Perpetual Thursday (PT) is a log of Patrick J. Simmons' thoughts, ideas, opinions, commentary, doings, and so so forth. In short, rambling, ranting, nonsense, and bunk.
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From the BBC:
Labels: Religion
Full Post: How about "The Orange Oaf?"Labels: Religion
Full Post: "In and out in 45 minutes."
,
Go get a bucket. Hell, get a bleeding dump truck. You'll need it.
Recently a website called MassResistance posted two clips (totaling almost 16 minutes) from a video produced by Women's Educational Media called It's Elementary. The clips can be found at:
http://www.massresistance.org/media/video/brainwashing.html
I would heavily recommend watching both of them. I realize that it may take a good while to download, but you should still watch both clips, all the way though. There are also four small clips (one of them, titled "Stomach," is included one of the two bigger clips) that can be viewed on the video's official website:
http://www.womedia.org/itselementary.htm, I'd take a moment to see them as well.
According to Women's Educational Media, It's Elementary is a "documentary for educators that shows how acknowledging gay and lesbian people in schools prevents prejudice and violence." More correctly, it's a documentary that shows a) how to brainwash children, and b) how easily children become pawns.
Children are easily swayed by what they are told, and, when subjected to biased information (in the case of It's Elementary, homosexual propaganda) how they are quick to accept, and furthermore defend, what they are told.
Generally speaking, kids cannot be expected to know more than they are told. They take the information given to them and accept it. You can't expect a child to research an issue.
You can tell a child that the moon is made of cheese, and they are likely to belie it. Certainly, they will later come to realize that this is not true, but at first, having no reason to belie otherwise, they will take what is told to them at face value. It must be true, because it is what they are told.
As children grow up, they continue to absorb more information, they begin to research for themselves, they begin to learn more and more. However, what they are told when they are children remains, and continues to influence their line of thought.
If, as they grow, they are continually subjected to more and more biased information on an issue, then they will only become more firmly rooted in their faith in it. Like unto clay, children as molded with ease, but as they clay hardens, it becomes harder to change it's form.
To shape a future, you shape children. To save a future, you must shape children to uphold good, steadfast morals.
Parents, grandparents, older brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, godparents, priests, teachers: you hold the clay, how will you form it?
(Thanks to The Evil Traditionalist for the link.)
Full Post: Get em' while they're young! ,
"Archbishop Bagnasco... ...issued a strongly-worded condemnation of the proposal to give legal rights to unmarried couples, including homosexual couples, comparing such measures to also giving rights to other sexually radical behaviours such as incest and pedophilia. 'Why not say no to various forms of living together, to the creating of alternative forms of the family?,' asked the Archbishop. 'Why not say no to the incest of a brother and a sister who live together and have children in Great Britain? Why not say no to the party of pederasts in Holland?'"
Read the full article at LifeSiteNews.com.
Since making this statement (as mentioned in the article), Archbishop Bagnasco, head of the Italian Bishops Conference, has been the target of plenty of abuse: threatening graffiti was spray-painted on his cathedral, as well as other buildings; he received a picture of himself in the mail accompanied by a bullet; pornographic images of the Blessed Virgin Mary were left in pamphlets in his cathedral at the end of the Easter Vigil Mass.
But his Eminence is not alone - the Pope telephoned the Archbishop to urge him not to give in, and the Vatican Secretary of State sent a telegram signed in the name of the Pope urging him to "continue in his work for the common good, defending and promoting those human and religious values..."
In addition to this, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano wrote to the Vatican Secretary of State saying, "I wish to assure you that Italy will not leave Archbishop Bagnasco alone to face the present threats."
Let's hope not.
Better watch out, though, if President Napolitano gets too supportive, he could end up a "Homophobe," like a certain other President.
Let's hope so.
Somebody's got to make a stand, and it shure are hell ain't gonna be Spain, or Denmark, or Canada, or Belgium, or South Africa, or the US, or any number of other places.
Labels: Religion
Full Post: Rock On, Your Eminence!As I sit here before my keyboard, ready to post about the dismal news articles that continue to make the headlines in our screwed up world, I suddenly realize that I am in rather good mood about things.
Dad's just come home from Connecticut, I've has a pretty darn good day at work, I've got a nice glass of tea next to me, I'm expecting a phone call this evening, and I've got some great Southern Rock playing in the background (Marshall Tucker, Molly Hatchet, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the Allman Brothers).
To be honest, I'm sure I'll manage to become a dismal, depressed lump again soon, but until then, I'm good.
So now for the question of the day: how in Hell does Mahoney (or for that matter, many other people, such as "Father" Fred Bailey) continue to get away with the stuff he's pulling? Commenting on his latest bash myself is almost redundant, as you can find coverage of the the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress (also known as MahoneyFest and BaloneyFest) all over:
What "Religious Educators" REALLY Learn in L.A. - Catholic Cavemen
BaloneyFest 2007 - V! For Victory
More on Mahoney's RE Congress - The Cafeteria is Closed
Comming to L.A. Tomorow... - Christus Vincit
Another Festival of Dissent - RomanCatholicBlog.com
LifeSiteNews.com Coverage
(Thanks to Christus Vincit's post for three of the other links.)
So back to my question: why hasn't Mahoney been removed from his position. Heck, why hasn't he been excommunicated?
Great state of things we're in.
To end this post on a happier note, and a much sillier note, here is a little video on YouTube featuring one of my favorite musicians, Moby, in his REALLY early days - via Moby's journal, Schaumgummi.
Labels: Religion
Full Post: Southern Rock & Simple Things
Anthony,
H.B.,
It has been quite a while since my last post, a month to the day, and I'm both sorry and annoyed by that. I've been meaning to blog, I just haven't. I've jumped from being uninspired, to being inspired but without the time, to being too busy, to being too lazy, and so on. Anyway, here I am blogging again, and happy about it.
The weather around here has been completely off-the-wall lately. First it was a warm winter, then all of the sudden it froze for a bit, replete with deep snow and freezing rain, and now its warm again. Less than a week ago there was ice frozen to the trees, and yesterday I want to work (outside) in a sweatshirt and snowpants and was comfortably warm until about an hour after sunset, and even then a jacket over my sweatshirt sufficed. Emily has some great pictures of the freezing rain's effect on the area at the Hazel Page, so go check them out.
Tom Crusie and Katie Holmes' wedding is old news, but recently I came across an article about it that shocked me:
"Everyone expected Andrea Bocelli to serenade pal Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes on their wedding. However when he didn't, it left a lot of people wondering why. Now, the Opera superstar has revealed that Scientology was the reason why he skipped the couple's nuptials...
...'I was not present at the (Scientology) ceremony because I'm Catholic. I didn't think it was respectful for my religion to be there,' Contactmusic quoted Bocelli, as telling the US edition of OK! magazine."
Read the full article at DailyIndia.com.
Good for you Mr. Bocelli. There's something most Catholics can learn from you, other than just Opera.
I mean, really, how many Catholics today would skip a friend's wedding if the friend in question was not Catholic? Be completely honest: not many.
To wrap up this post, I'd like to link to a very short (two paragraph) post at Fidelity to the Word, entitled Human-hide wallets and cannibalized embryos. It's a bit morbid, but the point comes across clear, correct, and hard-hitting.
I'll be posting more regularly again, so expect another post sometime between now and Monday. I've a lot more to catch up on.
Labels: Religion
Full Post: Bloggers' BlockFirst off, happy new year!
Now for the juicy bits...
I've mentioned once or twice before that the removal of Saddam Hussein in Iraq was NOT really a 'good thing.' Not because Saddam was a great guy - he wasn't at all - but because he was better than many other options, such as the state we've managed to get Iraq in now. Saddam allowed Christians to practice their faith in Iraq, something not all Middle Eastern leaders allow them to do.
From the California Catholic Daily:
"Kamal Alsawaf, 52, a native of Mosul, Iraq, has lived in El Cajon since 1979. Although he is no fan of Saddam Hussein, Alsawaf says that Christians had a much easier life under Saddam’s regime and that of his predecessor, Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr. 'Under the Ba’th party, we weren’t truly free, because like the rest of the country, we knew we were being watched, but Christians had the freedom to practice their religion,' said Alsawaf. 'We’d mind our own business and nobody bothered us.'...
...Hussein’s fall ended any tolerance for Christians. Barka says that first they would be told that they had to shut down their businesses. 'Now their houses are threatened and told they have to move. You will find a letter at your door that says, "Leave your house and move from this area."'"
Now for some light hearted enjoyment - a book review: I've just finished reading Just One More Thing by Peter Falk. If you don't know who Peter Falk is, then you probably haven't seen Columbo. If you haven't seen Columbo (even if you do know who Peter Falk is), then you are deprived, because it is the best detective television show ever. Just One More Thing is a fantastic read, and is written in an unusual style - chapters are short, normally between one and four pages, and are composed of short little stories from Peter Falk's life, generally in no particular order. This makes for great before-bed reading, when you're too tired to read more than a few pages anyway. Its also perfect to read on 15-minute breaks at work. The stories themselves are side-splittingly funny, and I couldn't help buy laugh out loud at quite a few of them. Peter Falk's life is a blast to read about, not only in its humor, but in the immensely bizarre situations he has gotten in (how many times have you built railroads in Yugoslavia?). Peter Falk's style of writing perfectly fits the stories he tells (which can be expected, really, since they are his stories), and wraps it up as an amazing book. Definitely worth picking up, even if you don't know who Peter Falk is.
Full Post: Christian's & Saddam HusseinFrom the BBC News:
"Iran is hosting a two-day conference which is likely to question whether the Holocaust actually happened.
Organisers say the event will offer a chance to discuss "questions" about the Holocaust without restrictive taboos.
The conference has been condemned by Germany - where denying the Holocaust is illegal - and by Israel and the US.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who backs the conference, has publicly questioned the scale of the Holocaust, in which six million Jews were killed.
Mr Ahmadinejad has repeatedly downplayed the extent of the Holocaust, describing it as a myth used to justify the existence of Israel and oppression of the Palestinians. "
Let me start by saying that I do not deny the Holocaust. Yes - it happened. Yes - it was horrible. So about this conference: frankly, it is total garbage, pointless nonsense, and a waste of time. But it Iran wants to have it, that is fine with me. I could care less.
That's just it: why does anyone care? Note that it says in Germany denying the Holocaust is illegal. In Austria they sent historian David Irving to jail for three years for denying it. Three years in jail for saying something didn't happen. That's completely moronic!
Some people need to learn to let it pass by. So what if people deny it? Let em', it doesn't change anything. It happened, so their denying it should mean nothing, correct?
Of course, we can't have that. This very post is probably anti-Semitic and I should go straight to jail for writing it.
Looking at it from another perspective, it isn't fair either. If you deny the Holocaust, you go to jail, you get shunned, you are labled anti-Semitic and evil. You cannot say anything to hurt the Jews.
But what about Catholics? If one denies that Christ existed, one does not go to jail. More likely, one gets a TV special. If one claims that Catholics were not persecuted in Rome, or during the French Revolution, nothing happens. More likely, one gets a book deal.
The blame for this situation is spread far and wide. But Catholics cannot not refuse to take our share. In today's world, a Catholic is probably more likely to defend the Holocaust then to preserve their own faith. Now what matters is appeasing other religions, instead of preserving one's own.
Iran holds a Holocaust conference, and countries condemn it.
If someone holds a Roman Persecution conference, would they condemn it?
More importantly: would any Catholics be present, to defend the truth?
Would you?
Full Post: "Holocaust Conference"? Quezon,
I listen to quite a bit of ambient techno-style music - in particular stuff by Moby. Moby did a song called "That's when I reach for my revolver," and I find that the title relates rather nicely the point I want to make. There is a point at which one needs to reach for one's revolver, and this is a prime example:
"18-year old Sycloria Williams, told police that she had arrived at the facility July 20 for the second half of a late-term abortion. She says she gave birth to a living baby girl while sitting in a recliner in the facility’s recovery room. Ms. Williams told police that she had watched her daughter moving and gasping for air for approximately five minutes...
...the staff 'began screaming that the baby was alive.' Then, 'Ms. Belkis Gonzalez cut the umbilical cord, threw it into a red bag with black printing. Ms. Gonzalez then swept the baby, with her hands, into the same red bag along with the gauze used during the procedure.'
Eight days later, police found the body of the child... ... (it) had been treated with a caustic chemical and left in the heat of the Florida sun to accelerate decomposition in a possible attempt to dispose of the evidence."
Read the full article at LifeSiteNews.com...
The police have a search warrant and are conducting an investigation and the co-owners of the facility, Belkis Gonzalez and Siomara Senise may be charged with second-degree murder.
Frankly, I hope they both get 'a quick drop and a short stop.'
Some people don't believe that abortion is violent, that 'clinics' are slaughterhouses, that abortion KILLS PEOPLE. Then something like this comes a long, and maybe one or two people will come around - but maybe they won't.
People like Bilkis Gonzalez and Siomara Senise, people who will willingly kill innocent babies, shouldn't be allowed to walk the street. Lets stop and think - the baby is in her mother, one minute later it comes out. In that minute we are expected to believe that something happens that makes it ok to kill the baby before it comes out, but not after? That's a load of it.
She's a baby in her mother, she's a baby when she comes out, and vice-versa. Either you say killing the baby is wrong, which it is, or you say that killing it is ok not only inside its mother, but once its out too. Sure, its sounds sick, but that's logical, right?
And while we're at it, why should it matter when she grows up? She's still a human, just a bigger one, right? So it should be legal to kill her off whenever we feel like it, right?
There is no 'in-between,' its either murder, or its not.
And It is.
People like Bilkis Gonzalez and Siomare Senise don't need an investigation, or a trial, or anything of the sort. They've been helping along the killing of innocent babies, people, and they will continue to do so. They need to be taken out back and shot.
That's when I reach for my revolver.
Labels: Religion
Full Post: "The baby is alive! NO!" ,
Grant,
From Arabic news site Aljazeera.net (English version):
"The relatives of a Christian priest who was kidnapped and beheaded in Iraq have said that his Muslim captors had demanded his church condemn the pope's recent comments about Islam and pay a US$350,000 ransom...
...Iskender's relatives, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said the unidentified group that seized Iskender on Sunday had demanded a ransom and that his church condemn a statement made by Pope Benedict XVI last month."
So it goes. What really get me, though, are the thousands of comments on news sites, blogs, message boards, and so on, saying that Islam 'isn't really violent,' and that's its only 'those extremist factions.'
It certainly seems violent to me: a priest beheaded, a nun shot, churches burned, and no real sign of it stopping. If this keeps up, we'll be calling for a new Crusade. Frankly, we about need it now.
In a lighter bit of news, here's a band that deserves notice, even if you don't care for their musical style: ClipBandits. Currently consisting of 3 members, ClipBandits play exclusively on the popular video sharing site YouTube. Its members have never met in person, live in three separate cities, and don't even know each others real names - only their YouTube IDs. So how do they play? Well, two of them, J-Pe$0 and Bass Player Girl, record their parts and upload them to YouTube, then the third member, ClipBandit (or just Clip), plays their clips on two screens while he plays with the clips, and records the whole thing, creating the final product. They aren't quite my style, but their sound isn't bad, and their technique is definitely cool. They're worth checking out if you've got the time. (Thanks to MethodShop.com.)
That's all I've got for now - I'll be posting my Monthly BON this week-ish if I get the change, so watch for it. Until then, may all your Thursdays be Perpetual.
Labels: Religion
Full Post: Still think it's peaceful? Grant,
(For those of you who don't know: by Moors, I mean Muslims.) Once upon a time, not very long ago at all, the current Pope made some completely true but rather un-PC comments about Muslims. (Check out my rather un-aptly named post Drugs, Alcohol, and Shopping for more info.) Among these comments was a reference to Mohammed's command to "spread by the sword" the Islamic faith.
The Muslims went nuts. The burned churched, threatened the Pope and all Catholics (and Christians), and killed a nun. That's right, Muslim activists SHOT and KILLED a nun in cold blood.
Its worth noting that (sadly) the Pope came out and apologized for his comments, saying there were not "his opinions" and could be easily "misinterpreted." Its too bad he apologized, really, because a) everything he said was true, and b) his apology hasn't been well excepted. The violence, protests, and mayhem continue.
Of course, not everyone is ready to administer blame where blame is due, with comments such as " (Islam) IS a peace loving religion. And Muslims doesn't equal to Middle East. They do not represent the billions of Muslims at other parts of the world," (comment from the Daily Mail) showing up all over. However, comments like these seem to be on shaky ground right now, as Muslim leaders don't seem to have come out against the violence. As a matter of fact, many of them seem to be its biggest supporters. For example, Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, a leader of Mutahida Majlis-e-Amal (a coalition of six Islamic parties), came out with this delightful comment: "If I get hold of the pope, I will hang him."
Now, I don't know about you, but to me, that sounds a hell of a lot like "spread by the sword" (ok, more like 'spread by the rope,' but you get it). Makes you wonder is Islam is really as 'peace-loving' as they claim to be. Somehow, I think not.
Another interesting note, pertaining to the same subject, is this ad, which appeared in the Washington Times, according to Spero News:
That's only the top part of the ad, which was paid for by the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights and Jews Against Anti-Christian Defamation. The full ad is fairly large and, among other things, lists several quotes from Muslim leaders and groups, calling for the Pope's death. Its rather well done.
As a last note, I don't want to miss out on Rosie O'Donnell's little quote on ABC's "The View" last week: “Just a minute. Radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam in a country like America where we have separation of church and state.” You can read a little more about this in FrontPage Magazine, but before you do, let me say that I don't agree with the entire article, as its very pro-war in Iraq (actually, I don't agree with a lot of FrontPage's stuff, for the same reason).
P.S. I Almost forgot! MLQ3, if you're reading this, let me explain about Quezon... First off, I'd like to clarify something that made by entire family laugh upon hearing it: Quezon isn't my son. He's my younger brother. (I suppose I haven't been very clear on the point, so I'm making sure that's straight now. At the moment I don't have any children, nor am I even married.)
Now on to the name... Unfortunately, the story isn't as interesting as it could be. Actually, his name isn't really Quezon. His full name (including conformation name) is: Christopher Joseph Francis Xavier Simmons. (Wordy, huh?) The reason Everyone calls him Quezon is a rather short, unexciting story, centering around cooking and television. Chris is a HUGE fan of the Japanese cooking show (shown dubbed in English on Food Network), the Iron Chef. The show, in essence, is a cooking competition between master chefs using special ingredients. During the cooking "battles," which last for one hour, commentators talk about the dishes, the ingredients, and the chefs. The head commentators name sounds very much like Quezon. So, because Chris watched the show so often, one day we started calling him Quezon, as a joke. And so the name stuck.
Not as interesting as it could be, but that's the true story. Hope I haven't disappointed you too much.
Labels: Religion
Full Post: More on the Moors Grant,
,
I've got plenty to rant about today, but fear not: I've got a bit of fun to offset my news! Let's kick it all off the the news that's everywhere. No, really, it seems every news source has at least some note on this one: the Pope's comments! Now there is quite a lot of blabber floating out there for those of you who really want to read it up, but for those of you who haven't already heard the story, and don't want to look it up, I'll give a quick summary: the Pope gave a delightful speech at the University of Regensburg, Germany, during which he quoted a dialogue between Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Paleologus and 'an educated Persian' on the subject of Christianity and Islam. His quotes from the emperor included: "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."
There were other anti-Muslim (esp. anti-jihad, or 'holy war') quotes as well, and none said without reason. The Pope's speech was a good one, (you can read the whole thing at Zenit.org) and was worst a read. Sadly, I'm not posting this because the Pope made good speech (lots of people make good speeches), I'm posting it because his speech has caused some problems. These problems take the form of massive throngs of Muslims calling for an apology. By, apology, of course, I mean that they wanted Pope Benedict's head on a platter, on fire, and with a spear shoved trough it. After the speech crowds of Muslims began gathering bearing signs with happy saying such as "Butcher Those Who Mock Islam." (Link is to kreuz.net, a German Catholic site, translated to English with Google.com.)
Of chouse, the Vatican backtracked almost instantly. (Link is to a CNN press statement from the Vatican.) That, in my opinion, is the sad part of this story. Why backtrack? What the Pope said was completely true. I'm not surprised at all, but I am disappointed by all this 'We're so sorry' nonsence. Sorry for what? For saying that Mohammed's teachings were "evil and inhuman?" (Heck, the pope didn't even say it first himself, he quoted it!) So what? Its TRUE, isn't it? This is where the Church seems to be at today, though. No more brave Crusades, only meek ecumenism.' Any outspoken truths are instantly apologized for. "We're so sorry someone stated what Catholics should (and once did) belive, we won't do it again. We love everybody, really, we do!"
I have a (possibly-vain) half-hope still in me that the Pope will retract the Vatican-issued apology, but I doubt it will happen, which is sad. We need someone to speak the truth - and we don't need anyone to apologize for it.
(As an off-to-the-side note, the Vatican apology didn't seem to 'cover it' for all the Moors. While some were appeased, other weren't, with situations such as arson attacks on five Churches in West Jordan and the Gaza Strip. You can read more about that on kreuz.net)
Ok, now for a fun thing to break it up: Ben Hur Live! Its true: Frenchman Robert Hossein is putting on the show "with a cast of hundreds recreating a battle at sea, a gladiatorial combat in ancient Rome and a live chariot race in the 17,940 square yard (15,000 square meter) arena." (CNN.com) The live version will take place in a football stadium in Paris, France, though plans are underway to take it abroad. I personally, hope it works out - I'd go see it in a heartbeat! Its an amazing undertaking, as though of you who have seen the film or read the novel will know - esp. the chariot race, which will be a 14-minute long part of the stage show, complete with Messala falling from his chariot and being drug through the dirt. Oh, and yes, they are using real horses.
Now for more news - the news this posts title is referring to: Sunday Shopping. Now, in today's godless culture, most people don't see any problem with heading to the mall on a Sunday afternoon. As a matter of fact, its a pretty normal occurrence. Really, how bad could a little shopping on Sunday be?
Bad, say Jonathan Gruber (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Daniel M. Hungerman (University of Notre Dame) in their report titled: The Church vs. the Mall: What Happens When Religion Faces Increased Secular Competition? (From the University of Notre Dame website, the final official document, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, can be purchased at their website for 5$.)
So, what does happen? Well, in places where laws against Sunday shopping had existed, but were eliminated, church attendance went down to 32%, from about 37% when laws were in place. In addition, Marijuana use increased by 11% among church goers, cocaine use by almost 4%, an alcohol consumption by around 5.5% - and the more faithful people were beforehand, the more likely they were to fall.
Wow. Makes you think, doesn't it. Maybe going to Church, on Sunday, is important... Maybe next time you think: "Well, the sale ends today, so I'll head to the mall after Church." You'll remember that it may quickly turn into: "Well, the sale is only on Sunday, so I'll go to Church on Saturday instead of Sunday to get the deals," and sooner then you think into "I'll skip Church, I've got to shop/watch football/sleep in/ect..."
For those of you wish it, you can read coverage of the report at LifeSiteNews.com and washingtonpost.com.
And to rap it up, one more fun thing! (Yay.) I'm like computer games. I do. I know, I'm bad, but there it is. Now normally I enjoy two general types of games: Games that require thought or strategy (like war situation, such as Age of Empires, and puzzle games, such as Myst) and games I can play online against real people (such as WarRock). True, I occasionally enjoy a stupid blow-something-up game to relive stress, but I'm speaking generally. Every once in a while, though, I find a short little skill game that really catches me. Recently, I found Gentleman. I have many reasons to love this game, among theme: great graphics, original idea, smooth gameplay, nice music and sound, and the ability to use German or English (menus and such, the actual game requires no reading). Plus, its free and make with one of my favorite game creation tools, GameMaker.
In Gentleman, you are a gentleman (la duh, to quote Lissa). Your job? Help old ladies across the street. The problem? They walk slowly and if a raindrop hits them they get knocked out. True, most real old ladies aren't so... fragile. But these are. This game has some great quirks, such as ladies with dogs and bags and suitcases, plus multiple sizes of umbrella for you to earn. Its a wonderful quick break for those times when you've been performing some repetitive or lengthy task on the computer... Such as writing this long post. So on that note, I go to play. Until next time, may all your Thursdays be Perpetual.
Full Post: Drugs, Alcohol, and Shopping Grant,
Grant,
,
H.B.,
,
(Hey notice the post titles? I made them blue! Nifty, huh?)
"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A "morning-after" contraceptive can be sold to adults in the United States without a prescription, health officials ruled on Thursday, ending a three-year fight over wider access and use by teenagers.
The Food and Drug Administration said Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc.'s Plan B pills must stay behind pharmacy counters to prevent girls under 18 from getting the drug without a doctor's order."
...and there you have it. The FDA has caved. The good news, if you could call it that, is that the pill must still be kept behind counters so girls under 18 cannot get the pill without a doctors order.
Obviously, pro-abortion groups and Barr Pharmaceuticals Inc. (the company that makes Plan B) are not happy about that, and want more.
"Women's groups said wider access could reduce unwanted pregnancies and abortions....
...'There's no scientific or medical reason' for the age limit, said Amy Allina, program director for the National Women's Health Network.
Barr plans studies to back non-prescription use by a broader age group, said company spokeswoman Carol Cox."
However, pro-life groups such as the Christian Medical Association disagree with Allina and Barr, as reported by Lifesitenews.com:
"Both the Christian Medical Association, an association of 17,000 doctors, and Concerned Women for America (CWA) have criticized the FDA’s absurd rationale in distributing Plan B without medical supervision, which requires medical oversight for lower doses of progestin (the hormone in birth control pills) in order to protect women from serious health complications such as blood clots and stroke."
Another interesting bit of the Lifesitenews.com article states:
"CWA president Wendy Wright also criticized the FDA’s rules which make keeping Plan-B out of the hands of minors seem just as effective as preventing minors from receiving cigarettes.
'Any adult male who is having sex with a minor could walk into a pharmacy, buy the drug, and coax the girl into taking the pill,' said Concerned Women for America’s Wendy Wright. 'Parents have the right to know their daughter’s medical needs and to support them in the process. The FDA’s irresponsible action today takes those rights out of a parent’s hands and gives them to ill-intentioned perpetrators.'"
Now for the kicker, in the form of a previous little bit of news from Lifesitenews.com:
"At a White House press conference this morning, the President was asked by Bill Sammon a reporter from the Washington Examiner about Plan B and his new FDA commissioner (Andrew von Eschenbach) who supports its over the counter status. "Mr. President, some pro-life groups are worried that your choice of FDA Commissioner will approve over the counter sales of Plan B, a pill that, they say, essentially can cause early-term abortions," said the reporter. "Do you stand by this choice, and how do you feel about Plan B in general?"
The President replied, "I believe that Plan B ought to be -- ought to require a prescription for minors, is what I believe. And I support Andy's decision."
Gotta love that! Makes you wonder, really, if Kerry would have been worse? After all, these are the kind of things we would expect from him, and we're apparently getting them anyway. (Plus, things haven't exactly gone uphill in Iraq, but back on topic...)
Here another fun part - Bush, in his usual mode, tried to get off the subject ASAP: right after saying he supported "Andy's" decision he said: "Thanks for letting me come by the new digs here. They may be a little too fancy for you."
Ahhh, change the subject. Smooth, Bushy-boy, smooth. If you're really interested, you can read the entire press conference at the WhiteHouse.gov website.
And here's the really sad thing: some pro-lifers will continue to think Bush is a wonderful president. And nothing, nothing is going to change their minds.
(Boy, that was dismal.)
Full Post: Guess it's time for Plan B... Emily,
Emily,
Grant,
Grant,
,
H.B.,
,
H.B.,
Grant,
H.B.,
Take a good long look at this advertisement. I couldn't come across a full-size version, but according to both the totalcatholic.com (from The Universe Catholic Newspaper) and BBC articles some of that tiny print reads: "In the last 12 months, the GPA (Gay Police Association) has recorded a 74 per cent increase in homophobic incidents, where the sole or primary motivating factor was the religious belief of the perpetrator." Even without the quote, you can easily see the the advert is anti-Christian. But the ad may not just slide by: Scotland Yard has opened an investigation of the ad as it may constitute a faith crime. The inquiry was promped by a complaint by "a member of the public." According to the BBC, the GPA has members in all 52 UK police forces. The BBC also mentions that a GPA spokesman refused to comment on the matter until the investigation has been completed.Labels: Religion
Full Post: 'Bible & Blood' Advert ,
Labels: Religion
Full Post: Jesuit Monumet to Puke ,
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Regina Doman, author of Black as Night and The Shadow of the Bear (two very good books), recently posted some horrible news in her online notepad. A good friend of mine (Emily) brought it to my attention, and I would like to note it here.Labels: Religion
Full Post: Prayers for the Doman Family ,
Labels: Religion
Full Post: A Mortal Sin: A Short Play ,
The Catholic Secular Forum said it hoped thousand of people would attend a protest Wednesday in Mumbai to burn effigies of Dan Brown, the author of the best-selling novel.
"It's to show the extent that our feelings have been hurt," said the group's general secretary Joseph Dias, speaking of the "fast unto death" call if the government fails to take action.
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Read the full article. Now I'll be completely honest here. That's may not be the dumbest thing I've ever heard, but it fits up in the top 100. No offence intented.
Next I'd like to applaud Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City-St. Joseph, Mo. From an article in the National Catholic Reporter, entitled Extreme Makeover: the Diocese:
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Perhaps nowhere in America has the transition from a church focused on social engagement and lay empowerment to one more concerned with Catholic identity and evangelization been more dramatic, or in some ways more wrenching, than in the Kansas City-St. Joseph, Mo., diocese since the appointment of Bishop Robert Finn.
Finn has brought the diocese, for decades a model of the former category of church practice, to a screeching halt and sent it veering off in a new direction, leaving nationally heralded education programs and high-profile lay leaders and women religious with long experience abandoned and dismayed...
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Finn, 53, a priest of the St. Louis archdiocese and a member of the conservative Opus Dei movement, was named coadjutor of the Kansas City-St. Joseph diocese in March 2004. The diocese comprises 130,000 Catholics in 27 countries of northwest Missouri. He succeeded Bishop Raymond Boland as ordinary on May 24, 2005. Within a week of his appointment he:
By most accounts, he reached these decisions without consulting any of the senior leadership of the diocese or the people in the programs affected. Virtually no one on the chancery staff knew of the changes until they were announced at a news conference two days after his appointment. Many parish staffs and priests would first learn of the changes when they read about them in the local or diocesan newspaper...
...The new bishop “came with an agenda,” said Fr. Richard Carney, a priest for more than 50 years and a respected leader in the diocese. “He didn’t ask us who we are and what we are about. He looked at it from the vantage point of a coadjutor bishop and made decisions of what he was going to do about us. … Well, we’re not used to that kind of authoritarianism,” he said. “It didn’t show much respect for prior bishops who established it that way,” Carney said. “We feel beaten up.”
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Read the full article. Thank God for Bishops like this one. I couldn't help but laugh as I read this article. Funny how the whole diosese seems to think they have been betrayed. Controlled. "Oh dear, isn't it horrible, we've got a bishop who has choosen to exercise his authority!" (Not an actual quote.) It seems more and more people have forgotten that the bishop is in charge. It's his job to do what he tinks best for those under his care. Albert de Zutter, editor of the newspaper for that diocese, complains of being "censored."
He says: "Bishop Boland must have said a hundred times, 'If you want a catechism, go buy a catechism. A newspaper is not a catechism.' " Well, a secular newspaper may not be a catechism, but a newspaper published by a Catholic diosese, should, logicially be a Catholic newspaper. As such it should be a catechism, to an extent. It certianly shouldn't publish anything that might be damaging to the souls of members of the diosese (such as the articles by Fr. McBrien of Notre Dame, which were being published before Bishop Finn put a stopp to them).
Let's be honest, the diosese is run by the Bishop, and he has a right to do what he thinks is right and in accordence with church teaching. Regardless of what others think.
Labels: Religion
Full Post: Dropping My IQ ,
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