The Waffling Anglican

Bailing Out Planned Parenthood

2009-03-11T12:23:00.002-05:00

Excerpted from LifeSite News:

The so-called economic stimulus bill the Senate approved on Tuesday contains a bailout package for Planned Parenthood that will give the abortion giant hundreds of millions of dollars to promote birth control. President Barack Obama is soon expected to sign the bill into law.
Specifically, a provision buried deep in the legislation clears the way for expanded federal funding of contraceptives through Medicaid for those who aren't even poor.
A Clinton-era program allows states to seek a waiver to offer Medicaid "family planning" services - including people who are not poor enough to qualify for Medicaid. If they seek the waiver, the federal government matches the state funding with $9 for every $1.
Naturally, Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards was elated by the news. "We finally did it. It wasn't easy, but after two long years of working with Congress, I'm happy to report [the provision was included]," Richards told supporters in an email.
[...] The House included the Planned Parenthood bailout in its version of the spending bill, but Obama had to instruct House Democrats to remove the provision because it engendered so much opposition it threatened to derail the bill.
Senate Democrats snuck the provision back in the measure they have sent to Obama and with the Senate having a more pro-abortion makeup, the provision remained in the legislation without much of a fight.
As a result, all 50 states will now offer Medicaid "family planning" services (including contraception) with the federal government offering the same $9 to $1 match. Although the money doesn't fund abortions directly, it goes to Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion business, which would otherwise have to spend its own money on contraception.
[...] White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said after the hubhub about the provision in the House bill, "While [Obama] agrees that greater access to family planning is good policy, the president believes that the funding for it does not belong in the economic recovery and
reinvestment plan."
However, that will not likely prevent him from signing the Senate-passed spending bill anyway.
The House debate on the provision also contained an interesting moment which saw House Speaker Nancy Pelosi defending the provision and appearing to indicate she thought children were a
burden to the economy.
"Well, the family-planning services reduce cost. They reduce cost," she said on ABC.

This may sound strange, but as time wears on, I become more and more convinced that the culture wars in America are true spiritual battles being waged on a far larger playing field than mets the eye. The big culture issues - acceptance of abortion, homosexual behavior, contraception, and euthanasia - are all really nothing more than methods of giving the finger to God. Something far larger and nastier than Barack Obama (blessed be He!), Nancy Pelosi, Planned Parenthood, or the North American Man - Boy Love Association is driving all this.

I suppose I've always known that, at least since I woke up from the Seventies, but it just seems more and more blatant. As things spin more and more out of control, and the center fails, it seems like whatever veneer of politeness and logic that once coated the agenda is getting stripped away and That-Which-Lies-Beneath gets more and more visible.

It's hard for me to believe I even talk like this. I'm trained in the sciences; I spent half my lif in a research lab. I'm by nature a "touch it, taste it, smell it, hear it, feel it or it's not really there" sort of guy. I don't watch Ghost Hunters on the SciFi Channel; I think alien abductees probably have a really bad sleep disorder; I think their "implants" are what - when I was a kid- we used to refer to as "splinters." I might have been willing to believe in UFOs in the early 50's, but not after 60 years of "now you see it, now you don't." And I believe that the house down the street with the spooky windows and the gargoyles is just a house with some bad decorators. It may have scorpions or field mice, but it doesn't have ghosts, ghouls, or chupacabras.

But it's gotten to the point where something is tangible; you can feel it. Some thing is abroad in the land, and it is nasty, dirty, and creepy. I wonder if it felt like this in Babylon.

Signs of the Times

2009-03-09T13:43:00.002-05:00

From MyWay.com, passed along without further comment:

SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) - Montgomery County police say 16 people were arrested after a fight broke out during a concert held to promote nonviolence and to remember a Silver Spring teen killed last year.
The free Stop the Violence youth concert was held Saturday night on Ellsworth Street in downtown Silver Spring in memory of 14-year-old Montgomery Blair High School student Tai Lam, who was shot to death in November.
Police say fighting broke out near the stage toward the end of the concert and at least one person resisted arrest.
Police say 16 adults and juveniles were arrested for offenses such as assault and disorderly conduct.

Stimulating the Economy

2009-03-03T13:11:00.003-06:00

Immediately after the election, I ordered a thousand rounds of 9mm full-metal-jacket for practice ammunition. I got an email this morning telling me it would ship today. That's not quite four months on back order.

I don't expect Obama's policies to do a lot for the economy in general, but he seems to have done wonders for the gun and ammo business.

Texas Independence Day - One Day late

2009-03-03T12:54:00.002-06:00

Evil, nasty little streptococci prevented me from posting yeaterday, so I am commemerating the event today with Travis's letter from the Alamo:

To The People of Texas andAll Americans In The World --February 24, 1836
Fellow citizens & compatriots -- I am beseiged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna -- I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man -- The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken -- I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls -- I shall never surrender or retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism, & every thing dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch -- The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country --
VICTORY OR DEATH
William Barret TravisLt. Col. Comdt.
P.S. The Lord is on our side -- When the enemy appeared in sight we had not three bushels of corn -- We have since found in deserted houses 80 or 90 bushels & got into the walls 20 or 30 head of Beeves --

God bless Texas, as we look forward with hope to the next revolution. May it be soon, swift, and successful.

2009-02-26T17:09:00.003-06:00

From The Hill:

Attorney General Eric Holder raised the prospect Wednesday that the administration would push to bring back the ban. But Pelosi (D-Calif.) indicated on Thursday that he never talked to her. The Speaker gave a flat "no" when asked if she had talked to administration officials about the ban.
"On that score, I think we need to enforce the laws we have right now," Pelosi said at her weekly news conference. “I think it's clear the Bush administration didn’t do that.”
Outside of the dig at the recent Republican president, that phrase is the stock line of those who don’t want to pass new gun control laws, such as the National Rifle Association.
The White House declined to comment on Holder's remarks, referring reporters to the Department of Justice. The DoJ did not respond to The Hill's request for comment.

Looks like the House Dems aren't quite as eager to shoot themselves in the head as ~~Reichsfuhrer~~ General Holder. There's a general belief that the first "Assault Weapons" ban was a big contributor to the Dems' loss of Congress back in '92.

Let me see if I've got this straight. After the election, gun sales went through the roof (Ruger's sales are up 82%, for example). President Obama (may He live forever!) said that panic buying was silly and people didn't need to fear his administration in regard to gun control. Then his ~~SS Chief~~ Attorney General says he wants to reinstate the AWB, which would ban people from obtaining the very firearms that have been flying off the shelves, that The One (Blessed be He!) himself said people didn't need to run out and buy. Someone less in awe of He For Whom the Seas Recede (May his socks never develop holes!) than my humble self might choose the word "duplicitous."

In any case, I'm glad I bought what I did when I did.

Speaking the Truth to Power

2009-02-25T13:02:00.003-06:00

From Catholic News Agency:

Canadians packed St. Basil’s Church in Toronto on Monday evening to hear Archbishop Charles Chaput speak about how Catholics should live out their faith in the public square. He warned that in the U.S., Catholics need to act on their faith and be on guard against "a spirit of adulation bordering on servility" that exists towards the Obama administration.

The public lecture by Archbishop Chaput took place on the campus of the University of Toronto at St. Basil’s Church and was attended by an overflow crowd of more than 700 people.

[...] "I like clarity, and there’s a reason why," began the archbishop. "I think modern life, including life in the Church, suffers from a phony unwillingness to offend that poses as prudence and good manners, but too often turns out to be cowardice. Human beings owe each other respect and appropriate courtesy. But we also owe each other the truth -- which means candor."

The Denver prelate then provided his critique of President Obama.

"President Obama is a man of intelligence and some remarkable gifts. He has a great ability to inspire, as we saw from his very popular visit to Canada just this past week. But whatever his strengths, there’s no way to reinvent his record on abortion and related issues with rosy marketing about unity, hope and change. Of course, that can change. Some things really do change when a person reaches the White House. Power ennobles some men. It diminishes others. Bad policy ideas can be improved. Good policy ideas can find a way to flourish. But as Catholics, we at least need to be honest with ourselves and each other about the political facts we start with."

Yet this will be "very hard for Catholics in the United States," Chaput warned.

According to the archbishop, the political situation for Catholics is difficult to discern because a "spirit of adulation bordering on servility already exists among some of the same Democratic-friendly Catholic writers, scholars, editors and activists who once accused pro-lifers of being too cozy with Republicans. It turns out that Caesar is an equal opportunity employer."

Looking ahead to the coming months and years, Chaput offered four "simple things" to remember.

"First," he said, "all political leaders draw their authority from God. We owe no leader any submission or cooperation in the pursuit of grave evil."

[..] In a reference to the messianic treatment the Barack Obama received from some Americans during the presidential primaries, Archbishop Chaput delivered his second point: "in democracies, we elect public servants, not messiahs."

[...] The third point to focus on when the beliefs of Catholics are challenged is that "it doesn’t matter what we claim to believe if we’re unwilling to act on our beliefs," Chaput counseled.

"The fourth and final thing to remember, and there’s no easy way to say it," remarked Archbishop Chaput, is that the "Church in the United States has done a poor job of forming the faith and conscience of Catholics for more than 40 years."

"And now we’re harvesting the results -- in the public square, in our families and in the confusion of our personal lives. I could name many good people and programs that seem to disprove what I just said. But I could name many more that do prove it, and some of them work in
Washington."

[...] Citing the example of "unhappy, self-described Catholics who complain that abortion is too much of a litmus test," he stated, "We can’t claim to be ‘Catholic’ and ‘pro-choice’ at the same time without owning the responsibility for where the choice leads - to a dead unborn child."

The archbishop also addressed the "abortion reduction" argument being made by some in politics.

"We can’t talk piously about programs to reduce the abortion body count without also working vigorously to change the laws that make the killing possible. If we’re Catholic, then we believe in the sanctity of developing human life. And if we don’t really believe in the humanity of the unborn child from the moment life begins, then we should stop lying to ourselves and others, and even to God, by claiming we’re something we’re not."

[...] Winding his talk down, the Archbishop of Denver remarked on the misunderstanding of the word "hope."

"For Christians," he explained, "hope is a virtue, not an emotional crutch or a political slogan. Virtus, the Latin root of virtue, means strength or courage. Real hope is unsentimental. It has nothing to do with the cheesy optimism of election campaigns. Hope assumes and demands a spine in believers. And that’s why - at least for a Christian - hope sustains us when the real answer to the problems or hard choices in life is ‘no, we can’t,’ instead of ‘yes, we can.’"

The full text of the archbishop's speech can be found here: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/document.php?n=790

A good bishop is a gift from God. I don't always agree with what passes for Catholic social policy (the policies themselves, not the underlying theology), but I have a feeling I'd feel obligated to give this guy a pretty good listen.

I understand why there are so many pro-abortion Episcopalians - TEC has been making up its theology for years, and readily adapts it to fit whatever winds blow through the culture. Orthodox Anglicans have gone thir separate ways to the Continuum, Orthodoxy, or Catholicism. But how can Catholics tolerate this crap? I know people who fall into that category - maybe they wouldn't kill a baby, but don't care if anyone else does. When I talk to them, there's just a disconnect somewhere. Something is just flat missing in their moral reasoning, something that should have been put there by the Church and just wasn't during the decades of "The Spirit of Vatican II." It's sad.

The lefties have always talked about "speaking the truth to power" when they wanted to foist Bolshie ideas onto conservatives. I wonder how they'll respond to this.

Eat More Rodent

2009-02-25T12:44:00.004-06:00

Today is the beginning of Great Lent. Everyone should remember that their diet should be limited to plant products, fish, shellfish, and capybara.

Capybaras have been accepted as Lenten fod since the 1500's; now if I can just find someplace that serves a McCapy...

Giant herds of capybaras, alarmed by arrival of Ash Wednesday, have been observed fleeing for safety in Protestant countries before becoming Lenten centerpieces.

An Informative Poll

2009-02-24T10:32:00.002-06:00

From Rasmussen Reports:

Confidence in how America is doing in the War on Terror has dropped dramatically in the past two weeks. Just 47% of voters now believe the United States and its allies are winning.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found that 23% believe the terrorists are winning, while 25% say it's a draw. Six percent (6%) are undecided.
Just over two weeks ago, 62% said the United States and its allies were winning the war, a new record high. Only 14% said the terrorists were winning at that time. The latest results are similar to those found in early January

Now this is interesting. Have any major defeats been incurred on the battlefronts? No. Have any major blows been struck by the jihadists? No. Has there been any major civil unrest in either Iraq or Afghanistan? No. Has Osama bin Hidin' released any new threats against the US, Europe, or any other civilized nation? No.

So what's the difference between now and two weeks ago? Obama (blessed be He) addressed the issue and said he was sending more troops to Afghanistan. People are beginning to realize just who we have as Commander in Chief, and what the implications may be.

I have a feeling that circumstances may constrain Obama's actions somewhat, but he has stated (a) that he wants to close Gitmo (but only sometime in the future); (b) that he wants to pull troops out of Iraq (but he doesn't know when); (c) that he wants to add troops to Afghanistan (but has not elucidated a startegy - not that anyone else has); and (d) that he wants to cut way back on military expenditures (to help subsidize his incredible spending goals). This whole thing reminds me of a former Democrat president named Johnson, who wanted to fight a war without really fighting a war. W was bad enough, but at least he seemed to keep his eye on the goal of winning. This new set of guys seems primarily interested in exiting without looking too bad.

The latest Ffrom TEC

2009-02-23T13:58:00.004-06:00

From The Living Church Foundation:

The Diocese of Northern Michigan elected the Rev. Kevin Thew Forrester as bishop Feb. 21 at a special diocesan convention.

Fr. Forrester, the only candidate on the slate, was elected on the first ballot, receiving 88 percent of delegate votes and 91 percent of congregational votes, according to a diocesan news release.

The bishop-elect has served the diocese since 2001 as its ministry development coordinator and more recently as rector of St. Paul’s Church, Marquette, and St. John’s, Negaunee.

The announcement of Fr. Forrester’s nomination sparked controversy last month because he is also a practicing Buddhist and said he had received Buddhist “lay ordination” and was “walking the path of Christianity and Zen Buddhism together.”

Assuming sufficient consents are received from a majority of standing committees and bishops with jurisdiction, Fr. Forrester will be consecrated Oct. 17 in Marquette.

Well, if you can have Driud priests and Moslem priests, you certainly can't discriminate and deny the Episcopate to Buddhists, can you? Anything else would be, well, unEpiscopalian. I'm sure it's okay, as long as he doesn't take his Buddhism any more seriously tan he takes his Christianity. I've been in TEC churches where the worship service was largely navel-gazing, so most people probably won't even notice any difference.

One Courageous Young Lady, One Weaselly Old Priest

2009-02-19T13:19:00.008-06:00

Despite facing threats of disqualification, a 12-year-old girl took first place in a speech contest when she eloquently argued for the rights of unborn children – after an offended judge quit.

"What if I told you that right now, someone was choosing if you were going to live or die?" the seventh-grader begins in a video recording of her speech on YouTube. "What if I told you that this choice wasn't based on what you could or couldn't do, what you'd done in the past or what you would do in the future? And what if I told you, you could do nothing about it?"
The girl, a student at a Toronto school identified only as "Lia," continued: "Fellow students and teachers, thousands of children are right now in that very situation. Someone is choosing without even knowing them whether they are going to live or die.
"That someone is their mother. And that choice is abortion."
[..] Despite Lia's enthusiasm for her topic, her teacher "strongly encouraged" her to select a different one for her class presentation or she would be considered ineligible for an upcoming speech contest.
"[S]everal teachers discouraged her from picking the topic of abortion; she was told it was 'too big,' 'too mature' and 'too controversial,'" her mother wrote. "She was also told that if she went ahead with that topic, she would not be allowed to continue on in the speech competition."
Lia's mother continued, "Initially, I tried helping her find other topics to speak on, but, in the end, she was adamant. She just felt she wanted to continue with the topic of abortion. So she forfeited her chance to compete in order to speak on something she was passionate about."
Lia's teacher was so impressed by the speech that she allowed her student to advance as the winner. Lia presented her speech to judges in front of her entire school on Feb. 10.
The school principal and teachers called Lia's presentation the "obvious winner" - but the judges suddenly disqualified her the following day "because of the topic and her position on abortion," her mother said.
Lia's father later revealed that the judges had a "big disagreement." One was offended by the speech and voluntarily stepped down while the others reversed their earlier decision - declaring her the winner.
Now Lia plans to take her message of life to a regional speech competition, and more than 130,000 visitors have viewed her presentation online.

Read the whole thing (and see the video) at WorldNet Daily. Then compare this young lady's words to those of the President of Assumption University of Windsor, Father Paul Rennick:

Fr. Paul Rennick, who is also Vice Chancellor of the school, gave the remarks when LSN (LifeSite News - ed.) sought comment regarding the school's decision to invite Cokie Roberts, a pro-abortion Catholic news analyst who has criticized the Church for preaching against homosexuality and contraception, to address the school as part of the "Christian Culture" lecture series.

Fr. Rennick told LSN that he had "personally vetted" the selection of Roberts and chose her because she was "a woman of faith," a "well known Catholic" and "successful as an individual Christian."

LSN asked Fr. Rennick, "Do you think there is a possibility of scandal from the fact that she has professed very pro-abortion views and has criticized Catholic bishops for teaching Church doctrine on homosexuality and contraception?" The President of the Catholic University replied, "No, I don't."

Asked to elaborate, Fr. Rennick said: "If you look at the catholic population, you'll find a whole variety of positions on all of those topics. It seems to me that disagreement on a particular position doesn't disqualify one from being a Catholic. Unless, of course, that position is whether Jesus is the Christ."
"Abortion is not an infallible teaching. It never has been proclaimed infallibly," he said. "This attempt to put everything that the Church teaches in this one set of categories, it seems to me, is not a proper Catholic position, not according to the history of our church," he added.

He should check out the Catechism of his own church. But, then, I expect he is familiar with it - he simply doesn't care for what it says. A weasel in a white collar is a weasel nonetheless. My personal opinion of Fr. Rennick is irrelevant, but Da Boss and Da Ghost seem to have made some comments about guys like him.

And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them, and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Mat 18:2-3, RSV)

Not to mention:

Certain persons by swerving from these have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make assertions.
(1Ti 1:6-7, RSV)

Not to mention even more:

... but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.
(Mat 18:6, RSV)

But I suspect Fr. Rennik finds that irrelevant as well.

On a Kinder, Gentler Note

2009-02-16T13:19:00.003-06:00

From OneNewsNow:

The new president of HCJB Global says the Christian radio ministry now has an estimated seven million mostly-Muslim listeners in North Africa and the Middle East.

Wayne Pederson says the Arab world is full of "lost people who need Jesus, and they're getting tired of a message of hate and are looking for a message of love." He says that through HCJB radio broadcasts, the gospel is penetrating Muslim societies -- so much so that entire households, and in some cases entire villages, are converting to Christianity.

"When Jesus came, He didn't just preach. He healed. And so we want to do both -- preach on the radio and heal through our healthcare. People in that part of the world are coming to Christ as households, as communities. Entire villages are coming to Christ together," he notes.

"Each household has seven to eight people in a household. So we're saying conservatively, we've got seven million listeners. In a huge Muslim section of the world, you've probably heard stories of how the gospel is penetrating that society. An independent survey has found that we have a million households a week listening to our broadcast in North Africa and Middle East."

Okay - I came across this tidbit right after my previous post mentioning ecumenical dialogue via B-52. Although I can still do the math, I quit believing in random coincidences quite some time ago. God rubbeth mine nose in the unclean soil of mine rants. This guy Pederson and his organization have the proper Christian approach to "what to do about Islam," and - of course - it bears fruit. I stand chastised, and grovel before the Throne of Judgment.

Religion of Peace Update

2009-02-16T11:51:00.003-06:00

From the Buffalo News:

Orchard Park police are investigating a particularly gruesome killing, the beheading of a woman, after her husband - an influential member of the local Muslim community - reported her death to police Thursday.

Police identified the victim as Aasiya Z. Hassan, 37. Detectives have charged her husband, Muzzammil Hassan, 44, with second-degree murder.

[...] Muzzammil Hassan is the founder and chief executive officer of Bridges TV, which he launched in 2004, amid hopes that it would help portray Muslims in a more positive light.

Well, that worked out well.

[...] "Obviously, this is the worst form of domestic violence possible," Erie County District Attorney Frank A. Sedita III said today.

Well, that was a brilliant comment. If you don't have anything worth saying...

Authorities say Aasiya Hassan recently had filed for divorce from her husband.

Uh-oh. That must have been an unforgivable offense to any follower of The Prophet. Divorce is pretty much a one-way street; I can divorce you any time I feel like it, but if you divorce me, you're a dead woman.

How did we ever lose Constantinople to these people? I'm sorry; I guess it's not a very Christian attitude on my part. But the only "dialogue" I want to have with these guys is long distance - preferably from about 40,000 feet in a B-52.

Oopsie!

2009-02-16T08:29:00.002-06:00

From The Sun (UK):

British and French nuclear submarines which collided deep under the Atlantic could have sunk or released deadly radioactivity, it emerged last night. The Royal Navy’s HMS Vanguard and the French Navy’s Le
Triomphant are both nuclear powered and were carrying nuke missiles.

[...]The collision is believed to have taken place on February 3 or 4, in mid-Atlantic. Both subs were submerged and on separate missions.

She (Vanguard - ed.) was last night towed into Faslane in Scotland, with dents and scrapes visible on her hull. Triomphant limped to Brest with extensive damage to her sonar dome.

Triomphant has a crew of 101. Vanguard weighs 16,000 tons, is 150 metres long and has a crew of 140.

No word yet on whether the French boat surrendered.

Apparently, there were a number of collisions between US and Russian boats during the Cold War. At least one may have resulted in loss of a Russian boat and its crew. These guys, however, were (reportedly) not playing chicken and just ran into each other in the middle of the ocean. I'm not sure I believe that...

Galaxy Has Billions of Earths?

2009-02-15T14:46:00.002-06:00

From an article on BBC News:

There could be one hundred billion Earth-like planets in our galaxy, a US conference has heard.

Dr Alan Boss of the Carnegie Institution of Science said many of these worlds could be inhabited by simple lifeforms.

He was speaking at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Chicago.

So far, telescopes have been able to detect just over 300 planets outside our Solar System.

Very few of these would be capable of supporting life, however. Most are gas giants like our Jupiter; and many orbit so close to their parent stars that any microbes would have to survive roasting temperatures.

But, based on the limited numbers of planets found so far, Dr Boss has estimated that each Sun-like star has on average one "Earth-like" planet. This simple calculation means there would be huge numbers capable of supporting life.

"Not only are they probably habitable but they probably are also going to be inhabited," Dr Boss told BBC News. "But I think that most likely the nearby 'Earths' are going to be inhabited with things which are perhaps more common to what Earth was like three or four billion years ago." That means bacterial lifeforms.

Dr Boss estimates that Nasa's Kepler mission, due for launch in March, should begin finding some of these Earth-like planets within the next few years.

Recent work at Edinburgh University tried to quantify how many intelligent civilisations might be out there. The research suggested there could be thousands of them.

Although this would in many ways be extraordinarily cool, I can't help but think Dr. Ross is pulling his numbers out of the air, or somewhere less pleasant. This question has been tossed around for decades now, and there really doesn't seem to be that much more information on which to base these guesses - and guesses is what they are. I'm not an astronomer, but I try to keep up, and near as I can tell there is exactly one earth-like world that has been detected. In addition, Earth is special in more ways than just having the right composition and being at the right distance from its star. Current theory has the tide-producing moon being formed by a rather unlikely collision, while the presence of Jupiter helps buffer the inner solar system from impacts.

Any guesstimate that ndicates there are many civilizations in the galaxy runs smack into the Fermi Paradox. (The Fermi Paradox, simplified, raises the question that - if complex life is common - where the heck is it? If star travel is possible, even slowly, the galaxy should have been colonized millions of years ago. At the very least, we should be finding buried starships or Brontosaurus bones with bullet holes in them. If it's not possible to bridge the gap between the stars, then signs of an advanced civilization should still be observable over galactic distances.

The fact that we don't see them is a pretty good indication that they aren't there - either technological civilizations are extremely rare, or they have a very short shelf-life in cosmicterms. Other explanations make for good science-fiction stories, but aren't very convincing.

Theologically, intelligent extraterrestrial life would raise all sorts of interesting questions for a Christian. Is Jesus unique to Earth, making us the lone universal source forthe Gospel? It sounds conceited on our part, but the Savior would have had to be born somewhere, and Earth is as good as anywhere else. Or are the Incarnation and Atonement events that are re-presented throughout space and time in a manner symbolized by the way Christ's Incarnation and Atonement are re-presented in the Mass? I.e. are Christ's birth, death, and resurrection recapitulated wherever they are necessary? Are all these other beings fallen in the first place? If so, would they even be willing to talk with the likes of us? Or, rather horrifically, might some be fallen beyond hope of redemption?

With no data whatsoever, this is a subject best suited for late-night dorm room discussions among stoned undergraduates. The only thing I know for sure is that - should a saucer land on the White House lawn - the foreign missions assessment is going to go through the roof.

New Deacons

2009-02-14T13:22:00.002-06:00

Congratulations to Andrew Brummett and Tim Williams, who were ordained to the Diaconate today at St Francis ~~Episcopal~~ Anglican Church today by Bishop William Millsaps, assisted by Bishop Council Nedd.

Observations:
a) The service was labeled as "The Ordering of Deacons." Does that prove that our candidates were previously disordered?
b) Is it really propitious to be ordained to the order made famous by Stephan, the first martyr, on a day named for another martyr named Valentinus?
c) With two bishops, fve priests and two newbie deacons, we gotta get a longer altar.
d) The females of the parish clearly participated in the post-ordination meal preparation, because the brisket, mild sausage, hot sausage, pork chops, chicken, roast beef, chicken spaghetti, and fried turkey were separated by bowls of green things wih leaves.

The auto-da-fe will be scheduled at a later date.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

2009-02-14T13:11:00.003-06:00

And this one, from a Dallas Borders Bookstore, explains our current situation quite nicely.

Public Final Transit

2009-02-12T13:28:00.008-06:00

From Gizmodo.com - not one of my normal news sources, so I won't guarantee this isn't apocryphal. If true, however, then whatever you do, don't get on the wrong bus in China.

If you're a criminal in China, you'll want to avoid its new death buses, vehicles that carry out executions while streaming live video of them, then provide some privacy for organ harvesting.
The buses, of which over 40 are currently in use, are replacing firing squads as China's preferred method of execution. The buses provide a setup for lethal injections, and the acts are carried out on streaming video so local authorities can observe and ensure that everything is done legally.
Critics say that the buses help the government secretly harvest organs to sell to the west, as there's already a doctor on hand to administer the injection and they never show the bodies between execution and cremation.

Sounds like a good idea for Texas, since we send more goblins into the hereafter than any other state. I suspect we'd go for black stretch Hummers instead of the happy-bus, however.

I know a lot of people oppose the death penalty - I have waffled back and forth on the topic several times myself. I do get tired when people claim its a foundational Christian belief and try to make it equivalent to opposing abortion and euthanasia. They are not the same thing. It especially bugs me when Catholics do it, because it means they are either lying about what their church teaches, or have been lied to by someone else. As was said,

"While the Church exhorts civil authorities to seek peace, not war, and to exercise discretion and mercy in imposing punishment on criminals, it may still be permissible to take up arms to repel an aggressor or to have recourse to capital punishment. There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion and euthanasia."

Of course the guy that originally wrote that probably doesn't know what he's talking about. Some dude named Ratzinger...wait - didn't he change his name? Benjamin...Bartholemew...Benedict...Yeah - Benedict ExVeeEye. That's it.

Scandal of Particularity?

2009-02-11T13:26:00.003-06:00

The Observer at Boston College qualifies for an entry in the you-just-can't make-this-up files:

Returning to school for the Spring semester, some professors were shocked to learn about a new university policy that added crucifixes to every classroom on campus over the winter break. Calling the crucifixes and Catholic icons offensive at a Jesuit university, at least one professor is refusing to teach in classrooms adorned by a crucifix even if he should have to move his class to a dfferent room at his own expense.

Well, as a Jesuit university, I guess BC lives up to modern Jesuit standards of faithfuness to the Catholic Church. Do the good professors at BC understand the meaning of the word "laughingstock?"

It should have been a giveaway that BC decided to label the Christmas holidays as "winter break." Since a number of Traditional Anglican churches are currently pursuing communion with the Roman Catholic Church, perhaps it would be a fair trade to give the Jesuits to the Episcopal Church. They could simper and mince around well together.

Note: the above image is of a Jesuit-sponsored "monument to Peace" somewhere in Canuckistan, that symbolizes 12 extant religions. Don't know why they didn't include Santeria - of course, nobody knows what's buried in the base of the monument.

I Don't Think It Will Catch On Here

2009-02-11T12:54:00.002-06:00

From The Times (London) Online:

Does your Pepsi lack pep? Is your Coke not the real thing? India's Hindu nationalist movement apparently has the answer: a new soft drink made from cow urine.

The bovine brew is in the final stages of development by the Cow Protection Department of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), India's biggest and oldest Hindu nationalist group, according to the man who makes it.

Om Prakash, the head of the department, said the drink - called "gau jal", or "cow water" - in Sanskrit was undergoing laboratory tests and could be launched "very soon, maybe by the end of this year".

"Don't worry, it won't smell like urine and will be tasty too," he told The Times from his headquarters in Hardwar, one of four holy cities on the River Ganges.

[...] The drink is the latest attempt by the RSS - which was founded in 1925 and now claims eight million members - to cleanse India of foreign influence and promote its ideology of Hindutva, or Hindu-ness.
[...] In 2001, the RSS and its offshoots - which include the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party - began promoting cow urine as a cure for ailments ranging from liver disease to obesity and even cancer.

The movement has often been accused of using more violent methods, such as killing 67 Christians in the eastern state of Orissa last year, and assaulting women in a pub in Mangalore last month. It also has a history of targeting foreign business in India, as in 1994, when it organised a nationwide boycott of multinational consumer goods, including Pepsi and Coca Cola.

He insisted, however, that it would be able to compete with the American cola brands, even with their enormous advertising budgets. "We're going to give them good competition as our drink is good for mankind," he said. "We may also think of exporting it."

Well, I've been looking around for a retirement business where I can stay a little busy and make a few extra bucks when I finally pack it in. I don't think I'll be looking to acquire the US import license for this stuff, however. It just doesn't sound like a money maker - at least, not in Texas.

On a theological note, it does emphasize the distinctions between Hinduism and Christianity. With apologies to my Hindu friends: We have the Body and Blood of the Incarnate Word; they have Cow Pea. I really don't see much of a contest here.

Headline of the Day

2009-02-10T11:15:00.004-06:00

From CNBC:
"US stocks fell sharply Tuesday in a broad-based decline as the government announced details of its latest bailout plan."

Well, if the government were offering to help me, I would probably get pretty droopy myself. These "stimulus plans" are going to cost us at least 2 trillion bucks. There's no way the government can fund that without resorting to printing money. A massive increase in the money supply that doesn't correspond with a massive increase in the supply of (and demand for) goods just leads to increasing prices. Inflation leads to increases in interest rates. Increased interest rates inhibit people from borrowing money to buy houses and grow businesses. Does anybody remember Jimmy Carter and "stagflation?" He achieved what was supposed to be economically impossible - a deep recession with massive inflation and near-unthinkable interest rates. I remember looking at a used car and being offered a "preferred" interest rate of 18.5%.

Everybody seems to be thinking in terms of the New Deal. Nobody seems to recall from history that the New Deal didn't work! (The unemployment rate in 1939, the year WWII broke out in Europe, was 17.5%.) I think we are pretty well screwed.

On a side note, I heard today that the "stimulus" bill contains funds for a panel to weigh cost-benefit analyses for health care procedures. This is the same sort of board that the Canadians use to deny care to the elderly - usually by moving them to the end of a waiting list. That way, you aren't "denied" care by a loving government - you just have to wait 17 months for throat cancer surgery. Of course, by then you're dead. But that's just an incidental statistic, not the fault of National Health Care.

If you don't think it's coming here, you're crazy. Your kids will off you in the name of Federal compassion, and think they're doing something good.

Global Warming Report

2009-02-05T14:37:00.001-06:00

Antarctic Meltdown Would Flood Washington, D. C. (with video)

From their mouths to God's ear...

Bucking for Bishop?

2009-02-05T14:27:00.003-06:00

From Tennessean.com:

Two teens suspected of using church bulletins to help pull off burglaries in the Summerfield subdivision off Murfreesboro Pike have been arrested, Metro police report.

Dante Leo Johnson, 19, and a 17-year-old Whites Creek High School student are suspected of going to homes with church bulletins in hand, and if a homeowner answered their knock, one of them would speak about religion, police say. If no one was home, the residence was burglarized.

The teens are being charged with aggravated burglary.Police reports say three homes were burglarized, one each on Mountaindale Court, Shagbark Trail and Pine Orchard Place. Electronics, including televisions and computer equipment, were stolen, reports say.

Witnesses saw the burglars flee in a blue Chevrolet Monte Carlo with dark tinted windows and a temporary tag.

The teens were later stopped in that Monte Carlo on Interstate 24, according to police. Computer equipment and electronics were recovered from the Monte Carlo, police said.

Using religion as a mask to steal property; gee... these guys would be good candidates for Bishop in The Episcopal Church. They probably have about the same theology.

Seriously, what's the difference between these guys and folks who try to sue congregations out of their church buildings?

Roadrunner Ripoff

2009-02-04T18:46:00.003-06:00

"In order to provide better service," it appears that Road Runner has deleted the website I use for my Biochemistry class at the University of Texas. They have new space available, but all my files on the old space have been deleted without notification, without my knowledge, without my permission, and without the possibility of recovery.

What a service. Please tell your aquaintances that Roadrunner umm... engages in behaviors that I cannot mention on this blog.

Innumeracy Run Rampant

2009-02-03T14:48:00.002-06:00

From Yahoo News:

BELLAIRE, Ohio - Thousands of residents of an eastern Ohio community were told to stop drinking tap water after workers at a chemical treatment plant accidentally added toxic hydrochloric acid to the water supply. No serious injuries were reported.

Forty pounds of the acid were added to Bellaire's water Sunday after a supplier shipped the wrong chemical and the filtration system crew mistook the containers for fluoride. The mistake was discovered Monday morning when workers noticed fluoride levels were lower than normal.

"Unfortunately, the drums are all the same size and the same color," water department superintendent Kirk Baker said

Customers were urged to avoid using tap water, and Bellaire High School dismissed classes early. The Ohio Environmental Protection Agency lifted a warning about 1 p.m. Monday.

The molecular weight of HCl is about 36.5 g/mol. 40 pounds is about 18kg which is about 500 moles. Diluted into a small 100,000 gallon reservoir or standpipe, that would give you an HCl concentration of about 0.005M. Assuming the water was otherwise completely pure and unbuffered, this would give you a pH in your drinking water of about 2.3. Might not taste great, but that is about the same pH as a cola drink.

Hint - the HCl isa lot less toxic than the fluoride.

Your nanny state at work. Get a life, people.

When in danger
Or in doubt,
Run in circles,
Scream and shout.

Episcopal Church Launches Offensive Against Wayward Dioceses

2009-02-03T12:02:00.004-06:00

(Episcopal Ministry of Propaganda) Heroic fighters from the PLO (Pagan Liturgical Organization), a militant wing of The Episcopal ~~Church~~ Fedayeen, prepare their mobile launcher to fire medium-range ballistic cacti into the dissident Diocese of Fort Worth early this morning, as open hostilities apear imminent. Any hope of a peaceful settlement appeared to vanish when dissident leader Jack Iker reportedly told TEF head Kathering Jefforts-Schori to "take a hike, and take your funny purple hat with you."

At secret airfields scattered through loyalist dioceses, planes filled with high-impact lawyers are reportedly ready to take to the air. "We'll hit them with so many writs and suits, they'll never know whee the next blow is coming from," boasted TEF Air Marshall David Booth-Beers.

Meanwhile, behind the lines in Fort Worth, beleagured Anglicans assembled stockpiles of holy water and blessed salt for use against any land invasion. TEF threatened that any use of such unconventional weapons would be mean total annihilation for orthodox Episcopalians. "If they burn us with those chemical warheads, we'll force them to listen listen to Eucharistic prayer C until their ears rupture!" thundered Jefforts-Schori. Meanwhile, ~~General~~ Bishop Iker remained concerned but confident. "Their Shock and Awe can't compete against our Shekinah," he said.

Religionof Peace Update

2009-02-03T10:51:00.002-06:00

From Arutz Sheva:

(IsraelNN.com) A former senior official and newspaper editor from Bangladesh told a television audience last week that Adolph Hitler should have been more thorough when it came to the Jews. The TV host seconded the opinion.

As reported by the editor and publisher of the Weekly Blitz, peace activist Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury, Mohammad Asafuddowlah said, "My soul bleeds when I recall the recent atrocities against the people of Gaza. And if I was a young man, I would have gone to Gaza with a weapon to exterminate Israel."

It is not just Israel's extermination Asafuddowlah seeks, however. "Now I believe that what Adolph Hitler did during the Holocaust was absolutely correct. He should have done this more extensively, to eliminate the total Jewish population from the world," he added.

Abdul Hye Sikder, the host of the TV program on which Asafuddowlah appeared, reacted to the genocidal statements with agreement, echoing the sentiments. Sikder, Choudhury reports, was at one time a leading activist of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

The sooner we quit trying to redefine these pepople in terms of a liberal Western worldview, and take them as they define themselves, the more likely we will be to survive into the 22nd Century.

Happy Groundhog Day

2009-02-02T15:16:00.003-06:00

The prophetic rodent says six more weeks of winter, but it's 60+ degrees outside, so who cares?

Wha's Really Under the Burqa?

2009-02-02T14:47:00.003-06:00

Courtesy of the ever-vigilant Diogenes, who picked it off the BBC:

A special Koran prayer school has been set up in Yoyakarta where transgender Islamic Indonesians can pray.

So what exactly in the Koran do anatomically confused Mohammedans actually pray? They'd be better off using the Christian New Testament:

God, I thank thee that I am not like other men... (Luke 18:11, RSV)

Given the requisite clothing, I expect the misfit Moslems can save a lot of money on sex-change surgery - why bother?

Change You Can Believe In

2009-02-02T14:23:00.002-06:00

From the Tristate Home Page (Evansville, Ind.):

Proposed abortion legislation may threaten the future of Catholic hospitals in the U.S.
The issue, according to the "Aurora Beacon News," is whether the Freedom of Choice Act would mandate that Catholic hospitals perform abortions. Rockford Diocese spokeswoman Patricia Pitkus Bainbridge says the hospitals would close before doing such a thing.

As the legislation is considered, Catholic Health Association officials say they will focus first and foremost on protecting mothers and their unborn children.
President Obama told a Planned Parenthood group in 2007 that the first thing he would do if elected is sign the Freedom of Choice Act.

That should help clear up the "health care crisis."

What part of "shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof" don't they understand. I suppose it's probably the same thing they don't understand about "the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Do large chunks of the populace actually believe we can continue down this road and not face the removal of divine protection from this country? If, as I suspect was true, the War of Northern Aggression was penance for the sin of the "Peculiar Institution," what will it be for the atrocities committed on our own children?

Name Change for the Church!

2009-02-02T14:13:00.003-06:00

St. Francis Episcopal Church in Austin, a parish of the EMC, voted yesterday to change the name to St. Francis Anglican Church. I, for one, am relieved. Most of the people I know actually believe that the official name of the church I attend is "St. Francis Episcopal-But-We're-Not-Them Church." Of course, that would never fit on the sign.

Some people seem to be awfully attached to the name "Episcopal;" I can't help but think it's like being attached to the name "Enron."

I'm sure it will be a while before we get the stationery, sign, and website changed; gotta get the legalities dealt with first.

Worst Liturgical Music Ever?

2009-01-28T18:39:00.002-06:00

A tip of the gimme cap to The Curt Jester for pointing this out:

Alleluia-ch-ch

We gave up Tantum Ergo Sacramentum for THIS??? What in heaven's name are people thinking of? It's like giving up Dostoevsky for South Park!

I guess I'm just out of date; maybe I should get on the bandwagon.

Shaboom shaboom
Kyrie Eleison
Doowap dowap
Christe Eleison
Shaboom shaboom
Kyrie Eleison

Gloria wa wa wa
In excelsis Deo wo wo wo...

I hope the Russians get their act together; the West is finished.

But Can You Rub His Tummy?

2009-01-27T11:04:00.005-06:00

From the Stand Firm website:

When stories like this come along, it's tempting to remind everyone of similar people and events that have turned the Episcopal Church into a laughingstock for reasons completely unrelated to homosexuality, if only so we can have them in one convenient place the next time something happens.

There's the pagan seminar in the Diocese of Eastern Michigan, Bill Melnyk the Druid priest, Maury Johnston the gay Wiccan lay activist, whirling with the sufis in Seattle, the ridiculous labyrinth trend, the Hindu mass in Los Angeles... but there are so many more that listing them all every time something like this happens threatens to become a full-time job.

A year and half ago, The Rev. Ann Holmes Redding was inhibited by Rhode Island Bishop Geralyn Wolf for claiming to be both Muslim and Christian. Now the Diocese of Northern Michigan has announced that its only nominee for bishop - The Rev. Kevin Thew Forrester - is also a Zen Buddhist. Not the kind who lived down the hall from you in your college dorm - no, Forrester has actually received Buddhist lay ordination.

Forrester will succeed the late Bishop James Kelsey, who in his diocesan convention address from 2004 mentioned Forrester's Buddhist ordination in a laundry list of diocesan happenings that could have easily come from a "Lake Wobegon" news break:

"Manuel Padilla received his Doctorate of Ministry from Seabury-Western Seminary. Anita Wingert got married! (to Hal Martin) Jane Cisluycis (our new Diocesan Operations Coordinator) graduated last spring from Northern Michigan University with a degree in Communications. Kevin Thew Forrester received Buddhist "lay ordination" - so now he's walking the path of Christianity and Zen Buddhism together"

And so it goes; The Episcopal Organization slides ever farther into shiny, happy, self-absorbed irrelevance. How can I possibly make any comment that would add to the event itself? No external mockery can quite live up to the standard of self-mockery.

If he gets elected, does he get to wear a saffron collar?

Culture of Death Watch

2009-01-26T11:39:00.002-06:00

From Drudge this morning:

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi boldly defended a move to add birth control funding to the new economic "stimulus" package, claiming "contraception will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government."

Pelosi, the mother of 5 children and 6 grandchildren, who once said, "Nothing in my life will ever, ever compare to being a mom," seemed to imply babies are somehow a burden on the treasury. The revelation came during an exchange Sunday morning on ABC's This Week.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Hundreds of millions of dollars to expand family planning services. How is that stimulus?

PELOSI: Well, the family planning services reduce cost. They reduce cost. The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now and part of what we do for children's health, education and some of those elements are to help the states meet their financial needs. One of those - one of the initiatives you mentioned, the contraception, will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government.

Well, here is the sort of "change" we can expect over the next few years - the reduction of human beings to economic units. If we can't justify your cost, then we don't want you to be here. "Every child a wanted child" = "Every unwanted child a dead child." And yes, over the years I have come to see the Catholic wisdom in their approach to contraception. There are consequences that mark your soul, and you never see them until much, much later.

Lambeth: A New Synonym for Ludicrous

2008-08-01T13:35:00.005-05:00

As in "That's the most lambeth idea I've ever heard!"

I know, I said I wasn't going to waste time commenting on the whole ~~pointy -hatted satanic heretics~~ Anglican Bishops' conference at Lambeth Palace. However, I'm excerpting some comments from an article by Henry Luke Orombi, Archbishop of Uganda, who isn't even attending Lambeth, for his cut-to-the-chase analysis of the situation vis-a-vis the American Church, the ABC, and the whole ~~ludicrous~~ lambeth mess.

Setting up the bakground:

I love the Lord Jesus Christ, and I love the Anglican Communion. So, why did the bishops of the Church of Uganda and I decide not to attend the present Lambeth Conference? Because we love the Lord Jesus Christ and because we love the Anglican Communion.

[...] The crisis in the Communion is serious; our commitment to biblical and historic faith and mission are serious; and we want to be taken seriously. In 2003 the Episcopal Church in America consecrated as bishop a man living in an active homosexual relationship. This unilateral and unbiblical action was directly contrary to a resolution of the 1998 Lambeth Conference.

I participated in that conference and we overwhelmingly resolved that “homosexual practice is incompatible with Scripture” and the conference “cannot advise the legitimising of same-sex unions”. As a result, the 2003 action of the American Church plunged the Anglican Communion into a crisis that, as the primates of the Anglican Communion said in 2003, “tore the very fabric of our communion at its deepest level”. The crisis is about authority - biblical authority and ecclesiastical authority.

[...]If a whole province, such as the Episcopal Church, acts contrary to God's word and the consensus of the communion, who in the Anglican Communion has the authority to discipline that erring province?

We in the Global South believed the Primates' Meeting had this authority - the 1988 Lambeth Conference urged the Primates' Meeting to “exercise an enhanced responsibility in offering guidance on doctrinal, moral and pastoral matters” and the 1998 Lambeth Conference reaffirmed this.

Regarding the veracity and trustworthiness of the Americans:

So, it was appropriate, after the American decision in 2003, that the Archbishop of Canterbury convened an emergency meeting of the primates to address the biblical and ecclesiastical crisis into which the Americans had plunged the Anglican Communion. The primates, including the American primate, unanimously advised that the consecration should not proceed. Nonetheless, two weeks later, the primate in America presided at the consecration as bishop of a man living in a same-sex relationship. This was a deep betrayal.

Since that meeting there have been numerous other “betrayals” to the extent that it is now hard to believe that the leadership in the American Church means what it says. They say that they are not authorising blessings of same-sex unions, yet we read newspaper reports of them. Two American bishops have even presided at such services of blessings. Bishops have written diocesan policies on the blessings of same-sex unions. It is simply untrue to say they have not
been authorised.

That such blessings continue and seem to be increasing hardly demonstrates “regret”, let alone repentance, on the part of the American Church. So, when the Archbishop of Canterbury invited these American bishops to participate in the Lambeth Conference, against the recommendations of the Windsor Report and the Primates' Meeting, and in the face of the unrelenting commitment of the American Church to bless sinful behaviour, we were stunned. Further betrayal.

Regarding the indispensability of His Worship, the Archbishop of Canterbury:

[...] Anglicans may say there are four “Instruments of Communion,” (the Archbishop of Canterbury; the Lambeth Conference; the Anglican Consultative Council and the Primates' Meeting). But de facto, there is only one - the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The peculiar thing is that this one man, who is at the centre of the communion's structures, is not even elected by his peers. Even the Pope is elected by his peers, but what Anglicans have is a man appointed by a secular government. Over the past five years, we have come to see this as a remnant of British colonialism, and it is not serving us well. The spiritual leadership of a global communion of independent and autonomous provinces should not be reduced to one man appointed by a secular government.

There is more; the whole article is worth your read. Interestingly, from one of the American Bishops, Catherine Roskam, Suffragan of New York has come the following remarks:

The Rt Rev Catherine Roskam, Suffragan Bishop of New York, said domestic violence is deemed acceptable in some parts of the world and that "even the most devout Christians" are guilty of it. [...] In the article in the Lambeth Witness, a newsletter produced daily during the meeting by the gay campaign group Inclusive Church Network, Bishop Roskam said: "We have 700 men here.
"Do you think any of them beat their wives? Chances are they do. The most devout Christians beat their wives.
"Culturally, many of our bishops come from places where it is culturally accepted to beat your wife. In that regard, it makes the conversation quite difficult."
[...] At the last Lambeth Conference, another American bishop sparked controversy when he claimed African Christians had only just developed from believing that rocks and trees have spirits, and did not understand modern science.

The near-simultaneity of the two statements is hilarious. What I find so amusing is that it is conservatives who are normally portrayed as being racists. It's the lefties, whether neopagans in the Church or political libs endlessly panting about The First Black Candidate, that obsess on race and class issues. They're the ones who invariably feel the White Man's Burden for those economically or biologically not quite up (they assume) to the level of themselves. The African bishops, of course, are far better educated on average than their American equivalents, but perception is everything. As the Brits, broad-minded souls that they are, have said for years: "Wogs begin at Calais."

Son of Hamas Leader Coverts to Christianity

2008-07-31T13:54:00.002-05:00

From WorldNet Daily:

The son of one of the most popular leaders in the Hamas terrorist organization has moved to the U.S. and converted to Christianity, it has emerged.

In an exclusive interview with Israel's Haaretz newspaper, Masab Yousuf, son of West Bank Hamas leader Sheik Hassan Yousef, slammed Hamas, praised Israel and said he hoped his terrorist father will open his eyes to Jesus and to Christianity.

"I know that I'm endangering my life and am even liable to lose my father, but I hope that he'll understand this and that God will give him and my family patience and willingness to open their eyes to Jesus and to Christianity. Maybe one day I'll be able to return to Palestine and to Ramallah with Jesus, in the Kingdom of God," Masab said.

Masab said he previously aided his father with Hamas activities, but he now has affection for Israel and laments Hamas.

"Send regards to Israel, I miss it. I respect Israel and admire it as a country," he says.

"You Jews should be aware: You will never, but never have peace with Hamas. Islam, as the ideology that guides them, will not allow them to achieve a peace agreement with the Jews. They believe that tradition says that the Prophet Muhammed fought against the Jews and that therefore they must continue to fight them to the death."

Masab slammed Palestinian society as "an entire society [that] sanctifies death and the suicide terrorists. In Palestinian culture a suicide terrorist becomes a hero, a martyr. Sheiks tell their students about the 'heroism of the shaheeds.'"

Masab's father is considered the most popular Hamas figure in the West Bank. He is serving a sentence in Israel for planning or involvement in multiple terror attacks, including an infamous 2002 suicide bombing in the school cafeteria of Jerusalem's Hebrew University in which nine students and staff members were killed.

According to rumor, Masab's insurance agent has been fired, and all policies cancelled. Congratulations to him; it takes a lot of guts. I have known a couple of converts from Islam, and it is not an easy road to walk, even when no one particularly wants to kill you.

We Won't Cure You, But We'll Be Glad To Kill You!

2008-07-31T13:10:00.003-05:00

From Fox News :

Some terminally ill patients in Oregon who turned to their state for health care were denied treatment and offered doctor-assisted suicide instead, a proposal some experts have called a "chilling" corruption of medical ethics.

Since the spread of his prostate cancer, 53-year-old Randy Stroup of Dexter, Ore., has been in a fight for his life. Uninsured and unable to pay for expensive chemotherapy, he applied to Oregon's state-run health plan for help.

Lane Individual Practice Association (LIPA), which administers the Oregon Health Plan in Lane County, responded to Stroup's request with a letter saying the state would not cover Stroup's pricey treatment, but would pay for the cost of physician-assisted suicide.

"It dropped my chin to the floor," Stroup told FOX News. "[How could they] not pay for medication that would help my life, and yet offer to pay to end my life?"

The letter, which has been sent to other terminal patients throughout Oregon, follows guidelines established by the state legislature.

Oregon doesn't cover life-prolonging treatment unless there is better than a 5 percent chance it will help the patients live for five more years — but it covers doctor-assisted suicide, defining it as a means of providing comfort, no different from hospice care or pain medication.

"It's chilling when you think about it," said Dr. William Toffler, a professor of family medicine at Oregon Health & Science University. "It absolutely conveys to the patient that continued living isn't worthwhile."

In issuing their latest Prioritized List of Health Services, state officials reported a new emphasis on preventive care and cost effectiveness. Dr. John Sattenspiel, LIPA's senior medical director, defended the measures.

"I have had patients who would consider knowing that this is part of that range of comfort care or palliative care services that are still available to them, they would be comforted by that," Sattenspiel said. "It really depends on the individual patient."

Toffler called it a callous practice that went against medical convention. "It corrupts the consistent medical ethic that has been in place for 2,000 years," he said. "It's absolutely breathtaking."

Oregon is the only state to legalize doctor-assisted suicide, which came into effect in 1997. Since that time, there have been 341 reported cases where doctors provided lethal doses of medicine to patients to end their lives.

Oregon voters have upheld the "Death with Dignity" law three times, and Sattenspiel says it is the state's duty to inform patients of all their legal options.

For Stroup, however, suicide was never an option. He fought back, and the Oregon Health Plan eventually reversed its decision and is now paying for his chemotherapy, giving him hope he'll be around a little longer for his 80-year-old mother and five grandchildren.

Nothing to be surprised at here. When the state takes over medical care, and the state allows euthanasia, the simple forces of economics and expedience will drive the path towards death. First it was permitted. Now it is encouraged. Ultimately, it will be required.

The first to go were the unborn. Now it is the terminally ill. Eventually, it will be the crippled, the mentally infirm, and the elderly - anyone who requires care. Once the right to live is redefined as the right to a meaningful life, every one of us lives at the whim of those who arrogate to themselves the privilege of defining "meaningful." In the final analysis, "meaningful" gets defined as "not requiring me to spend time or money to take care of you." The complete devaluation of human life that Satan couldn't pull off in the griminess and stench of the death camps of the Third Reich, he is pulling off quite nicely with shiny, smiling, happy people and cheery wallpaper. And the victims are expected to volunteer.

It is ironic that I first saw this story in the form of an ad for Fox's America's Future series on July 25th, the 40th anniversery of the release of Humanae Vitae. I remember 1968, and everyone claiming the Church was out of touch with modern society and mocking the Pope's "Contraception Comix." I confess, I was one of the crowd. I plead youth, an arrogant if not well thought-out atheism, and stupidity. The one word that comes to mind today is "prophecy."

At Fatima, Our Lady said that souls were falling into hell like snowflakes. That was 91 years ago. In that time, we've turned the snowstorm into a blizzard. For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on me and on the whole world.

Man Drowns During Baptism

2008-07-29T11:18:00.005-05:00

From CBS5.com (San Joaquin):

Rescuers have called off the search for a 22-year-old man feared drowned during a baptism in the San Joaquin Delta.

The Hispanic man disappeared under the water late Sunday afternoon near the Brannan Island State Recreation Area, northeast of the San Francisco Bay, according to Coast Guard officials.

A Sacramento County Drowning Accident Rescue Team (DART) joined the
underwater search for the missing man, whose identity has not been released.

Officials called off the search Sunday night.

I always knew there was a reason why Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican churches conducted baptisms - be it by sprinlking or immersion - in a controlled fashion. Although there are certain definite eternal advantages to proceeding directly from baptism to judgment, it really impacts both the popularity of the sacrament and Sunday church attendance.

Pastor:
"I baptize thee in the name of <burble>the Father</burble> and <burble>the Son</burble> and <burble>the Holy Spirit. (missing end-burble tag)

Penitent:
"Wow! Hi, Jesus! I didn't really expect to see You during the baptism! Wait until I tell my friends!"

Jesus:
"Umm...well, I have some really Good News, and just a touch of bad news..."

Some attorney is going to sell his soul for the bloody fortune he can make out of this. There is, however, a marketing opportunity. Some enterprising soul should start manufacturing life vests in the shape of angel wings, or baptismal gowns with internal flotation devices.

Not quite the right Angels, I guess, but it might be appropriate in San Joaquin.

Mozilla Thunderbird is Smarter Than I Am

2008-07-25T10:44:00.002-05:00

On my office laptop, I use Mozilla Thundebird as an email client for my personal email as well as my usenet newsreader - reserving MS Outlook for the official purposes of The Firm. On my personal email, I receive a subscription to the Daily Email Bulletin from Ekklesia, a wildly liberal Anglican organization in the UK, so I can keep an eye on what the pseudo-Christian Bolsheviks and Leftover Hippies are thinking.

Today, the sidebar had a link to an article, " Cautious welcome for agreement on illicit small arms trade." As someone who regularly trades in small arms and doesn't consider himself particularly illicit, I wondered what the heck this was about and clicked the link.

Up popped an warning box saying "Thunderbird thinks this message is a scam ... Are you sure you want to visit rs6.net?"

I asked myself whether I could, in good Christian conscience, claim that anything from Ekklesia was not a scam. Upon reflection, I just couldn't do it. Clicked "No," closed the email, and went on to something else. Mozilla Thunderbird probably saved me from an explosive rise in blood pressure and a possible stroke.

It's not every day that software saves your life. I've gotta recommend Mozilla Thunderbird - what a perceptive little piece of artificial intelligence! Way to go, developers!

Dissing the Host

2008-07-24T15:46:00.002-05:00

From The Catholic League:

University of Minnesota professor Paul Z. Myers made good on his pledge to desecrate the Eucharist today. According to his statement on the subject, "I pierced it [the Host] with a rusty nail (I hope Jesus’s tetanus shots are up to date). And then I simply threw it in the trash."

Saying he did not want to "single out just the cracker," Myers also tore pages from the Koran along with a few pages from Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion and nailed them to the Host. He then said, "They are just paper. Nothing must be held sacred. (His emphasis.) Question everything. God is not great, Jesus is not your lord, you are not disciples of any charismatic prophet."

Catholic League president Bill Donohue responded as follows:

"A formal complaint against Myers has already been made. What he did - in both word and deed - constitutes a bias incident, as defined by the University of Minnesota. The policy says that ‘Expressions of disrespectful bias, hate, harassment or hostility against an individual, group or their property because of the individual or group’s actual or perceived race, color, creed, religion…can be forms of discrimination. Expressions vary, and can be in the form of language, words, signs, symbols, threats, or actions that could potentially cause alarm, anger, fear, or resentment in others…even when presented as a joke.’

"The University must now take action and apply the appropriate sanction. We are contacting the president, Board of Regents and the Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Office at the school, as well as Minnesota’s governor and both houses of the state legislature; the Catholic community in Minnesota is also being contacted. Moreover, we are also contacting Muslim groups nationwide.

"It is important for Catholics to know that the University of Minnesota will not
tolerate the deliberate destruction of the Eucharist by one of its faculty. Just as African Americans would not tolerate the burning of a cross, and Jews would not tolerate the display of swastikas, Catholics will not tolerate the desecration of the Eucharist."

Although I'm not advocating that anyone do this, I can't help wondering what Prof. Myers reaction would be if someone dug up, say, his mother's corpse and used it for a hatstand? The man seems to have a serious problem in understanding basic Catholic theology (and that of many Anglicans) that the host is treated with the same deference one would treat the incarnate Christ, because - once consecrated - it is the incarnate Christ. We might be incorrect in that belief, but to tell us we are not disciples of someone we are clearly disciples of is not merely silly - it is an attempt to require others to toe his party line.

I actually feel sorry for this guy. I just reread C. S. Lewis's That Hideous Strengh; the last time I read it was over 40 years ago. One of the characters, Mark Studock, falls under the sway of a rabidly (and satanically) materialistic group called NICE (National Institute for Cooperative Experimentation). As one of his last steps in becoming "objective," he is required to desecrate a crucifix. He rebels, though himself an unbeliever, because he recognizes the simple dehumanizing wrongness of it. Spitting in other people's faces is selom an act that produces a beneficial result. It is nastiness for its own sake.

Apparently Prof. Myrs has already chosen his side. I doubt that he truly realizes it; I pray that his decision is not irrevocable.

The Perils of Pagan Religions

2008-07-21T12:51:00.003-05:00

From the Lebanon (Indiana) Reporter:

A Lebanon woman suffered an accidental stab wound when performing a Wiccan rite at Oak Hill Cemetery, Lebanon, Saturday.

Katherine Gunther, 36, 500 block of South East Street, pierced her left foot with a three-feet-long sword, Lebanon Police said.

Friends took her to Witham Hospital emergency room around 2 a.m. Saturday. Hospital personnel are required by law to report stab wounds to police.

Gunther told police she and several friends were practicing a ritual that requires the use of candles, incense and driving swords into the earth during the full moon.

Police said Gunther admitted to having consumed alcohol earlier in the evening.

No charges were filed, police said. The Wiccans were warned that being in the cemetery after posted visiting hours constitutes trespassing..

It's a lucky thing she wasn't born in Old Testament times. Can you imagine her as a Levite at the Temple? Wouldn't have made it past the first sin offering without cutting her hand off. I'm glad most neopagans are liberals and don't carry guns - might be dangerous.

The Bushes Are Homophobic!

2008-07-21T12:37:00.002-05:00

No, not those bushes (from The Telegraph (UK)):

A council has been accused of discriminating against homosexuals over plans to clear undergrowth from a notorious gay cruising spot.

Bristol City Council wants to prune bushes and remove cover from an area known as the Downs to improve the landscape and encourage rare wildlife.

But its own gay rights group has opposed the move, claiming that cutting back the bushes was "discriminating" to homosexual men who used the area for late night outdoor sex known as dogging.

Work on the beauty spot has been temporarily delayed while talks with gay rights groups take place to try and break the deadlock.

The area of the Downs sits at the top of the Avon Gorge, in the upmarket Clifton suburb of Bristol and is home to various species of rare plants and wildlife.

[...] The area hit the headlines last year when four firemen who disturbed an outdoor gay sex session were reprimanded and fined after they shone torches into the undergrowth.

The Downs Committee commissioned a report as part of ongoing improvements to the shrubland and have proposed cutting back a lot of the undergrowth.

The move was strongly backed by local residents who complained about "inappropriate sexual activity" and safety concerns in the area.

But during the consultation period last year "equality" concerns were raised by the council's Rainbow Group - an action group of lesbian, gay and bisexual council employees - about the threat to gay rights.

[...] A row blew up last October when it was revealed that four fire fighters had been disciplined for allegedly disturbing a gay sex session on the Downs by shining their torches into the bushes.

After complaints that their actions were homophobic, the four senior officers from Avon Fire Service were fined £1,000 and transferred to other fire stations.

Dogging? No, thanks, I don't think I really want to know. Where have you gone, Rudyard Kipling?

Lambeth Reflections

2008-07-20T21:29:00.004-05:00

As an Anglican blogger, I know I'm supposed to have thoughts, comments, and reflections on the Lambeth Conference of the Anglican Communoin, held every 10 years in Lambeth Palace in Merrie Olde England. I'm fraid I've reached the point where I really don't give the rear end of a naked-tailed Asian rodent what the bishes do at Lambeth, or whom they do it with or do it to. One of the nice things about Continuing Anglicanism is not being in Communion with these bozos!

One thing I have noticed, however, is that during the course of the conference, the ~~minions of Antichrist~~ bishops will meet for ~~theological atrocities~~ bible studies in "indaba groups" where ~~liberals can browbeat their orthodox opponents and trash the Africans as savages~~ participants can participate in listening and conversation.

According to Episcopal Life Online:

Indaba is a Zulu word meaning purposeful discussion "and is both a process and method of engagement, and offers a way of listening to one another concerning challenges that face the Anglican Communion."

Sinner that I am, however, I fully believe that if I were walking through a Zulu village, some kind-hearted local soul would, sooner or later, grab me by the shoulder, point to a moist pile on the cow path, and say, "Careful, man - you almost stepped in the indaba!"

To heck with it all. I've read the Revelation of John. I know who wins in the end.

Back, but On the Run!

2008-07-20T15:56:00.005-05:00

Well, my lovely wife's mom has been interred, her family is on their back to their far-flung domiciles, and we have returned from a few days with Beloved-but-Expensive Daughter in ~~Babylon~~ Boston. I have to return to work tomorrow and am looking forward to the rest.

Lovely Wife's mom's graveside service was lovely. Her mom's absence is going to leave a big hole in LW's life, so I would appreciate any prayers both for the repose of Henrietta and for my wife's peace of mind.

My vacation in Boston dang near killed me. I managed to take out my left knee, and - on the way back - got detained in Logan Airport and thrown out of Massachusetts. I need to get one of those Spring Break tee shirts that read Left on vacation - Came back on probation.

Being a good boy, I left all firearms at home, left my pocket knife at home, and left the titanium credit card knife I carry in my wallet at home. I carry (carried) a little aluminum kubotan on my keychain, which is basically an aluminum rod with rounded "point" on one end, about 5.5 inches by 0.5 inches in size.

In the hands of a kung fu master, a kubotan can quite successfully be used to subdue an opponent by applying it to pressure points and using the pain to force him into positions where he can be controlled.

I am NOT a kung fu master.

The only things I know with "fu" are tofu and fubar. I'm not fond of either.

I bought the thing because my current project is at a Federal facility, and I am forced to walk around as unarmed as a newborn gerbil. In my not-fu hands, a kubotan is a last-ditch, no-escape, I'm-gonna-die-but-maybe-I-can-leave-a-bruise-on-you sort of weapon that also helps keep me from losing my car keys. I've flown all over the bloody country with the thing in my pocket and nobody ever said boo. Until, of course, I got to Massachusetts. Apparently, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a kubotan counts as a "prohibited weapon" under their criminal code. I got pulled out of line at security, had my carry-on searched to find the offending item (which was confiscated), and had to wait for a state trooper to show up to make copies of my driver's license and my carry permit, and fill out a police report. In the meantime, my pants were falling down because I had thrown my belt buckle in the same carry-on to go through security.

While I was joking around with the TSA guy and the cop, I mentioned that I thought a kubotan was legal anywhere, being about as dangerous in a crowd as bubble gum or a roll of wet toilet paper. The trooper's comment? "Remember - this is a Democrat state. They vote for Kennedy every damn time."

When the TSA agent asked me what Federal facility worked at, I told him I was a consultant on a project at Internal Revenue and apologized. I wasn't sure how one could sink any lower than that. He pointed out that I could have his job. Apparently, according to a recent survey, TSA is more despised by the American public than IRS, Congress, or the Mafia.

I plan on writing to the Mass. state police for a copy of the police report. I want to have it framed. It did, however lead to a song (to the tune of Oklahoma).

Maaaaaasachusetts, where the constitution's just a rag,
And the Kennedy's win
Though their girls can't swim,
And the bishops all dress up in drag.

Maaaaaasachusetts, the bluest state you'll ever see,
Where the proles are tricked
By the Bolsheviks
Into giving up their rights for free!

Thank God I still live in a free state!

Prayer Request

2008-07-09T14:12:00.002-05:00

My wife's mom died yesterday. It wasn't unexpected, but in my experience that doesn't make much difference. Prayers for the repose of Henrietta will be appreciated, as well as prayers for my wife's (Charlotte's) peace of mind.

I'll be offline the rest of the week. I'm sure the Anglican Communion can continue to crumble quite successfully in my absence.

A Roman Commentary on the COE Synod Decision

2008-07-08T13:37:00.003-05:00

Diogenes on the Church of England synod's decision to (attempt to) ordain women bishops:

In a display of spirited independence comparable to the Soviet Agricultural Congress of 1951, the Church of England has voted to approve women bishops. This decision, much like that of the Society of Jesus in 1995 to embrace gender-inclusive language, is expected to send shock-waves throughout the world of aromatherapy and to have consequences extending into the August issues of The Tablet and beyond.

I almost said "decision to embrace women bishops." Fortunately, being the sensitive, new-age, post-modern ~~guy~~ person that I am, I caught myself before employing such sexist, misogynistic imagery. Besides, have you seen any of those ~~babes~~ persons? I mean embrace? Fuggedaboudit.

COE Approves Female "Bishops"

2008-07-08T10:38:00.004-05:00

From SkyNews (UK):

Members of its General Synod threw out compromise proposals on females in senior ranks.
All safeguards demanded by traditionalists were rejected.
[...] Sky News correspondent Mike McCarthy said it was a historic and significant moment for the church."The real test now is how many people will leave (the Church). There are certainly going to be many wrestling with their consciences," he said.
The Synod members voted to approve work on a national statutory code to accommodate those within the Church who object to women bishops.
But the Synod rejected compromise plans for new "super bishops" to cater for objectors - and also their preferred option of creating new dioceses.
The decision to go ahead with work on the code came after more than six hours of debate by the General Synod, which saw extraordinary scenes, with one bishop in tears as he spoke of being "ashamed" of the Church of England.
The Rt Rev Stephen Venner, Bishop of Dover, who is in favour of women bishops, said: "I have to say, Synod, for the first time in my life, I feel ashamed.
"We have talked for hours about wanting to give an honourable place to those who disagree."We have been given opportunities for both views to flourish. We have turned down every, almost realistic opportunity for those who are opposed to flourish."
A total of 1,333 clergy have threatened to leave the Church of England if they are not given legal safeguards to set up a network of parishes that would remain under male leadership.

The fat lady has sung. The shark has been jumped. The curtain has fallen. The lights have been turned off. The shootin' match is over. The paperwork is finished. The cleanup is ended. Somebody drape the flag over it and bury it.

From this day forward, any notion of maintaining Anglican orthodoxy in communion with Canterbury - no matter how strained - is finished. Any meaningful dialog with Rome or the East is the stuff of pipe dreams. The Anglican experiment has gone the way of any number of heretical sects and splinter groups since the Church began. Like a rat that has eaten the bait, it is still walking and squeaking, but the Flavored Death it has so eagerly chewed and so greedily swallowed is already at work devouring its innards. Sic transit gloria mundi.

For a Serious Analysis...

2008-07-08T10:24:00.002-05:00

...try another article. This one is from the Port Clinton (Ohio) News Herald

RICE TOWNSHIP -- When responding to a complaint of cows on the road Saturday, a sheriff's deputy accidentally struck one of the cows.
According to a report from the Sandusky County Sheriff's Office, a deputy was sent out to the area of Sandusky County Road 109 around 10:30 p.m. As the deputy was traveling in the 2200 block of Sandusky County Road 128, they struck a cow that ran onto the road.
The cow's owner came to the scene and the family gathered the rest of the other cows that had become loose.
The deputy was not hurt in the crash. But the cow that was struck was taken away because of its injuries.

"The cow ... was taken away because of its injuries." Okay - WHERE? To the barn to recuperate in the loving arms of her family? To the vet for emergency medical treatment? To the barbecue pit for, umm... emergency medical treatment? (Nurse - scalpel! That rib has to come off STAT!) Real people want to KNOW!

Rock of Sages?

2008-07-07T10:57:00.003-05:00

From WorldNet Daily:

A stone tablet written in Hebrew is generating debate as some scholars are saying its words point to a suffering messiah who was killed and rose again three days later decades before Jesus of Nazareth.

Daniel Boyarin, a professor of Talmudic culture at the University of California at Berkeley told The International Herald Tribune, "Some Christians will find it shocking – a challenge to the uniqueness of their theology – while others will be comforted by the idea of it being a traditional part of Judaism."

The tablet itself, about three feet tall and containing 87 lines of Hebrew in two neat columns, is a rare find because its words are written in ink, rather than engraved. Experts who have analyzed the writing date the stone from the late first century B.C., and a chemical examination conducted by a professor at Tel Aviv University showed no reason to doubt the date.

The content of the writing, however, remains much in doubt, as evidenced by a handful of articles on the stone and several due to be published in coming months.

The tablet was discovered roughly ten years ago, purchased from a Jordanian antiquities dealer and stored until recently in a private collection in Zurich. According to the Tribune, news of the tablet excited scholars last year when Ada Yardeni, an Israeli scholar of Hebrew scripts, published a long analysis of the stone in Cathedra, a Hebrew-language history and archaeology quarterly.

David Jeselsohn, the tablet's owner, told the Tribune, "I didn't realize how significant it was until I showed it to Ada Yardeni, who specializes in Hebrew writing, a few years ago. She was overwhelmed. 'You have got a Dead Sea Scroll on stone,' she told me."

The tablet, called "Gabriel's Revelation," is broken and faded, making much of its content debatable. The words tell of a vision, supposedly given by the angel Gabriel, of the apocalypse.
Lines 19 through 21 of the tablet contain words, which translated read: "In three days you will know that evil will be defeated by justice."

Line 80 of the tablet begins with the words "L'shloshet yamin," meaning "in three days," but then fades. Some scholars see the next word as illegible, but Israel Knohl, a professor of Bible studies at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, says the word is Hebrew for "live," followed by even more difficult-to-read words that he claims complete a command meaning, "In three days you shall live, I, Gabriel, command you."

Knohl told the Tribune that he interprets the tablet to tell of a messianic figure named Simon, whose death was recorded by the Jewish historian Josephus. The tablet, Knohl contends, was likely written by Simon's followers and demonstrates that messianic followers even before Jesus looked to their leaders rising again, thus nullifying the frequent claim that Jesus' resurrection was a uniquely developed story.

If Knohl's interpretation of "Gabriel's Revelation" is correct, it would lend evidence to his previous theories, published in his 2002 book, "The Messiah before Jesus." Knohl is one of several scholars who suggest Jesus may not have been unique in his claim to face suffering, death and resurrection, but that sources, like this tablet, suggest a common messianic story that New Testament writers may have merely been copying.

"This should shake our basic view of Christianity," Knohl told the Tribune. "Resurrection after three days becomes a motif developed before Jesus, which runs contrary to nearly all scholarship. What happens in the New Testament was adopted by Jesus and his followers based on an earlier messiah story."

Moshe Bar-Asher, president of the Israeli Academy of Hebrew Language and emeritus professor of Hebrew and Aramaic at the Hebrew University, however,
remains skeptical of Knohl's interpretation of the tablet.

"There is one problem," he told the Tribune. "In crucial places of the text there is a lack of text. I understand Knohl's tendency to find there keys to the pre-Christian period, but in two to three crucial lines of the text there are a lot of missing words." Bar-Asher plans to publish his own paper on the tablet in coming months.

If the stone tablet does represent a "Dead Sea Scroll on stone," the debate over its meaning will likely continue for many years. The Dead Sea Scrolls, originally discovered in 1947 in caves near the Dead Sea, contain pre Christian-era copies of the Hebrew Scriptures, the oldest known copies at the time.

The Scrolls continue to be studied and debated, and the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Scrolls' discovery, begins a three-day "The Dead Sea Scrolls and Contemporary Culture" conference today. Israel Knohl is scheduled to speak at the conference about the "Gabriel's Revelation" stone.

Big whoop.
There is a lot of uncertainty about what the stone really says. Dr. Knohl is probably just engaging in wishful translating. Maybe it says "Three-day sale! Gabriel's Goats!" and is an ad for the sponsor of the rock.

Making the (large) assumption that Dr. Knohl's interpretation is correct, so what? Resurrection after three days is a "preexisting motif." No kidding. Christians have always interpreted the story of Jonah as a "preexisting motif" for the resurrection, not to mention the anastasis of Eliazar (Lazarus). It's not the motif that matters; it's the event.

People always go on about Jesus representing all sorts of new stuff in Judaism. Nonsense. Jesus's teachings were not "new;" if anything, they were a revival of the Law and the Prophets. The only new teaching he gave was self-referential - "Love one another as I have loved you." Inclusion of the Gentiles wasn't new. Israel was always intended to be the light for the Gentiles, according to the prophets. Back in the OT, who was it that got cured of Leprosy? A Syrian. Who was fed through the famine. The Shunnamite woman. Who got raised fro the dead? Her son. Who was in the lineage of Jesus himself? Rahab, a Canaanite hooker, and Ruth, from Moab. The suffering Messiah wasn't new - that came from Isaiah.

For heaven's sake, the whole idea of Israel's history was to set the stage for the Messiah in Jewish culture, not to pop Him out of the woodwork like an unexpected colony of termites. The big complaints that Jesus had about the Jewish elites were (a) that they had missed the point of the Law and the Prophets, and (b) that they had failed to recognize Him, even though He had come in complete harmony with the cultural and historical context that they were embedded in. I.e. they had failed to pay attention to their own bloody books!

The uniqueness of Christ lies not in what He did as a man, but in forever uniting the material, created world with the Divine Life of God. His resurrection wasn't a command from an angel; it was simply impossible for Him to stay dead.

Man Sells Soul on Internet

2008-07-03T13:28:00.002-05:00

From Yahoo News:

A New Zealand man has put his soul up for auction to the highest bidder, noting that it is "a merry old soul" rather than a "funk soul brother" but that he would "would like to think there is a bit of funk in there somewhere."

Walter Scott, 24, put his soul up for sale on New Zealand Internet auction site TradeMe, and so far has received more than 100 expressions of interest.

Bids in the auction, which was to close Thursday, had reached $189 late Wednesday.

Scott said he had been thinking about selling his soul for ages.

"I can't see it, touch it or feel it, but I can sell it, so I'm going to palm it off to the highest bidder," he said.

It was in "pretty good nick" except for a rough patch six years ago when he reached the legal drinking age, he said.

Advice from a lawyer was that the winning bidder would not be entitled to anything but Scott's soul and would not be able to own or control him in any way, he said.

The successful bidder will receive a framed deed of "soul ownership," Scott said.

TradeMe business manager Michael O'Donnell said the auction complied with the site's rules because a physical object — the deed of ownership — would change
hands.

"I think he has entered into the spirit of the (online) community (and) he's also responded to our request to have a physical thing for sale and he's put together a nice looking deed for ownership," O'Donnell said.

I can't help suspecting that, if the young man regards his soul in such a cavalier manner, he may find that he has already sold it and is therefore committing fraud by attempting to sell it again. Since the current owner would be the Lowest Bidder of all, however, I also suspect that the commission of fraud merely adds to the item's flavor.

As to whether the New Owner can or cannot "own or control him in any way," the results may turn out to be an unpleasant surprise for Mr. Scott, whatever his attorney claims. The New Owner is. after all, the Fatherof Lawyers.

This Would Never Work in Texas

2008-07-03T11:42:00.001-05:00

From WWMT.com (somewhere in Wisconsin, I presume.)

APPLETON, Wisc. (NEWSCHANNEL 3) - A couple telephoned police in the middle of the night after finding a man in their basement covered head to toe in barbecue sauce.
"He told the officers that it was urban camouflage," said the homeowner.
This happened in Wisconsin.
The homeowners say they woke up to whistling sounds.
The husband grabbed his shotgun and headed toward the basement where he found the sauced-up intruder. He held him at gunpoint until police arrived.
The guy told officers he covered himself in barbecue sauce because he wanted to hide from the government.
He now faces burglary charges.

No wonder they were able to spot him. The bloody fool forgot the pickle!

Human-pig hybrid embryos given go ahead

2008-07-02T12:14:00.005-05:00

From The Telegraph (UK):

A licence to create human-pig embryos to study heart disease has been issued by the fertility watchdog.

This marks the third animal-human hybrid embryo licence to be issued by Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and the first since the Commons voted in favour of this controversial research last month.

An HFEA spokesman said it had approved an application from the Clinical Sciences Research Institute, University of Warwick, for the creation of hybrid embryos. The centre has been offered a 12 month licence with effect from today, July 1.

The effort at the University of Warwick is led by Professor Justin St John. "This new license allows us to attempt to make human pig clones to produce embryonic stem cells," he said, where embryonic stem cells are able to turn into the 200 plus types in the body.

"Ultimately they will help us to understand where some of the problems associated with these diseases arise and they could also provide models for the pharmaceutical industry to test new drugs. We will effectively be creating and studying these diseases in a dish.

"But it's important to say that we're at the very early stages of this research and it will take a considerable amount of time. There is still a great deal to learn about these techniques and much of our early work will involve understanding how we can make the hybrid cloning process as efficient as possible."

The study is aimed at understanding the way power-producing structures in cells, called mitochondria, are passed from egg to embryo. In the hybrid, the mitochondria mostly come from the egg, initially making up around half of the DNA by weight, and the team will do experiments in order to ensure that the trace of human mitochondrial DNA takes over, not least because it is designed to work with human nuclear DNA.

"The key thing we are doing is trying to create stem cells without any animal DNA in them. So even though these hybrid embryos normally have a small percentage of animal DNA , we are hoping to create cells that would have human chromosomes and human mitochondrial DNA."

The reason is that, as the team puts it, "mixing of these two diverse populations of
mitochondria can be detrimental to cellular function." Dr Evan Harris, Liberal Democrat science spokesman, commenting on the HFEA decision to issue a license to the University of Warwick to create hybrid embryos combining human skin cells with enucleated pig eggs, said: "This application is a further indication of the interest in this sort of research by UK scientists, the decision of the HFEA to issue a license following stringent checks demonstrates that it is considered both necessary and ethical."

"While this approval comes under the existing 1990 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, both houses of Parliament have recently voted by large majorities to allow it into the future," said Prof Robin Lovell-Badge, of the MRC National Institute For Medical Research. [...]

Teams in Newcastle and London are already creating hybrids. The former have already created hybrids with cow eggs to study the basics of how the use of genes changes in early development, the latter a range of species to generate stem cells from people with neurodegenerative disorders.

This may come as a surprise to some, but I currently have no strong objections to these particular experiments. The original tissue is not derived by creating a new human being, and the result is not a new human being. I suppose the claim could be made that the hoped-for result is a cloned human cell with all pig DNA removed, but I'm not sure that's a problem either. You could say the same thing about any cultured tissue line. Parts is parts,even if those parts be chromosomes. I reserve the right to change my mind, however, if somebody can give me a convincing argument.

The situation changes, though if such a reconstructed stem cell line were somehow to be converted to an embryo. I'm not sure anyone can do that, but it would at that point constitute a new human being, even with the original cytoplasm derived from a porker. The moral consequences are severe; I don't have an intrinsic moral problem with human clones - a cloned human is simply human individual with the same God given attributes as any other human being. The problem is extrinsic and based on original sin. We are what we are - human cloning will lead inevitably to either engineered slaves or "parts people." I have a pretty low view of the human response to grace; we may have the capacity for goodness, but we have little history of showing any interest.

Human-pig hybrids are, of course, only the first step in creating what we all know is the ultimate biotechnological horror, ManBearPig - compared to whom the Antichrist is Shirley Temple. That breakthrough would allow the Democratic party to grow their future voters by the factory load.

Man's Life Worth 400K

2008-06-30T16:17:00.002-05:00

From FoxNews:

SYDNEY, Australia - A man who auctioned his life - his house, his car, his job, even his friends - on eBay said Monday he is disappointed with the selling price: almost $384,000.
Ian Usher, a British immigrant to Australia, put everything he owned as well as introductions to his friends on the online auction site after a painful breakup with his wife prompted him to want a fresh start.
Bidding closed Sunday and reached nearly $384,000 - an amount Usher said his house in the western city of Perth was worth on its own.
"I guess I'm a little bit disappointed at the final price, I'd hoped it to be a little higher than that," Usher told Nine Network television on Monday. "But I am committed to selling and moving on and making a fresh start."
He declined to reveal the buyer's identity, or what his next step would be.
Usher said he had hoped to get at least $480,000 (a half-million Australian dollars) for his life — his house and all its contents, car and a motorcycle, a jet ski, skydiving gear, an introduction to friends and a trial period in his sales job - but that the final result was enough for him to make a new start in life.

That's 400K in Aussie dollars. I can understand the guy's disappointment, but I have two comments:

He says his house alone is worth 400K. Rule 1 of capitalism: the (economic) worth of any given thing is exactly what someone is willing to pay for it at the moment. No more; no less.
He's lucky he's a grown man. Were he still unborn, his life today wouldn't be worth a plugged nickel.

French Defeat Selves, Can't Surrender

2008-06-30T13:37:00.003-05:00

Excerpted from an article in FoxNews:

PARIS - A military shooting demonstration in southeast France on Sunday left 16 people wounded, including children, when real bullets were used instead of blank ones, officials said.

Four of the wounded were in serious condition, including a 3-year-old child, Bernard Lemaire, chief of the regional administration in Aude, said on France-3 television. Fifteen of the injured were civilians.

A Defense Ministry official said the incident occurred during a demonstration of hostage-freeing techniques at the Laperrine military barracks. The official said investigators will look into why real bullets were used.

Some moron packed fulll metal jackets for a public exhibition. Yeesh. That's inexcusable. And the liberals worry about citizens carrying guns? I can go pick any random 12-year-old at the range with his dad and not have to worry about a fubar like that!

Rumor has it that the French are going crazy trying to figure out to whom they should surrender.

Spaniards Equate Themselves to Monkeys

2008-06-26T14:34:00.003-05:00

Excerpted from Reuters:

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's parliament voiced its support on Wednesday for the rights of great apes to life and freedom in what will apparently be the first time any national legislature has called for such rights for non-humans.

Parliament's environmental committee approved resolutions urging Spain to comply with the Great Apes Project, devised by scientists and philosophers who say our closest genetic relatives deserve rights hitherto limited to humans.

"This is a historic day in the struggle for animal rights and in defense of our evolutionary comrades, which will doubtless go down in the history of humanity," said Pedro Pozas, Spanish director of the Great Apes Project.

Spain may be better known abroad for bull-fighting than animal rights but the new measures are the latest move turning once-conservative Spain into a liberal trailblazer.

Spain did not legalize divorce until the 1980s, but Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's Socialist government has legalized gay marriage, reduced the influence of the Catholic Church in education and set up an Equality Ministry...

So the Spanish government puts its own citizens on the same footing as gibbons. How progressive of them. I wonder if it's legal to give two married lesbian chimps an abortion?

I have three questions:

Since all life is biologically related by common ancestry, what possible justification is there for putting a dividing line between apes and other knds of critters? It is one thing logically to divide the (single) human species from other species; that is the way most species divide the world - you are either (a ) a member of my species (one set of responses), (b) a predator (another set of responses), or (c) food (yummy set of responses). Any other division is ultimately arbitrary. Why should apes have rights that are not extended to, say, marmosets? If it is murder for me to kill a chimp, why is it not murder for a chimp to kill and eat a baboon (which they do)?

If apes have human rights, are they therefore subject to uman laws? If a chimp gets hacked off and eats my face (which has happened recently - not to me, fortunately), can I file charges or bring a lawsuit? I obviously can't recover damages from the owner, since it is no more permissable for a chimp to be owned than for a human to be owned.

If a leopard or a lion can kill and eat a chimp, or if a tiger can kill and eat a gibbon or orang that it finds on the ground,then why the heck can't I? Not that I'd necessarily want to - eating closely related organisms can be a bad idea, especially if they're not cooked very well - but why not logically?

On the other hand, I suspect Spain would do better if the people replaced their current government with Bonzo the Chimp.

Supreme Court Goes to Heller!

2008-06-26T11:35:00.003-05:00

From SCOTUSBlog:

Answering a 127-year old constitutional question, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the Second Amendment protects an individual right to have a gun, at least in one’s home. The Court, splitting 5-4, struck down a District of Columbia ban on handgun possession. Although times have changed since 1791, Justice Antonin Scalia said for the majority, “it is not the role of this Court to pronounce the Second Amendment extinct.”

Examining the words of the Amendment, the Court concluded “we find they guarantee the individual right to possess and carry weaons in case of confrontation” — in other words, for self-defense. “The inherent right of self-defense has been central to the Second Amendment right,” it added.

The individual right interpretation, the Court said, ”is strongly confirmed by the historical background of the Second Amendment,” going back to 17th Century England, as well as by gun rights laws in the states before and immediately after the Amendment was put into the U.S. Constitution.

What Congress did in drafting the Amendment, the Court said, was “to codify a pre-existing right, rather than to fashion a new one.”

Justice Scalia’s opinion stressed that the Court was not casting doubt on long-standing bans on carrying a concealed gun or on gun possession by felons or the mentally retarded, on laws barring guns from schools or government buildings, and laws putting conditions on gun sales.

The Court took no position on whether the Second Amendment right restricts only federal government powers, or also curbs the power of states to regulate guns. In a footnote, Scalia said that the issue of “incorporating” the Second into the Fourteenth Amendment, thus applying it to the states, was “a question not presented by this case.” But the footnote said decisions in 1886 and 1894 had reaffirmed that the Amendment “applies only to the Federal Government.” Whether the Court will reopen that issue thus will depend upon future cases.

In District of Columbia v. Heller (07-290), the Court nullified two provisions of the city of Washington’s strict 1976 gun control law: a flat ban on possessing a gun in
one’s home, and a requirement that any gun — except one kept at a business — must be unloaded and disassembled or have a trigger lock in place. The Court said it was not passing on a part of the law requiring that guns be licensed. It said that issuing a license to a handgun owner, so the weapon can be used at home, would be a sufficient remedy for the Second Amendment violation of denying any access to a handgun.

Justice Scalia’s recitation from the bench of the majority’s reasoning continued for 16
minutes. Justice John Paul Stevens followed, for seven minutes, summarizing the reasons for two dissenting opinions — his and one written by Justice Stephen G. Breyer.

The decision was the final one of the Term and, after issuing it, the Court recessed for the summer, to return on Monday, Oct. 6. Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., said that concluding orders on pending cases will be released by the Court Clerk at 10 a.m. Friday.

Hooray, at least in part. In some ways, it’s a pity that they did not incorporate the amendment to the states. Heller didn’t really have anything to do with incorporation, however, since it doesn’t even involve one of the states, let alone a state’s right to legislate firearms possession. And, since I live in one of the Free States, it doesn’t make too much personal difference to me. I have just never understood how you can incorporate some of the rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights without incorporating all of them.

The only thing that stuns me is that the decision was 5-4. The Bill of Rights is not the least bit ambiguous about the matter.

I’m not at all stunned that it was the last opinion of the term. Knowing the flak they will get from the tolerant-and-progressive folks, they probably wanted to be in their cars on the way out of town before the poo hits the fan blades.

I may still pick up a few AR-15’s over the next year or so. The current presidential nominees and the existing congress don’t fill me with confidence regarding attempts to reimpose the “assault weapons” ban.

Planned Parenthood Goes Upscale

2008-06-23T15:24:00.002-05:00

WARNING: BARF ALERT!
From The Chronicle of Philanthropy (say what?):

Planned Parenthood is building new, more stylishly appointed health centers as part of an effort to attract more-affluent victims patients and increase its revenue, but some critics say that Planned Parenthood is drifting away from its original mission, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Planned Parenthood has built two large new health centers, with at least five more on the way, and has opened more than two-dozen “express centers,” which offer faster service and sell merchandise. Many of the centers are located in suburban shopping malls.

Last year, the organization altered its mission statement, which used to say that all individuals have the right to “reproductive self-determination” regardless of income. Its statement now reads that the group will “leverage strength through our affiliated structure to be the nation’s most trusted provider of sexual and reproductive health
care.”

Claire Keyes, an abortion provider in Pittsburgh, criticized the move, saying, They’ve made a decision to go after the young and the hip and the affluent, and they’re leaving poor women behind.”

But Planned Parenthood says that by attracting people who can afford to pay full price out of pocket for services and contraception, the organization can afford to support health care for poor people, sex education for teenagers, and advocacy work. The group generated $1-billion in revenue in its most recent financial report and has $115-million in surplus cash.

Words fail me - a phenomenon which doesn't occur very often. An "express center" in the shopping mall? What are they going to call it? How about some catchy name like Ex Utero? Or Kwik Slurp? Instead of wasting gas on multiple errands, you can get your hair styled, your nails groomed, and your uterus vacuumed in one fast trip.

By the way, a gigabuck in revenue and 115 meg in cash is pretty good for a "non-profit" organization.

Agnus Dei, qui tollit peccata mundi, miserere nobis!

Alert! Austin Byzantine Catholic Mission in Trouble!

2008-06-22T15:50:00.004-05:00

The following article was posted on Creative Minority Report:

There is a scene in the classic John Wayne / Maureen O'Hara film The Quiet Man. In this scene at the end of the movie, the local protestant minister in a mostly Catholic town, the Rev. Playfair, is in danger of being re-assigned to a someplace else because his congregation is so small. He doesn't want to leave because he dearly loves the town of Innisfree. The Rev. Playfair's Bishop is visiting Innisfree to assess the situation. The local Catholic priest, Father Peter Lonergan (played by Ward Bond) is sympathetic to Rev. Playfair's predicament. So Fr. Lonergan gathers all the Catholics in the town to line the streets as the Rev. and his Bishop drive by so that the Bishop will think that the Rev. Playfair has great support in the town. To sell the ruse, Fr. Lonergan urges the Catholic townsfolk to give it all they have and says "Now I want yous all to cheer like Protestants! " Classic.

Well if you live near Austin Texas, I want you to pray like Byzantines! I received an email from Geoffrey, an occasional commenter here at CMR, alerting us to a similar situation for Eastern Catholics at a Byzantine Mission in Austin Texas.
Well, the mission is in trouble, and it's the only Byzantine Catholic misson available in Austin. If it gets shut down, there will be no way for Catholic Austinites to have access to the Divine Liturgy of St.John Chrysostom, within the fulness of our sacred Faith. Now, it is true that there are other Byzantine Churches in Austin, but none of them are in communion with our holy father.

Up until now, the mission has held services every Sunday at 6:00 pm. However, due to low attendance, we've been cut back to having Liturgy on Saturday night at 6:00 pm, on the 2nd and 4th weekend of each month. As you might imagine, this is quite a blow.

If our prospects don't change soon, the mission will dissolve. If it dissolves, it is most likely that many members will leave communion with Rome and join a nearby Eastern Orthodox Church.
Geoffrey reminds us that even if you are a Latin Rite Catholic you can still help.
Latin Catholics are free to join and participate in Eastern parishes. The Church is perfectly okay with this, and Pope John Paul the Great even encouraged it. For those of your readers who do not live nearby Austin, I want to let them know that if there's an Eastern Catholic parish around where they live, their help would be greatly appreciated.
So if you live near Austin, why not pray like a Byzantine.

The Austin Byzantine Catholic Mission is located at:
Our Lady's Maronite Catholic Church
1320 E 51st St
Austin TX 78723-3037

I used to regularly (I almost said "religiously") attend the Wednesday Evening Maronite service at Our Lady's. Working hours prevent me from going these days, and I have been seriously missing my weekly dose of Eastern Catholicism. I had been planning on attending the Byzantine service on Sundays ever since Father Don told me about them some weeks ago, but illnesses and my Earthly Masters have conspired to keep me away. Saturday evenings should work, and I will make plans to start attending. I would urge anyone else in the Austin area to start doing the same. A Mass is a terrible thing to waste.

I'm From the Government, and Jesus Wants Me to Take Your Money!

2008-06-20T14:29:00.003-05:00

An article (whole thing here) today in the (wildly liberal) British church paper Ekklesia regards statements by the Catholic bishops on matters of poverty and climate change. It states, in part:

In the run up to the G8 summit in Japan, presidents of nine Catholic Bishops’ Conferences have called on G8 nations to honour their commitments to reduce global poverty and tackle climate change.

In a letter to the G8 leaders, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor and Cardinal Keith O’Brien along with the other seven presidents of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences in G8 countries called for the promises made at Gleneagles in 2005 and in Heiligendamn in 2007 to be reaffirmed and built upon.

Responding to the letter Prime Minister Gordon Brown today (Thursday) praised the Catholic Church for its outstanding leadership in tackling global poverty and climate change as he called for a re-doubling of efforts across the world to address these issues.

In 2005, the world’s richest countries promised to spend an additional $50 billion per year on development assistance by 2010, with half that amount going to Africa. The Catholic leaders stress that these commitments must be met “and additional commitments should be made in the areas of health care, education and humanitarian aid.”

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales said: "Our religious and moral commitment to protect human life and promote human dignity moves us to be particularly concerned for the poorest and most vulnerable members of the human family, especially those in developing countries. The experience of the Catholic Church in serving the needs of poor communities leads us to applaud the forthcoming G8 Summit’s focus on development and Africa."

I'm all in favor of a reduction in global poverty, and - to the extent that it's real - ameliorating man-made climate changes. What I have issue with in the article are it's assumptions about the role of governments - mainly, that governments have the right, let alone the obligation, to sieze the wealth of the people for distribution as they see fit. How did the Church get to the point of believing that wealth belongs to governments and not to the people? If a group of governments can pledge to spend $50 billion, it means that those governments have the right to extort that $50 billion from their populations.

It is not just the Roman Catholic Church that is guilty of this confusion; Protestant groups are always lobbying congresses and parliaments to tell them to spend on one issue or another. When did it become fashionable for churches to start lobbying governments to sieze money rather than lobbying people to share money? And if that's what the church does, then why can't the church be replaced by a government agency?

A lot of modern governments seem to want to do just that. They can grab the funds, and if they can replace the church with a "humanitarian agency," then they won't have to listen to the church talk about all that Jesus crap any more. And the churches can look in the mirror to see where the blame lies.

What's Wrong with this Picture?

2008-06-18T11:44:00.004-05:00

From USA Today:

ELYRIA, Ohio (AP) — A judge in Ohio says the state's method of putting prisoners to death is unconstitutional because two of three drugs used in the lethal injection process can cause pain.
Lorain County Common Pleas Judge James Burge said Tuesday the state's lethal injection procedure doesn't provide the quick and painless death required by Ohio law.
Burge said Ohio must stop allowing a combination of drugs and focus instead on a single, anesthetic drug.
The ruling is likely be appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court.
Ohio has executed 26 inmates since it resumed putting prisoners to death in 1999.

My first assumption was that the picture had been PhotoShopped. I checked several times to make sure it really was USA Today.

I wonder how often Che provided a "quick and painless death" to his victims?

Back in '67-'68, when I was in High School, we hosted an exchange student from Bolivia. Fernando had actually graduated, and was doing his stint in the army chasing Guevara all over the mountains of Bolivia. When The Great Hero of the Glorious People's Revolution finally took a dirt nap, he wanted to throw a party. Now people name their kids after the butcher, and this guy is a judge.

I'm Baaaaccckkkk

2008-06-18T11:43:00.001-05:00

Don't know how often I can update, but we'll see....

Today is the Feast of Saint Francis

2007-10-04T17:03:00.000-05:00

Patron of my local church.

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.

I am an Uber Cool Nerd God

2007-10-04T17:01:00.000-05:00

Beat that, ~~losers~~ brothers and sisters!

Hymns for the Episcopal Church House of Bishops

2007-09-25T13:00:00.000-05:00

The House of ~~Cards~~ Bishops of The Church Formerly Known as ECUSA has been meeting in New Orleans to try to find a way to ~~hide their rampant heresy and apostasy~~ address the concerns of the Anglican Communion regarding their interpretation of Holy Scripture, particularly with regard to issues of human sexuality. As part of their proceedings, they have been using a special hymnal with some interesting lyrics (hat tip to Chris Johnson at Midwest Conservative Journal).

Mothering God, you gave me birth
in the bright morning of this world.
Creator, source of every breath,
you are my rain, my wind, my sun.

Mothering Christ, you took my form,
offering me your food of light,
grain of life, and grape of love,
your very body for my peace.

Mothering Spirit, nurturing one,
in arms of patience hold me close,
so that in faith I root and grow
until I flower, until I know.

Overcome with the ~~demonic~~ fresh spirit blowing through TEC, and wishing only to be helpful, the Waffler suggests the following for inclusion in the new hymnal. Hopefully, it will be accepted throughout the Episcopal Church and become a valued and meaningful part of Rite III worship.

Vigoro God, You planted my seed;
In compost and soil You give me bliss.
Cultivator, You stake my stem
That I may enjoy photosynthesis.

Vigoro Christ, my fertilizer
Grant us Your holy constituents
Phosphorous of divine inclusion
Potassium of peace, endless nutrients.

Vigoro Spirit, Atmosphere
In gusts of love blow away all my aphids
And send Your fire of Cee - Oh - Two
And let me become heaven's zucchini bread.

Nothing to see here, folks...nothing unorthodox here...move along now.

Rowan Williams to celebrate 'secret' LGBT communion service

2007-09-18T10:40:00.000-05:00

From The Times (London):

The Clergy Consultation has managed to get the Archbishop of Canterbury to celebrate a communion service and give a talk on 'present realities and future possibilities for lesbians and gay men in the Church.' The consultation is a support organisation for male and female, lesbian, gay, bi-sexual or transgender clergy, religious, ordinands, seminarians and their partners. As we report, the meeting, so secret that the list of those attending was to be 'shredded once seen by the Archbishop', is on November 29 at St Peter's, Eaton Square where the Bishop of Salisbury's former chaplain, Nick Papadopulos, is the new Vicar. The meeting is being organised by Chris Newlands, chaplain to the Bishop of Chelmsford, and Christina Beardsley. It comes at a particularly sensitive time given that the Archbishop is travelling to the US this week to see what steps TEC bishops are taking in order to come in line with Windsor following the 2003 consecration of Gene Robinson...

Those remaining orthodox Episcopalians who pin their hopes on support from the Anglican Communion might want to take note. I will love to see the Global South response to this revelation.

du·plic·i·ty (doo-plIs'-Itee, dyoo-)
n. pl. du·plic·i·ties
1. a. Deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech. b. An instance of deliberate deceptiveness; double-dealing.
2. The quality or state of being twofold or double.

It's not my place to determine whether My Lord Archbishop's actions fit definition one, although the secret nature of the meeting certainly causes one to think. Given the current state of the communion and ++Rowan's role in trying to keep it together, definition two certainly sems to fit. In any case, it certainly provides those who hold to the historic faith a clear indicator of their status in any future church under Canterbury.

Evangelist Sends Tape to Osama

2007-09-14T10:55:00.000-05:00

What's good for the goose (from WorldNet Daily)...

An American television evangelist has turned the tables on al-Qaida terrorist leader Osama bin Laden - sending him a video message warning him to repent of his sins and convert to Christianity.

"Osama, since you seem to be a fan of video messages, I thought this would be the best way to communicate with you," says Bill Keller, host of the Florida-based "Live Prayer" TV program as well as LivePrayer.com in a message being posted to YouTube and 20 other major video sites in the U.S. as well as some 50 in the Middle East.

Keller said his goal was to reach out to bin Laden with a message of salvation.

"Look at you, look at your life," Keller says. "You live like a hunted goat in caves, totally dependent on a small group of people for your survival. At any moment, one of those you trust could betray you like Judas betrayed Jesus and your life would be over. The false prophet you follow, Mohammad, was poisoned to death by one of his wives."

Keller continues: "It is against the most basic standard of good and evil that your life, Osama, will be judged by historians and future generations to be one of pure, unbridled evil."
Keller has harsh words not only for bin Laden, but for Islam, as well.

"You followed the same path as the false prophet you have put your faith in - Mohammad - who, like you, was once a businessman, but who history has recorded was nothing more than a murdering pedophile who led men's souls to eternal damnation with the false religion he created," Keller says. "Islam is a 1,400-year-old lie that was born out of the voice of Satan - literally. Mohammad was correct when he stated it was Satan who initially spoke to him. He dreamed up his own god, Allah, a poor imitation of the God of the Bible, and inspired his own holy book, the Quran, a cheap imitation of the inspired, inerrant Word of God found in the Bible."

[...] "There are no virgins waiting for you in Paradise when you die, only Satan and the everlasting punishment of hell," said Keller. "The good news I have come to deliver to you is that you, yes, even you Osama, can escape God's wrath. He loves you so much, that He sent Jesus to die for your sins, all of them, every last one! Yes Osama, even you can be saved and enter into the Glory of Heaven. Not some fictitious place called "paradise" with women waiting to have sex with you, but the home of God where you can find eternal peace and rest when your life on this earth is over."

Turnabout is apparently no longer fair play in these once-free United States of America. Keller's program was jerked off the Tampa CBS afiliate after complaints from CAIR - the Council of American-Islamic Relations.

Keller is an odd duck, but I'm not sure his arguments rise to the level of being worthy of censoring.

Islam is de facto the untouchable religion now in American society. CAIR can wield the veto over what goes on the airwaves, despite the fact that it's first director, Hihad Awad, was a public supporter of Hamas, raised funds for a Hamas front group in the name of 9-11 relief, and has had three associates indicted on terrorism charges since 9-11.

On the other hand, Kathy Griffin can say of her Emmy, "Suck it, Jesus. This award is my god, now!" and Hollywood will spring to her defense. They are indeed not broadcasting her comments on the telivised version of the awards show, but she is suffering little if any blowback. One wonders what would have happened to her had she said, "Suck it, Allah?" I can only guess.

Oh well, it's not like it wasn't all predicted...

Airlines to Avoid

2007-09-04T13:46:00.000-05:00

A novel aircraft maintenance strategy:

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Officials at Nepal's state-run airline have sacrificed two goats to appease Akash Bhairab, the Hindu sky god, following technical problems with one of its Boeing 757 aircraft, the carrier said on Tuesday.

Nepal Airlines, which has two Boeing aircraft, has had to suspend some services in recent weeks due the problem.

The goats were sacrificed in front of the troublesome aircraft on Sunday at Nepal's only international airport in Kathmandu in accordance with Hindu traditions, an official said.

"The snag in the plane has now been fixed and the aircraft has resumed its flights," said Raju K.C., a senior airline official, without explaining what the problem had been.

Local media last week blamed the company's woes on an electrical fault. The carrier runs international flights to five cities in Asia.

It is common in Nepal to sacrifice animals like goats and buffaloes to appease different Hindu deities.

Frankly, were I a passenger, I’d feel more comfortable if they’d used a mechanic. Does the size of the plane influence the nature of the sacrifice? If a 747 breaks, do you have to sacrifice a yak? Does a Cessna only require a couple of turtledoves?

Based on my recent flights, Ihope this desn't become popular in post-Christian America - the airline will start charging extra for goats.

"For those wishing a sacrifice, goats are available from the flight crew for a charge of $5.00. Please present either a credit card or exact change."

Marketing Genius Award

2007-08-23T15:32:00.000-05:00

The Michael Vick Chew Toy for your favorite little doggy.

God bless America; God bless capitalism. This is the sort of genius that makes this country great. Others whine and moan; this guy knows how to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Although, for the sake of the dogs, I hope he added a little sow's-ear flavoring.

Buy it here.

It's All Just You, Bishop Robinson

2007-08-23T15:27:00.000-05:00

From Catholic World News:

An openly homosexual Episcopal bishop will enter into a civil partnership with his lover just prior to the Lambeth Conference, the Church of England Newspaper reports.

Bishop Gene Robinson, whose ordination as head of the New Hampshire diocese in 2003 has caused severe strains in the worldwide Anglican communion, has announced plans to enter a formal civil partnership in June, just before the Lambeth meeting of the world's Anglican leaders.

Bishop Robinson denies that he has timed the ceremony to focus publicity on his status as the Lambeth meeting begins; he told a BBC interviewer that "my critics would find any date impermissible." Robinson said that he was only taking advantage of a new state law allowing registration of civil partnerships. The New Hampshire law took effect on January 1.

What constantly astonishes me about the leadership of the Episcopal Church USA is not so much their heresy as their sheer, overweening, in-your-face arrogance. Even were I to concede the propriety of the Most Reverend Mr. Robinson’s behavior (don't hold your breath), I would have to wonder about his pastoral qualities. So, I suspect, would Paul.

Only take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if any one sees you, a man of knowledge, at table in an idol's temple, might he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak man is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a cause of my brother's falling, I will never eat meat, lest I cause my brother to fall. (1Co 8:9-13, RSV)

But, then, Paul was just that nasty guy that corrupted the universal inclusivity of “real” Christianity. I almost forgot.

A Hypothetical Conversation

2007-08-22T11:39:00.000-05:00

A hypothetical conversation:

Bank: This is the Bank of America, can I help you?

Customer: Yes, I want to cancel my account. I don't want to do business with you any longer.

Bank: Why?

Customer: You're giving credit to illegal immigrants and I don't think it's right. I'm taking my business elsewhere.

Bank: Well, Mr. Customer, we don't want to see you do that, but we can't stop you. I'll help you close the account. What is your account number?

Customer: (gives account number)

Bank: For security purposes and for your protection,can you please give me the last four digits of your social security number?

Customer: No.

Bank: Mr. Customer, I need to verify your information, but in order to help you, I'll need verification of who you are.

Customer: Why should I give you my social security number? The reason I'm closing my account is that your bank is issuing credit cards to illegal immigrants who don't have social security numbers. You are targeting thataudience and want their business. Let's say I'm an illegal immigrant and you've given me a credit card. I have a question about it and call for assistance. You wouldn't be asking me for a Social Security number, would you?

Bank: No sir, I wouldn't.

Customer: Why not?

Bank: Because you would have pressed '2' to speak in Spanish. We don't askfor that information when calling in on the Spanish line.

Lest you think this hypotheticalscenario is unreasonable hyperbole, please check out the following entry from Snopes.com.

I have nothing against refugees, or against immigrants who come to this country legally. I do, however, have an issue with foreign nationals, who owe their allegiance to a foreign power, skulking across our legitimate borders solely in order to make more money. (a) The USA is a nation state and should not be denied the same rights given without argument to other nations states regarding the sovereignty and inviolability of their borders – e.g., try sneaking into Mexico from Guatemala and see how much sympathy you get.

(b) It is a massive security breach. All a terrorist has to do is learn Spanish, and he will have a 90+ percent chance of getting into the country and staying here with little problem.

(c) Illegal immigration into the USA across the southern border provides massive amounts of funds to stabilize and perpetuate a corrupt and oligarchic Mexican government which is responsible for the pathetic economic conditions in Mexico in the first place. Both countries would be better served in the long run by grabbing illegals as they cross the border, giving them an M-16 and ammo, a copy of the US Constitution, and sending them back with good wishes and a promise of free ammunition.

(d) As Michael Chertoff, head of Homeland Security, said, “It is very important … that they understand what it will mean if we don't address this problem in a way that will continue to allow us to harvest our fruits and vegetables, and produce our crops, and milk our cows, and get this agriculture to market in a way that will be priced so that people can actually afford to buy it.” (The ellipsis does not change the meaning of the quote.) In other words, illegal aliens are important because that way we can subsidize our agriculture and maid service on the backs of marginalized, brown-skinned people. That is blatantly immoral and at least marginally racist. You’ll notice nobody wants to import poor Eastern Europeans to pick our crops – probably just can’t stand seeing blond hair and blue eyes out in the fields.

I say this as someone who likes Mexico and likes the Mexicans. But Mexico is a country, and so is the USA, and countries have certain rights and prerogatives that are inviolable. One of the reasons for those rights and prerogatives is that they historically foster peace, harmony, and independence. Those who advocate their violation, despite their claims, do not hold the moral high ground. Over time, their “morality” leads to resentment, abuse, oppression, and ultimately, havoc. It is the same at the national as at the local level; good fences make good neighbors.

From MI-5 to Am I Sick?

2007-08-17T13:23:00.001-05:00

From The Daily Mail (UK):

David Shayler is sitting before me - slim, tanned, sockless, dressed from top-to-toe in white and very, very chatty.

"I am the messiah and hold the secret of eternal life," he starts excitedly. "It all came about quite suddenly.

"First I started meditating, then I learnt how to channel the "light", and the more research I did - into Freemasonry, the Knights Templar, Kabbalah - the more convinced I became that I was the Christ."

Jesus Christ? "No, Jesus of the New Testament is an archetype," he explains patiently. "His name derives from the 13th Name of God in Kabbalah, which helps activate the Messiah consciousness within us.

"I was, though, crucified with a crown of thorns and nails then incarnated as Astronges, a Jewish revolutionary put to death by the Romans at around the end of the last century BC ...It explained why in this life I had funny shaped wrists and ankles..."

Had? "Yes, look," he says, proffering his tanned arms. "They've pretty much corrected themselves now I've acknowledged the crucifixion - but there used to be big hollows where nails had been bashed in."

The last decade has been a tough one for the former MI5 officer.

Ten years ago this month, he gave a shocking whistle-blowing interview in the Mail on Sunday accusing both MI5 and MI6 of mismanagement and illegal activities and alleging that MI6 had been involved in a failed assassination attempt on the Libyan leader, Colonel Gaddafi.

The story caused a national scandal. David fled to France with his girlfriend, fellow intelligence officer Annie Machon, and finally, after three years in exile and four months in a French jail, returned home in August 2000 to public vilification, threats, a court case, six month jail sentence and a ruined career.

[...] "It was in June that a psychic channelled the spirit of Mary Magdalene and anointed me the messiah and, finally, my whole life made sense."

[...] He also claims he can affect the weather, prevent terrorist attacks and influence football results. Oh, and that the Rod of Aaron - the staff said to have been carried by Moses's brother - has an anagram written on it in Hebrew which translated says: 'David Shayler, Righteous King'.

[...] And in recent years he's been scratching a living giving talks to conspiracy theorists about the September 11 attacks - last year he was ridiculed for insisting that the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre were brought down by a U.S. Government conspiracy using "missiles surrounded by holograms made to look like planes".

[...] While he is likeable, well-spoken, beautifully mannered and very clever, it's all very disturbing.

Particularly when he rattles through his past lives - along with Astronges (the crucified Jewish revolutionary) there's also George Washington, Pythagoras, Socrates, Leonardo da Vinci, Mark Antony and Lawrence of Arabia.

And the all-white wardrobe - is that a Kabbalah thing?

"Actually, it's a Christ thing. You'll notice that T. E. Lawrence - Lawrence of Arabia - started wearing long white robes when he realised he was the Christ. It seems part of the process."

[...] He has an answer for everything, even when I ask if he ever takes drugs.

"Of course I do. I smoke cannabis but it's been used in religious experiences for years. Oh and magic mushrooms..."

In large quantities? "Erm, not really. I smoke cannabis every day - it makes you more spiritual and less violent and takes you closer to the light."

I am thinking of giving up blogging. My aging imagination is no longer capable of keeping up with the real world. I spend time thinking of something odd, humorous, or off the wall, and then something like this shows up in the newspaper. It’s really discouraging.

Given his beliefs regarding 911 and his Messianic selfimage, I expect Mr. Shayler will soon announce his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States. Frankly, however, I'd be happier if he used his powers this football season to intervene on behalf of the Aggies and the Houston Texans.

Priest Sentenced for Murdering His Own Son

2007-08-10T13:36:00.000-05:00

From the BBC:

A Roman Catholic priest in Mexico who killed his son to cover up a sexual relationship with the boy's mother has been jailed for 55 years.

Dagoberto Valle Arriaga had confessed in 2005 to killing his son, Oscar.
Prosecutors have not given any details of the case while local media put the boy's age between about eight and 16.

Mr Valle was afraid church officials would remove him from the priesthood if they learned of the child's existence, the authorities said.

Mr Valle was a priest in the city of Texcoco, on the outskirts of Mexico City.

He was accused of kidnapping his son in September 2005 and bringing him to the central state of Guanajuato before murdering him.

The authorities released no details of how the boy was killed, but it appears that his father dumped his body in the outskirts of a city called Acambaro.

What a guy, especially considering his title of "Father." As I recall, Jesus was somewhat partial to children, and had harsh words for those who would bring them to harm – something about millstones, as I recall.

Too bad this jerk wasn’t in the Diocese of Los Angeles; he would have kept both his job and his son, and stayed out of the slammer. I’m sure he’ll do well in a Mexican prison, however.

We're supposed to pray for people like "Father" Valle, but sometimes all I can do is wonder why they ever shut down the Holy Inquisition. Perhaps when his fellow prisoners get done with him, I'll be able to pray for the repose of his soul.

Please, Father - Just Bare your Soul

2007-08-09T16:59:00.000-05:00

From SeattlePI.com (That's the Seattle Post-Intelligencer; everybody knows that only those who are post-intelligent would ever go live in Seattle.):

A Catholic priest faces an indecent exposure charge after jogging in the nude about an hour before sunrise.

The Rev. Robert Whipkey told officers he had been running naked at a high school track and didn't think anyone would be around at that time of day, a police report said.

He told officers he sweats profusely if he wears clothing while jogging. "I know what I did was wrong," he said in the report.

Whipkey did not return phone messages. His attorney, Doug Tisdale, told the Daily Times-Call of Longmont that Whipkey had no comment.

Whipkey, 53, was arrested around 4:30 a.m. June 22 in this town about 20 miles north of Denver.

The Archdiocese of Denver said it takes the incident seriously but is awaiting the outcome of the case. Whipkey remains an active priest.

If convicted of indecent exposure, a misdemeanor, he would have to register as a sex offender, prosecutors said.

I certainly hope Fr. Whipkey doesn't "sweat profusely" while celebrating Mass. I'd hate to see what's under the chasuble halfway through the Offertory. It does seem a bit extreme to label him as a sex offender, but I guess there is no legal category for "demented doofus offender."

One more example of The Waffler's ultimate disproof of Subjectivism - just look at reality. No one could possibly make this up.

Methuselah Germs

2007-08-08T16:17:00.000-05:00

From a story on Fox News:

Microorganisms locked in Antarctic ice for 100,000 years and more came to life and resumed growing when given warmth and nutrients in a laboratory.

Researchers led by Kay Bidle of Rutgers University tested five samples of ice ranging in age from 100,000 years to 8 million years.

"We didn't really know what to expect. We knew that microorganisms were really hardy," Bidle, an assistant professor of marine and coastal sciences, said in a telephone interview.
The findings are reported in Monday's online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The researchers tested samples of the oldest known ice on Earth and had success at growing bacteria from the younger samples.

Microorganisms from the older ice didn't do as well, growing only very slowly. Some of the oldest microorganisms were watched for as long as a year, he said, compared to the week or so it usually takes to culture bacteria.

Calling the ice cores "gene popsicles," the researchers found evidence of some the most common bacteria still around, including firmicutes, proteobacteria and actinobacteria.

These are microorganisms that have been around a long time, Bidle said, "not something Earth hasn't seen before."

Bidle's researchers found that the DNA in bacteria deteriorates sharply after about 1.1 million years.

He said that after 1.1 million years the size of the DNA gets cut in half. In the oldest ice it consisted of just 210 units strung together. Normally the DNA of the average bacterium has about 3 million units.

One of the really cool things about bacteria is the ability of some of them to survive under unbelievably adverse conditions - boiling acid hot springs, deep-sea thermal vents, lithospheric inclusions, and hard vacuum.

I haven't had a chance to read the original article yet (God bless university on-line access!) If the reporter butchered something, I'll write a follow-up. As stated, however, this strikes me as a blow to the "life came to Earth from outer space" crowd. A million years isn't really that long if you are traveling across the galaxy on some space rock at 100 miles per second. It will only get you 537 light years/ megayear - a long way, but unlikely enough to get you from habitable planet to habitable planet, and then only with a 50% probability that your DNA is intact. That assumes that the phrase "the size of the DNA gets cut in half" is a half-life number. If it represents the mean of a bell-shaped size distribution, the likelihood of microbial viability gets a whole lot smaller. That doesn't include the likelihood of making it through the atmosphere unincinerated, etc. Remember, life arose on Earth very quickly after conditions became tolerable.

Looks like those trying to figure out how the Lord pulled it off might want to concentrate on terrestrial mechanisms.

Any old X-Files fans will, of course, be waiting for these experiments to unleash an extraterrestrial plague.

Things You'll Only Find in Texas

2007-08-06T16:02:00.000-05:00

I love this state!

Into the Twilight

2007-08-06T15:55:00.000-05:00

From Diogenes at Catholic World News, passed along without comment:

Whenever an organization begins to lose its grasp on the message it wants to deliver, it concentrates its efforts on improving the means of delivery. With gratifying timeliness, ECUSA has responded to its identity crisis by developing an Organizational Effectiveness Plan to streamline the ministerial services whose purpose it can't seem to find.

Strategic groupings of advocacy, evangelism, leadership development, and partnerships -- together with a configuration of regional satellite offices to support strategic mission -- are central to a new organizational effectiveness plan to reshape ministries based at the Episcopal Church Center.

A new "diocesan services" unit, offering a comprehensive approach to local mission needs, is a highlight of the new plan initiated by Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori and drafted after five months of consultative work by two task forces.

"The new configuration will raise our level of service to the church," Jefferts Schori said July 26 while commending the plan’s outline to the Church Center management team. "There is remarkable synchronicity in the development of this plan, and great potential for creativity and capacity building."

Give credit where credit is due: the good Doctor didn't get where she is without skill in the bestowal of elegant and semantically vacuous compliments. Note down these gems for your own future use: "remarkable synchronicity," "great potential for capacity building" (potential for capacity building?). That's about as close to pure meaninglessness as you're likely to find without a prescription. There is no project, plan, document, or resolution whatsoever -- including the minutes of the Wannsee Conference and your son's third grade report card -- to which these pretty polysyllables could not be cheerfully applied.

Yet it's hard not to pick up a sense of desperate swagger in the use of quasi-military jargon such as "task force" and "strategic mission" - muscle-flexing, heel-clicking words that suggest an ardor and singleness of purpose that isn't there. The crisis of liberal Christianity is precisely its inability to decide whether it has anything of value to give, and the language of mission is empty in the absence of an authority to do the sending. As with decaying religious orders in their death-throes ("that we may work toward deconstructing existing systems and constructing a new paradigm ..."), the grandiosity of objectives expands in inverse proportion to the power of failing eyes, muscles, faith.

The synchronicity is, well, remarkable.

Saving the Earth with Four-Dollar Coffee

2007-08-06T15:49:00.000-05:00

I received the following today as email spam:

"Starbucks is proud to host conversations in our stores about the critical issue of climate change. Come meet with other members of your community, and talk about what you can do to help make a difference.

To make this day possible, Starbucks has partnered with leaders from organizations such as The Climate Group, Conservation International, Earth Day Network,Earthwatch Institute, and Global Green USA.

What we do in our home affects theirs (next to image of polar bears).

Starbucks National Day of Discussion
Date: Wednesday, August 15."

Terrific. If I want to know about climatology, I'll be sure to ask some peddlers of overpriced coffee. If I want to find out more about nuclear power, I suppose I should ask the manager down at the grocery store.

A good chunk of what's wrong with this country is that years of self-esteem training have managed to convince the intellectually deficient that they actually know what they are talking about.

Kyrie eleison.

Quote of the Week

2007-07-25T11:10:00.000-05:00

The following quote is readily applicable in a systemic manner to today's Episcopal Church, but it is also applicable to plenty of other denominations and, at a personal level, to hordes of individuals throughout Christendom. Frankly, I think it's one of the greates temptations of our modern, democratic times. I've ben guilty of it before, and I know I could be guilty again at the drop of a hat. One of the best reasons to read the Fathers of the Church is to provide an antitdote to the poison of wanting to make up my own religion.

If you believe what you like in the Gospels, and reject what you do not like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself.
Contra Faustum, Book XVII

(Also translated as "to believe what you please, and not to believe what you please, is to believe yourselves, and not the gospel.")

The Difference Between Houston and Austin

2007-07-18T12:46:00.001-05:00

Several years ago, Dear Sister gave my wife and myself a toad house as a gift. If you've never seen one, a toad house is a usually-ceramic little item that you put outside to provide shelter for the resident garden amphibian - it essentially makes a comfy and decorative little cave.

We get the occassional toad aroud here, but I hadn't seen one in the house for quite some time. My wife decided to move it to a different spot near the front pond. When she picked it up however, it was indeed occupied.

This clearly summarizes the difference between Austin and Houston. Our toads have more legs.

The local tarantulas, Aphenopelma hentzi, are, by the way, completely harmless. They are actually kind of cute - I have heard them referred to as "South Austin Chipmunks" by more than one person. I had been concerned that I hadn't seen any active spider burrows in my back 40 this year - but why dig when there's an open house for the taking? I need to buy some more toad houses.

Porn-Star-to-Priest UPDATE

2007-07-18T12:34:00.000-05:00

An update to the post about the porn-star-turning-priest from the NY Times Letters to the Editor section, courtesy of Episcope:

I would like to clear some factual errors in the article by reporter Sharon Waxman, “Man of the Flesh to Man of the Cloth,” (Sunday July 15, Fashion and Style).

Mr. Ronald Boyer is not in any process for ordination in The Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Los Angeles. He has expressed an interest in ordained ministry, as do dozens of people every year. But the path to ordination is a long, careful, deliberate process, beginning with a discernment committee in the applicant’s own congregation, which over a period of time arrives at a prayerful recommendation as to whether or not to support the person’s application. At the diocesan level, the process involves the bishops, the Commission on Ministry and the Standing Committee of the diocese to ensure that candidates have an authentic call to ordained ministry, and that they are thoroughly trained and educated for the job. In other words, the decision to become a priest does not rest solely with the individual, and so far Mr. Boyer has taken none of the steps that would make him a viable candidate for ordination.

The article stated that Mr. Boyer met “with the second-ranking official of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, Bishop Suffragan Chester L. Talton, to gain approval to establish a ministry among sex workers.” In fact, Mr. Boyer has not met with any of the bishops of the Diocese.

As Christians, we always rejoice at the news that a person has been transformed by the gospel of Christ into new life, leaving behind attitudes or activities that separate him or her from the love and mercy of God. In the Episcopal Church, all baptized members are invited to be involved in worthwhile and fulfilling forms of ministry, many of which do not require ordination. We encourage Mr. Boyer to continue seeking for the path that our Lord intends for him.

The Right Reverend J. Jon Bruno
Bishop
Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles

I have never been a fan of Bishop Bruno, but credit should be given where credit is due. The letter is clear, factual, and pastoral – most unusual for a Bishop in TEC. I hope it starts a trend.

The primary fault for misrepresentation in the original story appears to belong to the reporter, who apparently created an item of “faction” for her own editorial purposes.

What We Have Here is a Failure to Communicate

2007-07-16T09:51:00.000-05:00

Based on the following passage excerpted from a New York Post column commenting on the arrival in America of soccer star David Beckham and wife Posh Spice:

NBC should get down on its knees and make a giant no vena of thanks that soccer star David Beckham was called back to Europe before it could finish filming his relentlessly self-promoting wife's reality series, "Victoria Beckham: Coming to America."

It looks like any return by Catholics to the Latin Mass may be delayed by the educational failures of both society and The Church. I’d love to meet the brilliant editor who “corrected” novena (a nine day prayer to obtain special graces - from the Latin novem, meaning nine) to no vena (no vein, in Spanish). The mental image of the NBC network president engaging in a do-it-yourself saphenectomy is something I could have lived without.

One more experimental verification of my theory for the failure of Western Civilization. If people don’t know anything, you can convince them that darn near anything, however silly, is true.


Novena	No Vena

Porn Star to Become Priest?

2007-07-15T18:58:00.000-05:00

From The Taipei Times for Sunday, July 15, 2007:

Some people have their midlife crisis in reverse, like Ronald Boyer, who for most of his professional life has been better known as a star of pornographic films, Rod Fontana.

After 30 years of sowing the wildest of oats, Boyer, 54, has searched his soul and chosen, to the surprise of family and colleagues, to seek a priesthood in the Episcopal Church.

Where else?

From his work in the rented villas of the San Fernando Valley, where hard-core sex films are shot, Boyer has moved just a short distance west, to the Church of the Epiphany, which is guiding his transformation from pornography star to preacher.

The psychic distance, however, has been vast. In January, the lumbering 183cm performer was greeting fans on the red carpet of the Adult Video News Awards in Las Vegas, along with the superstars of pornography like Jenna Jameson and Ron Jeremy.

In June, Boyer was carrying the Holy Bible and a text titled "Gospel Light" to a live Internet show where he preached on the relative evils of pornography.

"Is pornography a sin?" Boyer asked on the show, which is aimed at people in the sex industry. "Probably. Definitely," he answered, a response that reflected his own ambivalence as much as a desire not to alienate his audience. "So is eating carrot cake until you're sick to your stomach," he continued. "And so is punching somebody in the face. That's a sin."

[…] He has tired of performing in sex movies, but even now doesn't condemn it. "Not one time did Jesus refer to pornography, or homosexuality," he observed on the Internet show, which he began as a co-host in May. "Jesus could have commented. He didn't."

Thank you for Platitudinous Lie #1: “Jesus never said anything about pornography / homosexuality / group sex / sex outside of marriage / sex with ducks / .” No, Jesus never specifically said anything about pornography; he never said anything about rape, incest, or picking your nose in public, either. So what? The epistles of Paul reinforce the teachings of Moses on the matter (“fornication” is used to translate the Greek word “porneia,” which in first-century Jewish life would have been understood as referring to any sexual activity in violation of the Law of Moses). Christians accept the scriptures as inspired by the Holy Spirit; therefore God has certainly spoken on the matter, and there can be no disagreement within the Trinity. The immorality of pornography and homosexual activity has also been the ApostolicTeacing from the beginning of the Church. Please, at least get a new argument; that one has just gotten boring.

Still, to pursue a new path as a religious leader, he had to make a clear choice. At the end of January, Boyer, who is married to a recently retired adult-film star, Liza Harper, announced his own retirement and gave up directing and performing in hard-core movies, he said, for good. "I don't enjoy it anymore," he said at the time.

Boyer's embrace of Christianity was not a result of a bolt-from-the-blue conversion. It was a gradual awakening to spirituality, in part stirred by unsettling changes in the multibillion-dollar pornography industry, which has veered into extreme territory in search of new ways of selling sex.

His journey from one private corner of American society to another has, by chance, traced the contours of America's experiment with sexual liberation to a return to more traditional values.

For Boyer, his path completes a circle. He grew up in a conservative Southern Baptist community in South Carolina, where he was baptized.

The contradiction between giving up pornography and feeling its attraction was still apparent in June, four months after retiring. "I love sex," he said. "I love performing. I love the combination of the two. I could go back and do it again, but I don't think I would. I had a passion for that. I put it there. Now I've channeled my passion to a different place."

The process to priesthood will take several years. Boyer began by being confirmed in the Episcopal Church this year. He is undergoing training to become a deacon, which will allow him to conduct most aspects of ministering short of the sacraments.

"I am hoping he can bring hopefulness and a love of Christ to people who desperately need it," said the Reverend Hank Mitchel, vicar of the church, on a recent Sunday after services.

I really hope so, too. I will pray for him. It cannot be an easy thing to walk away from a life that provides one with money, notoriety, and public acclaim – even if the acclaim comes from people who might not be considered the “pillars of society.” And it is certainly true that some of the greatest priests and saints have been the ones who could say, “Been there. Done that. You don’t want to go there.” Augustine, Francis, Ignatius of Loyola – even men like Fr. John Corapi.

If the tenor of this article is accurate, however, I am not sure it will come to pass. It sounds very much like he has fallen out of the physical pornography of Hollywood into the theological pornography of the Episcopal Church. If his conversion is real, he will probably eventually see through the falsity, and embrace not acceptance but forgiveness – a much finer and more helpful thing to receive! If not, may the sin be upon the heads of those who have misled him. I'm not going to jump on a guy who has left his past behind, just because he has been entrapped by bad teaching on the part of those who are supposed to know better. May God,who has begun a good thing, bring him into the Kingdom of Light.

American Squirrels Busted in Iran!

2007-07-14T09:12:00.000-05:00

From YNet News:

Iranian intelligence operatives recently detained over a dozen squirrels found within the nation's borders, claiming the rodents were serving as spies for Western powers determined to undermine the Islamic Republic.

"In recent weeks, intelligence operatives have arrested 14 squirrels within Iran's borders," state-sponsored news agency IRNA reported. "The squirrels were carrying spy gear of foreign agencies, and were stopped before they could act, thanks to the alertness of our intelligence services."

Iranian police commander Esmaeil Ahmadi-Moqadam confirmed the report, saying that a number of squirrels had been caught bearing foreign spy gear within Iran's borders.
"I heard of this but I have no specific knowledge on the subject," he said. He refused to give further details.

Recently, Iran has increased its efforts in combating espionage by the West. The use of rodents has not been documented in the past.

At first, I assumed that this was a Friday the Thirteenth Hoax, but then the Iranians produced photographic evidence:

Squirrel disembarks from American submarine and is towed in by SEAL team.

First squirrel hits the beach

Squirrels overpower Iranian border gaurds to sieze landing zone

Second wave of squirrels infiltrates by parachute

American agent caught in act, listening in on Mullahs' top-secret strategy conference

Meanwhile, trained asassains prepare to ambush and bury for the winter Ahmadinejad and other top Iranian ~~nuts~~ leaders

According to Washington sources, Nancy Pelosi adn Harry Reid are threatening to open hearings on the Bush Administration's "aggressive and out-of-control" attempts to destabilize the Iranian government.

Meanwhile, Adminstration spokesman Tony Snow has denied any knowledge of the alleged operation, and has warned the Iranian government that the United States expcts the captured squirrels tobe treated humanely. "We will be monitoring the Iranian leadership's menus to make sure there are no fricasees coming up," Snow stated.

An emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council is expected early next week.

Unhappy? Just Kill Yourself (with Help!)

2007-07-12T13:47:00.000-05:00

LifeSite News writes about the push to legalize assisted suicide for the unhappy:

One of America's most prestigious bioethics journals has recently published an article questioning the policies currently in place across the world that prevent access to euthanasia for the clinically depressed.

In the May-June issue of the Hastings Center Report, Jacob Appel, a university professor from Providence, R.I., refers to the 1994 Death with Dignity Act in Oregon as well as California's Compassionate Choices Act that was approved this March. Noting the high tolerance for euthanasia in Europe, Appel cites the famous case in Switzerland last November when the Federal High Court of Lausanne ruled that euthanasia should be accessible for mentally depressed patients.

The case involved a 53-year old man who had previously tried to commit suicide twice. Backed by Dignitas, he argued a "right to self-determination" under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The court ruled that "incurable, permanent, severe psychological disorders" were sufficient reason to allow a person to commit suicide. Similarly, in 1993 the Dutch Supreme Court refused to penalize psychiatrist Boudewijn Chabot for assisting a chronically depressed patient, fifty-year old Hilly Bosscher, to commit suicide.

After providing these examples, Appel goes on to argue that assisted suicide may be a "rational" decision for sufferers of psychological illnesses, even if there is some promise of a possible cure in the future. Appel writes, "If the offer is that an effective treatment may eventually be found, but a person will have to suffer for some decades more until that happens, then it might still be rational to prefer suicide."

He also addressed the "competence of the decision maker," saying, "If the values championed by assisted suicide advocates are maximization of autonomy and minimization of suffering-even when they conflict with the extension of life-then it follows that chronically depressed, competent individuals would be ideal candidates for the procedure."

Quoting the Swiss Court decision, he states, "We are entering an era during which psychiatric patients do not need to be protected, but empowered. Our goal should be to maximize the options available to the mentally ill."

I don’t think we have to worry about empowering the insane; they seemto be the ones running Western society these days. Part of that insanity centers around the notion that suffering renders life unworthy of being lived. That is a perfectly logical conclusion in an atheistic world, where suffering is merely pain and can provide no value. One is forced to contrast, however, the death of Mr. Bosscher with the death of the late Pope John Paul II – or for that matter, of Christ on the Cross. Ultimately, the question is, "To whom do I belong? To myself? Or to God?" The answer to that question determines one's attitude toward assisted suicide. It also, I'm afraid, determines one's eternal destination.

Satan has gotten much more sophisticated. In the 1930’s and 40’s, Hitler rounded up the physically and mentally infirm and executed them, earning the condemnation of the world. Seventy years later, we have convinced the physically and mentally infirm to kill themselves, with the smiling approval of society, and without the expense of rounding them up. Score one for Old Nick.

Swishy Fishies and the Hypocrisy of Environmentalism

2007-07-12T12:42:00.000-05:00

The following story (which has been known for years) is excerpted from the National Catholic Register.

When EPA-funded scientists at the University of Colorado studied fish in a pristine mountain stream known as Boulder Creek two years ago, they were shocked. Randomly netting 123 trout and other fish downstream from the city’s sewer plant, they found that 101 were female, 12 were male and 10 were strange “intersex” fish with male and female features.

It’s “the first thing that I’ve seen as a scientist that really scared me,” said then 59-year-old University of Colorado biologist John Woodling, speaking to the Denver Post in 2005.

They studied the fish and decided the main culprits were estrogens and other steroid hormones from birth-control pills and patches, excreted in urine into the city’s sewage system and then into the creek.

[...] Since their findings, stories have been emerging everywhere. Scientists in western Washington found that synthetic estrogen – a common ingredient in oral contraceptives – drastically reduces the fertility of male rainbow trout.

[…] What the Boulder scientists discovered, however, is that few people care.
Or, if they’re worried, they’re in denial.

“Nobody is getting passionately concerned about it,” Norris said. “It makes no sense to me at all that people aren’t more concerned.”

When the story of his finding hit Denver and Boulder newspapers, Norris anticipated an immediate response from environmentalists, who define the politics of Boulder and are known to picket in the streets demanding ends to questionable farming practices, global warming and pesticide treatments.

To the professor’s surprise, however, the hormone story was mostly ignored.

[…] Dave Georgis, who directs the Colorado Genetic Engineering Action Network, took to the streets of Boulder on several occasions to hold signs demanding that Boulder County regulate genetically modified crops from existence.

When asked about the genetically modified fish and the contaminated drinking water, however, he said: “It just has so much competition out there for stuff to work on.”

He told the Boulder Weekly that nobody needed to consider curtailing use of artificial contraceptives out of concern for the creek.

“You can’t have a zero impact, and this is one of the many, many impacts we have on the environment in everyday life,” Georgis said. “Nobody is to blame for this, and I don’t have a solution.”

[…] Catholics shouldn’t hold their breath waiting for environmentalists to advocate a boycott of contraceptives, said George Harden, a board member of the Society of Catholic Social Scientists, based in Steubenville, Ohio.

“If you’re killing mosquitoes to save people from the West Nile virus, you can count on secular environmentalists to lay down in front of the vapor truck, claiming some potential side effect that might result from the spray,” Harden said. “But if birth control deforms fish – backed by the proof of an EPA study – and threatens the drinking supply, mum will be the word.”

[…] “It’s going to start looking funny,” Harden said. “The radical environmentalists won’t eat a corn chip if the corn contacted a pesticide. But they view it a sacred right and obligation to consume synthetic chemicals that alter a woman’s natural biological functions, even if this practice threatens innocent aquatic life downstream.”

Despite growing and nationwide knowledge of birth-control pollution in rivers and streams, leading environmentalists remain unfazed – even in Boulder, where it’s been known about for years.

Curt Cunningham, water-quality-issues chairman for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Sierra Club International, worked tirelessly last year on a ballot measure that would force the City of Boulder to remove fluoride from drinking water, because some believe it has negative effects on health and the environment that outweigh its benefits. But Cunningham said he would never consider asking women to curtail use of birth-control pills and patches – despite what effect these synthetics have on rivers, streams and drinking water.

“I suspect people would not take kindly to that,” Cunningham said. “For many people it’s an economic necessity. It’s also a personal freedom issue.”

Therein lies the real issue. It's one thing to force other people not to eat a genetically engineered tomato that actually tastes like a tomato instead carboard. It's another thing entirely to be faced with a need to alter your own carefully engineered life to include children. The hypocrisy is thick enough to be cut with a knife.

I don't know how many people have had their lives shortened because of fluoride in the drinking water; I suspect the number is nonnegative and less than 1. But protesting it allows me to act like I'm saving the earth while doing nothing whatsoever to inconvenience myself. It is fine to ban SUVs as long as I wasn't intending to buy one in the first place. It's fine to ban genetically modified crops when I can buy all the produce I want in the grocery store; starvation in the Third World can be safely blamed on the Bush Administration (for one more year, at least). It's fine to abn nuclear power, as long as my lights go on when I flip the switch. But if something important to my gloriously autonomous lifestyle is really impacting the environment, well, “You can’t have a zero impact..."

If the choice is between Earth and Ego, guess who wins. I think this particular form of insanity should be named BSS - Barbara Streisand Syndrome, after the singer/actress who wanted everyone to dry their clothes on the line to save energy - herself excepted.

Cats Saved from Menu (Odd News)

2007-07-11T10:16:00.000-05:00

From FoxNews.com:

Chinese cat lovers mobilized online to save a truck load of cats from the cooking pot, a newspaper reported Tuesday.

Veteran Shanghai cat rescuer Duo Zirong started off her mission of deliverance on Friday when she called police to stop a truck stuffed with some 800 live cats, the China Daily said.

The standoff happened at a parking lot in a southern suburb of Shanghai. It continued for hours while cat lovers spread word of the incident online, eventually raising $1,320 in donations to buy the whole load.

They now hope to place them in homes after posting their pictures and profiles on the Internet.
"They were so frightened," it quoted one of the rescuers, Huo Puyang, as saying.

[...] Cat meat is considered a delicacy in southern China and cats are sold live to markets where they are slaughtered fresh for customers.

Hmm... That's about a buck and a half a cat. It certainly explains why the egg rolls at UT are so cheap.

Question... If a restaurant that serves beef is a steakhouse, then is a restaurant that serves felines a cathouse?

Nebuchadnezzar's Eunuch Make's the News

2007-07-11T09:15:00.000-05:00

This poor guy probably never thought he'd be an item in The Telegraph (UK) 2600 years after the fact. Not only was he castrated; not only was the fact recorded in the Bible; now it's in the flipping London newspaper. Some people just can't catch a break.

The sound of unbridled joy seldom breaks the quiet of the British Museum's great Arched Room, which holds its collection of 130,000 Assyrian cuneiform tablets, dating back 5,000 years.

[...] But Michael Jursa, a visiting professor from Vienna, let out such a cry last Thursday. He had made what has been called the most important find in Biblical archaeology for 100 years, a discovery that supports the view that the historical books of the Old Testament are based on fact.

Searching for Babylonian financial accounts among the tablets, Prof Jursa suddenly came across a name he half remembered - Nabu-sharrussu-ukin, described there in a hand 2,500 years old, as "the chief eunuch" of Nebuchadnezzar II, king of Babylon.

Prof Jursa, an Assyriologist, checked the Old Testament and there in chapter 39 of the Book of Jeremiah, he found, spelled differently, the same name - Nebo-Sarsekim.

Nebo-Sarsekim, according to Jeremiah, was Nebuchadnezzar II's "chief officer" and was with him at the siege of Jerusalem in 587 BC, when the Babylonians overran the city.

The small tablet, the size of "a packet of 10 cigarettes" according to Irving Finkel, a British Museum expert, is a bill of receipt acknowledging Nabu-sharrussu-ukin's payment of 0.75 kg of gold to a temple in Babylon.

The tablet is dated to the 10th year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II, 595BC, 12 years before the siege of Jerusalem.

Evidence from non-Biblical sources of people named in the Bible is not unknown, but Nabu-sharrussu-ukin would have been a relatively insignificant figure.

"This is a fantastic discovery, a world-class find," Dr Finkel said yesterday. "If Nebo-Sarsekim existed, which other lesser figures in the Old Testament existed? A throwaway detail in the Old Testament turns out to be accurate and true. I think that it means that the whole of the narrative [of Jeremiah] takes on a new kind of power."

[...] The full translation of the tablet reads: (Regarding) 1.5 minas (0.75 kg) of gold, the property of Nabu-sharrussu-ukin, the chief eunuch, which he sent via Arad-Banitu the eunuch to [the temple] Esangila: Arad-Banitu has delivered [it] to Esangila. In the presence of Bel-usat, son of Alpaya, the royal bodyguard, [and of] Nadin, son of Marduk-zer-ibni. Month XI, day 18, year 10 [of] Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.

People are always making arguments against historical Judaism and Christianity based on missing or conflicting archeological evidence for the historicity of one Biblical passage or another. Every few years, some new archeological discovery turns up that sets the Biblical minimalists back a step. And every time, they come back with, "Well, okay, that turned out to be pretty accurate, but what about this?" And on and on it goes. David wasn't real; now he is. The tales of the Patriarchs were anachronistic; now they're not. Belshazzar wasn't a real guy; now he is. John's gospel was geographically inaccurate; now it's not. Whatever...

There are certainly still some problems and discrepancies between scripture and the archeological record, but - in general - the scriptures seem to hold up pretty well, considering that very few of the biblical books were written as history in anything aproaching the modern sense. They at least deserve the benefit of the doubt!

The other thing that I find amusing is that so much of our knowledge of ancient civlizations comes not from the historians or storytellers of the age, but from the accountants. people probably broke up the tablets with The Epic of King Zebubbawatsaphat after they read it, and used them for garden fill. The receipts, however, they kept forever. Never know when the King's Royal Tax Collector might show up for an audit.

Antichrist Sued for Divorce

2007-07-06T15:29:00.000-05:00

From The Miami Herald:

Josefina De Jesus Torres gently runs her perfect French manicure across the pages of her wedding album, ruminating on life as the wife of the self-proclaimed Antichrist.

In one picture, church leader Jose Luis De Jesus Miranda pulls off her garter with his teeth. In another, the couple sip frothy champagne in front of a gleaming limo.

"He was my apostle, the perfect man . . . the Prince Charming - even better: God himself had come to love me,'' sighs Torres, a doe-eyed honey blonde. ``I felt better than the Virgin Mary.''

Torres says she often washed his feet and cut his fingernails and toenails as a sign of devotion.

Now, though, the romance that De Jesus told her was divinely decreed has ended in the most temporal of battlefields: divorce court. And, amid court revelations about his personal spending, she is speaking out publicly about life with the controversial Miami-based preacher.

The Miami Herald reported Wednesday that Torres' legal action has forced her husband, head of the multinational Growing in Grace ministry, to give testimony that for the first time reveals how he paid personal expenses with donations to his tax-exempt church. This month, the judge in their divorce case sent a transcript of a recent hearing to federal prosecutors, saying he felt ''ethically compelled'' to bring it to their attention.

Satan may be a harsh master, but wait until he faces Internal Revenue...

De Jesus gained international notoriety by declaring himself to be Jesus Christ in 2004, then later claiming to be the Antichrist. His theory: As he is the Second Coming, his teachings supersede those of Jesus.

[…] Torres, 44, says her suit could help her husband find redemption.

''He himself teaches that unless you suffer something really hard, like prison or serious illness, you will never learn,'' she said. ``God always sends you a warning, `Look, that's bad, correct yourself.'

''That is why I am doing this, not to be judgmental, but something is not right,'' said Torres, who is seeking half of her husband's wealth.

[…] The pair met in late 1999, when De Jesus, who preaches that all sin was destroyed when Christ died on the cross, still called himself only "the Apostle.''

[…] As a teenager, Torres became known in Baranquilla for dressing up as a dancing nun called ''Sister YeYe'' and hosting first Communion parties in nightclubs. She parlayed that character into a children's TV program in the mid-1980s that she says featured early appearances by Shakira, then 8 years old, now a Grammy-winning singer.

What I want to know is whether, as the ex-wife of the Antichrist, she gets half of all the kingdoms of the world? Is the poor guy now just the Prince of the Power of Half the Air - maybe Prince of the Power of Nitrogen and Greenhouse Gases? Does he have to pay child support to all the Sons of Belial? And just who gets to keep the Key to the Bottomless Pit?

The Number of the Beast will soon be 333.

Is The Waffler Soft-Core?

2007-07-03T11:53:00.000-05:00

According to the website Mingle², my humble little blog is apparently not suitable for youngsters:

This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words:
death (9x)
abortion (7x)
crack (2x)
cum (1x)

It is a sad commentary on the state of Western Civilization that the default assumption regarding the meaning of "cum" is not the Latin preposition "with," as in "Et cum spritu tuo," but - well - something else. And the mention of "death " is unsuitable for those under the age of 17? The elimination of the inevitibility and nearness of death from the public conciousness is arguably one of the contributors to the collapse of morality in our modern age.

Interestingly, I had to edit the code supplied by Mingle² in order to take out an advertisement for an on-line dating service. I guess I have a different notion of what should constitute "NC-17."

Yes, I'll lighten up - I'm being way too serious about something which is supposed to be amusing.

Martyr Mouse Meets Maker

2007-07-01T15:02:00.000-05:00

From Breitbart.com - apparently, Jihad Mickey has been whacked by those nefarious Jews.

A Mickey Mouse lookalike who preached Islamic domination on a Hamas- affiliated children's television program was beaten to death in the show's final episode Friday.

In the final skit, "Farfour" was killed by an actor posing as an Israeli official trying to buy Farfour's land. At one point, the mouse called the Israeli a "terrorist."

"Farfour was martyred while defending his land," said Sara, the teen presenter. He was killed "by the killers of children," she added.

The weekly show, featuring a giant black-and-white rodent with a high- pitched voice, had attracted worldwide attention because the character urged Palestinian children to fight Israel. It was broadcast on Hamas- affiliated Al Aqsa TV.

Station officials said Friday that Farfour was taken off the air to make room for new programs. Station manager Mohammed Bilal said he did not know what would be shown instead.

Hamas should have known it was coming; I'm sure they have read The Protocols of the Mousetraps of Zion. I wonder what the new show will be?

Tom and Jihad: A cute jihadist mouse chases a hook-nosed Jewish cat around the apartment with dynamite.

Sesame Shiite: Big Bird is hijacked and crashes into an American warship.

My Mother the Car Bomb: A mild-mannered shopkeeper's mother is reincarnated as a Mercedes packed with fuel oil and ammoniom nitrate. Hilarious antics ensue.

Mr. Rogers' Martyrdom: Mr. Rogers trades his sweater for a bomb vest and blows King Friday and his imperialist lackey's clean out of the Neighborhood of Make-Believe.

Any better ideas?

Catholic Church Sues Embezzling Nun

2007-07-01T14:39:00.000-05:00

(Excerpted from a Fox News article.)
In addition to a lawsuit against a nun accused of stealing church money, the Omaha Archdiocese has filed more lawsuits against her and some family members.

In April the archdiocese sued Sister Barbara Markey in an effort to recover $820,000 the archdiocese says she stole as director of the archdiocese's Catholic Family Life Office.

Her criminal trial on a charge of theft by deception was tentatively set for Sept. 17.

She was initially sued in April. This week the archdiocese filed a lawsuit against 11 of her relatives for a total of $73,800. They were not accused of theft, but the lawsuit says they benefited from the money, gifts or other items from Markey.

[...] A third lawsuit was filed in Park County, Colo., seeking a lien against a house there that has a tax valuation of $262,000. The archdiocese says Markey spent some of its money on the vacation home owned by members of her family, under the incorporated name of Bally Markey.

[...] Markey, a nationally and internationally known speaker, was fired in January after an audit turned up irregularities.

According to the audit, Markey spent $307,545 for her own use or without documentation between December 2003 and January 2006.

Prosecutors say nearly $900,000 hasn't been accounted for back to 1999, but the state won't be investigating further.

Criminal court documents say at least $67,656 of the total was spent at casinos. She has denied any crime and has explained her spending as "complex accounting."

I can't help thinking that Internal Revenue might be interested in exploring her accounting principles. They frequently like to get a deep understanding of different people's "complex accounting."

The picture above is of Sister Markey. It comes as no surprise to me that she is one more nun not wearing a habit. She is Associate Director of the Center fot Family and Marriage at Creighton University. Interestingly, the Omaha Archdiocese recently severed ties with the Creighton U. Family Center after two researchers (one of whom is the Director of the Center) published an article in U.S. Catholic challenging the Church's stand on sex outside of marriage. Creighton is a Jesuit University. These days one has to ask whether being a Jesuit University means it is Jesuit and therefore Catholic, or Jesuit instead of Catholic.

The Modern Episcopalian Unitarian

2007-06-28T14:02:00.000-05:00

I found the following little ditty on the website of a Unitarian Universalist congregation in Ottawa, Canada (tip of the gimme cap to The Clam Rampant). It seems to apply just as well to the Episcopal Church, any number of other mainline Protestant churches in the USA, and to a naumber of (thankfully aging and slowly disappearing) Catholic groups in the West. So many churches have become little more than High-Church Unitarians - it's sad. I'm reminded of the Bishop on the bus from hell in Lewis's The Great Divorce, who is far more concerned with his own internal philosophizing than with actiually finding the Truth.

I am the Very Model of a Modern Unitarian
by Christopher Gist Raible
Sung to "I am the Very Model of a Modern Major General" from "Pirates of Penzance".

I am the very model of a modern Unitarian,
Far broader than a Catholic, Hindu, Jew or Presbyterian.
I know the world’s religions and can trace their roots historical
From Moses up to Channing, all in order categorical.
I’m very well acquainted, too, with theories theological,
On existential questions I am always wholly logical,
About most any problem I am teeming with a lot of views,
I’m full of fine ideas that should fill our church’s empty pews.

(Chorus members:
We’re full of fine ideas that should fill our church’s empty pews.
We’re full of fine ideas that should fill our church’s empty pews.
We’re full of fine ideas that should fill our church’s empty empty pews.)

I quote from Freud and Jung and all the experts psychological.
I’m anti nuke, I don’t pollute I’m chastely ecological.
In short, in matters spiritual, ethical, material,
I am the very model of a modern Unitarian.

(Chorus members:
In short, in matters spiritual, ethical, material,
We are the very model of a modern Unitarian.)

I use the latest language; God is never Father or the Lord,
But Ground of Being, Source of Life or almost any other word.
I never pray, I meditate, I’m leary about worshipping.
I serve on 10 committees none of which accomplish anything.
I give to worthy causes and I drive a gas conserving car,
I have good UU principles (although I’m not sure what they are).
I’m open to opinions of profound or broad variety,
Unless they’re too conservative or smack of righteous piety.

(Chorus members:
Unless they’re too conservative or smack of righteous piety.
Unless they’re too conservative or smack of righteous piety.
Unless they’re too conservative or smack of righteous pie-piety.)

I formulate agendas and discuss them with the best of ‘em,
But don’t ask me to implement, we leave that to the rest of ‘em.
In short in matters spiritual, ethical, material,
I am the very model of today’s religious liberal.

(Chorus members:
In short, in matters spiritual, ethical, material,
We are the very model of today’s religious liberal.)

God to Apologize to Sodom?

2007-06-26T14:54:00.000-05:00

Not according to Rabbi Daniel Lapin in the article excerpted below from LifeSite News.

The recent death of Mrs. Ruth Graham, the beloved wife of preacher Billy Graham, has caused renewed reflection on her oft quoted comment: "If God does not judge America soon, he'll have to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah." Indeed, with the culture war raging on abortion and same-sex 'marriage', many a Christian has wondered about a coming purgation - a cleansing as in the time of Noah and the flood.

It may come as a surprise to some, but Orthodox Jews too have a belief in a coming purgation. As the man popularly known as "America's Rabbi" told LifeSiteNews.com, we are "moving towards some kind of enormous, humanic and historic upheaval."

Nationally acclaimed speaker and best-selling author, Rabbi Daniel Lapin spoke with LifeSiteNews.com about his newly released audio series "The Gathering Storm: Decoding the Secrets of Noah", in which he looks at the similarities between the time of Noah and our present day.

Rabbi Lapin is the founder and leader of Toward Tradition - a ground-breaking coalition of Jews, Christians and other Americans united in fighting secular fundamentalism and promoting traditional, faith-based American principles of constitutional and limited government, the rule of law, representative democracy, free markets, a strong military, and a moral public culture.

Key to interpreting the Bible (the Old Testament) suggests the Rabbi, is the Hebrew language. In that language, he notes, the Bible tells that in the time just before the flood there were aborted babies. "Everyone is familiar with that section just before the flood, of giants," said Rabbi Lapin. "The King James translation refers to these people as giants - one thing, in the Hebrew, it becomes immediately very clear is that what we really are talking about is aborted people, aborted fetuses."

"In Hebrew," explained the Rabbi there is "one word for giants (and) aborted fetuses." Comparing the time of Noah to the current day, the Rabbi said, "Babies that are aborted eventually bring about a culture of death that destroys society."

Interesting, but I’m not sure I buy the claim, which is based on deriving the word “Nephilim” in Genesis 6:4 (usually translated either “giants” or “fallen ones”) from “nephel” (miscarriage). To the best of my admittedlymeager knowledge, that is not the traditional meaning historically ascribed to the text by the ancient Jewish scholars, who ought to know. I don’t think it effects the broader argument, however – the Egyptians certainly paid the price for male infanticide against the Hebrews (Ex 1:16) with the loss of their own firstborn.

Asked if Jews, like some Christians, feel a time of purgation is coming, Rabbi Lapin replied bluntly, "Yes, it is extremely intense."

The Rabbi stressed however that a Judeo-Christian view of the end of time is a hopeful one, in contrast to the secular view of the end of time which sees only doom and gloom. "There is a dichotomy here between a secular world view in which the end of time is hopeless," Rabbi Lapin told LifeSiteNews.com. "It is doomed. It ends in oblivion . . . Right now it is global warming, a few years ago it was nuclear winter. Before that it was that we were all going to starve and die naked and cold when Thomas Malthus at the end of the 18th century made his predictions."

"The secular world view will generate an end of time picture of hopelessness and doom and by contrast a Biblical world view of both Jews and Christians shows an end of time picture that, while it may have its turbulent threshold, is a time of some kind of unimaginable solution to all human problems."

[…] As for God having to apologize to Sodom and Gomorrah for not acting on America for its sins, Rabbi Lapin suggests God is in fact acting on America. "God doesn't necessarily act towards every culture in the same way," he said. "Every culture that adopts abortion and homosexuality as normal is a culture that begins to decline and eventually vanish off the stage of world history - that is God acting."

"That is precisely the point. It is not that hard to see in many ways the fortunes of the US of A are simply not where they were before these twin scourges became prevalent. Yes, He is acting - He is not going to have to apologize to Sodom at all. He is being very consistent. He may not be burying us in thunderbolts and mountains of salt but the damage that the US of A is enduring is no less fatal."

Interesting. There seem to be times in history when everybody seems to know something is coming, even if they’re not sure what. The time of Christ seems to have been like that, with Messianic expectations, people looking for heavenly portents, and mystery religions flourishing throughout the Empire. This seems to be another, what with end-of the-world scenarios two or three times a week on the Discovery Channel (Comet? Gamma-ray burst? Alien invasion? Take your pick!), doomsday cults all over the map, and a billion Moslems waiting for the Mahdi to show up and lead them on the final Jihad.

That, of course, doesn’t necessarily imply the Apocalypse. Nations have fallen under judgment and vanished since time immemorial, causing little more than a ripple in history. Just ask the Trojans, or the Carthiginians. That is not to deny, of course, that it might have felt a lot like the Apocalypse if you had the misfortune to live in Carthage in 146 BC. We all have a tendency to inflate the significance of both our own times and our own misfortunes.

Lack of Posts on This Blog

2007-06-26T14:34:00.000-05:00

My apologies for the lack of posts recently. I am on a new project (at the Internal Revenue Service, may God have mercy on my soul), and have been a bit preoccupied. Even the Moslem Episcopal Priestess wasn't enough to get me going. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, look here.) I will try to be better.

Crime Against Humanity?

2007-06-05T09:42:00.000-05:00

From LifeSite News for June 4, 2007:
A Polish railway worker has astonished his doctors by waking spontaneously after 19 years and talking about memories of his time in a "coma", the Associated Press (AP) reported yesterday. Jan Grzewski was injured at work and while he was hospitalized, his doctors found cancer in his brain and predicted he would not recover.

After his doctors concluded nothing more could be done for him, Mr. Grzewski’s wife, Gertruda, cared for him at home, moving his body and feeding him by hand. "I would fly into a rage every time someone would say that people like him should be euthanized, so they don't suffer," she told Gazeta. "I believed Janek (an affectionate nickname) would recover, AP reported."

Cases such as Mr. Grzewski’s are being used around the western world as arguments for euthanasia by dehydration or withholding of nutrition for those in what is often called a "permanent vegetative state". Poland, however, a strongly Catholic country, continues to hold out against international pressure to soften restrictions on euthanasia. In March this year, a poll by Polska Grupa Badawcza found that a majority of Poles support strengthening the law protecting human life. 52 per cent of Polish voters would support a constitutional amendment to ban abortion and euthanasia in all cases.

Mr. Grzewski told Gazeta Dzialdowska, the local daily paper in the northern city of Dzialdowo where he is readjusting to life as a 65 year-old, that at the time of his accident in 1989, the shops were full of nothing but "vinegar and mustard."

Under communism, he said, "meat was rationed and there were huge petrol queues everywhere. Now I see people on the streets with cellphones and there are so many goods in the shops it makes my head spin." He told the media that people complain now as much as they did under communism: "These people walk around with their mobile phones and never stop moaning." But he told his wife that the world is "prettier" now than it was under then and he’s happy to be "back". "I could not talk or do anything, now it's much better," he said.

Gertruda noticed last year that he was trying to speak and Grzewski was returned to the hospital for further treatment. Wojciech Pstragowski, a rehabilitation specialist, said, "I am sure that without the dedication of his wife, the patient would not have reached us in the (good) shape that he did."

After regaining his ability to speak, Mr. Grzewski told his relatives that he has memories of family gatherings while he was supposedly ‘comatose,’ at which they spoke to him, trying to elicit a response. Mrs. Grzewska, her husband’s doctor said, did the work of an entire intensive care team, turning him every hour to prevent bed sore infections.

"I cried a lot, and prayed a lot," she said. "Those who came to see us kept asking, ‘When is he going to die?’ But he’s not dead."

Grzewski’s prognosis is positive and his doctors expect him to be able to walk soon. "At the start, his speech was very unclear, now it is improving daily," Pstragowski said.

The EU is expected to take action against Poland for allowing Mr. Grzewski to live; the Florida Supreme Court is reportedly "scandalized." Bloody Poles are clearly standing in the way of progress and the New World Order., and Mr. Grzewski should be ashamed of himeself for embarassing those fine doctors.

Hmm...wonder how hard it is to learn the language? Nah - the weather's too cold.

Just When You Thought It Couldn't Get Any Worse

2007-05-29T12:59:00.001-05:00

From The Guardian (UK):

A Dutch reality television show in which a terminally ill woman is to select one of three contestants to receive her kidneys when she dies is to air this week despite criticism that it pushes the boundaries of the format too far.

The government has called for De Grote Donorshow (The Big Donor show) to be dropped because it is "unethical" and "wretched" but the broadcaster BNN said it would go ahead to highlight the difficulties of searching for kidney donors.

In the show, due to be broadcast on Friday, a woman identified only as Lisa, 37, will select a recipient based on their history, profile and conversations with their families and friends. Throughout the 80-minute show, viewers will be invited to send Lisa text messages to advise her.

The ruling coalition parties the Christian Democrats and the Christian Union have condemned the show.

But BNN's chairman, Laurens Drillich, said the show would increase by a third the participants' chances of getting a new kidney. "The chance for a kidney for the contestants is 33%," he said. "This is much higher than that for people on a waiting list. You would expect it to be better, but it is worse."

BNN said it wanted to focus on the plight of kidney sufferers as a tribute to its founder, Bart de Graaff, who died of kidney failure five years ago in spite of several transplants.

There is evidence that an increasing number of Dutch viewers have been turning away from reality TV, of which the Netherlands is a pioneer, because they believe the subject matter too risque. One show to come under the spotlight is Spuiten en Slikken (Shooting and Swallowing) in which the presenters experiment with drugs and a range of sexual exploits.

Patty's Fort celebrated colonic irrigation, with the scatological remains shown in full on screen.
But attempts in 2005 to launch a sperm donor show, in which a woman was to select a father for her baby in front of the cameras, collapsed following a huge public outcry.

"Highlighting the difficulties of searching for kidney donors." Of course; silly me. It's not a brutal exploitation of dying people, it's a public service announcement! Next season, to highlight the problems of violent crime, perhaps we'll be treated to Who Gets Whacked?, where contestants compete to see who gets to meet the torso killer.

Signs of the Times

2007-05-29T12:08:00.000-05:00

From the "Weddings / Celebrations" section of the New York Times Society pages for May 27, 2007:

The Rev. Mark Alan Lewis and the Rev. K. Dennis Winslow, Episcopal priests, were joined in civil union on Tuesday. The Rev. Tim S. Hall, also an Episcopal priest, officiated at the couple’s home in Union City, N.J., assisted by his wife, the Rev. Jacqueline Schmidt.

Mr. Lewis (above, left), 47, is the vicar at the Episcopal Church of our Saviour in Secaucus, N.J. Mr. Winslow, 57, is the rector of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in New York. They both have master’s degrees in divinity, Mr. Lewis from the Virginia Theological Seminary and Mr. Winslow from Nashotah House in Wisconsin.

I am rather surprised to find a Nashotah House graduate participating in this sort of action. It is a pity, and demonstrates that nowhere is immune to the influences of the Spirit of this Age, or the Prince of This World.

Mr. Lewis graduated from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn. He is the son of Willie Mae Bell and Gary L. Lewis, both of West Plains, Mo., and the stepson of Phyllis D. Lewis and of James H. Bell.

Mr. Winslow graduated from Emerson College. He is a son of Ada J. Winslow of Yarmouth Port, Mass., and the late Mr. Winslow Sr.

The couple met 15 years ago this week, shortly after Mr. Lewis moved to New Jersey.

Mr. Lewis didn’t find the idea of dating another priest unusual or enticing, so when a friend in New York volunteered to introduce him to Mr. Winslow, he had little interest. “It wasn’t, ‘Oh, what a rare bird, I must see it,’ ” Mr. Lewis said. He added, “I was assuming he would be pious and narrow-minded.”

I presume "Pious and narrow-minded" would mean believing in the faith once delivered to the saints, but that is hard to reconcile with being willing to "date" another male. Maybe "pious" just means taking religion seriously enough to want to avoid public scandal.

But six months later, he happened to drop by the same friend’s home in New York when Mr. Winslow was visiting. “I did a complete thunderbolt thing,” Mr. Winslow said.

“Our eyes met from across the apartment,” Mr. Lewis said. “We have been together since that day.”

In 2002, they became the lead plaintiffs in the Lambda Legal lawsuit challenging the marriage laws in New Jersey. The case resulted in the 2006 New Jersey Supreme Court ruling that led to the legalization of civil unions by the state legislature.

Mr. Lewis compared joining the lawsuit to his decision to become a priest. “I heard the same voice in my head saying here’s a job that needs to be done, and I can do it,” he said.

I have no doubt he did hear the same voice. I can only wonder just whose voice that happened to be.

And this week they reaped the benefit of that effort. Mr. Winslow, referring to the many marriage ceremonies he has performed, said: “I say over and over again to couples, ‘Please don’t let us down. You’ve made these promises to us in public. Keep those promises.’ And that’s what we intend to do.”

Let us all pray for these men's conversion and salvation, and for God's undeserved mercy on all of us. How dark is it going to get before the Light comes back? I am reminded of the Roman Empire in the times of Caligula. It started out really bad, and, for the most part, just got worse for the next 270 years.

Universal Protestants?

2007-05-23T09:30:00.000-05:00

From Catholic World News for May 22:
The Lutheran and Reformed churches in France have announced their decision to unite in a new body to be called the Universal Protestant Church.

The union - announced on May 20 in the town of Sochaux - will create one church composed of two regions: one Lutheran and another Reformed. The union is to become fully effective by 2013.

The Reformed Church counts around 300,000 faithful in France and the Lutheran Church 36,000.

I don’t know anything about the theological and legal discussions that went into this merger; I wish them well. But am I the only one suffering cognitive disturbances from the new name, “Universal Protestant?”

Jesus the Extraterrestrial Time Traveller

2007-05-21T10:54:00.000-05:00

The following article from The Canadian for Monday, May 21, 2007, may force me to retire the Barking Moonbat Award

Researchers suggest that Jesus may have been a descendant of Black human being-looking Extraterrestrial time-travellers. Indeed, Jesus had been depicted as being black by Christians, until the Church Establishment was seized by latent racist ideology. Jesus was essentially "whitened" to match the skin pigmentation of the elite cliques of Europe who sought to enslave peoples of African ancestry. By whitening Jesus, elites cliques of Europe sought to manipulate African peoples into worshipping the conquerors.

But you may ask, what does it really matter if Jesus was black, white, or Filipino for the matter? It matters, because researchers suggest that the whole apparent image and purpose of Jesus, including pivotally his skin pigmentation, was re-constructed, as a basis for a broader context of mass-deception.

Indeed, the way in which Jesus is appreciated could be viewed to be an axiomatic mass-deception context in human history. It was socially engineered to mislead humanity into its prevailing course self-destruction. The image of Jesus was used to create an organized religion, which was then used to create Western governments with historical links to modern Christianity.

The power of these institutions was then used to spread oppressive Empires, which led to the birth and development of Big Business interests, that now operate as part of a globalized military-religious-political-industrial complex.

The dissembled image of Jesus, (as a white "saviour" and "son of God", that in turn supposedly created human beings in "God's own image"), was used to construct the global capitalist system. The elites of Christianity used accompanying notions of "sin" and dogma to help corral people like sheep, into worshipping what Gnostic disciples of Jesus referred to as the "false God", which is associated with a demonic consciousness.

Research suggests that alleged Extraterrestrial ancestors of Jesus, were aware of destructive course of Earth, which continued during the Old Testament era, allegedly travelled back in time, as an attempt to spiritually inspire Earth humanity as "teachers", out of its course of self-destruction.

This meta-historical allegation, claims that Jesus who was cited by Gnostics as claiming that he "came from the sky", is an Extraterrestrial from the Sirian star system, approximately 1,000 years from now (3,000 years ahead of his linear time documented in the Bible). His alleged mission was to spiritually inspire Earthbound humans in a manner which would awaken their human psycho-kinetic healing, and other related spiritual abilities. As this occurred, it is further alleged that Manipulative Extraterrestrials also travelled through time to exploit and oppress humanity. This was apparently executed by genetic manipulations and otherwise.

The alleged mission of Jesus, as indicated by alleged contacts with Ethical Extraterrestrial messengers, was to attempt to heal their own time lines by redressing the attempts by Manipulative Extraterrestrials to manipulate and exploit time-space and consciousness in our universe.

Humans who claim to have had contact with Ethical Extraterrestrials further allege that "In the future, there are populations of human beings which are on the same level of spiritual awakening as Jesus is, or even higher. These human contactees allege that "what is even going on now is considered real galactic history, events that have and will happen, since all we are talking about is time travel."

Alleged ethical Extraterrestrial testimony, suggests that as a "Sirian, Jesus is not white in body but of an Extraterrestrial blue race, which on Earth today is known as the black race." These alleged Extraterrestrial contacts further claim that the "black human race are the supreme guardian races of all known star systems in our realm and even on Earth."

Furthermore, "the black race is known as the elder spiritual race or caretaker of the universe and planets. Every other human race are called the younger sibling human caretaker race of universe and planets."

"The Sirians are the elder human race and species and every other human race or star system is called the sibling race besides the Vegan Star system, the origin of the human species and civilization," Ethical Extraterrestrial contactees further allege.

I stand in awe. Any comment I might make would only detract from the sheer majesty of the original post. I don't even know which parts to highlight.

Go Back to the Jungle??

2007-05-16T11:58:00.000-05:00

From an editorial by Michael Gerson in The Washington Post:
An epoch-dividing event recently took place in the religion that brought us B.C. and A.D. Too bad hardly anyone noticed.

For years, a dispute has boiled between the American Episcopal Church and the worldwide Anglican Communion it belongs to, with many in the global south convinced that Episcopalians are following their liberalism into heresy. This month, Archbishop Peter Akinola, shepherd of 18 million fervent Nigerian Anglicans, reached the end of his patience and installed a missionary bishop to America. The installation ceremony included boisterous hymns and Africans dressed in bright robes dancing before the altar - an Anglican worship style more common in Kampala, Uganda, than in Woodbridge.

The American presiding bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori, condemned this poaching of souls on her turf as a violation of the "ancient customs of the church." To which the archbishop replied, in essence: Since when have you American liberals given a fig about the ancient customs of the church?

[…] Some American religious conservatives have embraced ties with this emerging Christianity, including the church I attend. But there are adjustments in becoming a junior partner. The ideological package of the global south includes not only moral conservatism but also an emphasis on social justice, an openness to state intervention in markets, and a suspicion of American economic and military power. The emerging Christian majority is not the Moral Majority.

But the largest adjustments are coming on the religious left. For decades it has preached multiculturalism, but now, on further acquaintance, it doesn't seem to like other cultures very much. Episcopal leaders complain of the threat of "foreign prelates," echoing anti-Catholic rhetoric of the 19th century. An activist at one Episcopal meeting urged the African bishops to "go back to the jungle where you came from." Not since Victorians hunted tigers on elephants has the condescension been this raw.

History is filled with uncomfortable turnabouts, and we are witnessing one of them. Serious missionary work began in Nigeria in 1842, conducted by a Church Mission Society dedicated to promoting "the knowledge of the Gospel among the heathen." In 2007, the Nigerian outreach to America officially began, on the fertile mission fields of Northern Virginia. And the natives here are restless.

The Religious Left is, I believe, coming to the sad realization that its days are numbered – not because its view of the world isn’t popular in the West. It is. Unfortunately for them, however, it is the sort of popularity that causes people to wake up on Sunday morning, think “Jesus loves me just the way I am,” roll over, and go back to sleep.

The popularity of leftist religion is, in its effects, rather like a viral disease process. As more and more host cells are transformed, the patient comes closer and closer to death. When the whole church believes what the left believes, no one will bother to show up anymore.

In the meantime, orthodox congregations of all stripes keep finding new converts walking through the doors. And the new missionaries from the Southern half of the world are helping to decouple orthodox Christianity from a culture to which - like the Left - it has become far too attached.

“Woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” Evil is ultimately self-defeating because, once it wins, there is nothing else for it to do. It can put up a heck of a fight, but in victory it finds only emptiness.

Outrage of the Day / Week / Month / Year

2007-05-15T14:17:00.000-05:00

Also from LifeSite:

A campaign video released yesterday by the Hillary Clinton for President Campaign includes an image of Mother Teresa with then-First Lady Mrs. Clinton. The national Catholic-based advocacy group Fidelis called on the campaign to remove the image from the video. "It is wholly inappropriate, disrespectful and disturbing that Hillary Clinton is using an image of Blessed Mother Teresa as a political tool, especially given their radically different views on abortion," said Fidelis President Joseph Cella.

"Mother Teresa tirelessly fought to protect unborn children, while Hillary Clinton staunchly supports abortion on demand in all nine months of pregnancy, including partial birth abortion and taxpayer funding of abortion," he said. "Out of respect to Mother Teresa, and the Missionaries of Charity strict guidelines for the use of Mother's image, we call on the Hillary Clinton campaign to immediately remove her image from their campaign video."

This is what happens when a society loses all concept of shame. I can't help wondering whether Mrs. Clinton is waving to us, or just holding up her middle digit. How long before we have images of Jesus or the Blessed Mother morphed into photographs to endorse bathroom cleaners?