Smoky Mountains Sunrise

Sunday, January 31, 2010

In Russia, the Path to Unity is Defrosting


Picture

Benedict XVI meets Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kaliningrad in 2007.
Today, Kirill is the Russian Orthodox Patriarch
(Photo: CNS)

From The Catholic Herald (UK)
By Neville Kyrke-Smith


"The Lefebvrists, the Anglicans... will it be the Orthodox next?" asked one slightly bewildered Catholic priest recently. Pope Benedict XVI is turning out to be ecumenically audacious. For this he has faced criticism, misunderstanding and accusations of insensitivity. But Pope Benedict and Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church seem now to be making progress in preparing the ground to overcome the Great Schism of 1054.

When I was in Russia late last year the Nuncio, Archbishop Antonio Mennini, commented on the imperative aim of both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI to build "a dialogue of truth and charity" with the Orthodox. He emphasised how vital this was and thanked Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) for its work in supporting Catholic, Orthodox and ecumenical projects in Russia:

"We have to encourage the Catholic community to show solidarity to the Orthodox. The initiative of Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI is so important. Thank you for all that the charity does for the Church and for building relations with the Orthodox, in line with the will of the Holy Father... and Our Lord!"

He continued, reflecting on the great sufferings of all Christians in Soviet times: "We must find courage to turn the pages of history."

But it is not only Catholics who wish to "turn the pages of history" and establish an understanding, with a deeper respect.

Archpriest Fr Igor Vyzhanov, Secretary for inter-Christian Affairs at the Moscow Patriarchate, told me: "We have a common heritage, a common mission and challenges in common - both Catholics and Orthodox. We need your prayers and charity."

Fr Igor accompanied Archbishop Hilarion Alfeyev, who is head of the External Affairs Department of the Russian Orthodox Church, to a meeting at Castel Gandolfo with Pope Benedict XVI in late September. When asked about the continuing tense situation between churches in Ukraine - where the faithful of the Eastern Rite (Greek) Catholic Church suffered so much and where there is a raw sensitivity and a politically territorial religious viewpoint on both sides - Archpriest Igor recognised the scale of the challenges: "There is much hurt and there are very painful memories on both sides and the question is how a way forward can be found. But we must foster a solution with the Greek Catholics in Ukraine - and we both call for the need for dialogue."

So what underlies these recent changes in attitude? Where has this new energy come from, pushing towards a mutual recognition and some theological and ecclesial agreement? The difficult meetings of the International Joint Commission for Catholic-Orthodox Dialogue Theological Commission, the publishing of books and articles, as well as cultural and diplomatic exchanges, are definitely leading to a greater openness. Indeed, one sign of this is a forthcoming exhibition with lectures this spring 2010 in Rome entitled Days of Russian Spiritual Culture - and it is thought likely that the Holy Father will make a point of attending. Additionally, the projects supported by Aid to the Church in Need have helped to build bridges of charity - including the publishing of social teaching documents by the Russian Orthodox Church and the sponsoring of a television programme on the Holy Father, with a personal message from Pope Benedict in Russian, broadcast across Russia in 2008. Barriers of mistrust and superstition are coming down - as common social and religious challenges are faced - and some of the wounds of atheism are beginning to heal.

Above all, it is the personalities involved at the top of the ecclesial trees who are encouraging a growing closeness. It is almost as though both Patriarch Kirill and Pope Benedict, through their theological studies and meetings prior to their elevation to office, were being prepared for a big fraternal gesture between the Orthodox and Catholic communities.

Patriarch Kirill hand-picked Archbishop Hilarion Alfeyev as his successor as head of the External Relations Department of the Patriarchate, the post he himself previously held. While the Patriarch is cautious and measured in what he says, it is fascinating to hear what Archbishop Hilarion says. In Rome in September he said: "We support the Pope in his commitment to the defence of Christian values. We also support him when his courageous declarations arouse negative reactions on the part of politicians or public figures or they are criticised and sometimes misrepresented by some in the mass media. We believe that he has the duty to witness to the truth and we are therefore with him even when his word encounters opposition.

"Personally, I hope that sooner or later the meeting that many are awaiting between the Pope and the Patriarch of Moscow will take place. I can say with responsibility that on both sides there is the desire to prepare a meeting with great care."

Pope Benedict's theological grounding, his studies, his lecturing and his time at the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith seem to have prepared him to be a bold pope who wishes to heal theological divides. Time and again he emphasises the common ground. The Holy Father summed up his deep respect for Orthodoxy late last year when he told Archbishop Anastas, head of the Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania late that we have "a common profession of the Nicene - Constantinopolitan creed; a common baptism for the remission of sins and for incorporation into Christ and the Church; the legacy of the first Ecumenical Councils; the real if imperfect communion which we already share, and the common desire and collaborative efforts to build upon what already exists".

In Russia the Catholic Church is seen in a different light from the Nineties when there was a great deal of suspicion and mistrust. Even in late 2001 Catholics were seen by the Orthodox to be triumphalistic and insensitive in establishing dioceses in Russia, without any consultation, just after the interfaith Assisi gathering with Pope John Paul II. Now Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, has opened many doors and helped deepen respect for the Holy Father, Pope Benedict. Additionally, Italian diplomatic skills and ways seem to be to the fore. The Nuncio Archbishop Mennini has built good relationships - which led to the recent proposal from President Medvedev to upgrade the status of the Holy See so that the Vatican has full diplomatic relations with Russia. Archbishop Paolo Pezzi in Moscow and all the Catholic bishops are also working wherever they can to improve understanding and co-operation with the local Orthodox bishops.

Fr Pietro Scalini, the rector of the Catholic seminary in St Petersburg, told me that he has Orthodox lecturers and how there is a growing understanding, even if it is not easy at times.

"As the Pope has called the Church to breathe with both lungs, our presence here enables communication and knowing each other," he said. "I have taught a lot of Orthodox here, who come to learn. Our presence may help unity. It is not our aim to spread the Gospel - it relies on God."

Why does all this matter? So that Christ can be proclaimed with two lungs in today's world - breathed, lived, spoken of and witnessed to with real energy and power. For Catholics and Orthodox need each other. Both Cardinal Kasper and Archbishop Hilarion have spoken about the importance of the social teachings of the Church and the Liturgy. Indeed, Archbishop Hilarion has not held back at times with his comments: "Only united will we be able to propose to the world the spiritual and moral values of the Christian faith; together we will be able to offer our Christian vision of the family, of procreation, of a human love made not only for pleasure; to confirm our concept of social justice, of a more equitable distribution of goods, of a commitment to safeguarding the environment, for the defence of human life and its dignity. Therefore, the time has come to move from a failure to meet and competition, to solidarity, mutual respect and esteem; I would say, without a doubt, that we must move to mutual love. Our Christian preaching can have effect, can be convincing in our contemporary world, if we are able to live this mutual love between us, Christians."

He has also written: "Orthodox divine services are a priceless treasure that we must carefully guard... 'divine wisdom accessible to simple, loving hearts' (St John of Kronstadt)."

He added sadly that "since the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council, services in some Catholic churches have become little different from Protestant ones".

Looking around Moscow, the visitor will see numerous Orthodox churches. There were just 40 functioning churches in Moscow during Soviet times, but now there are 400 churches for a population of perhaps 10 million. Surveys indicate that over 70 per cent of Russians claim to be Orthodox, even if only perhaps four to seven per cent attend the Liturgy regularly. There is a real feeling of Russian identity associated with the Orthodox Church and the Patriarch is recognised as an important diplomatic figure of influence within Russia. We in the West may worry about a resurgent Russian nationalism - with the Church getting too close to the state - but the Orthodox say that they are just developing a relationship with the Kremlin in order to have influence and to be able to have religion taught in schools.

In pastoral work and mission there are some imaginative initiatives. In St Petersburg Fr Alexander Tkachenko, a young priest, runs a centre providing pastoral care for terminally ill children. His is the only hospice for children in the whole of Russia. About 200 children are cared for per annum and the Centre is now registered. ACN has helped with three vehicles which visit outlying parishes - and vital paediatric palliative care is given, and the Liturgy is also celebrated. This is faith in action - and very similar to the founding work of Fr Werenfreid van Straaten at Aid to the Church in Need for displaced and abandoned German refugee families after the Second World War. For three years Fr Alexander had the only disabled vehicle in St Petersburg. In other developments the programmes of Blagovest Media and the courses of St Andrew's Biblical Theological Institute are real bridges of understanding.

The ecumenical road is not easy - often it is frozen or even non-existent in Russia - but the foundations of respect and understanding are being laid, with the help of Italian diplomatic engineering and a theologian Pope. These foundations are also built upon the joint witness of the Orthodox and Catholic martyrs of the 20th century. Human rights issues, political misunderstandings, Russian historical identity and Ukrainian tensions are all part of the terrible legacy of Soviet suffering. But there is one other legacy in Russia which has been rediscovered: a legacy of Christian faith which somehow survived the Gulag prison camps. Look at the icons of the Mother of God and the Protecting Veil, and perhaps we in the West can be challenged to a deeper understanding and respect.


Neville Kyrke-Smith is National Director of Aid to the Church in Need UK and has travelled extensively for more than 25 years in Russia and Eastern Europe. ACN gives priority to supporting Catholic projects in Russia and also assists with Orthodox and ecumenical projects.

Obama's Fascist Pressure on Switzerland Threatens Collapse of UBS Bank


In an attempt to obtain protected banking information pertaining to 4500 Americans, the Obama tax police are threatening the collapse of one of the world's major banks and more ruin and economic misery in Switzerland and the United States.

If American money is being driven overseas by fascistic socialists in Washington, one wonders how many job-creating, freedom-loving entrepreneurs are also becoming refugees.

Switzerland's justice minister warned in an interview on Sunday that top bank UBS could collapse if sensitive talks with the United States over a high-profile tax fraud investigation fall through.

"The actions of UBS in the United States are very problematic. Not just because they are punishable but also because they threaten all of the bank's activities,'' Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf told Le Matin Dimanche newspaper.

"The Swiss economy and the job market would suffer on a major scale if UBS fails as a result of its licence being revoked in the United States,'' she said.

Switzerland and the United States have negotiated an agreement under which UBS would hand over information on some 4,500 account holders to US tax police.

But a Swiss court ruling earlier this month put the deal in doubt.

Many in Switzerland, where banking secrecy is a source of pride and a key part of the economy, have accused the government of failing to protect UBS.

"We have nothing to blame ourselves for. I don't think anyone could prove that we acted badly,'' Widmer-Schlumpf said in the interview.


Different Presidents, A Different Corps




If a picture's worth a thousand words, what's a video worth?

This says so much...people know when a person genuinely cares about them and it shows dramatically in this video...

It would seem the U.S. Marines know something that many of the civilian population do not.

A Homily by Father Jay Scott Newman - "The Eternal Word"


Homily of Reverend Jay Scott Newman

Pastor

Saint Mary's Catholic Church

Greenville, South Carolina


January 24, 2010

Andrea Bocelli - "Panis Angelicus" - César Franck





Saturday, January 30, 2010

Moscow Military Tattoo -- "Amazing Grace"


In September 2007, Red Square was the scene for Moscow's first International Military Tattoo, called "Kremlin Zorya." It was the largest event of its kind ever staged in Moscow, with more than 1,500 people taking part, including 47 military bands from around the world and 36,000 visitors a day, for four days.

Here the massed pipes and drums of regiments from Great Britain, Australia, Republic of South Africa, Canada and New Zealand perform "Amazing Grace."



Obama The Taxman



"The Story of English: Black on White" with Robert MacNeil


This fifth episode of Robert MacNeil's story of the English language probes the roots of Black English, including the American slave trade, plantation life, the Creole influence, and Harlem's jive talk. There is a special focus on the influence of the Sea Islands of Georgia and South Carolina. Earlier episodes may be found in the archives for January, to the right.



Friday, January 29, 2010

British Journalist Asks 'Can I Claim Asylum in the US?'


From The Telegraph
By Ed West

A German family have been granted asylum in the United States because their children were being forced to learn a curriculum that was “against Christian values”, according to German paper The Local.

A US court has granted asylum to an evangelical Christian family who fled Germany because they were not allowed to homeschool their children.

An immigration judge in Nashville, Tennessee ruled that parents Uwe and Hannelore Romeike, and their five children, are free to stay in the US, where they have been since 2008, news agency AP reported late on Tuesday.

The parents, who came from the state of Baden-Württemberg, allege they were persecuted for their faith and defiance of Germany’s compulsory school attendance since those who do not comply face fines and jail time.

According to Uwe Romeike, his family was fined the equivalent of some $10,000 over two years, but could not afford to make payments after their court appeals failed.

“I think it’s important for parents to have the freedom to choose the way their children can be taught,” Romeike told AP, later adding that German curriculum was increasingly “against Christian values.”

The other day I asked if parents who did not toe the New Labour political line could take their children out of “Citizenship” classes, but I didn’t realise I might be able to flee Europe altogether.

In Britain, meanwhile, the Government is trying to make homeschooling even harder, supposedly because homeschooled children could be abused more, but in reality, I suspect, because many of the parents are religious.

Homeschooling may not be everyone’s cup of tea, nor is Evangelical Christianity for that matter, but allowing parents to decide their children’s education is a mark of a free society. And many parents of young children, and not even just religious ones, feel rightfully uncomfortable about schools trying to force the state’s morality on their kids, and not just in the arena of sex.

Marc Young, editor of the Local, says the Romeikes have made a “mockery” of US asylum policy, but the decision is entirely in line with American tradition. The Puritans left East Anglia for New England not because they feared death or imprisonment but because under James I, Englishmen were expected to follow a narrow Anglican worldview. Conservatives in western Europe feel the same way today.

Now where can I apply for asylum to the US?


Ed West is a journalist and social commentator who specializes in politics, religion and low culture.


Conservative Anglican Group Moving Toward Union with Rome


Anglican Archbishop John Hepworth, the head of the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC), has reported substantial progress toward the goal of entering into communion with the Holy See. The Australian prelate reported that he would soon meet with officials of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and then with the Anglican bishops who have joined him in a petition to be accepted into the Catholic Church.

Under the terms of Pope Benedict’s apostolic constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus, Archbishop Hepworth observed, Anglicans now have the opportunity to become Catholics while maintaining their identity. “The ball is in our court,” he said. “We asked for this and this is what we got.”

“This becoming Anglican Catholics, not Roman Catholics,” the archbishop continued. He noted that the Pope’s policy allowed for the Anglican bishops entering the Catholic Church to retain “those revered traditions of spirituality, liturgy, discipline and theology that constitute the cherished and centuries-old heritage of Angli­can communities throughout the world.”

Archbishop Hepworth recognized that some Anglicans object to the Vatican’s demand that all the bishops and priests of the TAC must be conditionally re-ordained, in light of the Catholic stand that Anglican orders are invalid. TAC members may contest that stand, Hepworth said, but should recognize that “we ourselves moved beyond the Anglican Communion in order to ensure the validity of sacramental life. Rome is now seeking the same assurance.”

Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.


Saul Alinsky and the Rise of Amorality in American Politics


From New English Review
By D. L. Adams

Saul Alinsky and his "community organizing" methods and philosophy have had a profound influence on the politics of the United States. Recent history would suggest that this influence is just short of catastrophic.

Alinsky's book, "Rules for Radicals," published in 1971 still has enormous effects on our country today. Hillary Clinton wrote her Wellesley College thesis on Alinsky, interviewing him personally for her research. After her graduation Alinsky offered her a job with his organization, which she refused to pursue other opportunities. President Obama worked for Alinsky organizations and taught seminars in Alinsky tactics and methodology during his "community organizing" period in Chicago. Michelle Obama echoed Alinsky’s words in her speech at the Democratic Convention.

Crisis of the Government Party


By Patrick J. Buchanan

President Obama is in a dilemma from which there appears to be no easy or early escape.

Democrats are the Party of Government. They feed it, and it feeds them. The larger government grows, the more agencies that are created, the more bureaucrats who are hired, the more people who become beneficiaries, the more deeply entrenched in power the Party of Government becomes.

At the local, state and federal level, there are 19 million to 20 million government employees. And if one takes only Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps and earned income tax credits, we are talking of scores of millions who depend on government checks for the necessities of their daily life.

These vast armies of voters -- these tens of millions of government employees and scores of millions of government beneficiaries -- are the big battalions of the Party of Government. They provide implacable resistance to any party that pledges to cut or curtail government. For they are fighting for their livelihood. And here is where Obama's dilemma arises.

The progressives thought that with the takeover of both houses of Congress by veto-proof Democratic majorities, and the election of the most progressive of the candidates in the Democratic primaries save Dennis Kucinich, a new Progressive Era was at hand.

Another New Deal, another Great Society. And early passage of a stimulus package of $787 billion, nearly 6 percent of the entire economy packed into a single bill, seemed to confirm that happy days were here again.

But, at the same time, the federal takeover of AIG, General Motors and Chrysler and the bailouts of Fannie, Freddie and the Wall Street banks were igniting a Perot-style prairie fire that manifested itself in Tea Party rallies in the spring and town-hall protests in August.

Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi denounced these folks as "evil-mongers" engaged in the "un-American" activity of shouting down Democrats -- though, when college radicals do it to conservatives, it is called "heckling" and the conservatives are instructed that they "just do not understand the First Amendment."

Came November, Republican victories in Virginia and New Jersey showed that the grass-roots rebellion was real and broad-based. This was confirmed by Scott Brown's astonishing upset in Massachusetts, where a state Obama won by 26 points went Republican by 6 points, with Brown capturing a Senate seat held by the Kennedy brothers since 1952. Talk about a fire bell in the night.

Obama's dilemma, evident in his State of the Union, is that the progressives, who were indispensable to his victories over Hillary, now feel betrayed, especially with apparent abandonment of health insurance reform, while conservative Democrats and independents, who were indispensable in giving Obama his November victory, are angry and alienated and disposed to vote Republican to stop what they see as America's plunge into socialism.

The non-negotiable demands of these two essential elements of Obama's coalition are in irreconcilable conflict. Obama tried to mollify both in his address to Congress by emphasizing aspects of his agenda that appeal to each. Thus the progressives were promised an end to the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays in the military, while Tea Party and town-hall activists got a partial freeze on federal spending and promises of nuclear power, clean coal and offshore drilling.

Obama's problem: He can end up satisfying no one and angering everyone. John McCain has already denounced Obama's call for open homosexuality in the military, a position that will resonate with Middle America, while House Democrats are appalled the Pentagon will be exempt from budget caps imposed on social programs.

Arthur Laffer has pointed up the burgeoning crisis Obama and the progressives confront. Today, state, local and federal government spending consumes 38 percent of the gross domestic product. Federal spending alone is 27 percent.

"If you total what the government takes in the income tax, corporate tax, Social Security taxes, capital gains taxes," says Laffer, "all of that adds up to $2.2 trillion in tax receipts, and they spent $3.5 trillion."

In 2009, we had a deficit of $1.4 trillion, 10 percent of GDP. The most conservative estimate for this year is a deficit of $1.35 trillion, more than 9 percent of GDP.

Two questions.

With the public debt surging as a share of GDP, and talk of a debt default by the United States, how can Obama create or expand the social programs as progressives demand? And with the deficit running above 9 percent of GDP, how -- even if the economy starts to grow -- can you close this without raising taxes from 18 percent of GDP to 22 percent or 23 percent? That would be an added tax hike of $560 billion to $700 billion -- a year.

That kind of hit on the private sector could kill a recovery, just as Herbert Hoover and FDR did in the early 1930s.

Obama has a problem -- and so do we.


Illinois, New Massachusetts Setback for Obama?





If the Massachusetts special election was a kick in the shins for President Barack Obama, the political turmoil in Illinois, his home state, is a pain in the neck that never seems to go away.

His former Senate seat, already stained by an ethics scandal, is a major takeover target for Republicans. So is the governor's office.

Read the rest of this entry >>


Criminals in Haiti 'Raping Quake Survivors'


(Marco Dormino/MINUSTAH via Getty Images)

An aerial view of one of the makeshift camps set up in Port-au-Prince

From The Times of London

C
riminals in Haiti are preying on vulnerable earthquake survivors, even raping women, in makeshift camps set up in Port-au-Prince after the disaster.

"With the blackout that's befallen the Haitian capital, bandits are taking advantage to harass and rape women and young girls under the tents," Haiti’s police, chief Mario Andresol, said yesterday.

"We have more than 7,000 detainees in the streets who escaped from the national penitentiary the evening of the earthquake ... It took us five years to apprehend them. Today they are running wild." Rachelle Dolce, who is living at a large makeshift camp on the Petionville Club golf course, said that she thought a rape had occurred outside her tent the previous night. She said that she heard men making noise and a woman struggling.

Read the rest of this entry >>

How Muslims Defeated the United States


I have often wondered why Obama, who I truly believe hates America and all that it has stood for, has been so keen to have the United States fight in Afghanistan. The following, which includes a dramatic report from a soldier stationed in Iraq, provides an explanation.

From The Brussels Journal
By Diana West


T
oday, I am posting an extraordinary letter from a soldier currently s
tationed in Iraq, a sometime penpal of mine to whom I sent my three-part series on the aftermath of the surge to elicit his opinion. Knowing how thoughtful he is, I expected a substantive response. Given his time constraints alone, I did not expect an essay of this scope and I decided, with his permission, to present it here. It is unlike any commentary I have read from Iraq; it is both coolly reasoned and deeply passionate, and certain to challenge and disturb readers across the political spectrum: PC-believing liberals, Iraq-as-success-believing conservatives, Islam-as-a-religion-of-peaceniks of both Left and Right.

So be it.

He writes:

Read the rest of this entry >>


Taxpayers Pay $101,000 for Pelosi's In-Flight 'Food, Booze'


Speaker's trips 'are more about partying than anything else'

From WorldNetDaily
By Bob Unruh

It reads like a dream order for some wild frat party: Maker's Mark whiskey, Courvoisier cognac, Johnny Walker Red scotch, Grey Goose vodka, E&J brandy, Bailey's Irish Crème, Bacardi Light rum, Jim Beam whiskey, Beefeater gin, Dewars scotch, Bombay Sapphire gin, Jack Daniels whiskey … and Corona beer.

But that single receipt makes up just part of the more than $101,000 taxpayers paid for "in-flight services" – including food and liquor, for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trips on Air Force jets over the last two years. That's almost $1,000 per week.

Read the rest of this entry >>


Thursday, January 28, 2010

Rush Limbaugh's Letter to President Obama




From the January 28, 2010 edition of the Rush Limbaugh Show: Rush reads his letter to President Obama.

Petition to Free the ND 88 Receives over 6,000 Signatures…So Far


We hope our readers will join us in signing the petition to the President of this once-great Catholic university.

Also, these 88 defenders of life were supported by more than 80 bishops in the United States who opposed the scandal of Obama receiving an honorary degree from the University of Notre Dame. It is long past time for the American bishops to insist that the President of Notre Dame drop charges against these 88 faithful, pro-life activists, and then they need to ensure that Notre Dame has authentic Catholic leadership.

From LifeSiteNews

A
petition to “Free the ND88,” which is being co-sponsored by Human Life International, the Thomas More Society, and LifeSiteNews.com (LSN), has received over 6,000 signatures to date, and is still going strong. (Click here to sign the petition; Click here for the petition's Facebook page)

The petition is addressed to the president of the University of Notre Dame, Fr. John Jenkins, and asks him to request that the charges be dropped against the 88 pro-life activists who were arrested on Notre Dame’s campus last May, while protesting Obama’s appearance at the university.

The 88 pro-lifers are still facing trial on charges of trespassing, and could receive a sentence of up to a year in prison and/or a $5,000 fine if found guilty.

The Thomas More Society (TMS), which is representing the ND88, recently reported on its website that, despite numerous pleas from concerned pro-lifers, “Notre Dame so far has ignored all requests that the charges be dropped, claiming through its publicity officers that this somehow is beyond its power.” However, TMS called this a “disingenuous response,” given that “the cases could not continue but for Notre Dame’s ongoing involvement and support.”

Fr. Jenkins last week made good on his promise to attend this year’s March for Life – one of several pro-life gestures undertaken by Notre Dame in an effort to repair its tarnished pro-life image following the Obama controversy. At one point during the march, Fr. Jenkins was confronted with a massive banner reading, “Fr. Jenkins: Free the ND88.”

At the same time, several pro-lifers have said that they personally spoke with Fr. Jenkins about the situation at the march. One of these was Joe Scheidler of the Pro-Life Action League.

Scheidler said that at the march he went up to Jenkins and “told him I was speaking on behalf of many friends and fellow Domers, and that he should pardon forthwith the Notre Dame 88.” Scheidler says that Jenkins “was polite but absolutely noncommittal, saying something like, ‘Well, you’ve told me.’”

Jenkins told The Observer, Notre Dame’s independent newspaper, that he had expected to see some signs protesting his position on the ND88 at the march, but would only say, “I felt it was important not to let those banners take away from the central goals of the day.”

He added cryptically, “And I refuse to let them distract from advancing the pro-life cause.”

John-Henry Westen, editor of LSN, said, “It is clear that Fr. Jenkins believes that he can get away with portraying himself as being dedicated to the pro-life cause at the same time as persecuting his purported ideological compeers – the ND88 – who were arrested on his campus for doing nothing more than peaceably defending the unborn.”

“It is important for pro-lifers to let Fr. Jenkins know, in great numbers, that there is a fundamental disconnect between his actions and his words that is undermining his efforts – however legitimate or sincere they might be – to restore Notre Dame’s pro-life image.”

Westen encouraged pro-lifers to sign the ND88 petition, and to spread it around to as many of their pro-life family and friends as possible. “It seems that Fr. Jenkins’ mind is made up,” said Westen. “Well, it is up to us to convince him to change his mind. And the only way we can do that is if we work together to let him know that his position is unacceptable.”

To sign the petition, click here: https://secure.lifesitenews.com/np/clients/lifesitenews_us/campaign.jsp?campaign=19


Don't Understand the Tea Party Movement? Watch This!


... and this isn't even Fox News.



SC Dirty 4 Support Voter Fraud


"Voter fraud may be more prevalent in this state than any of us have ever realized."



As FITSNews has reported, four RINO's joined Democrats in killing an effort to prevent ballot fraud in South Carolina. We will remind our readers in the future of how Jake Knotts, Hugh Leatherman, Billy O’Dell and Luke Rankin have betrayed the South Carolina electorate.. FITS points out that "of the four, Leatherman, O’Dell and Rankin were all Democratic Senators before switching parties at various stages of their political careers."

We hope you will let them know now, and at the
ballot box, what you think of their support for voter fraud.

Jake Knotts

In the district
500 West Dunbar Rd.
West Columbia, SC 29169
(803) 755-6253

At the Statehouse:
303 Gressette Bldg.
Columbia, SC 29202
(803) 212-6350

By email: SIV@scsenate.org




Hugh Leatherman

In the district:
1817 Pineland Ave.
Florence, SC 29501
(843) 662-0388
(843) 667-1152

At the Statehouse:
111 Gressette Bldg.
Columbia, SC 29202
(803) 212-6640

By email: SFI@scsenate.org




Billy O'Dell

In the district:
P.O. Box 540
Ware Shoals, SC 29692

(864) 861-2222
(864) 943-0905

At the Statehouse:
610 Gressette Bldg.
Columbia, SC 29202

(803) 212-6040

(803) 252-0845

By email: WHO@scsenate.org




Luke Rankin


In the district:
201 Beaty St.
Conway, SC 29526
(843) 626-6269
(843) 248-2405




At the Statehouse:

508 Gressette Bldg.
Columbia, SC 29202
(803) 212-6132

By email: ra@scsenate.org


Obama: Military Needs More Sodomites





A Hillary Clinton Primary Challenge to Obama in 2012?



When President Barack Obama asked New York Sen. Hillary Clinton to join his cabinet as secretary of state, the move was widely praised. Clinton, his principal rival for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, added a measure of gravitas to his team of advisers and would, it was suggested, help unite the president's party at a time the Republicans appeared to be on the verge of complete collapse.

At the time, comparisons were made to Abraham Lincoln. Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin recounts in her book Team of Rivals how the 16th president of the United States invited others who held leadership claims on the new Republican Party into his cabinet in an effort to present a united front. But Lincoln's decision to invite his rivals for the 1860 Republican nomination--William H. Seward, Edward Bates, and Salmon P. Chase--into his administration was also a matter of political preservation. Their inclusion in the cabinet kept them inside the tent looking out rather than outside the tent looking in, forcing an alliance with Lincoln as the Union threatened to come apart.

Read the rest of this entry >>


Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Fact Check: How State of Union Compares With Reality


A look at some of Obama's claims in the State of the Union and how they compare with the facts


From Fox News

President Obama, who once considered government spending freezes a hatchet job, told Americans on Wednesday it's now part of his solution to the exploding deficit. He didn't explain what had changed.

His State of the Union speech skipped over a variety of complex realities in laying out a "common-sense" call to action.

A look at some of his claims and how they compare with the facts:

OBAMA: "Starting in 2011, we are prepared to freeze government spending for three years. Spending related to our national security, Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security will not be affected. But all other discretionary government programs will. Like any cash-strapped family, we will work within a budget to invest in what we need and sacrifice what we don't."

THE FACTS: The anticipated savings from this proposal would amount to less than one percent of the deficit -- and that's if the president can persuade Congress to go along.

Obama is a convert to the cause of broad spending freezes. In the presidential campaign, he criticized Republican opponent John McCain for suggesting one. "The problem with a spending freeze is you're using a hatchet where you need a scalpel," he said a month before the election. Now, Obama wants domestic spending held steady in most areas where the government can control year to year costs. The proposal is similar to McCain's.

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OBAMA: "I've called for a bipartisan fiscal commission, modeled on a proposal by Republican Judd Gregg and Democrat Kent Conrad. This can't be one of those Washington gimmicks that lets us pretend we solved a problem. The commission will have to provide a specific set of solutions by a certain deadline. Yesterday, the Senate blocked a bill that would have created this commission. So I will issue an executive order that will allow us to go forward, because I refuse to pass this problem on to another generation of Americans."

THE FACTS: Any commission that Obama creates would be a weak substitute for what he really wanted -- a commission created by Congress that could force lawmakers to consider unpopular remedies to reduce the debt, including curbing politically sensitive entitlements like Social Security and Medicare. That idea crashed in the Senate this week, defeated by equal numbers of Democrats and Republicans. Any commission set up by Obama alone would lack authority to force its recommendations before Congress, and would stand almost no chance of success.

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OBAMA: Discussing his health care initiative, he said: "Our approach would preserve the right of Americans who have insurance to keep their doctor and their plan."

THE FACTS: The Democratic legislation now hanging in limbo on Capitol Hill aims to keep people with employer-sponsored coverage -- the majority of Americans under age 65 -- in the plans they already have. But Obama can't guarantee g point of contention for the president. In December, the administration reported that recipients of direct assistance from the government created or saved about 650,000 jobs. The number was based on self-reporting by recipients and some of the calculations were shown to be in error.

The Congressional Budget Office has been much more guarded than Obama in characterizing the success of the stimulus plan. In November, it reported that the stimulus increased the number of people employed by between 600,000 and 1.6 million "compared with what those values would have been otherwise." It said the ranges "reflect the uncertainty of such estimates." And it added: "It is impossible to determine how many of the reported jobs would have existed in the absence of the stimulus package."

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OBAMA: He called for action by the White House and Congress "to do our work openly, and to give our people the government they deserve."

THE FACTS: Obama skipped past a broken promise from his campaign -- to have the negotiations for health care legislation broadcast on C-SPAN "so that people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents, and who are making arguments on behalf of the drug companies or the insurance companies." Instead, Democrats in the White House and Congress have conducted the usual private negotiations, making multibillion-dollar deals with hospitals, pharmaceutical companies and other stakeholders behind closed doors. Nor has Obama lived up consistently to his pledge to ensure that legislation is posted online for five days before it's acted upon.

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OBAMA: "We will continue to go through the budget line by line to eliminate programs that we can't afford and don't work. We've already identified $20 billion in savings for next year."

THE FACTS: Identifying savings is far from achieving them. If the past is any guide, little will result from this exercise because Congress routinely rejects the White House's suggested spending cuts.

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OBAMA: "The United States and Russia are completing negotiations on the farthest-reaching arms control treaty in nearly two decades."

THE FACTS: Despite insisting early last year that they would complete the negotiations in time to avoid expiration of the 1991 Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty in early December, the U.S. and Russia failed to do so. And while officials say they think a deal on a new treaty is within reach, there has been no breakthrough. A new round of talks is set to start Monday. One important sticking point: disagreement over including missile defense issues in a new accord. If completed, the new deal may arguably be the farthest-reaching arms control treaty since the original 1991 agreement. An interim deal reached in 2002 did not include its own rules on verifying nuclear reductions.

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OBAMA: Drawing on classified information, he claimed more success than his predecessor at killing terrorists: "And in the last year, hundreds of al-Qaida's fighters and affiliates, including many senior leaders, have been captured or killed -- far more than in 2008."

THE FACTS: It is an impossible claim to verify. Neither the Bush nor the Obama administration has published enemy body counts, particularly those targeted by armed drones in the Pakistan-Afghan border region. The pace of drone attacks has increased dramatically in the last 18 months, according to congressional officials briefed on the secret program.

Bob McDonnell's GOP Response: Full Text


Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell's Republican Address to the Nation Following Obama's State of the Union Address

Good evening. I'm Bob McDonnell. Eleven days ago I was honored to be sworn in as the 71st governor of Virginia.

I'm standing in the historic House Chamber of Virginia's Capitol, a building designed by Virginia's second governor, Thomas Jefferson.

It’s not easy to follow the President of the United States. And my twin 18-year old boys have added to the pressure, by giving me exactly ten minutes to finish before they leave to go watch SportsCenter.

I'm joined by fellow Virginians to share a Republican perspective on how to best address the challenges facing our nation today.

We were encouraged to hear President Obama speak this evening about the need to create jobs.


All Americans should have the opportunity to find and keep meaningful work, and the dignity that comes with it.

Many of us here, and many of you watching, have family or friends who have lost their jobs.

1 in 10 American workers is unemployed. That is unacceptable.


Here in Virginia we have faced our highest unemployment rate in more than 25 years, and bringing new jobs and more opportunities to our citizens is the top priority of my administration.


Good government policy should spur economic growth, and strengthen the private sector’s ability to create new jobs.

We must enact policies that promote entrepreneurship and innovation, so America can better compete with the world.

What government should not do is pile on more taxation, regulation, and litigation that kill jobs and hurt the middle class.

It was Thomas Jefferson who called for "A wise and frugal Government which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry ….and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned…" He was right.

Today, the federal government is simply trying to do too much.

Last year, we were told that massive new federal spending would create more jobs 'immediately' and hold unemployment below 8%.

In the past year, over three million Americans have lost their jobs, yet the Democratic Congress continues deficit spending, adding to the bureaucracy, and increasing the national debt on our children and grandchildren.

The amount of this debt is on pace to double in five years, and triple in ten. The federal debt is already over $100,000 per household.


This is simply unsustainable. The President's partial freeze on discretionary spending is a laudable step, but a small one.


The circumstances of our time demand that we reconsider and restore the proper, limited role of government at every level.

Without reform, the excessive growth of government threatens our very liberty and prosperity.

In recent months, the American people have made clear that they want government leaders to listen and act on the issues most important to them.

We want results, not rhetoric. We want cooperation, not partisanship.


There is much common ground.


All Americans agree, we need a health care system that is affordable, accessible, and high quality.


But most Americans do not want to turn over the best medical care system in the world to the federal government.


Republicans in Congress have offered legislation to reform healthcare, without shifting Medicaid costs to the states, without cutting Medicare, and without raising your taxes.


We will do that by implementing common sense reforms, like letting families and businesses buy health insurance policies across state lines, and ending frivolous lawsuits against doctors and hospitals that drive up the cost of your healthcare.


And our solutions aren't thousand-page bills that no one has fully read, after being crafted behind closed doors with special interests.

In fact, many of our proposals are available online at solutions.gop.gov, and we welcome your ideas on Facebook and Twitter.

All Americans agree, this nation must become more energy independent and secure.


We are blessed here in America with vast natural resources, and we must use them all.


Advances in technology can unleash more natural gas, nuclear, wind, coal, and alternative energy to lower your utility bills.


Here in Virginia, we have the opportunity to be the first state on the East Coast to explore for and produce oil and natural gas offshore.


But this Administration’s policies are delaying offshore production, hindering nuclear energy expansion, and seeking to impose job-killing cap and trade energy taxes.


Now is the time to adopt innovative energy policies that create jobs and lower energy prices.


All Americans agree, that a young person needs a world-class education to compete in the global economy. As a kid my dad told me, "Son, to get a good job, you need a good education." That’s even more true today.

The President and I agree on expanding the number of high-quality charter schools, and rewarding teachers for excellent performance. More school choices for parents and students mean more accountability and greater achievement.

A child's educational opportunity should be determined by her intellect and work ethic, not by her zip code.

All Americans agree, we must maintain a strong national defense. The courage and success of our Armed Forces is allowing us to draw down troop levels in Iraq as that government is increasingly able to step up. My oldest daughter, Jeanine, was an Army platoon leader in Iraq, so I'm personally grateful for the service and the sacrifice of all of our men and women in uniform, and a grateful nation thanks them.


We applaud President Obama's decision to deploy 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. We agree that victory there is a national security imperative. But we have serious concerns over recent steps the Administration has taken regarding suspected terrorists.


Americans were shocked on Christmas Day to learn of the attempted bombing of a flight to Detroit. This foreign terror suspect was given the same legal rights as a U.S. citizen, and immediately stopped providing critical intelligence.


As Senator-elect Scott Brown says, we should be spending taxpayer dollars to defeat terrorists, not to protect them.

Here at home government must help foster a society in which all our people can use their God-given talents in liberty to pursue the American Dream. Republicans know that government cannot guarantee individual outcomes, but we strongly believe that it must guarantee equality of opportunity for all.

That opportunity exists best in a democracy which promotes free enterprise, economic growth, strong families, and individual achievement.


Many Americans are concerned about this Administration's efforts to exert greater control over car companies, banks, energy and health care.


Over-regulating employers won’t create more employment; overtaxing investors won’t foster more investment.


Top-down one-size fits all decision making should not replace the personal choices of free people in a free market, nor undermine the proper role of state and local governments in our system of federalism. As our Founders clearly stated, and we Governors understand, government closest to the people governs best.


And no government program can replace the actions of caring Americans freely choosing to help one another. The Scriptures say "To whom much is given, much will be required." As the most generous and prosperous nation on Earth, it is heartwarming to see Americans giving much time and money to the people of Haiti. Thank you for your ongoing compassion.


Some people are afraid that America is no longer the great land of promise that she has always been. They should not be.


America will always blaze the trail of opportunity and prosperity.


America must always be a land where liberty and property are valued and respected, and innocent human life is protected.


Government should have this clear goal: Where opportunity is absent, we must create it. Where opportunity is limited, we must expand it. Where opportunity is unequal, we must make it open to everyone.


Our Founders pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to create this nation.


Now, we should pledge as Democrats, Republicans and Independents--Americans all---to work together to leave this nation a better place than we found it.


God Bless you, and God Bless our great nation.


Massachusetts Dem to Geithner: "Stinks to High Heaven"





Reprsentative Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA):

"It makes me doubt your commitment to the American people." ... "I think the commitment to Goldman Sachs trumped the responsibility that our officials had to the American people."

Priest Answers the Holy Father's Call to Go Forth and Blog


Fr. Robert Barron and WordOnFire.org Spread the Message of Faith

In a Jan. 23 statement, Pope Benedict XVI called priests around the world to operate Web sites and blogs in order to participate in social media communications. The Holy Father also revealed the theme for the annual World Communications Day on May 16, "New Media at the service of the Word." Fr. Robert Barron of Chicago has answered the Pope's call -- he already embraces new media with his apostolate Word On Fire Catholic Ministries.

Fr. Barron, one of the world's great and innovative teachers of Catholicism, founded Word On Fire, a global media organization, in hopes of attracting millions into or back to the Catholic faith through his vibrant sermons and comprehensive online resources. Chicago's Francis Cardinal George calls Barron one of the Church's best messengers and now the priest from the Archdiocese of Chicago is harnessing today's technology to evangelize the culture.

"The spread of multimedia communications and its rich 'menu of options' might make us think it sufficient simply to be present on the Web," the Holy Father said. But priests are "challenged to proclaim the Gospel by employing the latest generation of audiovisual resources."

At the hub of Word On Fire is an interactive Web site (www.WordOnFire.org), which uses the most cutting-edge resources to reach out to people across the globe: YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, podcasts, and RSS Feed. Fr. Barron is preparing to re-launch his blog in the coming weeks. Word On Fire also produces written resources such as articles and books as well as CDs and DVDs. It is through all these formats that Fr. Barron reaches out to the world, encouraging participants to be active in their faith by broadening their understanding and depth of the Church's teachings. The Web site was originally launched in 1999 and currently draws more than 500,000 visitors each year from every continent.

"Pope Benedict is a man after my own heart," Fr. Barron said. "Even at 82 years old, the pontiff knows that we need to speak the language of our time to effectively spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We have engaged thousands of people in dialogue about the Christian Faith through the rich 'menu of options' the pope describes: YouTube videos, Facebook, Twitter, weekly audio sermons and our fully interactive Web site. I am also re-launching my blog so that I am able to connect with people in a more personal way."

Additionally, Word On Fire, led by Fr. Robert Barron, is filming an epic 10-part documentary which will take viewers deep into the rich heritage of the Catholic Church across the world. Filmed in high-definition video in 15 countries and 30 locations, it will make the beauty of the Church seem new again. The CATHOLICISM Project will explore, through a global journey, the living faith of the Catholic Church by visiting sites on every continent that have enriched our culture. Through his journeys, Fr. Barron explains what Catholics believe and why -- using art, architecture, literature, music and all the riches of the Catholic tradition to tell a visually arresting and inspiring story.



Supporters can participate in an in-depth virtual pilgrimage found on Word On Fire's Web site. The new and improved Virtual pilgrimage will be launched in the spring and will include a team blog, where the producers, editor and other filmmakers from The Catholicism Project can tell stories of the trip. It will also include behind the scenes footage and video and audio postcards from Fr. Barron. Additionally, users can participate in a group forum, where they can interact directly with Fr. Barron and the Word On Fire team, sharing pictures and videos from their trips to the same locations in order to become part of the story in a fully-interactive way.