Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Bush officials misled public on global warming

When it comes to the "life" issues of the religious right, Bush has always been quick on the talking points regarding the sancity of life - when it comes to Abortion, Stem Cells and end of life issues - but when it comes to "all life" - say the survival of the HUMAN RACE or our only home - our planet - Bush falls short. When it comes to dealing with the greatist moral issue of our time - "Climate Change" - our annointed President is a complete and utter failure.



Today's story tells the tale

• Chairman said officials mislead by "injecting doubt" into global warming science
• House panel looking for evidence of political pressure on government scientists
• Advocacy groups says half of scientists told to delete material from reports
• Sens. McCain, Obama to express views on global warming at hearing

Read more..

The intense interest about climate change comes as some 500 climate scientists gather in Paris this week to put the final touches on a United Nations report on how warming, as a result of a growing concentration of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere, is likely to affect sea levels.

Monday, January 29, 2007

It did not take long.

Well it did not take long for the wingnut world to show it's true colors with disparaging remarks about Father Drinan. We should ignore the ravings from St. Bloggers - but it is good to note, and keep records of what pious hypocrites they are. This one from the "Curt Jester".

And some more hate from yet another one issue Catholic.

The Catholic Church we were raised in had respect for the clergy. Apparently in the wingnut cafeteria respect for the clergy is an option.

Sad News

I am sad to learn this morning that we have lost a hero to the Social Justice movement. Father Drinan was a man of strong principles and commitment to the Common Good. A true champion in Congress for the least of these. I once had the opportunity to personally visit with Fr. Drinan on a project I was working on. I have always felt blessed that this busy man was humble enough to take the time to speak to somebody he did not even know, and even more, care about the work I was doing. Thank you Father.

The Rev. Robert F. Drinan , who left Boston College's administration to become the first Roman Catholic priest elected to Congress and who in 1973 filed the initial impeachment resolution against President Richard M. Nixon, died yesterday at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, D.C. He was 86.

Read More

Yeah, they have some values...

We found this post worth sharing.

Why is it that right-wingers always claim to be acting on higher values and purer motives? Why do they think that they are so morally superior?


One of the right-wing immigration groups, Families First on Immigration, claim to be advancing what they call "religiously grounded positions" on immigration and have attracted several high level names attached to it, including former presidential hopeful Gary Bauer. Bauer of the pancake flip now heads up a group called American Values.

Other members of Families First include former Bush advisor to Catholic voters, Deal Hudson of the Morley Institute for Church & Culture and Paul Weyrich who is widely considered one of the founding fathers of the modern conservative movement and the head of the Free Congress Foundation.

Now m0re than ever we need to demonstrate why people need to stop listening to these right-wing loopers like Hudson or Bauer. None of these right-wing whack-a-doodles should be claiming to represent family values. If they ever did.

Posted from Rising Hegemon

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Vatican Warms to Climate Change

Kudos to Whispers in the Loggia for the following post..

Quote:
Later this year, today's edition of The Tablet reports that two organs of the Holy See will host the church's first top-level conference on global climate change.

According to the paper, Gordon Brown, the British chancellor of the Exchequer, "is understood to have played a key role in persuading Rome to back the summit plan"; Brown proposed the conference to Vatican officials last year.

The planning for the meeting is understood to belong to the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the Pontifical Academy for Sciences. As an added indicator of the Roman trend toward environmental awareness, Robert Mickens cited Pope Benedict's 2007 message for the World Day of Peace, where the pontiff said that a genuine desire for peace "must be increasingly conscious of the links between natural ecology, or respect for nature, and human ecology."

"[Benedict] said there was an 'inseparable link' between peace with creation and peace among men," Mickens wrote, "and both of these presupposed peace with God."

This is extremely exciting news concerning the greatest moral issue of our time "Global Warming. We shall follow with great interest. It will be interesting to see how the St. Bloggers and Wingnuts interrupt the Vatican's future statements on this subject. We wonder if they will dismiss the Vatican's findings as pure myth as well?

Mike Huckabee - Talking Points Pro

Todays edition of Meet the Press started off with an appearance by Mike Huckabee - Republican Governor from Arkansas. The man was well rehearsed and answered each question in a through robotic manner. Apparently by the time he got to speech class at Hope High School - they had ceased teaching the section on pause and contemplate your answers. Or maybe that just came natural to Bubba.

Some excerpts from the interview - with a few snippets from us.

GOV. HUCKABEE: Tim, tomorrow I’ll be filing papers to launch an exploratory committee, and yes, I’ll be out there.

MR. RUSSERT: Why?

GOV. HUCKABEE: I think America needs positive, optimistic leadership to kind of turn this country around, to see a revival of our national soul, and to reclaim a sense of, of the greatness of this country that we love, and also to help bring people together to find a practical solution to a lot of the issues that people really worry about when they sit around the dinner table and talk at night.

Eamon: With Ricky Santitorium and George Allen knocked out, the wingnuts need a canidate that is bit more rational and easier to appear moderate. This would not be Brownie (The Senator) Of course he says all this, and then later as we find out - this man has no issues with the way GWB has run this country. So what we really have here is the status quo.

MR. RUSSERT: Let’s try to define who you are. The last time we talked it was on a—my CNBC show. I asked you about George W. Bush, and you said this, “I think the president has done a magnificent job. And generally, you know, I don’t find that many areas where I would disagree with him.” You still hold that view, Bush has done a magnificent job?

GOV. HUCKABEE: Well, I think he’s had a lot of struggles, particularly in managing the, the war in Iraq. We did a great job of going in and toppling Saddam Hussein. The tough part has been bringing some sense of stability there. And so it’s been a struggle for the president. I think the domestic agenda has also been something that’s almost been ignored and overlooked because we have spent so much of a time on Iraq.

Eamon: GWB has a domestic agenda? Of course he just glazed over this queston. A struggle in Iraq? Apparently he differs little with GWB on anything.

MR. RUSSERT: If you were in the Senate or the House, would you vote to oppose the president sending more troops to Iraq?

GOV. HUCKABEE: I think that’s a dangerous position to take, to oppose a sitting commander in chief while we’ve got people being shot at on the ground. I think it’s one thing to have a debate and a discussion about this strategy, but to openly oppose, in essence, the strategy, I think that can be a very risky thing for our troops.

Eamon: So keeping them over there in the middle of a civil war is not considered risk?

MR. RUSSERT: Is there one area you disagree with President Bush?

GOV. HUCKABEE: On Iraq or on...

Eamon: Tim is being polite - are you or are you not a rubber stamp for GWB?

MR. RUSSERT: On anything.

GOV. HUCKABEE: Well, I think we need to be very careful about the overuse of the Guard and the Reserve in our military. As a governor for 10 ½ years and commander in chief of our Guard, I’ve seen 80 percent of our Guard forces deployed to Iraq. Now we’re talking about sending them back yet again and again. These are citizen soldiers. They didn’t sign up to be gone all the time. They signed up to be soldiers called upon for extraordinary duty, and they’ll—they’ve done it. They’re willing to do their duty, but the toll that it’s taking on their families, their employers and their communities is—it’s beginning to really wear.

Eamon: So he has drank the koolaid. Good to know this now.

MR. RUSSERT: So “read my lips, no new taxes”?

GOV. HUCKABEE: I think you got to be very careful. I, I wouldn’t propose any new taxes. I wouldn’t support any. But if we’re in a situation where we are in a different level of war, where there is no other option, I think that it’s a very dangerous position to make pledges that are outside the most important pledge you make, and that is the oath you take to uphold the Constitution and protect the people of the United States.

Eamon: Nice - leaving it open for the tax increase. How else will any President pay GWBs tab.

MR. RUSSERT: I was reading a lot about you, an ordained Baptist minister.

Eamon: Great! Another Catholic basher! We remember Dr. Albert Mohler of the Southern Baptist Convention calling the Holy Father a false prophet.

GOV. HUCKABEE: Yes.

MR. RUSSERT: I want to ask you a couple things that you said earlier in your political career. “Huckabee ... explained why he left pastoring for politics. ‘I didn’t get into politics because I thought government had a better answer. I got into politics because I knew government didn’t have the real answers, that the real answers lie in accepting Jesus Christ into our lives.’” And then this: “I hope we answer the alarm clock and take this nation back for Christ.” Would you, as president, consider America a Christian nation and try to lead it as—into a situation as being a more Christian nation?

Eamon: egads! Yet another Theocrat! Lock and Load!!

GOV. HUCKABEE: I think it’s dangerous to say that we are a nation that ought to be pushed into a Christian faith by its leaders. However, I make no apology for my faith. My faith explains me. It means that I believe that we’re all frail, it means that we’re all fragile, that all of us have faults, none of us are perfect, that all of us need redemption. We are a nation of faith. It doesn’t necessarily have to be mine. But we are a nation that believes that faith is an important part of describing who we are, and our generosity, and our sense of optimism and hope. That does describe me.

Eamon: Non Christians and Seculars need not apply. - oh yeah - he thinks it's dangerous - yet there is this lingering philosophy he has about bringing Jesus to the masses. (great if he sticks to his career as pastor)



MR. RUSSERT: South Dakota had some proposed legislation to outlaw all abortion except saving the life of a mother, no exceptions for rape or incest. You said you’d sign that. Why?

GOV. HUCKABEE: Well, I always am going to err on the side of life, Tim. I believe life is precious. But I think the issue for many of us who are in the pro-life camp—and I have been since, you know, I was a teenager. This is not something that I’ve been all over the board on, it’s consistent. It’s because of my view that God is the creator and instigator of life. But I think those of us in the pro-life movement, we have to do also some growing and expanding. We have to remind people that life, that we belive it begins at conception. It doesn’t end at birth. And if we’re really pro-life we have to be concerned about more than just the gestation period. As a pro-life person, as a governor, look at my record. Yes, did we pass pro-life legislation? We did. But we also did things that improved the environmental quality and the conservation issues that would affect a child’s air and water. We also made sure that he had a better education, that access to affordable health care would be better. So I think that real pro-life people need to be concerned about affordable housing, we need to be concerned about safe neighborhoods, access to a college education. That, for me, is what pro-life has to mean.

Eamon: Been reading the Eamon Blog Governor? - We always like to say "There are things we can do to help the unborn right now - like expand health care coverage, education, adoption programs, ease the economic burdens on working families, and address endemic problems of greed, violence, sex, corruption, and materialism in our society. " Interesting that he mentions the enviroment - but no mention of the greatest moral question of our time "Global Warming".

MR. RUSSERT: But, as president, you would seek to ban abortion.

GOV. HUCKABEE: I would seek always to promote the view that life is precious and should be protected. Would I be able to singularly do that? Of course not. But I think it has to be won on, on a battlefield of one heart at a time rather than pieces of legislation at a time.

Eamon: So - more of the same - we did have a glimmer of hope in the previous answer. Bummer

MR. RUSSERT: You said this to the Des Moines Register: “Let’s face it. In our lifetimes, we’ve seen our country go from ‘Leave it to Beaver’ to ‘Beavis and Butt-head,’ from Barney Fife to Barney Frank.” Why, why include Barney Frank, a gay congressman, in that reference?

GOV. HUCKABEE: I think it was a matter of a rhetorical device to talk about the different cultural shift that we have, and it wasn’t any particular attempt to be derisive of him. But, but there has been a huge cultural shift in this country, Tim. And I think that’s why many Americans are seeking leadership that has a positive and optimistic spirit, that wants to take this nation—what I call vertical politics rather than horizontal.

Eamon: Apparently he hates gays.

MR. RUSSERT: Let me ask you about a controversial aspect of your governorship. Wayne Dumond...

GOV. HUCKABEE: Yes.

MR. RUSSERT: ...a rapist who was convicted, sentenced in Arkansas, the parole board voted not to parole him in September of—in August of ‘96. You announced that you were going to commute his sentence, and then the parole board reversed course and agreed to parole him, and you supported their decision to parole. He was, was freed, left the state, killed and raped someone else in Missouri. Do you regret supporting that parole?

Eamon: Apparently this was not ok behavior in 1988 for Micheal Dukakis.

MR. RUSSERT: David Broder of The Washington Post wrote this column in 2005:

“Huckabee ... is part of a bewildering variety of networks. A preacher for 12 years, he headed the Arkansas Baptist State Convention before being elected lieutenant governor and succeeding the scandal-tainted Jim Guy Tucker as governor in 1996. But at 1 a.m. last Sunday, he could be found wearing a Hawaiian shirt, playing bass guitar and leading his rock band of fellow Arkansans, called Capitol Offense, at the [National Governor’s Association] staff party at Raccoon River Brewing Co., a downtown beer hall.” And we have found this footage, governor.

GOV. HUCKABEE: Uh-oh, I’m in trouble now.

MR. RUSSERT: I believe—let’s take a look.
GOV. HUCKABEE: OK.

(Videotape of Governor Huckabee playing guitar)

GOV. HUCKABEE: This is from Memphis, by the way, yeah.

MR. RUSSERT: Now, I believe that song is “Born To Be Wild.” Is that your inner self?

GOV. HUCKABEE: It probably would be born to be mild would be a better one for me. I love music. One of the things that I’m very passionate about is music and art and education because it was life-changing for me. I think in a creative economy we’ve got to have a whole group of kids coming up and a generation whose left and right brains are stimulated. It’s something I pushed for as a governor in Arkansas where we are one of the few states that required both music and art education. I’m a musician, I’m passionate about it, but I think this, this country has made a huge mistake in cutting music and art out of school budgets. And it’s something we’ve got to address because the future economy is dependent upon a creative generation.

Eamon: Great! Maybe he can undo the damage Reagan did to arts in public schools and the NEA.

Read the entire transcript

Saturday, January 27, 2007

This weeks Catholic Politician Profile - Joe Biden

Joe Biden (D) Senator - Delaware

Voted YES on banning partial birth abortions. (Oct 1999)
Rated 36% by NARAL, indicating a mixed voting record on abortion. (Dec 2003)
Voted YES on $100M to reduce teen pregnancy by education . (2005)
Voted YES on Balanced-budget constitutional amendment. (Mar 1997)
Voted YES on prohibiting same-sex marriage. (Sep 1996)
Voted YES on welfare block grants. (Aug 1996)
Fully fund AmeriCorps. (Jun 2003)
Rated 89% by the ARA, indicating a pro-senior voting record. (Dec 2003)
Voted YES on raising the minimum wage to $7.25 rather than $6.25. (Mar 2005)
Voted NO on killing an increase in the minimum wage. (Nov 1999)
Rated 100% by the AFL-CIO, indicating a pro-union voting record. (Dec 2003)
Voted YES on establishing a Guest Worker program. (May 2006)
Rated 100% by APHA, indicating a pro-public health record. (Dec 2003)
Rated F by the NRA, indicating a pro-gun control voting record. (Dec 2003)
Voted NO on implementing CAFTA for Central America free-trade. (Jul 2005)
Multi-year commitment to Africa for food & medicine. (Apr 2001)
Rated 95% by the LCV, indicating pro-environment votes. (Dec 2003)
Voted YES on banning drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (Mar 2005)
Rated 91% by the NEA, indicating pro-public education votes. (Dec 2003)
Voted YES on $75M for abstinence education. (Jul 1996)
Voted for Iraq war in 2002, but now a war critic. (Nov 2006)

100% Rating by NETWORK on issues related to Catholic Social Teaching.

Is Senator Biden serving according to the Principles of Catholic Social Teaching and the Gospel Message?

Respect for the dignity of each individual person: YES
The common good: YES
Health and future of the planet: YES
The dignity of work: YES
Care for those who are poor and vulnerable: YES
The dignity of all creation: YES
Human rights: YES

While he initially voted yes for the war in Iraq, Senator Biden has been a strong advocate against the war and is leading the charge in the Senate to block further escalation of the unjust conflict. Although he has a mixed record on the abortion question, it is clear that he favors realistic legislation that would empower women to make other choices thus keeping their babies. There are things we can do to help the unborn right now - like expand health care coverage, education, adoption programs, ease the economic burdens on working families, and address endemic problems of greed, violence, sex, corruption, and materialism in our society. Thankfully Senator Biden is in the Senate to work on such issues.

Final Rating: Good Catholic Politician.

Give Peace a Chance


Tens of thousands of peaceful Americans expressed their Constitutional right to free speech today by protesting the war in Iraq. We did not make it down to the mall, but we know many of our friends were there. The usual cast of celebrity protesters showed up along with Rev. Jessie Jackson and Catholic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich. Dennis you may remember was the sole anti war candidate in the 04 race. Talk about conviction politics!

While sad that Americans must take to the streets to protest this unjust war, it is encouraging that many Americans are turning into activists and care enough to give up their weekends to travel great distances by bus to get to our nations capital

Of course we now look forward to the chorus of wingnuts to talk about how the soldiers in Iraq are protecting our freedoms. Then they will turn the venom on the protesters claiming they are un- American and un- Patriotic for protesting the war. But are not the Soldiers over there protecting our freedoms - that include the right to dissent and protest? Freedom of speech? Or are they only protecting selected freedoms?


When did it go from "We the People" to "Me the President?"

Judge not, lest be judged thy self

Hypocrisy from the pulpit always concerns us, and the latest example comes from Deacon Tom McDonnell at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Buffalo NY. Apparently openly and publicly, not in the privacy of the Deacons office, Deacon McDonnell chastised Congressman Brian Higgins in front of his family and fellow parishioners for his recent vote on stem cell research in Congress. Apparently missing from the Deacons public tirade was any mention regarding the Congressmen’s vote on the Iraq war, the minimum wage and many other issues of concern to Catholics in Congress.

The homily is a time during mass where the Priest or Deacon who has just proclaimed the Gospel message to the parish, is supposed to reflect on that Gospel message or teach on it. It is not a time for personal attacks, political disagreements and lessons on theology for public servants.

Indeed Catholic teaching is clear on stem cell research. However one would believe that a rational and charitable Deacon of the Church would seek to express his disagreement with a politically active parishioner behind closed doors. Not in front of that parishioner’s family and certainly not during a homily, disturbing the sanctity of the mass and the message of the gospel.

It is unfortunate that Deacon McDonnell has allowed the politics of personal attacks and division to enter the sanctity of the pulpit and the mass.

Eating their own

We always love it when the wingnuts begin to eat their own. A recent post from Coach Dave serves up the GOP as the main course. The Coach is under the impression that GWB and GOP strategists are more interested in pandering for the evangelical pro life vote than they are in ending the tragic act of abortion. We agree. The GOP has had 5 Presidents since Roe V Wade and a conservative majority over on SCOTUS, yet abortion continues on as the only option for many impoverished women in this country. Maybe the Coach would be interested in the team over at DFLA. They seem to have a reasonable workable approach to the abortion question. One that gives women more choices and opportunities to keep their babies instead of the tragic choice that so many of them currently make. Clearly the policies regarding abortion from the right are failed and 30 years is too long. A fresh new approach such as abortion reduction measures deserve a look.

There are things we can do to help the unborn right now - like expand health care coverage, education, adoption programs, ease the economic burdens on working families, and address endemic problems of greed, violence, sex, corruption, and materialism in our society. Thankfully, the new Congress is taking up many of these measures and we hope DFLA along with some faith groups will take some leadership on this.

Friday, January 26, 2007

TRUTH

Hey just the other day we posted a bit on our favorite former Jihadist - and today came across this. Bravo! So when shall we expect the apology from FOX news and the other wingnuts?


Sometimes it just takes some gutsy religious leaders to expose the TRUTH - LET IT BE TOLD!


An Open Letter to the Religious Community:

Many of you have seen hateful emails, blog postings and reports circulating on the Internet and in the media about Senator Barack Obama and his religious upbringing. These outrageous charges began as reports of his potential candidacy for President emerged and, as has become a shameful custom of modern politics, it has swirled through cyberspace with a vengeance and now has been picked up as fact by Fox News and some partisan commentators.

We are writing to deplore this despicable tactic and set the record straight. We have had enough of the slash and burn politics calculated to divide us as children of God.

We must come together as one nation, and see our stake in each other as Americans. The bitter, destructive politics that have so riven our country in recent years cannot stand. As American leaders of different faiths who have worked cooperatively and greatly respect all of the 2008 candidates in both parties, we do not offer this statement as an endorsement of any individual candidate. However, certain moral standards should infuse our national dialogue, and the recent attacks on Sen. Obama violate values at the heart of this dialogue. The false and malicious attacks levied at him are anathema to all of our faith traditions, and we condemn them outright.

The facts below are no mystery. Senator Obama wrote openly about his life in his autobiography, Dreams from my Father. We take Senator Obama’s long-cited and uncontested description of his educational and faith journey at face value.

· Senator Obama never attended a radical Madrassa nor was he ever educated in a wahabi school. In the years he lived in Indonesia as a child, from ages 6 to 10, he attended a neighboring Catholic school for two years and then a public school.

· Senator Obama was not raised in a religious household.

· Senator Obama became a Christian long before he entered politics. While working as a young community organizer in the mid-1980s, working with a consortium of churches in a depressed neighborhood of Chicago, he became a Christian and became active in Trinity United Church of Christ. He, his wife and family are still active members of Trinity today.

It is important that we take a stand today against this willful, malicious attempt to mislead and inflame - and against any further attempts to use political attacks to divide the religious community. We ask that you share this letter widely, and help us beat back these hideous tactics, whatever their source. As people of faith, we cannot allow divisive attacks like these to stand.

Dr. Robert W. Edgar
General Secretary
National Council of Churches USA

Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner

Salam Al-Marayati
Executive Director
Muslim Public Affairs Council

Rev. Stephen J. Thurston
President
National Baptist Convention of America

The Rt. Rev. Preston W. Williams
President, Global Council of Bishops
African Methodist Episcopal Church

Sister Simone Campbell, SSS
Executive Director
NETWORK, A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby

The Rev. John H. Thomas
General Minister and President
United Church of Christ

Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy
President
Interfaith Alliance

Rabbi Jill Jacobs
Director of Education
Jewish Funds for Justice

Alexia Kelley
Executive Director
Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Darfur - what's the plan?

Next week, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will pressure Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to make defininitive decisions regarding the makeup of the U.N-A.U. peacekeeping forces in Darfur. The development of a real plan to implement peace and security in Darfur has been at a standstill for months, thanks to the inability of the Sudanese government and the U.N. to come to agreement on troop size, etc.

In the meantime, thousands of innocents are dying.

This week, the genocide continues - 5,000 people were forced out of their villages and into refugee camps in West Darfur because of a slew of bombings in the region.

What is the U.N. doing? What is the U.S. up to? Ho hum, well Ban Ki-moon does have his big meeting with the Sudanese president next week, and he is in talks with China's U.N Ambassador Wang Guangya to put some pressure (probably economic) on the Sudanese government.
President Bush, our big leader against "the war on terror" even mentioned the need to keep the situation in Darfur in the forefront of everyone's minds.

Alright, fearless leaders, think all you want. People are dying while you muse about peacekeeping initiatives in Darfur. Lawrence Rossin's (International Coordinator of the Save Darfur Coalition) response to Bush's acknowledgement of the Darfur genocide is "We raise consciousness. Your job is to do something." Rossin is right. Everyone knows there is a holocaust in Darfur. President Bush - next time you might want to have a plan to go along with such an acknowledgement. It's time to act!

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Catholic Concern for Climate Change

Praise the lord and pass me a copy of An Inconvenient Truth! Climate Change is the greatest moral issue facing the world today. Why is it a moral issue? If you have to ask - just think - if we do not have a planet to live on - then what else matters? It is our only home.

The Catholic Coalition on Climate Change believes that as the stewards of God's creation, people have a responsibility to take a stand on global warming. According to the coalition, Global warming is also a life issue that affects the common good, one of the founding principles of Catholic Social Teaching.


Read more


We shall be following this movement with great interest. We hope to find out more soon. Maybe even find a web site.
developing

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

SOTU - the aftermath

hmmm - where to begin - where to begin.....

He wants to end abortion by 2010 - ha! (made you think though - right?)

A year ago Bush promised the victims of Katrina would be taken care of - a year later nothing has changed and nothing was mentioned about them.

The funniest moment - NBA great Dikembe Mutumbo sitting next to the First Lady - then standing up - he had to be at least 5 feet taller than her.

Other First Lady guests included the Baby Einstein Creator, an Iraq War hero and the NY Subway hero. Some poor guest who was hoping to be on TV was blocked out when Dikembe stood up - maybe some 5 rows back.

We had some lip service paid to hunger, poverty and debt relief - but no solution offered.

We had Energy and some mention of renewable energy and of course the same old we depend on foreign oil too much. Really? What was the reason we went to Iraq again?

Health Care - wants to make it affordable and private - of course he failed to mention how his proposal will rob public hospitals to make this private health care available. - Cheney looked as if he wanted to throw up when Bush stated at all Americans should have health care - apparently this was not in the pre-approved Veep script.

Spending Reform - another funny moment - President Bush proposed to balance the Federal Budget in the next 5 years without raising taxes - har har har - still no mention of Iraq yet in the SOTU....

Education - wants to extend the failed NCLB plan - and a veiled mention of vouchers.

Immigration - apparently we are a melting pot - Cheney looked ill at this point.

Judges - more stuff about up or down votes. Congress apparently is unable to debate on this. Just give GWB what he wants.

Oh yeah - he did mention the old adage about crossing the partisan aisle when "work" is to be done. Translation - I will tell you what to do and you vote for it. Speaker Pelosi was looking ill at this point.

Economy is on the move. Apparently as many jobs have "moved" overseas.

Oh yeah - better IT for health care - that was good. A friend of mine who is a nurse lamented to me once that this is a huge setback for health care.

End the Junk Lawsuits - no more suing Sanford and Son

Best decisions on Health care made by Doctors and Patients - health care lobbyists heard choking around beltway.

One lame mention of the greatest moral question of our time "Climate Change" - but hey he said it without denying it. - not Global Warming though. Another first. - but then he went right into up or down votes for Judges - apparently higher on the all time moral question list for Bush.

Then 3200 words into the SOTU he starts on Iraq....

More troops - more killing - Al Quada is in Iraq after we kicked them out of Afghanistan- no mention of Osama on the run though - nor any mention of Al Quada not being in Iraq till we invaded - confused now? Something about Democracy in Mideast - yes - Mideast has a rich tradition of Democracies - the obligatory invocation of 911. Lots of framing the Iranians like the excuses to go into Iraq was framed - LOOK OUT - nukes - Axis of Evil....same rhetoric that the American people have rejected - yet he blunders on. - Here is the deal Mr. POTUS - you took us into war in reckless manner, your past plan is a failure and you current plan will lead to more failure. The solution to what has become an all out civil war is simply not a military one. It was not surprising that he did not mention the human cost of war either. No talk about the courage and sacrifice in our military hospitals. Time to man up Mr. POTUS.

We are going to form a Civilian corp to supplement the Military - not sure how that will work.
And increase the Military by 95,000 - not 92,000 as reported earlier - must be fuzzy math.

And hey - we got a small mention of Darfur.

Remember earlier today when we posted our laundry list of issues we had hoped for?
The results are in -

1. Recognize Global Warming is a threat. - Well sort of - but he did not deny it.

2. Pass the minimum wage bill - no help for the least among us. Sorry

3. Work on health care coverage for all Americans. - at the expense of public hospitals.

4. Work on a humane solution to the immigration problem. - yeah

5. A realistic solution and plan to end the violence in Iraq and Afghanistan and bring our troops home. - ummm - NO

6. An end to the partisan divide in DC. - well we did have the reaching across the aisle remark.

7. The Common Good. - not a mention - this was hoping too much on our part. Sorry

We got AIDS work continued and Malaria - all good - continue to build the capacity. GWB deserves credit here - but still a modest effort.

So over all - a very boring
SOTU with very little applause and red meat.

Cheney - the Dark Lord was brooding over the House Chamber and at times looked as if he was plotting his next kill out on the hunting ranch as his evil eyes scanned the Democratic side.

Chris Matthews is blathering on and on what an act of Chivalry it was for Bush to call Speaker Pelosi - "Madam Speaker" - darn right!

and the talking heads will go on all night - blah blah blah blah

There is the perceived White House reality and then there is reality.

Good night!

Countdown to SOTU from POTUS

So the advance copy of the SOTU talking points from the WH communications office include the proposed agenda of the "War" President.

Energy
Health Care
Spending Reform
Education
Immigration
Judges
War on Terror/Iraq
Strengthening Our Military
AIDS
Malaria

We now sit back in a comfy chair and eagerly await SOTU from POTUS.

Uncle Bill does not disappoint!

Considering the number of Catholic pilgrims trekking to the Sundance film festival, today’s obligatory press release from Uncle Bill seems fitting.

Now what would an Uncle Bill press release be with out a reference to Mel Gibson? Now the connection to Mel was made quickly and without a link to Kevin Bacon. Just how often Catholics who ponder on pedophilia link it to bestiality and then to Mel Gibson is unknown. Thanks to Uncle Bill, in today’s release we now have the secrets to how it is done.

The Catholic League website states why the organization exists.

The Catholic League is the nation’s largest Catholic civil rights organization. Founded in 1973 by the late Father Virgil C. Blum, S.J., the Catholic League defends the right of Catholics – lay and clergy alike – to participate in American public life without defamation or discrimination.

Motivated by the letter and the spirit of the First Amendment, the Catholic League works to safeguard both the religious freedom rights and the free speech rights of Catholics whenever and wherever they are threatened.

We are unsure how a combination of the Sundance film festival, pedophilia, horses and Mel Gibson are a threat to Catholic participation in public life, but we are sure that it appears it was the horse that molested the pervert in Seattle, not vice versa as Uncle Bill suggests.

Uncle Bill! where are you?

Tick tock tick tock - here we sit waiting on the daily press release from our crazy Uncle Bill Donohue over at the Catholic League. We eagerly await our dose of conspiracy laced Catholicism, with witty antidotes about Mel Gibson's drinking habits, how Jews and Catholics are holding hands, and how God forbid, if nobody else is to blame - then it is all John Kerry's fault. Could it be that Uncle Bill is just too weary after a long War on Christmas? Or maybe it is as simple that Uncle Bill has discovered his diversity gene and is opening a Madrassa in Manhattan.


Revisiting the March for Life

Preceding yesterday's March for Life in Washington, DC, a Mass was held at St. Matthew's Cathedral to commemorate the millions of lives that have been lost to abortion, and to pray for a solution to this affront to human life. Cardinal McCarrick's homily focused on the need to work for justice in order to achieve peace and respect for the rights of all people whose right to life has been taken away by war, poverty, abortion, or some other injustice.

Right on, Cardinal McCarrick.

It is time that pro-lifers start focusing on ALL affronts to human life and dignity. You cannot uphold this cornerstone of Catholicism if you support wars that leave people oppressed and without homes or resources. You cannot stand idly by as genocide continues in Darfur. You cannot refuse to give workers a living wage or adequate healthcare. You cannot in good faith find the death penalty to be an acceptable form of punishment.

By working for justice - justice in a variety of circumstances - maybe we can make a little progress in creating a more peaceful, life-respecting world.

Not a Jihadist

Whew! CNN is reporting that accounts that Barrack Obama was trained by Muslim radicals is now false. I and others will certainly rest easy now that a potential President will not have his hand on the trigger of a suitcase nuke in the future. What is even more disappointing is that now we will have to wait longer for the Dems to start slinging the mud. Apparently this rumor was the work of some wingnuts at the Washington Times, FOX News and the Glenn Beck show. What? No Bill O'Reilly?

Meanwhile FOX continues on with the show 24 that has a fictional African American President who is battling Jihadists who are setting off nukes in American cities. Only the finest fear mongering mixed with some torture over at FOX.

Moratorium on Executions

Catholic Dioceses, Parishes Seek State Moratorium on Executions

It is exciting to see that the Bishops Campaign to End the Death Penalty is getting more traction around the country.

Looks like a group called Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty is calling for the state's General Assembly to enact a three-year moratorium on executions in the state and to create a commission to examine the death penalty system. Sounds like a common sense action to me.

Nearly 300 groups in the state, including the four Catholic dioceses and numerous parishes, have endorsed a moratorium. On Good Friday last year the Missouri bishops issued a pastoral letter opposing executions, stating that more violence "is not a solution to society's problems."

Read more..

Still I suspect we will hear from the wingnuts who as Catholics will somehow justify the Death Penalty. Of course they will offer no explanation as to why all other options are exhausted as prescribed by Catholic Social Teaching.

The Holy Father calls recourse to the death penalty “unnecessary” and painfully reminds us that our “model of society bears the stamp of the culture of death, and is therefore in opposition to the Gospel message.” (Pope John Paul II, World Day of the Sick, Washington, DC, February 2003)

Other news on SOTU day

Just a quick look at other headlines today reveals....

Oscar likes 'Dreamgirls' -- but not best
If your a guy and named "Ocar" be happy that any girls like you.

Israeli president charged with rape
And we thought we had it bad with a retarded President.

Bush faces tough crowd for State of Union speech
Gee? Ya think?

New Iraq war general grilled
Wow! Saddam got off easy with hanging.

SOTU

Tonight is the State of the Union. With approval ratings lower than Nixons at the time of Watergate, Bush has no where to go but up. I look forward to tonight with prayerful optimism. Just a few items I will be searching for in the speech that I will be looking for and taking notes on. (in no particular order)

1. Recognize Global Warming is a threat.

2. Pass the minimum wage bill


3. Work on health care coverage for all Americans.


4. Work on a humane soulution to the immigration problem.


5. A realistic solution and plan to end the violence in
Iraq and Afghanisthan and bring our troops home.

6. An end to the partisan divide in DC.


7. The Common Good.


8. An solution to corporate greed and materialism - stop outsourcing our jobs!


Over at GOP Catholic Central it is said that - "The President recognizes and appreciates the work of religious and lay members within the Church to preserve the dignity and equality of all throughout the world." So I will be looking for a bit of that as well.

Monday, January 22, 2007

Brownie (The Senator) is in.

Taking a look see at some Catholic candidates for Prez - The Senator from Kansas just entered this past weekend launching a campaign based on a single issue (passes to the Saturday morning KofC pancake breakfast for the first correct guess on what issue) and a nod from Fr. Frankie Pavone. (more to come on that in future installments)

So after a prayerful consideration, Brownie (the Senator) will consider a bid for the Republican nomination for the Presidency.

From the Brownie Website:

Senator Brownback, a Catholic, believes that we must build a culture of life where the inherent dignity of every human person is respected. His vision of human dignity is a holistic vision, reflected in his unwavering support for the unborn child, his work for the poor in Africa who are at constant risk of violence or famine, and his advocacy for political dissidents in repressive nations such as North Korea or Cuba.

Senator Brownback was honored and deeply moved by the opportunity to meet two giants of human history, the late Mother Teresa and Pope John Paul II. It is their same vision of human rights, freedom, and respect for life that illuminates Senator Brownback's work on daily basis. Senator Brownback authored the bills that granted both of these great saints the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award granted by the United States Congress.

So what other Catholic qualifications does Brownback have regarding his aspirations for higher office?

Voted NO on $100M to reduce teen pregnancy by education.
Just don't get an abortion!

Voted NO on adding sexual orientation to definition of hate crimes.
Ok to beat them after you deny their marriage.

Voted NO on setting aside 10% of highway funds for minorities & women.
Ok - so he is a WASP turned Catholic - you expected more?

Voted NO on repealing tax subsidy for companies which move US jobs offshore.
Know any fellow voters who have been laid off lately? hmmm

Voted YES on ending special funding for minority & women-owned business.
Here we go again with the minorities and women - do we see a pattern?

Rated 100% by the US COC, indicating a pro-business voting record.
Of course.

Voted NO on maintaining right of habeas corpus in Death Penalty Appeals. Apparently Brownie missed the RCIA class where they presented the Bishops campaign against the Death Penalty.

Voted YES on making federal death penalty appeals harder.
Apparently he only took notes in RCIA on a "single issue".

Rated 27% by the NEA, indicating anti-public education votes.
Elite White Christian Education - diversity not allowed.

Voted NO on banning drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
hmm - something somewhere in Catholic Teaching about being good stewards of the earth. Do they cover that in RCIA?

Voted NO on including oil & gas smokestacks in mercury regulations.
Ok to poison children - just do not abort them.

Rated 100% by the Christian Coalition: a pro-family voting record.
Note: The Brownie definition of family has a white picket fence out front.

Voted YES on killing a bill for trade sanctions if China sells weapons.
Umm - didn't they just shoot down a satellite with missile?

Voted YES on implementing CAFTA for Central America free-trade.
Despite Catholic Leadership calls for a renegotiation of this treaty. Was this before the conversion?

Voted YES on allowing some lobbyist gifts to Congress.
Maybe a trip to Ave Maria and Disney World for the Brownie family?

Voted NO on background checks at gun shows.
Do terrorists attend gun shows? nah!

Rated 0% by APHA, indicating a anti-public health voting record.
Yep - Senators get the best healthcare available - let the public eat cake!

Voted NO on allowing patients to sue HMOs & collect punitive damages.
So if Grandma dies from cause the insurance company would not allow a treatment that would have helped her - bury her in a pine box.

Rated 0% by SANE, indicating a pro-military voting record.
Something in the Gospels about peace? love?

Voted YES on killing an increase in the minimum wage.
Missed that RCIA class on Catholic Social teaching as well.

Rated 0% by the AFL-CIO, indicating an anti-union voting record.
Leo XIII - Rerum Novarum is not an actor the movie Gladiator Brownie!

Religious affiliation: Methodist. (Nov 2000)
80 Million Catholics - large swing voter block - conversion - Brownie becomes Catholic. Maybe it was the Bush war in Iraq that turned him off from the Methodist Church?

Rated 0% by the ARA, indicating an anti-senior voting record.
So much for Grandma

Voted YES on authorizing use of military force against Iraq. (Oct 2002)
Guess it was not the Methodist faith after all. Didn't JPII, the Vatican and the Methodist Bishops all condemn? hmmmm

Not One Single Innocent Human Being!

So today over at the American Life League - with the march and all, I bet it was a busy day keeping track of the all the marchers and getting out the coffee, doughnuts and koolaid to the faithful. ALL to its credit is the oldest crusader against the sin of abortion.

This excerpt from ALL President Judie Browns Blog dated today...

"It is my fervent hope and prayer, as we go forth on January 22 and further into another year, that all pro-lifers remember these children, cease the political shenanigans, and begin all over again to preach without apology that there is never, ever a reason to permit the direct killing of a single innocent human being."

Right on Judie! I could not agree more!

Now we all will set back and wait for the much anticipated new campaign from ALL condeming the war in Iraq, the Death Penalty and the dire situation in Africa. Heck - with this type of strong statement, maybe we can even get Judie to speak out on Gun Control!

The Bishops won't do it?

If the Bishops won't do it? In one of his latest blog entries disgraced GOP strategist Deal Hudson highlights a letter from one of his "readers" that suggests that Catholics should create chaos during mass by standing in front of Catholic Politicians who support Abortion rights in line for communion similar to the way Chinese Students stood in front of the tanks in Tiananmen square. Apparently Deal and his readers much like radical suicide bombers will consider themselves "martyrs" for preventing such Politicians from reaching the altar. Apparently Deal and his readers feel that our Bishops have not done enough to censure and keep such politicians out of our communion lines and now they intend to take matters into their own hands. Oh my!

Just what are the guidelines to receive communion? Catholic Teaching tells us that in order to receive communion, a Catholic must be in a state of grace, that is, in friendship with the Lord. Out of respect for the sacramental prescence, one stays away from solid food and drink for one hour before receiving Communion. Water and medicine may be taken. If we are to bar the politicians, who will monitor the breakfast habits of Catholics nationwide?

Catholic Teaching proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. In our society human life is threatened by abortion, euthanasia, cloning, war, use of the death penalty and embryonic stem cell research. Catholic teaching calls on us to work to avoid war. Nations must protect the right to life by finding effective ways to prevent conflicts and resolve them by peaceful mans. Catholics believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or ehances the life and dignity of the human person.

So while it is clear that based on Hudson's narrow agenda that he and others will stand in the way of Speaker Pelosi and those who support the 1973 decision, the question remains who will stand in front of Boehner? Santorum? Brownback? For if we are to believe that all human life is sacred, then those who work for war, greed and materialism, promote the death penalty and block the means for those impoverished to live in dignity, should be blocked in the communion line as well.

Applications for breakfast monitor can be obtained at http://dealwhudson.typepad.com/deal_w_hudson/

The Abortion Question.


Today was the annual march in DC for those opposed to abortion. These valiant pro birth folks who believe that the 1973 Supreme Court Decision Roe V Wade was wrong now seek to overturn it.

This march reminds us that many in the radical "religious" right are intent on turning the tragedy of abortion into a politically-driven culture war. Instead of focusing efforts to combat abortion, those in the "religious" right rely on today’s march and 30 years of failed policy and rhetoric to address the problem.

It has become obvious that the Supreme Court will not overturn Roe V Wade anytime soon. Chief Justice Roberts, a firm believer in judicial precedent has suggested that Roe V Wade is settled law. So abortion is still available on demand in this country and the question must be asked: "What is the rational plan to address the problem?" As Catholics we understand that abortion is never a legitimate moral option.

While those on the right march, there are many Catholics and Americans of all faiths who refuse to stand by and watch the unborn continue to die. There are things we can do to help the unborn right now - like expand health care coverage, education, adoption programs, ease the economic burdens on working families, and address endemic problems of greed, violence, sex, corruption, and materialism in our society. It would seem that our new Congress is willing to take on many of these issues.

Abortion Reduction acts - some already introduced in Congress and some others on the table by members ready and willing to do something about the problem of abortion are up for debate in the House and the Senate.

What do these acts do and what is the need?

To provide for programs that reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion, help women bear healthy children, and support new parents.

There have been numerous actions taken at the federal, state, and local level to reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies and abortions—yet there are still 1.3 million abortions performed in America each year—this is half of ALL unintended pregnancies.

One in five U.S. pregnancies ends in abortion.

Nearly one of every five abortions in America are performed on teenagers—20%.

The root-cause must be addressed as 73% of women sited “cannot afford a baby” as a contributing factor for choosing an abortion.

60% of women who obtain abortions have incomes below 200% of poverty.

In Latin America, where most of the region abortions are illegal, the rate of abortion is far higher than Western Europe or the United States.

In Colombia—where abortion is illegal—the average is more than one abortion per woman and in Peru the average is nearly two abortions per woman over the course of her reproductive years.

The failure to reduce the rates of unplanned pregnancies in America and around the globe is due to diminutive pregnancy prevention education and lack of access to contraception.

The education and practice of prevention will help reduce the level of poverty in America.

This issue is one of human rights, social justice and access to quality medical care.

What is the answer?

The Answer:

The fundamental goal of reducing unplanned pregnancies and abortions must be comprehensive and aggressive.

We need to change the debate on abortion by working to provide women in difficult pregnancies as much support as they will need to carry their children to term and give parents the confidence and resources to carry and raise healthy children.

We need to make it easier for couples to plan the size of their family.

We need to make sure that not just people who have means and have health insurance can plan the size of their family—but expand this option to poor working women and men.

These are realistic steps that must be debated and implemented as public policy if we are ever to address the question of abortion. After the marching and the rhetoric, the abortions continue. What are we going to do that works?