Nobody asked me....

Let me be as clear as I possibly can about this..............I DID NOT WANT TO BUY A FREAKIN' CAR COMPANY ANYMORE THAN I WANTED TO PAY MY NEIGHBORS MORTGAGE, FINANCE SOMEONE'S ABORTION, OR KICK IN $24,OOO.OO FOR BARRY'S NIGHT OUT ON THE TOWN.

ANY QUESTIONS?

I DIDN'T THINK SO...

GM Bankruptcy to Bring Taxpayer Ownership, Less Debt

June 1 (Bloomberg) -- General Motors Corp., the world’s largest automaker for 77 years, will file for bankruptcy today, and emerge with majority ownership by taxpayers and liabilities reduced by more than 50 percent, the U.S. government said.

The “new GM” will get $30.1 billion in bankruptcy financing from the government, and the Treasury “does not anticipate providing any additional assistance” after that, the Obama administration said yesterday in a statement. The federal government will have a 60 percent equity stake in the retooled automaker, and 12 percent will be held by the Canadian government, which is lending $9.5 billion to the company. read the rest

Statements made about Tiller's death:

Jean over at Catholic Fire has a comprehensive list of statements from pro-life groups concerning the death of Dr. Tiller

Late Term Abortion Doctor Shot Dead at his Church

This is not good news! It feeds fuel to the fire of opinion that thinks pro-life people are not wrapped tightly.

While Dr. Tiller's legacy is reprehensible, murder of another human being in these circumstances can never, ever be considered some sort of divine retribution.

The Other McCain is keeping us up to date with many links (thanks to Smitty)

I am already seeing backlash against "Christians" popping up here and there.

Please pray for the repose of the soul of Dr. Tiller and for his family.

Suspect in Custody

WICHITA, Kan. – Prominent late-term abortion provider George Tiller was shot and killed Sunday in a Wichita church where he was serving as an usher, his attorney said. The gunman fled but a city official said a suspect is in custody. read the rest

Update:

The BlogProf is also doing a great job with links. I have been working outside and just popped in to check the news and so I feel like I'm a bit behind the curve on this story .

More Updates:

Abortion foes fear backlash to Tiller's murder

By DAVID CRARY – 25 minutes ago

NEW YORK (AP) — Anti-abortion leaders voiced concern Sunday that the Obama administration and other Democrats may try to capitalize on the murder of Dr. George Tiller to defuse the abortion issue in upcoming Supreme Court confirmation hearings. read more

Email from Laura:

Friends,

In case you haven't heard, late-term abortionist Dr. George Tiller was shot and killed inside his church this morning.

It has been several years since we have heard of such violence against an abortionist - someone in Fr Z's blog comments pointed out that we heard of no incidence during the presidency of George W. Bush (I'll have to double check that, but it sounds right) -

Pro-life activists have never had an easy time of work, with numerous trespassing charges and other acts of harassment leveled against us, but now, since pro-life activists have been named potential terrorists by Homeland Security, this incident may provide the impetus for even less tolerance than we've known before.

Most of you know or remember that I'm working on a pro-life website, Deliberate Engagement. We deplore acts of violence in the name of "Life." We most vigorously protest that the murder of Dr. Tiller was wrong.

I'm emailing you to ask you to pray for the family of friends of Dr. Tiller as they deal with this horrific event. We should also pray for the murderer.

Most of all, I urge you to keep your eyes and ears open to signs that Government is taking a tougher stance against those of us working to promote the protection of all of human life, from conception to natural death. Keep us posted as you hear of things that effect this work?

Above all, support and encourage one another in this work of the Lord

Update:

Earlier I posted on the controversy surrounding the arrest of a man who killed an armed robber. So far I think Father Erik over at Orthometer has the best answer. I'm still waiting for some of my legal eagle types (where are you Mark?), to check in.

Father Erik said:

"I think it will come down to whether or not the dead gunman (if your old enough to commit armed robbery, you are a man not a boy) still constituted a threat or could reasonably been considered one. If there is any doubt, it should be in the pharmacist's favor."

"As for the race pimps, they are doing the cause of racial justice no favors. And while I certainly feel compassion for the dead robber's mom, she would do well to blame her son, not the man resisting violent crime."

I might mention that Father Erik just won Best Blog by a Religious at the annual Cannonball Blog Awards. His acceptance post was gracious and oh so charming.

I Would Like To Thanks All The Little People...

who I browbeat into voting for me in the 2009 Cannonball Awards.

Looks like I won Best Blog By A Religious... Not Fr. Z. (Maybe this should be renamed, Blog By Priest Who Needs to pray more.)

I also won Best Blog That Needs To Be Updated More Often. (I promise to do all in my power to deserve this award in the coming year.)

And now for the sour grapes.

In the category of Bat Shit Crazy, I came in third behind The Diginatrix and The Crescat herself. (Personally, I think they had unfair advantages. Digi is an ex-patriot New Yawker and lawyer living in the OC with two kids. Kat is a single mother who works with an Enya addict. Of course they come across more BSC!)

I was whipped fair and square by the Bonnie Blue Flag Waving Southern Appeal in the Church Militant Category, thus demonstrating the power of pulled-pork BBQ, sweet tea, and grits. I will thus emulate that great American General Robert E. Lee and concede defeat with gracious dignity.

Cyber Czar?

This doesn't pass the sniff test....

I've been thinking about this since I first read about it this morning. A cyber czar(what's with all this czar business, anyway?)

Certain things jumped out at me such as;

"But Mr. Obama’s policy review was not specific about how he would turn many of the goals into practical realities, and he said nothing about resolving the running turf wars among the Pentagon, the National Security Agency, the Homeland Security Department and other agencies over the conduct of defensive and offensive cyberoperations."

When is this man ever specific? He just throws stuff out into the air and never gives any details and next thing you know a bill is being passed, an executive order over turned, or he's spending another gazillion of our money.

Next:

"The White House approach appears to place a new “cybersecurity coordinator” over all of those agencies. Mr. Obama did not name the coordinator Friday, but the policy review said that whoever the president selects would be “action officer” inside the White House during cyberattacks, whether they were launched on the United States by hackers or governments."

"In an effort to silence critics who have complained that the official will not have sufficient status to cut through the maze of competing federal agencies, Mr. Obama said the new coordinator would have “regular access to me,” much like the coordinator for nuclear and conventional threats."

So we have someone who reports directly to him concerning the internet and cyber-security. Sounds rather controlling to me.

More:

Although the president did not discuss details of the expanding role for the military in offensive and pre-emptive cyberoperations, senior officials said Friday that the Pentagon planned to create a new cybercommand to organize and train for digital war, and to oversee offensive and defensive operations.

There's those pesky little details again. Pre-emptive cyberoperations? What the heck does that mean? Is he planning on having the army go around and blow up possible rogue modems, or is he possibly more interested in controlling cyberspace as well as the airwaves?

Sources: New York Times , San Jose Mercury News

Addiction Alert

OMGosh - we were offline for about 5 hours this morning. I'm still drooling....

Make My Day

AP Oklahoma druggist arrested for killing holdup man...

OKLAHOMA CITY – Confronted by two holdup men, pharmacist Jerome Ersland pulled a gun, shot one of them in the head and chased the other away. Then, in a scene recorded by the drugstore's security camera, he went behind the counter, got another gun, and pumped five more bullets into the wounded teenager as he lay on the floor.

Now Ersland has been charged with first-degree murder in a case that has stirred a furious debate over vigilante justice and self-defense and turned the pharmacist into something of a folk hero. read the rest and tell me what you think

Your future car....compliments of Government Motors

Many thanks to Kevin Jackson over at The Black Sphere. I've been reading Kevin for awhile now and he graciously had his team put this video together for our elucidation and enjoyment.

Thanks Kevin!

♦

Two bloggers on LaRaza and Sotomayor

Same Day, Same Subject

When two bloggers whom I respect, post or comment on the same subject on the same day, I take it as a hint that I need to pay attention to the subject. I have only a cursory knowledge of La Raza, none of which is good, but now I will deepen my research.

from the combox:

Carlos Echevarria of Let's Get It Right says: (hey Carlos - did you know that the blogger spell checker wants to replace your name with "achievers"? How apt!)

"She most definitely is a racist, as is that vile organization La Raza which she is a member of."

and....

The Blog Prof posted this today...

Sonia Sotomayor Is A Member Of Racist Group La Raza ("The Race")

Does it never end?

On the heals of complaining about folks calling Ms. Sotomayor ugly, I must say this adulation of our current President's physical attributes leaves me puzzled. Very telling in this article is the photographer recounting how Mr. Obama showed up for a simple college photo shoot with his own props. Weird!

Photos of a young Obama reveal a campus hunk

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – He was tall and stunningly good looking, a guy who could appear pensive and serious one moment and then, with smoke from an unfiltered cigarette swirling around his face, morph into the hippest looking dude this side of James Dean. read the rest and watch the short video to see some of the photos (of a rather ordinary young college guy!)

Oh yes - photo's will start at $1000.00 if you want to purchase one...

Sotomayor Ugly?

Before we get to the "ugly" part, let's talk about her qualifications. Well, she really doesn't have any, but that didn't stop our current President from becoming our current President so why should it stop her from being a Supreme Court Justice? Let's not forget she has emmmmmpaaaaaaathy.

Is she a racist? Based on her own comments, I have reached the conclusion she is a racist.

Is she likely to be a bit of a loose cannon? Your guess is as good as mine on that issue. But what I am quite sure of is this: if she is not confirmed, the next choice will be way worse. Count on it!

So on to the ugly part. It is disgusting to log onto conservative sites that make fun of her looks. Somewhere out there it was said she "looked like Susan Boyle without the charm", or some such thing. I can't give attribution on the statement because I honestly don't remember where I read it.

We have become so crude and crass in this country, people who refer to themselves as journalists think making fun of a person's appearance is legitimate reporting, and the public, like some peanut gallery attendees at a Roman circus, jump on the bandwagon like so many sandlot bullies.

I found it disheartening when these bullies piled on Susan Boyle, whom I thought was perfectly charming and lovely even before they plucked her eyebrows. And now the remarks about Ms. Sotomayor are equally disturbing.

There is nothing at all wrong with Sonia Sotomayor's appearance. In fact I find her quite pretty with a dazzling smile that lights up her whole face. If you want to be taken seriously, then stop with the ugly jokes. They're not funny!

See what others have said:

Souter with a Salsa Beat?

Sotomayor: Pro-choice groups worried?

Sotomayor:Fish Must Be Protected from Power Plants Regardless of Cost-Benefit

87% Expect Sotomayor Will Be Confirmed. 45% Say She Should Be

Interest groups already engaged in nominee battle

What a Protestant thinks of Doug Kmiec

..."he is a lying liberal scumbag"... heh

read the rest

Say hello to OldBob44, a brand new blogger. He hails from Minneapolis and is closer to my age than most of the whippersnappers hanging around the internet. I read most of his posts and he's one pretty dang smart dude!

And after saying hi to OldBob, pop over and visit Mungo at The Devils Chewtoy (don't you love that name??), another newbie on the scene.

This makes perfect sense since our current President has made it clear we are not a Christian country....

Associated Press
Published: May 27, 2009

PROSPECT, Conn. (AP) - A Connecticut school district is considering a proposal to close schools on two Muslim holidays.

The Region 16 Board of Education is expected to take up the Student Council’s proposal this week.

The board represents the towns of Prospect and Beacon Falls, Conn.

The resolution asks the board not to hold classes on the day that marks the end of the fasting period of Ramadan and on the day that concludes the annual observance of the pilgrimage to Mecca. Eyewitness News 9

16,000 Jobs Lost Each Day Since Spendulus Passed....

16,000 Jobs Lost Each Day Since Spendulus Passed....

If it wasn't for folks like Robert Stacy McCain and the BlogProf (not just another pretty face!), who eschew such luxuries as sleep in order to keep us informed, I would have to give up my sleep time. Better them than me - they're younger!

RS McCain posted a great chart showing unemployment claims since the "stimulus" bill passed that he picked up at Gateway Pundit (one of the best blogs, evah!), who in turn has links to even more information from Instapundit.

Obama praises stimulus bill as it hits 100-day mark

The president says the legislation has 'created or saved' nearly 150,000 jobs in the time since the bill was passed, tempering his remarks by saying, 'There are still too many Americans out of work. Ya think??? Los Angeles Times

Well there you have it folks. Straight from the front page of Google. Are the people of this country really that stupid??

Socialist-Marxism is evil...

Thanks to Father Philip Powell for passing on this great chart. He got it at Maggie's Farm who found it at Dr. Sanity.

Head over to Dr. Sanity for a larger view and some wonderful explanations of each strategy.



I wish I could report that I accomplished lots and lots of work - but I can't. Our dirt bag neighbor's pitbull/rottie was loose meaning all I could do was stay in our fenced area until animal control arrived.

This is our third or fourth batch of dangerous dogs next door that we have had to contend with. But when you grow pot in your garage and hide stolen cars, you need a bad ass dog, doncha know!

Oh yes - animal control will be back tomorrow with a Sheriff's Deputy....

What are doing today?.......

Internet Monk has a very good article on how and why we use the internet. I first read this type of reflection on 43 folders.


Random Thoughts About The Internet: What I’m Doing With It, What It’s Doing To Us, How It’s Changed Me, Etc.
May 26th, 2009 by iMonk

A bunch of things that occurred to me today, all related to the internet and what we do on it and with it.

1. It strikes me that the predominant sins in this medium are narcissism and waste. We need to differentiate narcissism from various kinds of legitimate self-revelation, but we need to proclaim that narcissism is a sin many of us are absolutely exulting in.

And waste is waste. Time. Affections. Work. Mental energy. Significance. read the rest

On that note I'm heading outside to do work - lots and lots of work....

Thanks to Terry over at Abby Roads

Where's our 19 Billion?

You could have knocked me over with that proverbial feather this morning when I read the headlines: GM says bondholder offer fails; bankruptcy likely.

Oooops - Bailout figure likely to hit 60 billion

However:

According to the Washington Post the union's cost-of-living increases, along with some holiday pay, were suspended. Yet UAW President Ronald A. Gettelfinger stressed that there would be no reduction in the membership's base hourly pay, health care and pensions.

Meantime, while shopping in Coeur d' Alene yesterday I couldn't help but notice the large expansion taking place at Parker Toyota.

American Idol Rigged??

I don't watch American Idol but was still a bit shocked to read this. Does AT&T really care who wins?? It appears that AT&T may have had some bit of influence on the votes.

Criticize Sotomayor and you'll be called a racist....

I'm going to repeat what I said yesterday and was glad Rush stopped by to pick up on my train of thought. Sonia Sotomayor is a racist and Barack Obama is the racist in chief.

Sotomayor a Racist?

“I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life,” Judge Sotomayor

Once again our current President has chosen a person based on race. I thought we were to move beyond the "color of one's skin."

Ms. Sotomayor also has an alarming number of her cases reversed. So tell me again why Barry chose her? Oh yes, she has empathy. Great reason!

Take time today to pray for the men and women who died to keep you free...

Oh My!!

Susan Boyle does it again.....

I just had to steal this lock, stock, and cocktail stirrer from our very own clever Angela over at Where Angels Go...

"Celebrity cocktails - it's one of my favorite junky things to read on the internet. For example, here is one I lifted off the internet: the Sarah Jessica Stinger - in a cocktail shaker combine two parts of the color pink, one part water of the fountain of youth (if out of stock, Botox does the trick), and three parts of any beauty product or perfume that you sponsor. Shake well and pour into a size 6 Manolo Blahnik stiletto. Drink with your girlfriends while divulging your sexual escapades."

"I thought it would be fun to make up both celebrity and blogger cocktails or food dishes. For instance:"

The Kate Gosselin Sour - combine one part blonde hair dye, one shrill voice and 8 little children and dump over a soon-to-be-ex husband. Oh - and add a good dose of Angostura bitters! Drink chilled with your lawyer.

The Terry (Nelson) Collins - mix equal parts oil paint, acrylic and pastels. Shake well and serve in a Lalique vase.

The Cathy Alexander - combine some crazy dreams with lake trout, bread with shotgun shells, cook over a campfire while sipping a martini.

The Crescat Casserole - skip the food and go straight for the beer!

The Larry D BBQ special - marinate hockey pucks in some beer. While they are sitting, BBQ up some T-bone steaks. Remove hockey pucks from marinade, drink beer and substitute DingDongs for the pucks so the boys have something to eat. (Pucks can be reused this winter.)

Pasta Gigli a la Adrienne- no booze here, but this dish takes 12 steps. It consists of lily shaped pasta, lots and lots of hairspray, lipstick, perfume, dangly earrings and common sense! Top with spaghetti sauce.

Tara-misu - because we soak the lady fingers in espresso! Top with mascarpone and grated chocolate. Chill in a Salt Lake City snowbank.

The Luscious Laura - a delightful combo of grit, red-eye gravy and a savory slice of ham.

The Gemlet - wipe the rim of gigantic margarita glass with lots and lots of salt. Pour in the driest vermouth you can find. Serve with a folded lace mantilla on the side as a napkin.

The Digi-dog - not to be confused with her darling Josie! - a baseball stadium hot dog (ask if she prefers Shea or Yankee) topped with sauerkraut and corned beef. Serve with a side of .45 s.

The Chris-wich - a double decker deli sandwich, combining a sprinkle of Jones Beach sand, black and white cookies, a kosher dill, and a New York steak. Serve on a TV tray while watching the news.

Five Alarm Chile Adoro - a staple at the firehouse! Place six gallons of jabanero peppers in a fireproof pot. Stir in some cheese and 10 gallons of kidney beans, 3 gallons of onions and 7 gallons of tomatoes. Garnish with a fire hose or two and have your insurance adjusters phone number on hand. Warning - nuns may need to remove their veils and wimples to eat this.

The Ward Nine - combine the cutest baby in the world with two adoring parents. Add a dash of giggles and lots of hugs. This dish is already sweetened - no need to add sugar.

Thanks Angela!!

Sam Webb Lays Out Communist Agenda for Obama Administration
by Procrustes at RBO (the real Barack Obama)

Barack Obama has been beholden to the Communist Party USA for decades. From the boyhood mentoring he received from Frank Marshall Davis, to support for his 2004 Senate campaign, ongoing work in Chicago and massive party support in his 2008 presidential run.

Now its payback time.

The Party wants Obama to deliver a new “New Deal” — a massive extension of government and union power that will permanently transform US society.

Read the speech given by given by Communist Party National Chair Sam Webb, at the People’s Workers World’s (PWW) Better World Awards banquet in New York City, May 17, 2009.

Video Leak

By some strange twist of fate Terry over at Abbey Roads has glommed unto an old video from my dance studio. It is a typical practice night with our students and was taped without our knowledge. Worth a look see...

from the combox:

Memorial Day is truly a day to honor our veterans, but it is also a day to pay respect to anyone close to us who has passed on, whether they be relatives, friends, etc. Perhaps our current president is confusing Memorial Day with Veterans Day?

I agree re: being chided once again for not measuring up. Rather than admonishing and wagging his finger at the rest of us, he should first check his own long laundry list of things he has done wrong, and continues to do wrong. We are to first check the mote in our own eye, which based on his political history so far, is about the size of a ponderosa pine. One Bead Short of a Rosary

Well said One Bead....

Art: Brian Jekel

Answers to questions:

Mighty Mom - new adoptees on the way and the tarragon went in the compost pile. Trust me there is tons left behind. I taught ballroom dancing for close to 10 drug and alcohol filled years. It was fun ;-) If you plant a bed with nothing but bulbs, when they are through blooming in the spring you will have a big empty bed. Bulbs have to be under-planted or interspersed in a bed.

Mark - yes indeedy, I actually did some work. Afterwards I had to lie down with a cold cloth on my forehead.

How Dare Him!

More of the Blame Game for Obama

I don't know about you but I've always paid respect and honored those that have served in our military. I spoke out loudly against the the people who spit on returning soldiers from Vietnam. My flag is flying in front of my house, not just on Memorial Day but all the time.

How dare this poser and his harridan of a wife once again denigrate and insult the people of this country.

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama saluted veterans and urged his countrymen to do the same this Memorial Day weekend, saying the nation has not always paid them proper respect.

In his weekly radio and Internet address Saturday, Obama said people can honor veterans by sending a letter or care package to troops overseas, volunteering at health clinics or taking supplies to a homeless veterans center. He said it could also mean something as simple as saying "thank you" to a veteran walking by on the street.

"We have a responsibility to serve all of them as well as they serve all of us," Obama said. "And yet, all too often in recent years and decades, we, as a nation, have failed to live up to that responsibility. We have failed to give them the support they need or pay them the respect they deserve. read the rest

Thanks, Joe!

A young man who recognizes truth...

My friend, Joe of St. Therese, has a wonderful parsing of our current President's latest speech. The future of our country will depend on fearless promoters of the truth. Thanks, Joe!

Will zero ever get it? More stupidity out of Zero's mouth

And we wonder what went wrong in Callie??

I sure don't know how some bloggers manage to be so prolific. As some of you know, I have a daylily nursery and this is my busy, busy time. Spraying, planting, digging and shipping orders fill up most of my days. By the time I drag myself inside it's all I can do to read the brilliant posts of all my buddies.

Yesterday I spent time in the herb garden. Normal people put in an herb garden that is 5 feet by 5 feet. Was that good enough for me? Why, of course not. I had to put in a round herb garden that is about 50 feet in diameter with cute little circular paths. Sort of a labyrinth for plants.

So in this herb garden is some tarragon. Not the nice normal tarragon other folks have. Mine gets about 6 to 7 feet tall and grows like some sort of primitive maggot. Do I have one clump of this? Heck no! I have TEN huge clumps. I spent about four hours digging, cutting, pulling, and thinning. Know how much I got done? Sure you do. FOUR clumps. It took my husband hours to cart off the piles. Four down, six to go..... Arrrrgh!

The Blog Prof manages to turn out fabulous copy, do his job, and fits in competitive bodybuilding. Now ladies - you can go read all the brilliant stuff he has written or you can go directly to his hot workout pictures. The choice is yours...

And then there's Robert Stacy McCain, who must be getting paid by the syllable. His output of words leaves me breathless with envy.

Mantilla the Hon is posting again over at Father Longenecker's. She's got some very good points on cassock albs - you know the white potato sacks some servers wear.


Vote for New Blog Name

Head over to RightKlik and help us name our new blog. We're gathering up like minded conservative folk for a brand new blog.

As always I have lots more to say but it's already pushing midnight and I've been hard at it since dawn. Only working a half day outside tomorrow so see you tomorrow.

God bless Laura Ingraham

Oh yes, did I mention that Obama's new budget will fund abortions in Washington, DC with taxpayer money? And what demographic group do you think will be getting the majority of these abortions on our dime? And Barry calls us racist?

H/T Gateway Pundit

Congratulations
Shawn Johnson
Winner Season 8
Dancing with the Stars

I was so pleased for this lovely young lady to be the winner this season. Her partner, Mark Ballas, is the grandson of George Ballas who owned Dance City in Houston, Texas where I taught ballroom dancing for many years. Congrats to both of you!

Archbishop Chaput on our current Presidents speech at Notre Dame

Most graduation speeches are a mix of piety and optimism designed to ease students smoothly into real life. The best have humor. Some genuinely inspire. But only a rare few manage to be pious, optimistic, evasive, sad and damaging all at the same time. Father John Jenkins, C.S.C., Notre Dame’s president, is a man of substantial intellect and ability. This makes his introductory comments to President Obama’s Notre Dame commencement speech on May 17 all the more embarrassing.

Let’s remember that the debate over President Obama’s appearance at Notre Dame was never about whether he is a good or bad man. The president is clearly a sincere and able man. By his own words, religion has had a major influence in his life. We owe him the respect Scripture calls us to show all public officials. We have a duty to pray for his wisdom and for the success of his service to the common good -- insofar as it is guided by right moral reasoning.

We also have the duty to oppose him when he’s wrong on foundational issues like abortion, embryonic stem cell research and similar matters. And we also have the duty to avoid prostituting our Catholic identity by appeals to phony dialogue that mask an abdication of our moral witness. Notre Dame did not merely invite the president to speak at its commencement. It also conferred an unnecessary and unearned honorary law degree on a man committed to upholding one of the worst Supreme Court decisions in our nation’s history: Roe v. Wade.

In doing so, Notre Dame ignored the U.S. bishops’ guidance in their 2004 statement, Catholics in Political Life. It ignored the concerns of Ambassador Mary Ann Glendon, Notre Dame’s 2009 Laetare Medal honoree – who, unlike the president, certainly did deserve her award, but finally declined it in frustration with the university’s action. It ignored appeals from the university’s local bishop, the president of the U.S. Catholic bishops’ conference, more than 70 other bishops, many thousands of Notre Dame alumni and hundreds of thousands of other American Catholics. Even here in Colorado, I’ve heard from too many to count.

There was no excuse – none, except intellectual vanity – for the university to persist in its course. And Father Jenkins compounded a bad original decision with evasive and disingenuous explanations to subsequently justify it.

These are hard words, but they’re deserved precisely because of Father Jenkins’ own remarks on May 17: Until now, American Catholics have indeed had “a special expectation, a special hope for what Notre Dame can accomplish in the world.” For many faithful Catholics – and not just a “small but vocal group” described with such inexcusable disdain and ignorance in journals like Time magazine -- that changed Sunday.

The May 17 events do have some fitting irony, though. Almost exactly 25 years ago, Notre Dame provided the forum for Gov. Mario Cuomo to outline the “Catholic” case for “pro-choice” public service. At the time, Cuomo’s speech was hailed in the media as a masterpiece of American Catholic legal and moral reasoning. In retrospect, it’s clearly adroit. It’s also, just as clearly, an illogical and intellectually shabby exercise in the manufacture of excuses. Father Jenkins’ explanations, and President Obama’s honorary degree, are a fitting national bookend to a quarter century of softening Catholic witness in Catholic higher education. Together, they’ve given the next generation of Catholic leadership all the excuses they need to baptize their personal conveniences and ignore what it really demands to be “Catholic” in the public square.

Chicago’s Cardinal Francis George has suggested that Notre Dame “didn’t understand” what it means to be Catholic before these events began. He's correct, and Notre Dame is hardly alone in its institutional confusion. That's the heart of the matter. Notre Dame’s leadership has done a real disservice to the Church, and now seeks to ride out the criticism by treating it as an expression of fringe anger. But the damage remains, and Notre Dame’s critics are right. The most vital thing faithful Catholics can do now is to insist – by their words, actions and financial support – that institutions claiming to be “Catholic” actually live the faith with courage and consistency. If that happens, Notre Dame’s failure may yet do some unintended good.

Typical Obama

I'm wondering why no one has remarked on this snippet from our current President's speech at Notre Dame. The closing words of this segment of his speech should tell you, once again, what type of person has been elected.

Obama tells us over and over again who he really is, and the Kool Aid drinkers just refuse to hear the message. He is telling you that he still believes people who oppose abortion are"right-wing ideologues who want to take away a woman's right to choose." He thinks by scrubbing the words off his web-site we should be happy and relieved. Wow, finally a President who really understands.

Notice he manages to get a plug in for his book while trying to demonstrate to his audience what a "fair-minded" person he really is.

As I considered the controversy surrounding my visit here, I was reminded of an encounter I had during my Senate campaign, one that I describe in a book I wrote called The Audacity of Hope. A few days after I won the Democratic nomination, I received an email from a doctor who told me that while he voted for me in the primary, he had a serious concern that might prevent him from voting for me in the general election. He described himself as a Christian who was strongly pro-life, but that's not what was preventing him from voting for me.

What bothered the doctor was an entry that my campaign staff had posted on my website - an entry that said I would fight "right-wing ideologues who want to take away a woman's right to choose." The doctor said that he had assumed I was a reasonable person, but that if I truly believed that every pro-life individual was simply an ideologue who wanted to inflict suffering on women, then I was not very reasonable. He wrote, "I do not ask at this point that you oppose abortion, only that you speak about this issue in fair-minded words."

Fair-minded words.

After I read the doctor's letter, I wrote back to him and thanked him. I didn't change my position, but I did tell my staff to change the words on my website.

New Rape of the Working Class to be Announced!

Robert Stacy McCain is gloating over the fact he beat Memorandum to the punch this morning on this newest piece of legislation. I heard a rumor that Stacy was at his computer by 2 am. He has managed to collect an amazing amount of information for us - Thanks, Stacy!

This bill will be adding approximately $1300.00 to cost of an automobile in just a few short years. Do you think Obama, Nancy Pelosi, et al care one whit about that? If they were so darn worried about the quality of the air, maybe they should park their gas-guzzling private jets and use the phone.


and from boston.com

Obama to announce emissions rules

In advance of President Obama's big auto emissions event this afternoon, the White House sent out its spin on the proposals, plus a list of those attending the announcement.

Obama is outlining new fuel efficiency standards as part of his broader goal of reducing pollution from vehicle tailpipes. read more

Don't Be a Lukewarm Catholic...

After a busy weekend and about 10 hours working outside yesterday, attending Mass followed by the gym was all I could handle today.

We also don't always realize how much it negatively affects our health and well being when we listen or read about things like our current President's speech at Notre Dame. The drivel that slithered from Father Jenkin's mouth was but an appetizer for Obama's main course.

If in the past you doubted that the Church is under attack, this past weekend should set your alarm bells ringing. The sight of "Catholic" students booing pro-life people and chanting "yes we can", is testimony to their lack of real Catholic education.

This doesn't start in college but in the homes of these students. Parents who don't know their faith send the kiddies to religious education programs at Catholic Churches that are nothing more than warmed over New Age gobbledygook at best, and outright heretical at worst.

The term "social justice" has become code for, "you can do anything you want as long as you love and take care of your neighbor and doctrine be damned!"

We attended Mass at St. Al's on the campus of Gonzaga University in Spokane before the Lilac Day Armed Forces Parade Saturday evening. Being exhorted to greet our neighbors in the pews and tortured with the "big four" - Haugen, Haas, Schutte, and Foley, was just the tip of the iceberg. At the prayers of the faithful we were asked to pray for our current President and the Congress as they discussed immigration and healthcare reform.

Certainly we should pray for these things, but wasn't there something missing there? How about abortion and embryonic stem cell research? On the very day of the Notre Dame controversy reaching its climax, the silence on this issue was thunderous. Did I mention that Gonzaga is a Jesuit run school?

I really like the approach Mathew Archbold takes in this fine post over at Creative Minority Report titled "Why Reduce Abortions." Sometimes the simple approach of asking a question that has no real solid answer will possibly short circuit some people's approach to this subject.

We must start doing this because the time to be silent is over. War has been declared and we are called. Surely we can defend the Church and its teachings given to us by Jesus Christ who died for us that we may have eternal life with Him.

from the combox:

Lola has left a new comment on your post " This is nauseating... U.S. President Barack Obama...":

"Theirs is a narrow faith devoted almost exclusively to one issue. They defend the rights of the unborn but have no charity toward the living. They mock social justice as a liberal mythology."
P. McGuire

And the following could be most of my extended family:

"I'm not going to be a single issue voter. Besides most Republicans want to protect the unborn but do nothing for the born..." YaDa Yada yada

But let me tell you this, and it's no secret with Pro-lifers, this argument gets old since those that throw that argument out there hardly do anything for anyone anyway. Unless fundraising for the PETA or PP would count. Thank you, Judy Blume.

But why can't these half-baked intellectuals acknowledge that it is through the Narrow Gate (Faith)that we enter the Kingdom of Heaven?

Where am I going to spend my kids higher education dollars? Probably a state school because the big name Catholic Schools are just so d@mn disappointing.

Thank you Adrienne for putting the truth out there and for fighting the Good Fight!

Perhaps Why

This is nauseating...

U.S. President Barack Obama raises his arm as he takes part in the blessing of students during the commencement ceremonies at Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana, May 17, 2009. REUTERS/Jason Reed

H/T Gateway Pundit

Thanks to MightyMom (who is recovering from surgery and needs for you to tell her to follow doctor's orders), for this link to a wonderfully written article by Sherry Antonetti.

Perhaps Why

"The honoring of President Obama with a law degree at commencement has confounded those who love the ideals embodied by Notre Dame."

"I have been pondering for several days, why would the President of the most celebrated Catholic University in America remain so resolute when so many people of the faith and leaders of the Church were counseling otherwise?" read the rest

Barf Bag Alert

So now we who uphold authentic Catholic teachings are insular, parochial, ostensibly Catholic members of a mob, and full of hatred.

emphasis mine....

The remarks by Trinity Washington University President Patricia McGuire were among the speeches given at graduation ceremonies big and small across the region.

Speaking on Trinity's campus in Northeast Washington, McGuire said that "a half-century of progress for Catholic higher education is at risk of slipping back into those insular, parochial pre-Vatican II days" when academic freedom was not valued within the Catholic Church.

"The real scandal at Notre Dame today is not that the president of the United States is speaking at commencement," McGuire said. "The real scandal is the misappropriation of sacred teachings for political ends. The real scandal is the spectacle of ostensibly Catholic mobs camping out at Notre Dame for the specific purpose of disrupting the commencement address of the nation's first African American president. This ugly spectacle is an embarrassment to all Catholics. The face that Catholicism shows to our new president should be one marked with the sign of peace, not distorted in the snarl of hatred."

McGuire continued, "The religious vigilantism apparent in the Notre Dame controversy arises from organizations that have no official standing with the church, but who are successful in gaining media coverage as if they were speaking for Catholicism. . . . They have established themselves as uber-guardians of a belief system we can hardly recognize. Theirs is a narrow faith devoted almost exclusively to one issue. They defend the rights of the unborn but have no charity toward the living. They mock social justice as a liberal mythology."

H/T HotAir

Welcome Creative Minority Reports readers. Pour a cup of coffee and browse around and let me know who you are. I love new friends...

What is Our Current President Up To??

He gets up in front of an audience and declares our current spending "unsustainable". He also, in a rather back-handed way, blames us.

This mere days before attempting to decimate our health care system to the tune of trillions of dollars.


Two Great Reads!

Two of the men in my life have marvelous posts up that lifted my spirits.

LarryD at Act of Apostasy has a wonderful reflection on detachment. He also has a chipper, which made me start the slow descent into the sin of envy.

Mark in Spokane reminded me the Little Flowers of St. Francis is a great read, and has generously posted a chapter that is special to him.

That Number Went Up in a Hurry...

GM closing 1,100 dealerships
Chrysler closing 1,900

At a low-ball figure of 50 employees per store that works out to 150,000 jobs (not counting suppliers and the gals that own the coffee trucks.


Beautiful - Says it all....

Lilac Festival Spokane Washington

****Tomorrow evening we'll be attending Mass at St. Al's at Gonzaga University in Spokane.

*****After grabbing a quick bite to eat at Dick's, our favorite drive-in, we'll be heading to the 71st Armed Forces Torchlight Parade which is held as part of the Lilac Festival in Spokane.

****

It's a wonderful parade and this year we did something we've never done before - purchased seating in the bleachers. Whooee! Just like rich people!!

*****It's always thrilling to see the stars and stripes marched down the street by our service men in full uniform and hear the cheering of the crowds. In past years the opening of the parade is marked by a B52 buzzing the downtown. Trust me, when that humongous plane flies low over the buildings, it is a sight to behold.

Notre Dame

Social Justice vs Catholic Doctrine in action:

*****I think the word "Catholic" means universal. And I think as a Catholic university, we have to engage all ideas at all levels in a very thoughtful and constructive way, which is what we're doing by inviting this speaker.

*****He is someone who aligns with Catholic teaching on a number of positions -- immigration, health care, poverty -- all things that are very close to the Catholic social tradition that is really a big force at the university -- disagrees with catholic teaching on a number of other positions, but I think does so in a respectful way and is aware of the weightiness of these issues.

*****So it is of the utmost importance that at a university we engage all of these perspectives. Brennan Bollman, Notre Dame Valedictorian 2009

*****Notice she can't even say what the those pesky little "other issues" are with which Catholic doctrine may, or my not, agree? The bottom line for her it is permissible to kill babies as long as you do it in a "respectful way".

*****This woman has been taught that immigration and health care are equal in importance to the slaughter of unborn children. Notre Dame should not be allowed to designate themselves as a Catholic university.

******Well, the very real issue is the giving an honor to President Obama. And that is what it is really about, is the honorary degree that he will be receiving.

*****And to extend an honorary degree to someone who is so opposed to a basic, fundamental right as the right and the dignity of human life, and from the moment of conception until natural death, that it sends a very mixed message and certainly is perceived by the average layperson as condoning or giving an appearance of supporting his ideas on human life and the unborn child.

*****And essentially, Notre Dame is ignoring their Catholic identity and who they are, their Catholic character by giving an award to him Bishop Samuel Aquila, Diocese of Fargo

Source: Fox News

Pewsitter has an interesting "connect the dots" post about what's behind the invitation to Obama to speak at Notre Dame. As I'm said in the past - always, always, follow the money trail!

No Likely Support From Notre Dame’s Board of Trustees For Rescinding Obama Invite

Creative Minority Report: Text Of Obama's Honorary Degree

Text of Obama's Honorary Degree
H/T Creative Minority Report,*and Gateway Pundit


We will not know if this is the actual wording until it is conferred on him tomorrow. We need to err on the side of caution when we are dealing with a "leak"...

"At the 164th Commencement The May Exercises

The University of Notre Dame Confers the degree of

Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, on the 44th president of the United States, whose historic election opened a new era of hope in a country long divided by its history of slavery and racism. A community organizer who honed his advocacy for the poor, the marginalized and the worker in the streets of Chicago, he now organizes a larger community, bringing to the world stage a renewed American dedication to diplomacy and dialogue with all nations and religions committed to human rights and the global common good. Through his willingness to engage with those who disagree with him and encourage people of faith to bring their beliefs to the public debate, he is inspiring this nation to heal its divisions of religion, culture, race and politics in the audacious hope for a brighter tomorrow.

40K + More Jobs Headed for the Toilet

Keep up the good work, Barry...

******Chrysler announced the elimination of 789 of it's dealerships. Since I used to be in the car business, let me tell you what that means. Even by low-ball figures of 50 jobs per dealership, it amounts to close to 40K jobs in the toilet. And I'm not including the peripheral businesses such as auto parts, service, and on and on.

Tell me again why we gave Chrysler and GM a gazillion dollars...please!

Dealers Struggle With Chrysler Elimination Plan ...

Chrysler won't repay bailout money

An administration official confirms that a $4 billion bridge loan and $3.2 billion in bankruptcy financing won't be paid back by Chrysler following bankruptcy. read more

Crappy TV Shows

*****Last night while making dinner, I had the TV in the kitchen ($10.00 used) tuned to that strange show " The Doctors." Now I wasn't watching The Doctors because I think it is a great show. I was watching it because it is now the only channel we receive on this particular TV. It is so old that a converter box can't even be hooked up to it. But I digress.

*****Last night they were touting Embryonic Stem Cell Research as the "end all and be all" of the future. Odd, since Oprah's favorite physician, Dr. Oz, just announced to a rather stunned Oprah and Michael J. Fox, that fetal stem cell research was a "dead issue" and that there were more reliable research methods available. It seems that fetal stem cells have a tendency to develop a "mind of their own" and run a bit crazy. While you think you're getting a liver, you might end up with a big right toe. We won't even take the time to discuss the cancer angle.

*****Well, the bright young talkative doctor on this show was all excited and saying how fetal stem cells could be convinced to become any darn thing we wanted. Why, they could be kidneys or corneas, or even a left big toe to go with the right one you acquired instead of a liver.

The only thing these cells would not become is what they were - a human being!

*****So, on to the next segment about a newlywed couple living in Italy, I believe. After being married only a few months, the groom became quite ill, lapsed into a coma, and was not expected to live. But, but, says she, "we wanted children."

*****Somebody dreamed up the great idea of harvesting this poor guy's sperm so that the young newlywed lady could be artificially inseminated and have the child they had always wanted.

*****The young earnest doctor just erupted in shock and indignation and said, "that's just plain wrong! You can't do such a thing without the consent of the patient."

I don't recall any babies consenting to be big toes, do you??


From the combox at Hot Air:

*****Looks like these Leftist Totalitarians will have destroyed American Democracy in just over 6 months by time they are done. They will have the banks, auto industry, the media and now health care.

*****If ACORN does the Census coupled with the GOP not taking back at least the Senate then forget about 2012. Who will Obama threaten with pitchforks next? My guess eventually the Church, Protestants and Catholics. I think it was Einstein who noted that it was only in the Church that a stand was taken against Germany’s Totalitarians aka Nazis.

Doctor Appointment was just routine........

******I guess that did sound rather ominous to just say I was going to my doctor and not explain. It was just a routine check-up (including the dreaded "girlie exam").

*****Friday I will take my two front "girls" to a place where they will squish them with 125lbs of pressure per square inch, while being told to stand on tiptoe, tilt my head, drop my shoulder, raise one arm, and, dear Lord, don't breathe! I "heart" mammograms....

I love to kill stuff...

*****Busy today with spraying 2, 4-D for weeds (managed to go through 10 gallons of spray and have barely started). I do the front acreage and we have a weed management service do the back acres. And my daylily orders are going out which can be fairly time consuming.

*****Right now I smell so badly of spray I must catch a shower. When I was tightening my spray tank lid, I inadvertently turned it the wrong way and blasted spray in my face and upper body. Thank goodness I was wearing my glasses. It made my protective chemical gloves, rubber ranch boots, and long sleeves seem rather superfluous.

Did I mention I love to kill stuff?

Never Mind Reefer Madness - I Suffer from Google Reader Madness

*****I leave the house at 8:45 for a doctor appointment, a visit with my hairdresser, and a very quick stop at Costoco. My Google Reader was at a managable 100 or so when I left. I return home and the count is getting close to NINE HUNDERD!! Do I really need to know that much??

****Had an interesting discussion with my doctor re: health care "reform". Off to fill a script and then will gather my thoughts and be back.

****Also, some musings about Farah Fawcett, who will not be with us much longer.

Barack Obama, the Quintessential Liberal Fascist
By Kyle-Anne Shiver

Exerpt:

*****But perhaps the most cunning propaganda feat in history has been undertaken for the past 8 years. As Jonah Goldberg expertly expounds in his book, Liberal Fascism, American left-wing ideologues have managed to dissociate themselves from all the horrors of fascism with a "brilliant rhetorical maneuver." They've done it by "claiming that their opponents are the fascists."

*****In what may eventually prove to be a devious rhetorical feat of monstrous proportions, while the left has been indulging and fostering the "Bush Is Hitler" meme, they may have just put a genuine ideological fascist heir in the White House. read the rest at American Thinker - excellent!!

Now - off to the doctor...