Archbishop's Column in the Clarion Herald

"The Catechism of the Catholic Church makes clear that all Catholics have a personal responsibility to participate in promoting the common good in accordance with their vocation in life. Those holding public office have a special responsibility. The goal of this participation is to help shape a public policy that is in conformity as much as possible with the law rooted in our nature that governs us all, no matter what our religious belief. Thus, they are called to try to ensure that the laws that govern us protect human life, respect the human person, preserve the unique nature of marriage, support family, ensure the safety of children, guarantee religious freedom and make it possible for all citizens to share in the conditions that are necessary for human living." Amen.

Confronting The Campus Radicals

"David Horowitz thinks that anybody who cares about the future of America should confront the fact that U.S. colleges and universities are the fountainhead of financing for the radical movement in America."

Dirty little secret: he's right.

First Amendment Treats for the Rich

Nat Hentoff, one of America's great libertarian thinkers (and legendary jazz critic) highlights hypocrisy in the upholding of McCain-Feingold:

"After the Supreme Court ruled that the McCain-Feingold Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, which purportedly removes corruption from political campaigning, is constitutional, one of the victorious lawyers defending the law before the Supreme Court, Seth Waxman, former solicitor general, told National Public Radio: 'What the Supreme Court said today resoundingly is Congress is not handcuffed by the First Amendment from doing what it takes to restore the confidence of citizens in the operation of the republic.'"

Congress is not handcuffed by the first amendment, or the liberties guaranteed to the people when it comes to making law that makes those same people feel good about their government. What part of the constitution gets whacked next in the name of a real-good-feel-good America?

Artist strips to test religious tolerance

It's not the church I'd be worried about...it's the police.

Vatican Disciplines Two Priests

Keep it up.

The greatest story ever sold

Michael Rose details the problems with The DaVinci Code.

Jan. 14: D-day for change in BR

Make that Feb.11 and expect no big changes.

Kick the Saints habit:

Mukul Verma makes a good point and eloquently expresses the frustrations of Saints fans everywhere.

"Couldn't you not feel the joy- the goodwill- during LSU's glorious Saturday wins? Didn't the Tigers give a measurable glimmer of hope to a city that has dropped to the back of its division? Didn't the rest of the nation take a second look at Baton Rouge and think maybe it's not just swamp and corruption?

"But the earth turned and Sunday arrived. And out of the chute ran your New Orleans Saints, high-fiving and low-fiving as the has-been Guns n' Roses shrieked 'Welcome to the Jungle' over Superdome speakers. Three hours later, the Saints found another novel way to lose a game or to miss the playoffs, including flubbing an extra point kick after a spectacular final-second play that inched them to within one point of overtime.

"For the record books, no other NFL team in history had managed to come within a point on the last play and then missed the extra point."

We - as on the taxpayers and Saints fans in general - have the misfortune of being saddled with an owner who is too cheap, the opposite of a Daniel Snyder. I'd like to see new ownership before completely giving up.

Franken 2

How far up Franken's ass is Newsweek:

"Franken, a Harvard-educated satirist and best-selling author"...

What? Al Franken is Stuart Smalley and one of the original SNL types who never made it and had to go back to get work. Satirist? Please...Franken and Tom Davis churned out the most broad comedy of all the SNL writers, and the movie One More Saturday Night. This is from a fan site (there's an Al Franken fan site? Unreal!):

"Franken did, however, make an appearance as a baffoonish baggage handler in the successful Trading Places, with Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd.

To be sure some of Franken's work is brilliant, but this latest nonsense is just snotty as opposed to amusing. Newsweek earns a spot in the royal order of brownnosers.

'The O'Franken Factor'

Liberal news outlet profiles liberal talk show. Franken is such a hypocrite: "One of our goals is to do a drug-free radio show."

As opposed to the non-drug-free mid-1970's comedy variety show you were a part of. SNL was not exactly the embodiment of sobriety.

Atkins World

For years I have taken offense at the chorus of "Atkins Doesn't Work" or "Atkins is Dangerous" for two simple reasons:

--I am over 50 pounds lighter than I was at the beginning of 2001 because of a low carb regimen (that I admit I have not been vigilant at during holiday times and especially stressful periods)

--I cannot find a more destructive everyday medical situation than a person allowing themselves to be overweight. It destroys your heart, stresses out your joints, it even makes skin care more difficult.

Anyhoo, I will not tolerate dissent in this forum, even fake dissent with me playing devil's advocate. This forum is about being right! It's not about the exchange of ideas (which is code for hooting down people who know what's right.) Atkins works and it has given millions a new life. It's an overnight success thirty years in the making: after sampling SugarBusters, The Zone and other low-carb plans, millions traced those diets back to their primary source - Dr. Richard Atkins' Diet Revolution from 1971 - and have found happiness away from processed flour and sugar.

As it stands today, there are more low carb food options than ever before. Even Piccadilly Cafeteria has gotten into the act, and I have long utilized the P-C as a ready source for protein-packed foods. Bravo to Fortune magazine for calling attention to the burgeoning lo-carb food industry.

People Who Mislead People

They're the squirreliest people in he world. They dodged and danced around the question of abortion.

"Dean's 'proud association' with Planned Parenthood is rapidly becoming an embarrassing one. It may be occurring to this recipient of the Planned Parenthood's Margaret Sanger award that the country isn't liberal enough to elect as president someone so intimately connected to the nation's largest abortion provider."

Read the article and decide for yourself.

Harris Will Not Run For U.S. Senate -- Yet

What a bad, bad, bad way to handle this kind of announcement. Instead of putting rumours aside and graciously stepping aside to let another Republican run, Katherine Harris admitted that she's an ambitious golddigger who "will not be ignored" like Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction. If anyone on her campaign team is encouraging her to engage in these Helen Reddy/empowered woman histrionics, they should be removed.

I want to like Katherine Harris but she refuses to be humble, continues to seek the limelight, and is behaving more like Bill Clinton than George W. Bush in that regard.

Federal Excise Tax MADNESS

Just in case the Korean War Tax was bad enough, we still pay the Spanish-American War Tax from 1898!

Pass the Internet Tax Moratorium

Did you know that the Federal Excize Tax on Tires was implemented to pay for the Korean War...and its still on the books fifty three years later!?

Now some want to tax internet access. Tell them "no!"

Britney's groom paid £ 300000

This UK article reveals two new wrinkles in the Britney marriage saga: Mamma Lynne hit the ceiling and the groom made some e-z money.

Dig this quote:

"Asked if she still had feelings for her groom, she said: 'I don't know. That's a personal question. But I do have a video coming out and it's very cool.' "

Ms. (no longer Miss) Spears's mental state appears to be what the army calls SNAFU. The situation is normal alright- all fouled up as usual.

Official: Israel to Kill Hamas Founder

Talk about NOT mincing words!

Harris sits out?

The Orlando Sentinel reported Thursday night that Katherine Harris will likely not seek a Senate seat. If true, it's a wise decision. She was just elected to the House and remains a lightning rod for the Democrats' vitriol. Besides, voters don't favor over-ambitious politicians and there are already six Republicans in the race. You've come a long way baby...don't blow it by wanting too much too soon.

Reassuring

The parish I grew up in, and still live within five minutes of, is Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church The parish is building a new sanctuary. Thankfully, it is not a modern looking church as you can see for yourself. Thumbs up to Skipper Post and his team for a great design.

Catholic seminary to screen for HIV

I must admit I let out a hearty guffaw when I read this. I like the idea of this. It's a trap: those who have it are exposed, those who loudly protest are given crossways looks. Dig this:

"a positive test result will sound an alarm bell, said the seminary's rector, Rev. Marcel Demers.

"Should an applicant be found to be HIV-positive, he'll be asked how he contracted the virus. If it were through a gay relationship, "we will try to see what really is the person's calling," Demers said.

"'It's not that Jesus wanted homophobia,' Demers said in an interview this week. 'But we also realize that this profile doesn't lend itself as well to what we require of a priest.'"

This is just great. Canada has its bout with liberalism about ten years ago, and the church won. What you're seeing in the church in the United States now - Cardinal Law flees to Rome, Bishop denying communion to pro-life politicians, other Bushops kicking and screaming over accountability - is the equivalent. If Canada is any indication, AmChurch is crumbling.

Archdiocese withdraws request to destroy church

It's not enough to remodel churches to look like synagogues. Some Bishops have to tear them down!

Famous priest critically hurt in accident

Your prayers are humbly requested for this pious man.

How much time did Bill need?

(Wesley Clark says Bush has blood on his hands, but Bill and Hillary didn't have enough time. I received this in an email today and while I am not attesting to teh sender's autheticity, the facts speak for themselves. --dg)

After the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, which killed six and injured 1000; President Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished.

BUSH COVERED IT!

After the 1995 bombing in Saudi Arabia, which killed five U.S. military personnel; Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished.

BUSH COVERED IT!

After the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, which killed 19 and injured 200 U.S. military personnel, Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished.

BUSH COVERED IT!

After the 1998 bombing of U.S. embassies in Africa, which killed 224 and injured 5,000; Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished.

BUSH COVERED IT!

After the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, which killed 17 and injured 39 U.S. sailors; Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished.

BUSH COVERED IT!

Maybe if Clinton had kept his promise, an estimated 3,000 people in New York and Washington, D.C., that are now dead would be alive today. BUSH TOLD THOSE FIREMAN THAT THEY WOULD HEAR
US TOO!


And, now that Bush is taking action to bring these people to justice,

And we have his opponents charging him with being a war monger...

AN INTERESTING QUESTION: This question was raised on a Philly radio call-in show Without casting stones, it is a legitimate question. There are two men, both extremely wealthy. One develops relatively cheap software and gives billions of dollars to charity. The other sponsors terrorism. That being the case, why was it that the Clinton administration spent more money chasing down Bill Gates over the past eight years than Osama bin Laden?

THINK ABOUT IT!
It is a strange turn of events. Hillary gets $8 Million for her memoir. Bill gets about $12 Million for his memoir yet to be written. This from two people who spent the 8 years being unable to recall anything about past events while under oath!


Sincerely,
Cmdr Hamilton McWhorter USN(ret)

Residents offer help to council

Way to go Mike...when others won't, Walker will!

Cracking Down on Bad Catholic Politicians

The premise of the article is very simple. Drastic, but simple: politicians who continue to vote fo abortion rights should be excommunicated!

I LOVE IT!