Attacks on Christians in India Increase: B16 prayers needed

B16's appeal for prayers. We shouldn't forget those persecuted for the faith...

Upon finishing his talk on St. Paul at today’s general audience in Vatican City on Wednesday, Pope Benedict turned his attention to the attacks against Christians in India. He appealed for an end to the violence and prayed that a return to peace would soon be restored.

Benedict XVI told of his deep sadness upon having learned the news about the violence against Christian communities in the Indian State of Orissa. People have been killed, others injured, and church property and private houses destroyed following the murder of the Hindu leader Swami Lakshmananda Saraswati.

The Holy Father said, "I implore the Lord to accompany and support (our brothers and sisters in faith) in this time of suffering and to give them the strength to continue in the service of love in favor of all."

He concluded by asking local religious leaders and civil authorities "to work together to restore among the members of the various communities the peaceful coexistence and harmony which have always been the distinguishing mark of Indian Society."

Proposition 8: Marriage Act

Folks here in California are familiar with the content of this proposition. We had one similar that was voted on and passed, only to be overturned by the legislating judges.

They overturned the people's vote!

...we can't let that happen again.

See the Video please.

Interview: How did McCain Ask Palin to Join the Ticket?

A short phone interview with Sarah Palin on how she was asked, where, what was said by McCain.

Interesting, behind the scenes look.

... also who's running Alaska during the '08 Campaign.

Link: INTERVIEW

Sarah Palin's Life Timeline in Alaska:(via KTVA news)

Feb. 11, 1964 — Born in Sandpoint, Idaho.

1982 — Graduated from Wasilla High School in Wasilla, Alaska.

1987 — Graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Idaho.

August 29, 1988 — Married Todd Palin, whom she would have five children with.

1992-1996 — Entered public life, serving two terms on the Wasilla City Council.

1996-2002 — Elected mayor of Wasilla City, Alaska, for two terms until term limits forced her from office.

2002 — Lost her first statewide campaign for the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor.

2002 — Frank Murkowski left the Senate to become governor and named Palin chairwoman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.

2003 — Split with the party leaders by battling Randy Ruedrich, the head of Alaska's Republican Party.

2006 — Upset then-Gov. Murkowski in the Republican primary, then defeated former two-term Gov. Tony Knowles, a Democrat, in the general election.

2007 — Pressured lawmakers to get the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act passed, to build a natural gas pipeline to deliver 35 trillion cubic feet of North Slope natural gas to market.

Aug. 29, 2008 — Chosen as Sen. John McCain's vice-presidential running mate in the 2008 election.

Also This is going to be fodder for those who object to her candidacy so let's be transparent about it.

Despite VP nomination, Palin investigation continues

...Back in late July the legislative council approved $100,000 to investigate Governor Palin's potential abuse of power. Since, special investigator Steve Branchflower has been working methodically to bring to light the facts of a case that have only recently surfaced.

"The status of the investigation is that Steve Branchflower is taking statements right now from former members of the administration, and scheduling other appointments with other members of the administration, up to, and including Governor Palin to find out the facts of what happened," said Senator Hollis French, who is in charge of the legislative investigation of Palin.

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Sarah Palin: Lies About Her are Spreading...

The blog is a great place to communicate, interact and get news out almost instantaneous. There are a lot of great blogs out there and I find it rather cool to see how far away ( all over the globe) my little blog can reach.

There's also the obvious evil element to the Internet and these elections can't avoid this fact.

Case in point:

There is a story out on the blog that claims Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin has FAKED her pregnancy.

How ridicules is this?
Oh the lies...

This info from Newsbusters

...the scurrilous claim that McCain vice presidential pick Governor Sarah Palin faked her pregnancy with a Down's Syndrome child is beginning to spread among the lowest of the nutrooters. Now, the unhinged, smear site DemocraticUnderground.com as boosted this lie to their front pages. Naturally, since these hate sites feed into each other, the spurious source of the DU story is another DailyKos story like the one I earlier reported upon.

Of course, this whole meme is nothing but a lie. Are we expected to believe an entire state, its hospitals, doctors and media establishment helped cover up this pregnancy story? And they all did this for a Republican, to boot? It makes little logical sense to believe a word of this black helicopter conspiracy theory. Next thing we know, the Kossacks and DUers are going to expect us to believe that Big Foot and some gray aliens were the attendants at the birth!

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Here's another ridiculous story this one from Alan Colmes. Now I don't agree with many things he says or his point of view, but I do respect him and his journalist abilities.
I may change my mind though if this next story ends up to be true. Even this is even lower than I would expect him to go.

Alan Colmes spreading lies
...the lefty talker and Sean Hannity piñata asked "Did Palin Take Proper Pre-Natal Care?" in connection with Palin's pregnancy and childbirth earlier this year. Trig Palin was born with Down's Syndrome on April 18.

A whiff of sanity appears to have prevailed, as the entry is now empty. Also not present: an apology.

But apparently Colmes has no problem with this entry he put up on Friday afternoon about the circumstances surrounding Todd and Sarah Palin's wedding...

In her speech in Dayton today, Gov. Sarah Palin announced that she and her husband are celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary, which means they were married on August 29, 1988.

On April 20, 1989 – less than eight months after they eloped – their first son, Track, was born.

I think I can guess the real reason why they eloped, and it wasn’t to save money on an expensive wedding.

Colmes's snide reference is to this NationalJournal.com Almanac entry, which reads:

After returning home, Palin eloped with her high school boyfriend in 1988 to save money on an expensive wedding.

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Now even this seems low for Mr. Colmes...
I'm disappointed Alan.

GUSTAV: GET OUT!

Looks like this is going to be huge! From the news it sounds like they are heeding the warnings this time and evacuating early. Assistance from the Governmet as well as local States is available now.

Our prayer are with you...

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Experience: Palin vs. Obama

Now this is really a peculiar argument that the Obama Campaign is offering up.

"Is Palin ready to be President ... does she have the experience?"

and...

"Biden or Palin, who would you like to prefer to be President?"

Both of these questions lead off with a false premise. In order for Biden or Palin to be President either Obama or McCain first must be elected. Then for some reason they are no longer able to perform in this capacity.

So the focus really is, who you would a better President, Obama or McCain. Who has the most experience between them.

This first question is a NO-BRAINER!

Winner: McCain

So now that McCain is in office, do we still fill comfortable if he is incapable of continuing, with Sarah Palin in the place of President.

Here's some of what's out there on the blogs:

Here is a post from 'The Jawa Report'

Experience : Palin vs. Obama/Biden

One of the lefties' lines of attack against Sarah Palin is that she's just not experienced enough to be a "heartbeat from the Presidency."

Here's the facts:

Sarah Palin began serving in political office in 1992. Barack Obama began serving in 1997. (For the benefit of our resident hippie trolls, I'll do the math for you: Palin's been in public office FIVE years longer than the Messiah.) Joe Biden has been in the U.S. Senate forever. So, in terms of total years of public service, the three stack up as follows:

1. Biden
2. Palin
3. Obama

In terms of executive experience, there's not even a contest. Sarah Palin first served in an executive capacity in 1997, and took over her first state-level executive branch position in 2003. From what I can determine, Barack Obama has never served in an executive capacity at any level, and Joe Biden has never served in an executive capacity at any level. So, in terms of executive experience, the three stack up as follows:

1. Palin
2. Biden and Obama (tied, with zero each.)

...and what about Obama?

Obama's 143 days of Senate experience:

Just how much Senate experience does Barack Obama have in terms of actual work days? Not much.

From the time Barack Obama was sworn in as a United State Senator, to the time he announced he was forming a Presidential exploratory committee, he logged 143 days of experience in the Senate. That's how many days the Senate was actually in session and working.

After 143 days of work experience, Obama believed he was ready to be Commander In Chief, Leader of the Free World, and fill the shoes of Abraham Lincoln, FDR, JFK and Ronald Reagan.

143 days -- I keep leftovers in my refrigerator longer than that.

In contrast, John McCain's 26 years in Congress, 22 years of military service including 1,966 days in captivity as a POW in Hanoi now seem more impressive than ever. At 71, John McCain may just be hitting his stride.

'She comes from a State with less than 700,000 and a small town with less than 9,000 people. She's small potatoes...'

Politically, Alaska, which the US bought from Russia in 1876 for $7.2m, is a pygmy. Because of its tiny population of just over 670,000, the state has just three electoral votes – half the number of Delaware, home to Joe Biden, the Democratic vice-presidential candidate.

So what are they saying? Alaska doesn't matter? She's not apart of the D.C. crowd, I think that's a good thing. She's a 'no more business as usual' as you can get Barack!

'Palin has a B.A. degree from University of Idaho while Obama is a Harvard Graduate...'

Are they going back to the Elitist title again.

'I'm offended, she's not exactly like Hilary!'

You betcha! She's PRO-LIFE. She's not a millionare either. Does she care about health care? She's got a family of five and an everyday mom!

I even heard one reporter suggest that her new special care baby won't be properly taken care of if she becomes V.P.

Disgusting. That doesn't say much for all those working moms out there.

I think once the nation gets to know Sarah Palin these objections will be seen as they truly are... empty.

After the GOP convention, on with the debates!

... no more fancy speeches and fireworks. Let's get down to the details.

Sarah Palin Interview: "...I was baptized Catholic..."

It's no secret that Mrs. Palin is a strong Pro-lifer and Christian.

Her strong moral life views make her more Catholic than her Democrat V.P. opponent. What I didn't know is she was actually baptized Catholic. She is not practicing now, however it is an interesting fact.

Learn more about Mrs. Palin...

TIME's interview with Sarah Palin:

TIME: What got you involved in politics.

Palin: I studied journalism in college and always had an interest in the newsroom, which was of course so often focused on politics and government. I studied sports reporting, and that's how I started off in journalism. But even earlier than that, my dad was an elementary school teacher, so often our dinner-table conversations were about current events and about those things that an elementary school teacher teaches students — much about government and much about our nation, and so I had ingrained in me an interest in our government, how things worked. And then from there I just became more interested in more practical steps that I could take... [I]] started off running for city council when I was very young in the town [Wasilla] where I had grown up and was elected to two terms on the city council. And then I realized to be really able to make a difference — not just being one of six of a body but to make a difference — I would have to run for the top dog position, and so I ran for mayor and was elected mayor for two terms.Then from there I was appointed an oil and gas commissioner in the state of Alaska, on the Alaska oil and gas conservation commission, had decided that there were changes, positive changes, that had to be ushered into our state government, decided to run for governor and did so, was successful, and here we are.

TIME: How old were you when you ran for city council??

Palin: I think was 27 or 28, and then was elected mayor when I was 32.

TIME: Did being younger and being a woman gives you a better perspective on politics and government than a more traditional politician?

Palin: What's more of a challenge for me over the years being in elected office has been more the age issue rather than a gender issue. I've totally ignored the issues that have potentially been affecting me when it comes to gender because I was raised in a family where, you know, gender wasn't going to be an issue. The girls did what the boys did. Apparently in Alaska that's quite commonplace. You're out there hunting and fishing. My parents were coaches, so I was involved in sports all my life. So I knew that as woman I could do whatever the men were doing. Also that's just part of Alaskan life. But the age issue I think was more significant in my career than the gender issue. Your resume not being as fat as your opponent's in a race, perhaps [but] being able to capitalize on that... being able to to use that in campaigns — I don't have 30 years of political experience under my belt ... that's a good thing, that's a healthy thing. That means my perspective is fresher, more in touch with the people I will be serving. I would use that as an advantage. I've certainly never been part of a good old boy club. That I would use in a campaign. And that's been good.

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Salin for VP website

PalinforVP

cool video there too....

BREAKING NEWS: IT'S SARAH PALIN

Alaska Gov. Palin to be named as Mccain running Mate

A senior campaign official in the John McCain campaign confirmed to FOX News on Friday that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee will name Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate

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Does this take the wind out of the sails of Obama's event?

Is it Palin?

After my previous post on Sarah Palin The more I read about her the more I like her.

Her everyday Mom appearance makes a good connection with everyday people. More so I think than the 'Mount Olympus God' we saw yesterday evening.

That show reminded me of the China Olympics opening ceremonies. The Grander of the event was breath taking. The synchronizing, the fireworks, the theatrics in the stadium were all spectacular, however in the end the real China was still the real China.

Later we found out that some of that spectacular-ness was fake.The Chinese didn't even wait for the closing ceremonies to get back to business as usual by arresting China's Catholic Bishop Jia

So too with the Mount Obama event. Was it all smoke and mirrors? Do we really identify with these theatrics enough to vote him into office?

I really wanted to shout out loud "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, I AM THE GREAT AND POWERFUL WIZ..."

Well, you get my point.

Sarah Palin brings a substance we can all identify with. whether it be a Mom figure or a Wife, the mother of my children figure. There's some realness there. No smoke and mirrors.

Anyways, she's my selection however I hear Meg Whitman is also being talked about. I don't know too much about her.

Here are some of the stories on Sarah:

Speculation

... At 44, Palin is younger than Obama and, like McCain, she calls herself a maverick.

A Gulfstream IV from Anchorage, Alaska, flew into Middletown Regional Airport in Butler County near Cincinnati about 10:15 p.m. Thursday, said Rich Bevis, airport manager. He said several people came off the plane, including a woman and two teens, but there was no confirmation of who was aboard.

"They were pretty much hustled off. They came right down the ramp, jumped in some vans here and off they went," Bevis said. "It was all hush, hush."

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Fox Confirms It's Palin

... By picking Sarah Palin, apparently McCain has calculated that he needs conservative enthusiasm and the excitement of a new face more than experience. Perhaps he's gambling that the Democrats will be too afraid to attack Sarah Palin as inexperienced, given their own candidate's problems in that area.

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President Obama: Good for Black America?

It appears that Mr. Obama has the African American vote all but sewn-up. The impression from this community is that Obama would best address their needs.

But is that true?

George Weigel weighs in.

CAMPAIGN 2008: Would President Obama Be Good For Black America?

When I was a teenager, my formative, if largely vicarious, political experience was the civil rights movement. It was a time of great issues bravely contested, a moment replete with heroes and villains. It was George Wallace vowing "Segregation forever!", Bull Connor setting dogs on demonstrators, and Klansmen bombing black churches. It was the March on Washington, Mississippi Freedom Summer, the showdown at the Edmund Pettis bridge, and much more. Anyone who sang "We Shall Overcome" in those electric years will welcome a new fact of our public life: America -- a country whose original sin was slavery -- has become a place in which an African-American can be a major party's candidate for president.

The same honesty that led Americans to confront racist prejudices a half-century ago now compels another question: Would a President Barack Obama be good for black America?

The answer may seem obvious. The inauguration of an African-American president on January 20, 2009, would be the final vindication of the civil rights crusade; it would give new depth of meaning to the blood sacrifices of Medgar Evers, Martin Luther King, Jr., Andrew Goodman, Mickey Schwerner, James Chaney, Viola Liuzo, and the movement's other martyrs. It would inspire young African-Americans of the 21st century, even as it honored the memory of ancestors once treated as chattels. It would put a president uniquely attuned to the trials that continue to beset black America into the White House .

But would it?

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Religion: Public Life

Good article by Collen Carroll Campbell from Ethics & Public Policy Center

Religion's Essential Contribution to Public Life

Should religion steer clear of politics? If media commentaries about last week's Pew Research Center poll on the subject are any indication, the answer from Americans is yes.

The national survey found that 52 percent of respondents believe that churches and other houses of worship should not express their views on day-to-day social and political questions. That's up from 44 percent in 2004.

The finding has delighted many secular pundits, who see it as proof that Americans agree with their aim of shooing religious values and voices from the public square. Many also interpret the poll as a resounding public rejection of religious conservatives who seek to influence politics.

There are several problems with those readings. For starters, more than 70 percent of Americans told Pew pollsters that a president should have strong
religious beliefs, and 64 percent said they believe politicians today express their religious beliefs too little or the right amount. That's not exactly the profile of a nation ready to eject God from political life.
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Franciscan Monks Attacked in Italy

This is outrageous!

Italy horrified by 'Clockwork Orange" assault on monks

Italians have been left shocked by a ferocious assault on Franciscan monks by hooded thugs at a monastery in the foothills of the Alps, which has been compared to incidents seen in the film 'A Clockwork Orange'.

Father Sergio Baldin, 48, the guardian of the San Colombano Belmonte monastery near Turin, and three elderly monks from the Franciscan order of Friars Minor, were having their evening meal when they were attacked by three hooded men who gagged and bound them before punching, kicking and beating them with clubs.

Father Baldin suffered severe head injuries but also has "serious respiratory problems" because he choked on his food while being assaulted, doctors say. He has had brain surgery and was in a coma.

Father Salvatore Magliano, 86, Father Emanuele Battagliotti, 81, and Father Martino Gurini, 76 suffered less serious injuries, but were still being treated in hospital today.
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Ancient Greek RUIN!

Ancient Greek Temple

The stage is being set for the 'Chosen One' to give his acceptance speech on Thursday. The stage being setup to look like a Greek Forum, an ancient Greek temple of sorts.

What's the purpose of this imagery? What's the message here?

Maybe it's to signify his great oratory abilities. Like the ancient Greeks who were know for their powers of persuasion.

Hmmm...

I see another angle on this imagery. The first thought that entered my mind when heard about the Ancient Greek temple thang was the image of St. Paul in the Greek Forum where he proclaimed the Gospel of Jesus for days, as told in the New Testement.

And yet in the end the Greeks where unmoved. The Gospel was treated like just another point of view instead of the Truth.

This being the Year of St.Paul as proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI, I'm thinking, how appropriate.

The ongoing debate about life of the unborn especially as well as all the social justice issues and teachings of the Catholic Church, being treated as just another point of view rather than the Truth that it is.

My fear is in the end, the Gospel will be sidestepped for a message of 'Change'. A change from the truth.

So the image of the ancient RUINS may well sum-up the outcome of this election if we don't follow the complete teachings of the church. Not the teachings of the church of Pelosi or even a self created church of our own.

The Gospel of life as taught 'FROM THE BEGINNING' by the Catholic church.

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Year of St. Paul-Audience Series

B16 lays out a basic bio on St. Paul, continuing his series.

Pope, at audience, offers quick biography of St. Paul

First the Pope explained that experts set the birth of St. Paul in the year 8 AD-- thus establishing this year as the 2000th anniversary-- because Saul was described as a young man at the time St. Stephen was slain, and as an old man when he was imprisoned in Rome.

Saul was born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia that was a provincial capital-- which, incidentally, was once ruled by Cicero, and later was the site of the first meeting between Marc Antony and Cleopatra.

Saul was a Jew who spoke Greek and a Roman citizen. Thus, the Pope remarked, he lived at the intersection of three important cultures. He was also a trained craftsman, who probably learned from his father to make tents.

At about the age of 12, young Saul left Tarsus for Jerusalem, to study in the strict tradition of the Pharisees. That study, the Pope observed, "instilled in him a great zeal for the Mosaic law," and caused him to view the followers of Christ as dangerous threats to Jewish orthodoxy and identity.

That intolerant attitude was changed completely along the road to Damascus, the Pope continued, and Paul became a tireless missionary for the Gospel. He undertook three great missionary journeys, which are described in the Acts of the Apostles, followed by his fourth trip as a prisoner to Rome.

Pope Benedict traced the route taken by Paul and his companions on those trips, as well as the key role that Paul played in the Council of Jerusalem. The Pope noted that while St. Luke reports that Paul spent two years in Rome under house arrest, the final events of the Apostle's life are not fully recorded. But apparently his appeal to the Emperor Nero was unsuccessful, and he died as a martyr. The Pontiff promised to speak about St. Paul's martyrdom, too, in a future Wednesday catechetical talk.

Chinese Bishops Arrested after Olympics

After all the fauning by the MSM on the Chinese system and how we could better American life by imitating them.

I guess freedom of religion is not essential in China (no surprise) but why doesn't the MSM report this?

Oh I forgot, they're all in Denver...

Chinese bishop arrested as Olympics close

Beijing, Aug. 25, 2008 (CWNews.com) - China's most prominent "underground" Catholic bishop was arrested on Sunday, August 24: the day that also saw the closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo of Zhengding was taken into custody by several police officers at Wuqiu cathedral. No immediate reason was given for his arrest, and authorities have not disclosed where the aging bishop is being held.

The 73-year-old Bishop Jia, who heads an active diocese of over 100,000 Catholics in the Hebei diocese, spent 15 years in prison, from 1963 to 1978. Since his release he has been re-arrested at least 12 times; ordinarily he has been detained for a few days of interrogation each time. He has been living under house arrest since 1989.

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Our Prayers go out the good Bishop Jia

Pelosi spokesman responds...

It appears Pelosi's team is in denial.

Pelosi Respons: Egan Unloads - UPDATE
"In response to questions, this is quote from me, Brendan Daly, spokesman for Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in response to questions about her comments on Meet the Press on abortion on Sunday."

“The Speaker is the mother of five children and seven grandchildren and fully appreciates the sanctity of family [that's precisely the question, as abortion is at odds with the sanctity of the family]. She was raised in a devout [the word CMR rightly hates!] Catholic family who often disagreed with her pro-choice views.

“After she was elected to Congress, and the choice issue became more public as she would have to vote on it, she studied the matter more closely. Her views on when life begins were informed by the views of Saint Augustine, who said: ‘…the law does not provide that the act [abortion] pertains to homicide, for there cannot yet be said to be a live soul in a body that lacks sensation…’ (Saint Augustine, On Exodus 21.22)

[We dealt with Augustine and her abuse of him as well as Exod 21:22 LXX in the post below; is this the only piece of Augustine she's already read??? One could accuse her of muddying the waters still, if she's aware of what Augustine also said. She's still misrepresenting the record. I dunno about her geometry, but her theology is wack.]

[update: Further, let's not forget Augustine isn't the only theologian the church ever had, even if he is one of the two greatest, and let's also not forget that the Church herself decides what Catholics are to believe. You can't appeal to a theologian to challenge the Church's defined teaching, and abortion is one of those things that has been defined. In this case, Roma locuta est, causa finita est.]

“While Catholic teaching is clear that life begins at conception, many Catholics do not ascribe to that view. [So what? ] The Speaker agrees with the Church that we should reduce the number of abortions [But the Church would probably have that done through law, as well as other means, given that abortion is a crime against another, not merely a self-regarding sin.]. She believes that can be done by making family planning more available [here's the intuitive but false idea that contraception reduces abortion; many contraceptives are abortifacient, and contraception creates a culture in which abortion becomes thinkable, and it's not like the Church is OK with contraception], as well as by increasing the number of comprehensive age-appropriate sex education [Right now, I don't trust Pelosi to teach my kids either their colors or their ABCs. Like I'll trust here with sex ed.] and caring adoption programs [A good thing, but Madame Speaker, you are still complicit in crimes against humanity.].
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Pelosi sticks by her comments

Let me get this straight. A number of American Bishops attempt to set her straight and she still sticks with her comments?

I say there is no question in my mind that ignorance of the facts is not her problem. She has spoken as head of the church of Pelosi.

Joe Biden Naral Report Card

The National Catholic Register fills out the full report card on Sen. Biden's voting record and Naral rating.

And don’t let the 2003 rating of NARAL (National Abortion Rights Action League) Pro-Choice America fool you. Yes, the year he voted to ban partial-birth abortion, he pleased NARAL only a third of the time. But here is Biden’s NARAL record for every year since: 2004, 100%; 2005, 100%; 2006, 100%; 2007, 75%.

The Hill post on re-education of Catholic Politicians

Seems like the good bishops (some) are starting to wake-up. A few more are now starting to get a voice...

Washington archbishop rips Pelosi on abortion

Arhchbishop scolds pro-choice Biden


Our own Archbishop Mahony (Los Angeles) speaks out to the candidates on Immigration Reform.

Okay, how about ABORTION!

Pelosi - UPDATE

Amy Welborn weighs in on Ms Pelosi comments

... also Archbishop Chaput and Bishop Conley

In that Teachable Moment

The Church of Pelosi

Ms. Pelosi once again has shown us what it is NOT to have a well informed conscience in matters of the Catholic faith.

On Meet The Press this weekend she seemed to redefine Catholic teachings and well, Catholic history for that matter in an attempt to justify Barak Obama's stand on abortion.

REP. PELOSI: I would say that as an ardent, practicing Catholic, this is an issue that I have studied for a long time. And what I know is, over the centuries, the doctors of the church have not been able to make that definition. And Senator--St. Augustine said at three months...

...And this is like maybe 50 years or something like that. So again, over the history of the church, this is an issue of controversy. But it is, it is also true that God has given us, each of us, a free will and a responsibility to answer for our actions. And we want abortions to be safe, rare, and reduce the number of abortions. That's why we have this fight in Congress over contraception. My Republican colleagues do not support contraception. If you want to reduce the number of abortions, and we all do, we must--it would behoove you to support family planning and, and contraception, you would think...

St. Augustine said what?!

The Catholic Church has only been against abortion only in the last 50 years?!

It's just another example of Catholics in the political square creating their own church. What's really sad is that most will swallow their false statements and incorrect facts hook-line-and-sinker!



Fast forward to minute 32:00 to see the exchange between Ms.Pelosi and Mr. Tom Brokow on the abortion questions.

Catholidoxy has a nice rebuttal to this exchange and does a thorough job of correction Pelosi's total catholic education meltdown.

HERE is the transcript

... and I refer Ms. Pelosi to her nearest parish for RCIA. A class should be starting soon.

Lesson 1: First Century, Didache

You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish.75

God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and men must carry it out in a manner worthy of themselves. Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes.76

- - The Catholic Church has always been against abortion! (that means contraception too)

Denver Archbishop Chaput: Biden, No Communion!

Archbishop Chaput of Denver (... who wasn't invited to the convention) has a few words to say to Sen. Joe.

Biden "has admirable qualities to his public service," Chaput said in his statement. "But his record of support for so-called abortion 'rights,' while mixed at times, is seriously wrong. I certainly presume his good will and integrity — and I presume that his integrity will lead him to refrain from presenting himself for Communion, if he supports a false 'right' to abortion."

The good Bishop would like to speak to Sen. Biden in private.

I wonder if the Senator will try to shove his rosary beads down the Bishop's throat.

Catholics Against Joe Biden - Website

Thanks American Papist for the heads-up.

A new website with lot's of information and background on Sen. Joe Biden's positions on abortion and other issues.

Catholics Against Joe Biden

"The next Republican that tells me I'm not religious, I'm going to shove my rosary beads down their throat."

- - Senator Joe Biden

... spoken like a true man of faith.

Catholics United: Warning

Catholics United = Sheep in wolfs clothing...or at least a very lost sheep.

American Papist gives the lowdown on the Catholic United group.
I refuse to join Catholics United

As I suspected. An excuse to bypass the Abortion issue.

Joe Biden Abortion Record:

No public funding for abortion; it imposes a view

Q: Are you still opposed to public funding for abortion?

A: I still am opposed to public funding for abortion. It goes to the question of whether or not you're going to impose a view to support something that is not a guaranteed right but an affirmative action to promote.

Source: Meet the Press: 2007 "Meet the Candidates" series Apr 29, 2007

Supports partial-birth abortion ban, but not undoing Roe

Q: You supported the ban on partial-birth abortions or late-term abortions.

A: I did and I do.

And the Supreme Court came and basically upheld that ban, and you criticized the Supreme Court.

Q: They upheld the ban, and then they engaged in what we lawyers call dicta that is frightening. You had an intellectually dishonest rationale for an honest justification for upholding the ban. I know this is going to sound arcane--they blurred the distinction between the government's role in being involved in the first day and the ninth month. They became paternalistic, talking about the court could consider the impact on the mother and keeping her from making a mistake. This is all code for saying, "Here we come to undo Roe v. Wade." What they did is not so much the decision, the actual outcome of the decision, it's what attended the decision that portends for a real hard move on the court to undo the right of privacy. That's what I'm criticizing about the court's decision.

Source: Meet the Press: 2007 "Meet the Candidates" series Apr 29, 2007

Accepts Catholic church view that life begins at conception

Q: You have changed your position on abortion. When you came to the Senate, you believed that Roe v. Wade was not correctly decided and that you also believed the right of abortion was not secured by the Constitution. Why did you change your mind?

A: Well, I was 29 years old when I came to the US Senate, and I have learned a lot. Look, I'm a practicing Catholic, and it is the biggest dilemma for me in terms of comporting my religious and cultural views with my political responsibility.

Q: Do you believe that life begins at conception?

A: I am prepared to accept my church's view. I think it's a tough one. I have to accept that on faith. That's why the late-term abortion ban, where there's clearly viability.

Source: Meet the Press: 2007 "Meet the Candidates" series Apr 29, 2007

Nominees should agree on constitutional right to privacy

Q: As president would you have a specific litmus test question on Roe v. Wade that you would ask of your nominees for the high court?

A: I strongly support Roe v. Wade. I wouldn't have a specific question but I would make sure that the people I sent to be nominated for the Supreme Court shared my values; and understood that there is a right to privacy in the United States Constitution. That's why I led the fight to defeat Bork, Roberts Alito, and Thomas.

Source: 2007 South Carolina Democratic primary debate, on MSNBC Apr 26, 2007

Voted NO on defining unborn child as eligible for SCHIP.

CONGRESSIONAL SUMMARY: To require that legislation to reauthorize SCHIP include provisions codifying the unborn child regulation. Amends the definition of the term "targeted low-income child" to provide that such term includes the period from conception to birth, for eligibility for child health assistance.

SUPPORTER'S ARGUMENT FOR VOTING YES:Sen. ALLARD: This amendment will codify the current unborn child rule by amending the SCHIP reauthorization reserve fund. This amendment will clarify in statute that the term "child" includes the period from conception to birth. This is a pro-life vote.OPPONENT'S ARGUMENT FOR VOTING NO: Sen. FEINSTEIN: We already clarified SCHIP law that a pregnant woman's coverage under SCHIP law is optional. We made it obligatory so every pregnant woman has the advantage of medical insurance. This amendment undoes that. It takes it away from the woman and gives it to the fetus. Now, if a pregnant woman is in an accident, loses the child, she does not get coverage, the child gets coverage. We already solved the problem. If you cover the pregnant woman, you cover her fetus. What Senator Allard does is remove the coverage from the pregnant woman and cover the fetus.LEGISLATIVE OUTCOME:Amendment rejected, 46-52

Reference: Bill S.Amdt.4233 to S.Con.Res.70 ; vote number 08-S081 on Mar 14, 2008

Voted NO on prohibiting minors crossing state lines for abortion.

CONGRESSIONAL SUMMARY: To increase funding for the vigorous enforcement of a prohibition against taking minors across State lines in circumvention of laws requiring the involvement of parents in abortion decisions consistent with the Child Custody Protection Act.

SUPPORTER'S ARGUMENT FOR VOTING YES:Sen. ENSIGN: This amendment enables enforcing the Child Custody Protection Act, which passed the Senate in a bipartisan fashion by a vote of 65 to 34. Too many times we enact laws, and we do not fund them. This is going to set up funding so the law that says we are going to protect young children from being taken across State lines to have a surgical abortion--we are going to make sure those people are protected. OPPONENT'S ARGUMENT FOR VOTING NO:Sen. BOXER: We already voted for $50 million to enhance the enforcement of child protective laws. If Sen. Ensign's bill becomes law, then that money is already there to be used for such a program. LEGISLATIVE OUTCOME:Amendment rejected, 49-49 (1/2 required, or 50 votes; Sen. Byrd & Sen. McCain absent)

Reference: Bill S.Amdt.4335 to S.Con.Res.70 ; vote number 08-S071 on Mar 13, 2008

Voted YES on expanding research to more embryonic stem cell lines.

Allows federal funding for research that utilizes human embryonic stem cells, regardless of the date on which the stem cells were derived from a human embryo, provided such embryos:

1. have been donated from in vitro fertilization clinics;
2. were created for the purposes of fertility treatment;
3. were in excess of the needs of the individuals seeking such treatment and would otherwise be discarded; and
4. were donated by such individuals with written informed consent and without any financial or other inducements.

Proponents support voting YES because:

Since 2 years ago, the last Stem Cell bill, public support has surged for stem cells. Research is proceeding unfettered and, in some cases, without ethical standards in other countries. And even when these countries have ethical standards, our failures are allowing them to gain the scientific edge over the US. Some suggest that it is Congress' role to tell researchers what kinds of cells to use. I suggest we are not the arbiters of research. Instead, we should foster all of these methods, and we should adequately fund and have ethical oversight over all ethical stem cell research.

Opponents support voting NO because:

A good deal has changed in the world of science. Amniotic fluid stem cells are now available to open a broad new area of research. I think the American people would welcome us having a hearing to understand more about this promising new area of science. As it stands today, we will simply have to debate the bill on the merits of information that is well over 2 years old, and I think that is unfortunate.

The recent findings of the pluripotent epithelial cells demonstrates how quickly the world has changed. Wouldn't it be nice to have the researcher before our committee and be able to ask those questions so we may make the best possible judgment for the American people?
Status: Vetoed by Pres. Bush Bill passed, 63-34

Reference: Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act; Bill S.5 & H.R.3 ; vote number 2007-127 on Apr 11, 2007

Voted NO on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions.

This bill prohibits taking minors across State lines in circumvention of laws requiring the involvement of parents in abortion decisions. Makes an exception for an abortion necessary to save the life of the minor. Authorizes any parent to sue unless such parent committed an act of incest with the minor. Imposes a fine and/or prison term of up to one year on a physician who performs an abortion on an out-of-state minor in violation of parental notification requirements in their home state.

Proponents recommend voting YES because:

This bill deals with how young girls are being secretly taken across State lines for the purpose of abortion, without the consent of their parents or even the knowledge of their parents, in violation of the laws of the State in which they live. 45 states have enacted some sort of parental consent laws or parental notification law. By simply secreting a child across State lines, one can frustrate the State legislature's rules. It is subverting and defeating valid, constitutionally approved rights parents have.

Opponents recommend voting NO because:

Some States have parental consent laws, some don't. In my particular State, it has been voted down because my people feel that if you ask them, "Do they want their kids to come to their parents?", absolutely. But if you ask them, "Should you force them to do so, even in circumstances where there could be trouble that comes from that?", they say no.

This bill emanates from a desire that our children come to us when we have family matters, when our children are in trouble, that they not be fearful, that they not be afraid that they disappoint us, that they be open with us and loving toward us, and we toward them. This is what we want to have happen. The question is: Can Big Brother Federal Government force this on our families? That is where we will differ.

Reference: Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act; Bill S.403 ; vote number 2006-216 on Jul 25, 2006

Voted YES on $100M to reduce teen pregnancy by education & contraceptives.

Vote to adopt an amendment to the Senate's 2006 Fiscal Year Budget that allocates $100 million for the prevention of unintended pregnancies. A YES vote would expand access to preventive health care services that reduce unintended pregnancy (including teen pregnancy), reduce the number of abortions, and improve access to women's health care. A YES vote would:

• Increase funding and access to family planning services
• Funds legislation that requires equitable prescription coverage for contraceptives under health plans
• Funds legislation that would create and expand teen pregnancy prevention programs and education programs concerning emergency contraceptives

Reference: Appropriation to expand access to preventive health care services; Bill S.Amdt. 244 to S Con Res 18 ; vote number 2005-75 on Mar 17, 2005

Voted NO on criminal penalty for harming unborn fetus during other crime.

Bill would make it a criminal offense to harm or kill a fetus during the commission of a violent crime. The measure would set criminal penalties, the same as those that would apply if harm or death happened to the pregnant woman, for those who harm a fetus. It is not required that the individual have prior knowledge of the pregnancy or intent to harm the fetus. This bill prohibits the death penalty from being imposed for such an offense. The bill states that its provisions should not be interpreted to apply a woman's actions with respect to her pregnancy. Reference: Unborn Victims of Violence Act; Bill S.1019/HR.1997 ; vote number 2004-63 on Mar 25, 2004

Voted NO on maintaining ban on Military Base Abortions.

Vote on a motion to table [kill] an amendment that would repeal the ban on privately funded abortions at overseas military facilities. Reference: Bill S 2549 ; vote number 2000-134 on Jun 20, 2000

Voted YES on banning partial birth abortions.

This legislation, if enacted, would ban the abortion procedure in which the physician partially delivers the fetus before completing the abortion. [A NO vote supports abortion rights].
Status: Bill Passed Y)63; N)34; NV)3 Reference: Partial Birth Abortion Ban; Bill S. 1692 ; vote number 1999-340 on Oct 21, 1999

Voted NO on banning human cloning.

This cloture motion was in order to end debate and move to consideration of legislation banning human cloning. [A YES vote opposes human cloning].
Status: Cloture Motion Rejected Y)42; N)54; NV)4 Reference: Motion to invoke cloture on motion to proceed to S. 1601; Bill S. 1601 ; vote number 1998-10 on Feb 11, 1998

Rated 36% by NARAL, indicating a mixed voting record on abortion.

Biden scores 36% by NARAL on pro-choice voting record

For over thirty years, NARAL Pro-Choice America has been the political arm of the pro-choice movement and a strong advocate of reproductive freedom and choice. NARAL Pro-Choice America's mission is to protect and preserve the right to choose while promoting policies and programs that improve women's health and make abortion less necessary. NARAL Pro-Choice America works to educate Americans and officeholders about reproductive rights and health issues and elect pro-choice candidates at all levels of government. The NARAL ratings are based on the votes the organization considered most important; the numbers reflect the percentage of time the representative voted the organization's preferred position.

Source: NARAL website 03n-NARAL on Dec 31, 2003

READ MORE

2007 Congressional voting record on Choice: HERE

Biden: Canon Lawyer weighs in

This on Biden from Dr. Peters: (thanks http: Carl-InsightScoop)

Let's ask the questions well.

One need not be a Catholic in good standing to be President or Vice President of the United States, but one must be a Catholic in good standing to receive holy Communion from the Catholic Church.

Sen. Joseph Biden, a left-of-center politician who generally earns high marks from liberal watchdog groups, is not the extremist that Sen. Barack Obama is proving to be, and he has incomparably more experience in government than does Obama. But, while Biden's positions on public policy issues can and will be attacked and defended by Catholics (particularly, I hope, by informed lay Catholics whose expertise is the temporal order as recognized by 1983 CIC 225.2 and 227), Biden-qua-politician should not be the object of special attention by ecclesiastical leadership. Rather, Biden-qua-Catholic should be. And he will be.
MORE

Sen. Biden: Catholic?

Already, not even half a day after his selection as the new Demo VP, news articles are flying out the MSM ( and other news agencies) on his CATHOLIC credentials.

Joe Biden's Catholic Faith

Joe Biden and the Catholic Challenge

Joe Biden Pro-Choice, Pro-life?...

Will Biden help Obama with Catholic Vote?

Maybe Obama coming off his performance at Saddleback is looking to someone with a higher 'pay grade' to prop-up his support among the faithful.

Let's see, no experience: maybe someone with grey hair: Sen Biden check
Wrong faith pay-grade: maybe someone with a catholic title: Sen Biden check

Doesn't this go against the accusations of the Bush administration?

"Bush is just a puppet of his V.P."

So much for the Change mantra

No doubt his selections will encourage those who are looking for an excuse to put a check mark in the Obama column.

Bill Maher's New Film: Religulous

Bill Maher has decided to let people know what he really thinks about religion.

Like it was a secret.

“Religion is detrimental to the progress of society.” That’s my favorite quote from Bill Maher’s often brilliant, but often unfocused “documentary,” called “Religulous.” It opens in early October right after its debut at the Toronto Film Festival.

Brilliant... Oh please!

At first the film is very funny as Maher gently mocks one organized religion after another. He questions just about everything in Catholicism, even though he was raised Catholic. (His mother is Jewish, but threw it all over for the father.) Everything from the Immaculate Conception to crucifixion re-enactments are covered. By the time “Religulous” is over, the faith-seekers in the audience will have scratched Catholic off their possibilities.

Not that the other major religious groups don’t come in for razzing, either. Maher is brutal to Orthodox Jews and just as nasty to Muslims. (He interviews gay Muslims in Amsterdam, a city where he also smokes a lot of pot and finds many easy laughs.) Mormons get it, and so do Scientologists, whom Maher mocks in London’s Hyde Park.

Maher sends up everything outrageous and unusual in religion, cherry-picking the fringe elements wherever he can find them. There’s no question that he’s serious in his endeavors, and for a while following him feels like it’s going to lead somewhere. MORE

This is entertaining?

iTunes Rumor

If you use iTunes here's another rumor...

By definition, nearly all tips we receive about Apple future product intros are wrong. After all, we're not Engadget. People aren't going to risk their jobs to deliver insider information.

That being said, a tip that shot into our mailbox this morning really tickled my fancy: not because I think it's accurate but because I really really want it to be true. Our anonymous tipster laid out a description for iTunes Unlimited that I thought was brilliant. Although this guy (by definition) does not work for Apple, he really ought to.

He suggested that the late September Apple event would introduce several great items that we'd love to see but haven't been holding our breath for. These are disk access for the iPhone and iPod Touch and iTunes Unlimited.

Freeway: John Gait - Aimee Mann Contest

Who is Aimee Mann and why is she having a contest?

Aimee is a songwriter/singing, performer who I don't know much about. But I was looking up something on Youtube and found this neat music/video contest going on.

The details of the contest are on her site as well as her background. I'll have to explore her music more...

I never did persue my original research on Youtube. I found this contest more interesting.

It was a nice break from this endless Veep news...

Link: Aimee Mann

the Winner of the contest:John Gait



I like it!

The Catholic Voter: Who are they voting for?

I take polls with a grain of salt. Most of the time I just ignore them. I mean their accuracy is like trying to predict the weather.
Every once in a while there interesting to look at...

According to a Zogby poll, Obama's support among Catholics has fallen 11% in the last month, from 47% to 36%. His support has also fallen dramatically among other key groups such as women and voters under age 35.

Zogby doesn't speculate why Obama's Catholic support is declining -- he attributes the general drop to McCain's questioning of his experience and readiness to lead the country.
I would call this phase of the relationship between Obama and Catholic voters the "Strike Two Moment."

Catholics shrugged off the Rev. Wright phenomenon fairly quickly; Wright was so over the top, they figured anyone nominated for president by a major political party couldn't possibly hold opinions that extreme.

Then came a succession of stories revealing Obama positions on the social issues important to religiously-active Catholics. He very publicly opposed California's Proposition 8 which defines marriage between a man and a woman. And the tangled explanations of his opposition to BAIPA have led to greater public awareness of his extremism on abortion.

Jill Stanek's appearance last night on Hannity & Colmes is bad news for the Obama campaign. The issue of infanticide and Obama has become a national story.

Whether "Strike Three" will arrive -- or what it would be -- is hard to predict. But the way Obama and his campaign are handling controversy thus far makes it highly likely. Encouraging the candidate and his surrogates to defend the indefensible is a losing strategy, especially among active Catholic voters. If the "above my pay grade" comment had occurred in a televised president debate, it might have qualified for the strike out.

Chaput Interview with Hewitt

Interview with Archbishop Charles Chaput on the Hugh Hewitt radio show.

Transcript: HERE
Podcast: HERE, Pt1 & Pt2

The Born - Alive Act

Catholics for Obama can't ignore this... or shouldn't

In an interview with the Rev. Rick Warren, Barack Obama was asked about abortion, and he remarked that it was a serious, vexing “moral” question. On the matter of when human life began, he said, that “whether you’re looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity … is above my pay grade.” In the hands of Obama the meaning of “moral” is recast: What does it mean to say that this is a “moral” question and yet it must depend on judgments that are wholly subjective and personal, and which cannot be judged as true or false? For Obama, a “moral” question is one for which reason can supply no judgment, and the judgment may turn finally turn on nothing more than self-interest. The question of global warming is a tangled, scientific question, generating serious controversy, and yet Obama has never confessed any disability that prevents him from consulting the testimony, the presentations of evidence, and trying to form a judgment. What prevents him then from consulting the textbooks of embryology or obstetric gynecology, or asking anyone who knows, in an effort to inform his judgment? The textbooks will tell him of course that human life begins with the merger of male and female gametes to form a zygote, a unique being with a genetic definition quite different from that of either parent. If that is too much to absorb, he may retreat to the point readily understood even by people without a college education: A pregnancy test is a sufficient and telling sign that new life is present and growing. We know now that this life does not undergo any change of species from its beginning to its end. Conceived by humans, it cannot be anything other than a human life. And if there was nothing there alive and growing, an abortion would no more be indicated or relevant than a tonsillectomy. Now if that is truly above Mr. Obama’s “pay grade,” then the presidency must surely be beyond his competence and his pay grade. MORE

Jill Stanek: A Must See Tonight

Found this on American Papist (Thanks AP for the headsup)

PRO-LIFE PULSE - Just what does Obama believe in: What his paygrade reveals

Book In Review: George Weigel

Weigel reviews Archbishop Chaput's new book, Render Unto Caesar.

I know I'm selling this book rather hard, however as election time and the conventions approach, bringing awareness of an informed conscience to Catholic voters is essential.

Some will get caught up in the political hoopla and maybe forget to render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's.

Archbishop Chaput is a pastor, first and foremost; his book is a pastor's book. It's informed by scholarship, and by the archbishop's extensive experience in wrestling with issues at the intersection of morality and public policy.

At the same time it's a book for ordinary Catholics who want to be faithful to the Church and faithful to the first principles of justice in their civic lives. Here's the argument, concentrated into nine key points.

1. Schizophrenic Catholicism is neither Catholic, nor responsible, nor patriotic. "We have obligations as believers," the archbishop writes. "We have duties as citizens. We need to honor both, or we honor neither."

2. Postmodern secularist skepticism about the truth of anything is soul-withering; in C.S. Lewis's phrase, it makes "men without chests." The current social, political and demographic malaise of aggressively secularist Europe is an object lesson, and a warning, for America: "A public life that excludes God does not enrich the human spirit. It kills it."

3. The new anti-Catholicism in the U.S. is not built around antipathy to the papacy, the sacraments, consecrated religious life, or the other bugaboos of those who once ranted about the "Whore of Babylon." Rather, it's an assault on religiously informed public moral argument of any sort, an attack against "...any faithful Christian social engagement." So we can't rest easy with the fact that the Catholic Church plays a considerable role in American society. There are forces in the land that would banish Catholicism, and indeed classic biblical morality, from a place at the table of democratic deliberation.

4. Because the Catholic Church's defense of the first principles of justice -- principles that can be known by reason -- has specific policy implications for public life, the Church's teaching has political "side-effects." Anyone who considers this partisan meddling is simply mistaken. The most powerful "political" statement Catholics and other Christians make is to acknowledge the sovereignty of Christ as the first sovereignty in our lives. This confession of faith in fact helps make democracy possible, by erecting a barrier against the modern state's tendency to fill every nook and cranny of social space.

5. America was founded on the convictions that there are moral truths that we can know by reason, and that the state has no business doing theology. The result was the vibrant, religiously informed public moral culture that amazed Alexis de Toqcueville in the 19th century. That distinctive American experience later shaped Vatican II's teaching on religious freedom and the limited, constitutional state.

6. Work for social progress, however noble, is no substitute for ongoing personal conversion to Jesus Christ. True conversion will almost inevitably extract costs in politics. Catholic politicians who seek to avoid these dilemmas by hiding in the underbrush of a public square stripped of religious and moral reference points should reflect on the lives of Thomas More and Martin Luther King.

7. There is a bottom line in all this: the life issues are "foundational ... because the act of dehumanizing and killing the unborn child attacks human dignity in a uniquely grave way."

8. Responsible citizenship means making choices, not simply voting the way our grandparents did. Citizenship is an exercise in moral judgment, not in tribal loyalty.

9. Nothing in politics is perfect, including candidates. Yet unless we fight for the truth, "we become what the Word of God has such disgust for: salt that has lost its flavor."

Good stuff. Buy one yourself; buy another for a friend.