will be rudely awakened -- all too late -- on Judgment Day? What kind of physician of souls will offer a temporary palliative when the cure is available? Come on, doc, don't spare us the pain of the needle if the medicine is going to save our lives!
To speak the truth and to call sinners to repentance does not mean, however, to be hard-hearted, unfeeling, or unmoved by the real suffering and struggles of those who are in some kind of moral dilemma or state of sin. To be compassionate is also to listen, to "suffer with," and to carry them in loving prayer to God. But it is not compassionate merely to leave it at that, especially if simply being with others gives them the impression that they need not repent. Repentance requires an inner awakening, an understanding of the state of one's soul, and a desire to do something about it. It is neither regret without amendment nor a ritual sterilized by routine. One must be willing to hear the word of the Lord and respond to it. Repentance is a redirection of our intentions, a change of heart, expressed by a change of behavior. But this will never happen with an "I'm OK, you're OK" approach.
Nothing is impossible with God -- not even fidelity to the teachings of the Catholic Church! But it will cost much. Eternal salvation is not a minor issue, and Christ warned us that the way is narrow and difficult. Ultimately, however, nothing else really matters. If you lose your soul, you lose everything. Salvation is worth the price of faithfulness to the word of God. True compassion is encouragement to pay it.
It matters what we believe and how we behave. The stakes are high in this adventure called human life. Truth is not relative and Hell is not merely a myth or a useful scare tactic for Christian schoolteachers. Aberrant behavior must not be elevated to an unalienable right, and personal opinions must not be put on a par with divine revelation. Don't be so "kind" as to keep silent while others enshrine sin as an acceptable alternative to righteousness.
So you see why I have compassion for those who abuse the term "compassion," especially if they do so for "pastoral" reasons. I'm calling them to repentance. I'm concerned not only for their souls, but also -- and especially -- for those whom they mislead, whom they lull into spiritual somnolence. If any souls are lost, let it be only because they remained hardened in willful rejection of God until death -- not because some "compassionate" person convinced them that they had no need to repent
Are You Compassionate? By Abbot Joseph
(Abbot Joseph, a monk for 22 years, has for the past five years been the Abbot of Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Redwood Valley, California, a Byzantine-rite monastery in the Ukrainian Catholic Church.)
I have nothing but compassion for people who misuse the term "compassion." This does not mean that I tolerate such misuse in the least, as you will see. One of the most beautiful divine qualities, in which we are invited to share -- "Be compassionate as my Father is compassionate" (Lk. 6:36) -- is all too often twisted into something that is tantamount to offering people a license to sin. "Compassion," in modern parlance, means something like universal tolerance with a dose of sentimentality, which turns a blind eye to evil. In the Byzantine tradition, Christ is often called "The Lover of Mankind" and "The Compassionate One." But He is never referred to as "The Tolerant One," and with good reason.
There are different ways to express compassion, based on the need of those to whom we show mercy. To show compassion to the hungry is to give them food; to show compassion to the homeless and unemployed is to help them find housing and work. If you wish to be compassionate to the sick or elderly, comfort and assist them. But if you want to be like Jesus in showing compassion to sinners, invite them to repent.
Christ came into the world to save sinners. He didn't come to make sinners feel good about themselves or to instruct us on how to blur the distinction between good and evil, based on current trends or personal preference. Some people attempt to justify their (or society's) wrongdoing by saying, for example, that Jesus refused to condemn the woman caught in adultery and that He spent much of His time eating and drinking with sinners. They don't seem to be willing or able to understand why He did that.
Jesus' words to the adulterous woman, "Neither do I condemn you" (Jn. 8:11), are filled with forgiveness, not tolerance. She knew her own sin, and He knew that she did, whereas the would-be stone-throwers weren't reflecting upon theirs. So Jesus had to deal with them first. But after He forgave the woman, notice that Jesus did not say, "Go, follow your feelings, celebrate diversity, and try not to hurt anyone." He said, "Go, and sin no more." To the paralytic, He added a further warning: "Sin no more, lest something worse befall you" (Jn. 5:14). Compassion does not equal tolerance, especially where sin is concerned. If compassion, like genuine love, is not rooted in truth, it is at best misguided emotion and at worst a refusal to enlighten a soul in danger of damnation.
As for being found in the company of sinners, Jesus also gave His reason for that: Sick people need a physician. He ate with sinners, not to approve their lifestyle, but to call them to repentance (Lk. 5:29-32). Jesus knew, and the Church has always known -- until relatively recently, it seems -- that the salvation of souls is the most urgent and essential task that can be undertaken on earth. Therefore, compassion is expressed most perfectly by whatever one does for the eternal benefit of others. The most genuine love is concern for their salvation. Does it occur to anyone that Jesus was being compassionate to the money-changers by casting them out of the temple, or to the Pharisees by His fiery denunciations of their hypocrisy? Everything He said or did was an expression of divine love and compassion, with the goal of leading people to everlasting life in Heaven. If people are unaware that their behavior is sinful, we must make them aware of it -- not to hurt, but to heal; not to condemn, but to save.
Sometimes compassion is equated with a sort of nebulous, ineffectual "kindness," one that ends up refusing to let someone know that his soul is in danger. God's kindness is different: "Do you not know that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?" (Rom. 2:4). We are not being compassionate if we allow friends or loved ones to walk the broad path to perdition simply because we are too "kind" to upset them by attempting to awaken their consciences. Today's "kind and compassionate" people say that God loves us as we are, but I once heard a wise and necessary addition to that statement: "but He loves us too much to let us stay the way we are."
A number of years ago, a man who was a caregiver for AIDS patients (he was affiliated with a religious order) visited our monastery. In the course of our conversation I innocently asked him -- not realizing at the time how inflammatory a question this was -- if he encouraged the patients to reconcile with God before they died. His face acquired a horrified expression and he exclaimed: "Oh, no! We believe in a nonjudgmental God!" Is it compassionate to deny a sinner a last chance to repent? Is it compassionate thereby to consign him to Hell, with the kindly look on your face the last thing he sees? That is the devil's "compassion," not the Lord's.
The Lord's compassion, however, goes beyond calling sinners to repentance. We have to be careful not to fall into pharisaical self-righteousness by limiting our relationship with public sinners to a perfunctory, even haughty: "You need to repent!" To be compassionate is to be at the service of others' repentance. Jesus went to the Cross to prove the genuineness of His love for sinners and desire for our salvation. "By this we know love, that He laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" (1 Jn. 3:16). This does not mean that we literally have to die for sinners -- the only One who could effectively do that has done it -- but it does mean that we have to pray fervently and make sacrifices for others, to speak the truth in love, making whatever practical efforts we can to contribute to the Church's work of saving souls, that is, of leading souls to the Savior. To paraphrase the Apostle John, let us not be compassionate only in word, but in deed and in truth.
In clerical circles, there's another similarly abused word: "pastoral." It seems that almost any manifest disregard for Church teachings is practiced for "pastoral" reasons. This usually includes tolerance of abortion, homosexual behavior, artificial contraception, or invalid marriages. How is it pastoral for a shepherd to encourage his sheep to walk into the mouth of the wolf? How are we being sensitive and caring by numbing consciences that will be rudely awakened -- all too late -- on Judgment Day? What kind of physician of souls will offer a temporary palliative when the cure is available? Come on, doc, don't spare us the pain of the needle if the medicine is going to save our lives!
To speak the truth and to call sinners to repentance does not mean, however, to be hard-hearted, unfeeling, or unmoved by the real suffering and struggles of those who are in some kind of moral dilemma or state of sin. To be compassionate is also to listen, to "suffer with," and to carry them in loving prayer to God. But it is not compassionate merely to leave it at that, especially if simply being with others gives them the impression that they need not repent. Repentance requires an inner awakening, an understanding of the state of one's soul, and a desire to do something about it. It is neither regret without amendment nor a ritual sterilized by routine. One must be willing to hear the word of the Lord and respond to it. Repentance is a redirection of our intentions, a change of heart, expressed by a change of behavior. But this will never happen with an "I'm OK, you're OK" approach.
Nothing is impossible with God -- not even fidelity to the teachings of the Catholic Church! But it will cost much. Eternal salvation is not a minor issue, and Christ warned us that the way is narrow and difficult. Ultimately, however, nothing else really matters. If you lose your soul, you lose everything. Salvation is worth the price of faithfulness to the word of God. True compassion is encouragement to pay it.
It matters what we believe and how we behave. The stakes are high in this adventure called human life. Truth is not relative and Hell is not merely a myth or a useful scare tactic for Christian schoolteachers. Aberrant behavior must not be elevated to an unalienable right, and personal opinions must not be put on a par with divine revelation. Don't be so "kind" as to keep silent while others enshrine sin as an acceptable alternative to righteousness.
So you see why I have compassion for those who abuse the term "compassion," especially if they do so for "pastoral" reasons. I'm calling them to repentance. I'm concerned not only for their souls, but also -- and especially -- for those whom they mislead, whom they lull into spiritual somnolence. If any souls are lost, let it be only because they remained hardened in willful rejection of God until death -- not because some "compassionate" person convinced them that they had no need to repent
They're not Sorry....
Because they don't think they've done anything wrong. That's why Most Holy Redeemer in San Francisco was willing to give space in their October 14 bulletin to a "Sister of Perpetual Indulgence" thanking the parish for the lovely welcome back on October 7, despite the nationwide scandal caused by the Archbishop giving Communion to two members of the SPI.
As we argued back on August 27, 2007, in the post "MHR and How it Got That way" , where we reviewed of Fr. Donal Godfrey's history of Most Holy Redeemer:
"Relentlessly and beyond doubt, (Fr. Godfrey's book "Gays and Grays") shows that the authentic community-forming experience at Most Holy Redeemer Parish in San Francisco is not Catholicism, but homosexuality. Existentially, Most Holy Redeemer is not a Catholic parish. It is not a Christian parish. It is a gay parish."
hence:
"...such events (i.e., the Archbishop giving Communion to the SPI) will not be experienced by the parishioners as blasphemous, because they validate the community-forming experience."
and, we argued:
"The fault lies squarely with the Archdiocese of San Francisco, which, as detailed in Fr. Godfrey’s book, allowed a Catholic parish to turn into an heretical spiritual institution."
American Papist, & Threshing Grain, are on the case.
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
As we argued back on August 27, 2007, in the post "MHR and How it Got That way" , where we reviewed of Fr. Donal Godfrey's history of Most Holy Redeemer:
"Relentlessly and beyond doubt, (Fr. Godfrey's book "Gays and Grays") shows that the authentic community-forming experience at Most Holy Redeemer Parish in San Francisco is not Catholicism, but homosexuality. Existentially, Most Holy Redeemer is not a Catholic parish. It is not a Christian parish. It is a gay parish."
hence:
"...such events (i.e., the Archbishop giving Communion to the SPI) will not be experienced by the parishioners as blasphemous, because they validate the community-forming experience."
and, we argued:
"The fault lies squarely with the Archdiocese of San Francisco, which, as detailed in Fr. Godfrey’s book, allowed a Catholic parish to turn into an heretical spiritual institution."
American Papist, & Threshing Grain, are on the case.
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
Friday, October 12, 2007
Sheriff Joe At It Again
Maricopa County was spending approx. $18 million dollars a year on stray
animals, like cats and dogs. Sheriff Joe offered to take the department over and the County Supervisors said okay. The animal shelters are now all staffed and operated by prisoners. They feed and care for the strays. Every animal in his care is taken out and walked twice daily. He now has prisoners who are experts in animal nutrition and behavior. They give great classes for anyone who'd like to adopt an animal. He has literally taken stray dogs off the street, given them to the care of prisoners, and had them place in dog shows.
The best part? His budget for the entire department is now under $3 million. Teresa and I adopted a Weimaraner from a Maricopa County shelter two years ago. He was neutered, and current on all shots, in great health, and even had a microchip inserted the day we got him. Cost us $78. The prisoners get the benefit of about $0.28 an hour for working, but most would work for free, just to be out of their cells for the day. Most of his budget is for utilities, building maintenance, etc. He pays the prisoners out of the fees collected for adopted animals. I have long wondered when the rest of the country would take a look at the way he runs the jail system, and copy some of his ideas. He has a huge farm, donated to the county years ago, where inmates can work, and they grow most of their own fresh vegetables and food, doing all the work and harvesting by hand. He has a pretty good sized hog farm, which provides meat, and fertilizer. It fertilizes the Christmas tree nursery, where prisoners work, and you can buy a living Christmas tree for $6 - $ 8 for the Holidays, and plant it later. We have six trees in our yard from the Prison.
Yup, he was reelected last year with 83% of the vote. Now he's in trouble with the ACLU again. He painted all his buses and vehicles with a mural that has a special hotline phone number painted on it, where you can call and report suspected illegal aliens. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement wasn't doing enough in his eyes, so he had 40 deputies trained specifically for enforcing immigration laws, started up his hotline, and bought 4 new buses just for hauling folks back to the border. He's kind of a "Git-R Dun" kind of Sheriff. Update on Joe Arpaio.
TO THOSE OF YOU NOT FAMILIAR WITH JOE ARPAIO
HE IS THE MARICOPA ARIZONA COUNTY SHERIFF
AND HE KEEPS GETTING ELECTED OVER AND OVER THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY: Sheriff Joe Arpaio (In Arizona) Who created the "Tent City Jail": He has jail meals down to 40 cents a serving and charges the inmates for them.
He stopped smoking and porno magazines in the jails. Took away their weights.
Cut off all but "G" movies. He started chain gangs so the inmates could do free work on county and city projects. Then He Started Chain Gangs For Women So He Wouldn't Get Sued For Discrimination.
He took away cable TV Until he found out there was A Federal Court Order That Required Cable TV For Jails So He Hooked Up The Cable TV Again Only Let In The Disney Channel And The Weather Channel. When asked why the weather channel He Replied, So They Will Know How Hot It's Gonna Be while They Are Working ON My Chain Gangs.
He Cut Off Coffee Since It Has Zero Nutritional Value. When the inmates complained, he told them, "This Isn't the Ritz/Carlton.....If You Don't Like It, Don't Come Back."
He bought Newt Gingrich's lecture series on videotape that he pipes into the jails. When asked by a reporter if he had any lecture series by a Democrat, he replied that a democratic lecture series might explain why a lot of the inmates were in his jails in the first place. More On The Arizona Sheriff: With Temperatures Being Even Hotter Than Usual In Phoenix (116 Degrees Just Set A New Record), The Associated Press Reports: About 2,000 Inmates Living In A Barbed-Wire-Surrounded Tent Encampment At The Maricopa County Jail Have Been Given Permission To Strip Down To Their Government-Issued Pink Boxer Shorts. On Wednesday, hundreds of men wearing boxers were either curled up on their bunk beds or chatted in the tents, which reached 138 Degrees inside the week before.
Many Were Also Swathed In Wet, Pink Towels As Sweat Collected On Their Chests And Dripped Down To Their PINK SOCKS. "It Feels Like We Are In A Furnace," Said James Zanzot, An Inmate Who Has Lived In The TENTS for 1 year. "It's Inhumane."
Joe Arpaio, the tough-guy sheriff who created the tent city and long ago started making his prisoners wear pink, and eat bologna sandwiches, is not one bit sympathetic He said Wednesday that he told all of the inmates: "It's 120 Degrees In Iraq And Our Soldiers Are Living In Tents Too, And They Have To Wear Full Battle Gear, But They Didn't Commit Any Crimes, So Shut Your Damned Mouths!" Way To Go, Sheriff! Maybe if all prisons were like this one there would be a lot less crime and/or repeat offenders. Criminals should be punished for their crimes - not live in luxury until it's time for their parole, only to go out and commit another crime so they can get back in to live on taxpayers money and enjoy things taxpayers can't afford to have for themselves.
If you agree, pass this on. If not, just delete it.
Sheriff Joe was just reelected Sheriff in Maricopa County, Arizona.
animals, like cats and dogs. Sheriff Joe offered to take the department over and the County Supervisors said okay. The animal shelters are now all staffed and operated by prisoners. They feed and care for the strays. Every animal in his care is taken out and walked twice daily. He now has prisoners who are experts in animal nutrition and behavior. They give great classes for anyone who'd like to adopt an animal. He has literally taken stray dogs off the street, given them to the care of prisoners, and had them place in dog shows.
The best part? His budget for the entire department is now under $3 million. Teresa and I adopted a Weimaraner from a Maricopa County shelter two years ago. He was neutered, and current on all shots, in great health, and even had a microchip inserted the day we got him. Cost us $78. The prisoners get the benefit of about $0.28 an hour for working, but most would work for free, just to be out of their cells for the day. Most of his budget is for utilities, building maintenance, etc. He pays the prisoners out of the fees collected for adopted animals. I have long wondered when the rest of the country would take a look at the way he runs the jail system, and copy some of his ideas. He has a huge farm, donated to the county years ago, where inmates can work, and they grow most of their own fresh vegetables and food, doing all the work and harvesting by hand. He has a pretty good sized hog farm, which provides meat, and fertilizer. It fertilizes the Christmas tree nursery, where prisoners work, and you can buy a living Christmas tree for $6 - $ 8 for the Holidays, and plant it later. We have six trees in our yard from the Prison.
Yup, he was reelected last year with 83% of the vote. Now he's in trouble with the ACLU again. He painted all his buses and vehicles with a mural that has a special hotline phone number painted on it, where you can call and report suspected illegal aliens. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement wasn't doing enough in his eyes, so he had 40 deputies trained specifically for enforcing immigration laws, started up his hotline, and bought 4 new buses just for hauling folks back to the border. He's kind of a "Git-R Dun" kind of Sheriff. Update on Joe Arpaio.
TO THOSE OF YOU NOT FAMILIAR WITH JOE ARPAIO
HE IS THE MARICOPA ARIZONA COUNTY SHERIFF
AND HE KEEPS GETTING ELECTED OVER AND OVER THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY: Sheriff Joe Arpaio (In Arizona) Who created the "Tent City Jail": He has jail meals down to 40 cents a serving and charges the inmates for them.
He stopped smoking and porno magazines in the jails. Took away their weights.
Cut off all but "G" movies. He started chain gangs so the inmates could do free work on county and city projects. Then He Started Chain Gangs For Women So He Wouldn't Get Sued For Discrimination.
He took away cable TV Until he found out there was A Federal Court Order That Required Cable TV For Jails So He Hooked Up The Cable TV Again Only Let In The Disney Channel And The Weather Channel. When asked why the weather channel He Replied, So They Will Know How Hot It's Gonna Be while They Are Working ON My Chain Gangs.
He Cut Off Coffee Since It Has Zero Nutritional Value. When the inmates complained, he told them, "This Isn't the Ritz/Carlton.....If You Don't Like It, Don't Come Back."
He bought Newt Gingrich's lecture series on videotape that he pipes into the jails. When asked by a reporter if he had any lecture series by a Democrat, he replied that a democratic lecture series might explain why a lot of the inmates were in his jails in the first place. More On The Arizona Sheriff: With Temperatures Being Even Hotter Than Usual In Phoenix (116 Degrees Just Set A New Record), The Associated Press Reports: About 2,000 Inmates Living In A Barbed-Wire-Surrounded Tent Encampment At The Maricopa County Jail Have Been Given Permission To Strip Down To Their Government-Issued Pink Boxer Shorts. On Wednesday, hundreds of men wearing boxers were either curled up on their bunk beds or chatted in the tents, which reached 138 Degrees inside the week before.
Many Were Also Swathed In Wet, Pink Towels As Sweat Collected On Their Chests And Dripped Down To Their PINK SOCKS. "It Feels Like We Are In A Furnace," Said James Zanzot, An Inmate Who Has Lived In The TENTS for 1 year. "It's Inhumane."
Joe Arpaio, the tough-guy sheriff who created the tent city and long ago started making his prisoners wear pink, and eat bologna sandwiches, is not one bit sympathetic He said Wednesday that he told all of the inmates: "It's 120 Degrees In Iraq And Our Soldiers Are Living In Tents Too, And They Have To Wear Full Battle Gear, But They Didn't Commit Any Crimes, So Shut Your Damned Mouths!" Way To Go, Sheriff! Maybe if all prisons were like this one there would be a lot less crime and/or repeat offenders. Criminals should be punished for their crimes - not live in luxury until it's time for their parole, only to go out and commit another crime so they can get back in to live on taxpayers money and enjoy things taxpayers can't afford to have for themselves.
If you agree, pass this on. If not, just delete it.
Sheriff Joe was just reelected Sheriff in Maricopa County, Arizona.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
The Archbishop Responds...
Archbishop Niederauer’s response to the scandal generated by his offering the Blessed Sacrament to two members of the infamous “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence” at the equally infamous Most Holy Redeemer Parish on October 7, was, with all due respect, pathetic. His Excellency asks us to believe that he did not know that the two drag wearing men, with painted faces, in obviously satirical religious habits, at Most Holy Redeemer Parish, were members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. This is on a par with His Excellency’s professing not to know House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s stand on abortion, a claim he made on KCBS radio on February 4, 2007. Speaking as a member of the flock, this “lack of knowledge” doesn’t give me much confidence in my shepherd.
More:
The Cafeteria is Closed
American Papist
Curt Jester
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
More:
The Cafeteria is Closed
American Papist
Curt Jester
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Scandal in San Francisco--Video
More than once, (see here and here) we've chronicled the relentless onslaught of the homosexualist agenda in our Archdiocese of San Francisco. This onslaught has been going on for decades. We who saw it develop could watch, and plead with our leaders for action, but to no avail.
But last Sunday, for good or ill, a tipping point may have been reached. His Excellency Archbishop George Niederauer celebrated Mass at the notorious Most Holy Redeemer parish.
Now, to list the misdeeds of Most Holy Redeemer parish would take more space than we have here. Suffice it to say that they are rooted in "gay culture" itself, which seeks to be recognized on a par with say, Chinese Culture, or Italian Culture.
When the Archbishop celebrated Mass at Most Holy Redeemer he was confronted with two members of the infamous Sister of Perpetual Indulgence in the communion line. What an opportune teaching moment!
It is important to understand who the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are, and what they do. Youtube has a video of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence holding an obscene "bingo" in MHR's Ellard Hall. Once you look at this video, you will see why last Sunday's events were so blasphemous. Quamdiu Domine also has a video of last Sunday's Mass at MHR.
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
But last Sunday, for good or ill, a tipping point may have been reached. His Excellency Archbishop George Niederauer celebrated Mass at the notorious Most Holy Redeemer parish.
Now, to list the misdeeds of Most Holy Redeemer parish would take more space than we have here. Suffice it to say that they are rooted in "gay culture" itself, which seeks to be recognized on a par with say, Chinese Culture, or Italian Culture.
When the Archbishop celebrated Mass at Most Holy Redeemer he was confronted with two members of the infamous Sister of Perpetual Indulgence in the communion line. What an opportune teaching moment!
It is important to understand who the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence are, and what they do. Youtube has a video of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence holding an obscene "bingo" in MHR's Ellard Hall. Once you look at this video, you will see why last Sunday's events were so blasphemous. Quamdiu Domine also has a video of last Sunday's Mass at MHR.
Posted by Gibbons J. Cooney
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Fr. Euteneuer on Connecticut
Fr. Tom Euteneuer over at Human Life International respectfully disagrees with the Connecticut Bishops decision on "Plan B" in Catholic hospitals. Quote:
"I envision a day in which Catholic leaders may have to resign from lucrative positions in business and shut down Catholic healthcare institutions rather than cooperate in the arrogant and coercive programs of the culture of death. Actually, I think that day has already arrived."
Read the whole thing.
God Bless him!
Posted by Gibbons.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Who Are the Poor?
Robert Rector of The Heritage Foundation is a national authority on poverty and the U.S. welfare system. Specializing in welfare reform and family breakdown, Rector has done extensive research on the economic and social costs of welfare.
This post reflects some of his comments on this burning issue:
John Edwards and others lament that 37 million Americans struggle with incredible poverty every day.When such a statement is made the average citizen is led to believe that one in eight do not have enough money for adequate, food or shelter or clothing.
With presidential candidates of a certain hue decrying the suffering of the 37 million Americans who have been officially classified as poor by the U.S. Census Bureau, Rector was asked if these poor people are really as poverty-stricken as we have been led to believe:
Q: You say it is not so simple or accurate to think of them as truly poor. What do you mean?
A, When you look at the people John Edwards and others insist are poor, what you find is that the overwhelming majority of them have cable television, have air conditioning, have microwaves, have two color TVs; 45 percent of them own their own homes, which are typically three-bedroom homes with 1{1/2} baths in very good recondition. On average, poor people who live in either apartments or in houses are not crowded and actually have more living space than the average person living in European countries, such as France, Italy or England.
Also, a lot of people believe that poor people are malnourished. But in fact when you look at the average nutriment intake of poor children, it is virtually indistinguishable from upper-middle-class children. In fact, poor kids by the time they reach age 18 or 19 are taller and heavier than the average middle-class teenagers in the 1950s at the time of Elvis. And the boys, when they reach 18, are a full one inch taller and 10 pounds heavier than the GIs storming the beaches of Normandy. It’s pretty hard to accomplish that if you are facing chronic food shortages throughout your life.
If you are looking at people who do not have adequate warm, dry apartments that are in good repair, and don’t have enough food to feed their kids, you’re probably looking at one family in 100, not one family in eight.
Since the beginning of the War on Poverty we have now spent over 11 trillion dollars.
Q: Where did that money go -- and who got it?
A: Basically, we have spent a lot of money but we spent money in such a way that we displaced the work effort of the poor, so that we did not get very much net increase in income. Rather than bringing people’s incomes up, what we’ve done is supplanted work with welfare. What you need to do in order to truly get improvements is to create a welfare system that requires work and encourages marriage so that the recipient is moving toward self-sufficiency while receiving aid, rather than receiving aid in lieu of his own work efforts.
Q: Who are these “truly poor” and where do they live?
A: Generally, they will be families that have a whole lot of behavioral issues in addition to mere economic issues -- possibly drug problems, mental problems, certainly very low work effort, probably unmarried mothers and so forth. They would be spread around the country. Very few of them are elderly. Even though the elderly appear to have low incomes, they are not likely to lack food or to have a hole in their roof or things like that.
Q: Is there any single reason why the “official poor” are poor?
A: If you look at the official poor, particularly at children who are officially in poverty, there are two main reasons for that. One is that their parents don’t work much. Typically in a year, poor families with children will have about 16 hours of adult work per week in the household. If you raised that so that you had just one adult working full time, 75 percent of those kids would immediately be raised out of poverty.
The second major reason that children are poor is a single parenthood in the absence of marriage. Close to two-thirds of all poor children live in single-parent families. What we find is that if a never-married mother married the father of her children, again, about 70 percent of them would immediately be raised out of poverty. Most of these men who are fathers without being married in fact have jobs and have a fairly good capacity to support a family.
This post reflects some of his comments on this burning issue:
John Edwards and others lament that 37 million Americans struggle with incredible poverty every day.When such a statement is made the average citizen is led to believe that one in eight do not have enough money for adequate, food or shelter or clothing.
With presidential candidates of a certain hue decrying the suffering of the 37 million Americans who have been officially classified as poor by the U.S. Census Bureau, Rector was asked if these poor people are really as poverty-stricken as we have been led to believe:
Q: You say it is not so simple or accurate to think of them as truly poor. What do you mean?
A, When you look at the people John Edwards and others insist are poor, what you find is that the overwhelming majority of them have cable television, have air conditioning, have microwaves, have two color TVs; 45 percent of them own their own homes, which are typically three-bedroom homes with 1{1/2} baths in very good recondition. On average, poor people who live in either apartments or in houses are not crowded and actually have more living space than the average person living in European countries, such as France, Italy or England.
Also, a lot of people believe that poor people are malnourished. But in fact when you look at the average nutriment intake of poor children, it is virtually indistinguishable from upper-middle-class children. In fact, poor kids by the time they reach age 18 or 19 are taller and heavier than the average middle-class teenagers in the 1950s at the time of Elvis. And the boys, when they reach 18, are a full one inch taller and 10 pounds heavier than the GIs storming the beaches of Normandy. It’s pretty hard to accomplish that if you are facing chronic food shortages throughout your life.
If you are looking at people who do not have adequate warm, dry apartments that are in good repair, and don’t have enough food to feed their kids, you’re probably looking at one family in 100, not one family in eight.
Since the beginning of the War on Poverty we have now spent over 11 trillion dollars.
Q: Where did that money go -- and who got it?
A: Basically, we have spent a lot of money but we spent money in such a way that we displaced the work effort of the poor, so that we did not get very much net increase in income. Rather than bringing people’s incomes up, what we’ve done is supplanted work with welfare. What you need to do in order to truly get improvements is to create a welfare system that requires work and encourages marriage so that the recipient is moving toward self-sufficiency while receiving aid, rather than receiving aid in lieu of his own work efforts.
Q: Who are these “truly poor” and where do they live?
A: Generally, they will be families that have a whole lot of behavioral issues in addition to mere economic issues -- possibly drug problems, mental problems, certainly very low work effort, probably unmarried mothers and so forth. They would be spread around the country. Very few of them are elderly. Even though the elderly appear to have low incomes, they are not likely to lack food or to have a hole in their roof or things like that.
Q: Is there any single reason why the “official poor” are poor?
A: If you look at the official poor, particularly at children who are officially in poverty, there are two main reasons for that. One is that their parents don’t work much. Typically in a year, poor families with children will have about 16 hours of adult work per week in the household. If you raised that so that you had just one adult working full time, 75 percent of those kids would immediately be raised out of poverty.
The second major reason that children are poor is a single parenthood in the absence of marriage. Close to two-thirds of all poor children live in single-parent families. What we find is that if a never-married mother married the father of her children, again, about 70 percent of them would immediately be raised out of poverty. Most of these men who are fathers without being married in fact have jobs and have a fairly good capacity to support a family.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Action Step
LANSING, Michigan, OCT. 3, 2007 (Zenit.org).- A packet of information about the Church's stance on stem cells is being delivered to every Catholic home in Michigan that's registered with a parish.
A letter signed by the state's diocesan bishops, a 12-minute DVD, and a brochure explaining the Church's support for adult stem cell research are being sent out as part of the Michigan Catholic Conference's "The Science of Stem Cells: Finding Cures and Protecting Life" campaign.
The conference foresees reaching 500,000 homes and nearly 800 parishes.The Michigan Catholic Conference campaign comes as proponents of embryonic stem cell research seek to overturn the state's ban on research that involves the destruction of human embryos, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Paul Long, the vice president for public policy at the conference, said the central message of the statewide education program is the Church's support for adult stem cell research and opposition to research which involved destroying human embryos.
A letter signed by the state's diocesan bishops, a 12-minute DVD, and a brochure explaining the Church's support for adult stem cell research are being sent out as part of the Michigan Catholic Conference's "The Science of Stem Cells: Finding Cures and Protecting Life" campaign.
The conference foresees reaching 500,000 homes and nearly 800 parishes.The Michigan Catholic Conference campaign comes as proponents of embryonic stem cell research seek to overturn the state's ban on research that involves the destruction of human embryos, the Detroit Free Press reported.
Paul Long, the vice president for public policy at the conference, said the central message of the statewide education program is the Church's support for adult stem cell research and opposition to research which involved destroying human embryos.
Stem Cells
I was listening to a broadcast yesterday in which the protagonist was bemoaning the fact that the Christian Right is against stem cell research, which is here to stay and certainly will not go away despite opinions to the contrary!
Not true at all. The Church is not against research, but is against its misuse. The Church is always pro-life and condemns embryonic step cell research. As a matter of fact stem cell research has already contributed to marvelous cures, which embryonic research has not surpassed. No need to kill life, when cures are possible with other stem cells.
Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragán, the president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Ministry, said during a conference co-sponsored by the Vatican dicastery and the Acton Institute, titled "Health, Technology and Common Good:
"The ultimate criterion in the use of all technologies must be the good of man.
"In discussing the sciences of life and reflecting on the experimental sciences that manipulate life, one wonders about correct human behavior in relation to human life, deficiency in human life, increase in human life, improvement in human life, procedures to be followed to obtain this improvement and deviations to be avoided.
"Thus, technology left to itself can build or destroy man; technology in itself is blind, even if it appears to be the most advanced and the most marvelous. In itself, biotechnology is blind and ambivalent."
Not true at all. The Church is not against research, but is against its misuse. The Church is always pro-life and condemns embryonic step cell research. As a matter of fact stem cell research has already contributed to marvelous cures, which embryonic research has not surpassed. No need to kill life, when cures are possible with other stem cells.
Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragán, the president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care Ministry, said during a conference co-sponsored by the Vatican dicastery and the Acton Institute, titled "Health, Technology and Common Good:
"The ultimate criterion in the use of all technologies must be the good of man.
"In discussing the sciences of life and reflecting on the experimental sciences that manipulate life, one wonders about correct human behavior in relation to human life, deficiency in human life, increase in human life, improvement in human life, procedures to be followed to obtain this improvement and deviations to be avoided.
"Thus, technology left to itself can build or destroy man; technology in itself is blind, even if it appears to be the most advanced and the most marvelous. In itself, biotechnology is blind and ambivalent."
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Gil Bailie Speaks!
On October 10, at 7:30 PM, over at St. Thomas More Parish in San Francisco, our friends at Catholics for the Common Good present "Essentials for The Evangelization of Culture--Challenges confronting the Christian vocation" by Gil Bailie.In a clear and inspiring way, learn about the uniqueness and universality of Christianity, and its indispensability to humankind. This is based on the theology of Pope Benedict XVI, Pope John Paul II, Hans Urs von Balthasar and others with the anthropological insights of Rene Girard.
Gil Bailie, founder and president of the Cornerstone Forum, is a nationally respected Catholic author and lecturer concerned with today’s spiritual and moral crisis and dedicated to fostering a better understanding of the challenges that confront the Christian vocation in our time. To read one of Mr. Bailie's essays, "The Subject of Gaudium et Spes: Reclaiming a Christocentric Anthropology of the Human Person" click here.
St. Thomas More is at the corner of Brotherhood Way and Thomas More Blvd., in San Francisco. For more info, call 415-651-4171.
Communion & Politicians
Here is a significant pronouncement by Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis, as quoted yesterday in an article by Fr. John Flynn, L.C . (Zenit.org):
Within the Catholic world, a divisive issue in the religion and politics debate is how to treat Catholic politicians who are manifestly pro-abortion. A recent contribution to the question came from Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis, in an essay published in Volume 96 of the canon-law journal Periodica de Re Canonica.The article, titled "The Discipline Regarding the Denial of Holy Communion to Those Obstinately Persevering in Manifest Grave Sin," noted the differences in opinion, including among bishops themselves, over whether support for anti-life legislation should disqualify a politician from receiving Communion.
After a detailed analysis of Church teaching on the question of Communion and those in grave sin, Archbishop Burke concludes that "a person who obstinately remains in public and grievous sin is appropriately presumed by the Church to lack the interior bond of communion, the state of grace, required to approach worthily the reception of the Holy Eucharist."A consistent public support of policies that are in grave violation of moral law, he pointed out, can indeed be classified as "gravely sinful."
The archbishop clarified, however, that denying Communion in these circumstances should not be interpreted as a penal sanction against the person, but rather it is concerned with respect for the Eucharist.
The United States, Archbishop Burke commented, is a society that "canonizes" radical individualism and relativism, thus making it very difficult to apply sanctions such as denying Communion. Notwithstanding these difficulties, if a bishop or priest preaches Church teaching on life matters, but does nothing when a Catholic who publicly supports anti-life legislation comes to receive Communion, "then his teaching rings hollow," Archbishop Burke judged.
Within the Catholic world, a divisive issue in the religion and politics debate is how to treat Catholic politicians who are manifestly pro-abortion. A recent contribution to the question came from Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis, in an essay published in Volume 96 of the canon-law journal Periodica de Re Canonica.The article, titled "The Discipline Regarding the Denial of Holy Communion to Those Obstinately Persevering in Manifest Grave Sin," noted the differences in opinion, including among bishops themselves, over whether support for anti-life legislation should disqualify a politician from receiving Communion.
After a detailed analysis of Church teaching on the question of Communion and those in grave sin, Archbishop Burke concludes that "a person who obstinately remains in public and grievous sin is appropriately presumed by the Church to lack the interior bond of communion, the state of grace, required to approach worthily the reception of the Holy Eucharist."A consistent public support of policies that are in grave violation of moral law, he pointed out, can indeed be classified as "gravely sinful."
The archbishop clarified, however, that denying Communion in these circumstances should not be interpreted as a penal sanction against the person, but rather it is concerned with respect for the Eucharist.
The United States, Archbishop Burke commented, is a society that "canonizes" radical individualism and relativism, thus making it very difficult to apply sanctions such as denying Communion. Notwithstanding these difficulties, if a bishop or priest preaches Church teaching on life matters, but does nothing when a Catholic who publicly supports anti-life legislation comes to receive Communion, "then his teaching rings hollow," Archbishop Burke judged.
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