"Some Catholic": Former PM Tony Blair is Now Raising Funds for Homosexual Group

From LifeSiteNews.com

Editorial by John-Henry Westen

LONDON, April 4, 2008 – Stonewall, England’s largest and most well-known homosexual activist organization, held its annual fundraising dinner last night, raising over $600,000. A sizeable chunk of the funds raised came in thanks to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair – the same Tony Blair who was received into the Catholic Church only a few months ago by top English prelate Cardinal Cormac Murphy O’Connor.

The opportunity to have tea with Tony Blair secured a bid of $40,000 in an auction held at the dinner. Incidentally Blair was the keynote speaker at last year’s Stonewall fundraiser. During his speech Blair thanked the gathered attendees for their help in passing his legislation to permit homosexual civil unions. Blair said that of all the pro-homosexual legislation passed in recent years, the civil partnership law gave him more than just pride, "it actually brought real joy." The first same-sex civil union caused him to give "a little sort of skip," he said, it was "just so alive, and I was so struck by it."

Another piece of legislation passed under Blair, the Sexual Orientation Legislation, affects the Catholic Church directly. In addition to Christian schools being forbidden from teaching against homosexuality, adoption agencies, Catholic included, must permit adoption of children by homosexual couples. Blair ignored warnings from a UK Catholic bishop that Catholic adoption agencies would have to close if such legislation were passed.

And guess which agency was most concerned with ensuring that the Catholic Church could not maintain its freedom of conscience on adoptions? You guessed it – Stonewall.

LifeSiteNews.com warned, prior to Blair’s reception into the Catholic Church – as did other faithful Catholics - that should Blair be accepted into the Church without repenting of his pro-abortion and pro-homosexual past it would cause scandal.

Those warnings were ignored.

In a press release issued the day after Blair’s December 21st reception into the Church at a private ceremony in the chapel at Cardinal O’Connor’s personal residence, the Cardinal said he was “very glad” to welcome Blair into the Church.

John Smeaton, national director of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC) commented on the matter saying, "During his premiership, Tony Blair became one of the world's most significant architects of the culture of death - promoting abortion, experiments on human embryos, including on cloned human embryos, and euthanasia by neglect.”

To respectfully contact the Archdiocese of Westminster:

Vaughan House,
46 Francis Street,
London
SW1P 1QN
Archbishop's House: 020 7798 9033
Abhreception@rcdow.org.uk

My Message to the Archbishop of Westminster

Your Eminence:

As a Catholic who winced at your very public enthusiasm and joy at the reception of Mr. Tony Blair into the Catholic Church, I hope you will be equally as public in making very clear that faithful Catholics do not support the agenda of the radical homosexual movement:

http://sunlituplands.blogspot.com/2008/04/some-catholic-former-pm-tony-blair-is.html

A clear statement by the Archbishop of Westminster explaining Catholic teaching on these matters, will lessen the scandal caused by this apostate.

Yours in Christ,

Daniel J. Cassidy

LIBERA TOURING THE US AND PERFORMING FOR THE POPE

Regular readers of Sunlit Uplands will know that I frequently post choral music on Sunday, particularly videos of the English choir, Libera. This extraordinary group will be touring in the US northeast over the next few days, beginning with a concert in upstate New York, then Hartford, Albany and Pittsburgh, followed with a concert in New York City at the Riverside Church on Thursday, April 17, and culminating with the boys participating in Pope Benedict’s final mass at Yankee Stadium on April 20.

I strongly urge anyone who can possibly attend one of their concerts, to do so. You will not be disappointed. The concert in New York City at Riverside Church is sponsored by Libera itself. As they are a non-profit entity, they are eager to get the word out. Information about that event is here.

Information about Libera singing at Yankee Stadium for Pope Benedict XVI is here.

And finally, information about their newest album, not yet released in the United States, is here.

GALLUP POLL -- Huckabee Tops List of Republican Voters' V.P. Favorites

"Nomination also-rans Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney receive the most mentions when Republicans are asked whom they would most like to see as McCain's vice presidential running mate, at 18% and 15%, respectively. ...Conservative and moderate or liberal Republicans do not differ much in their choices -- Huckabee, Romney, and Rice are the top three candidate s among both groups. ...There are differences by religiosity, however. Republicans who attend church weekly rate Huckabee, a former Baptist minister, as the top choice, with 29% choosing him compared to 19% who choose Romney."

By Jeffrey M. Jones

PRINCETON, NJ -- At this early point in the process, Republicans do not have a clear favorite as to whom they would most want to see as John McCain's vice presidential running mate.

Nomination also-rans Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney receive the most mentions when Republicans are asked whom they would most like to see as McCain's vice presidential running mate, at 18% and 15%, respectively. It is common for candidates who come up short for the presidential nomination to be strongly considered for the vice presidential spot on the ticket, and John Edwards in 2004, George H.W. Bush in 1980, and Lyndon Johnson in 1960 are some of the former presidential candidates who accepted the vice presidential spot after losing out for the presidential nomination.

The unsuccessful candidates' names may also be the most top-of-mind when respondents answer the question, given their visibility while campaigning for the nomination.

In fact, five of the top six names on the list of suggested vice presidential candidates for McCain actively campaigned against him for the 2008 GOP presidential nomination -- Fred Thompson, Ron Paul, and Rudy Giuliani join Huckabee and Romney among the most frequently mentioned names. The only non-candidate among these is Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

A few Democrats were mentioned by at least 1% of respondents, including McCain ally Joe Lieberman (who was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006 as an independent but who was a Democrat prior to that), John Edwards, and Bill Richardson. Though McCain has consistently worked with Democrats during his time in the Senate, there is some pressure on him to choose a conservative Republican to shore up his support among the right wing of the party.

Also, about one in three Republicans, 31%, could not think of any specific person they would like McCain to pick.

Conservative and moderate or liberal Republicans do not differ much in their choices -- Huckabee, Romney, and Rice are the top three candidates among both groups (Florida Gov. Charlie Crist ties Rice for third among moderates/liberals). The main difference is that moderate or liberal Republicans are less likely to supply a name of a favored vice presidential pick.

There are differences by religiosity, however. Republicans who attend church weekly rate Huckabee, a former Baptist minister, as the top choice, with 29% choosing him compared to 19% who choose Romney. Among Republicans who attend religious services less often, Romney gets slightly more mentions in the poll than Rice, with Huckabee getting the third most.

Survey Methods

Results for this Gallup Panel study are based on telephone interviews with 453 Republicans and Republican leaners, aged 18 and older, conducted March 24-27, 2008. Gallup Panel members are recruited through random selection methods. The panel is weighted so that it is demographically representative of the U.S. adult population. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±6 percentage points. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/106129/Consensus-Favorite-Among-Republicans-McCain.aspx

Full Page Ad Will Tell McCain: "No Mitt"

Gov. Mitt Romney signs Massachusetts' Universal Health Care law on April 12, 2006, as Sen. Kennedy looks on approvingly. The law provides taxpayer-funded abortions.

PRESCOTT, Az. -- A coalition of over two dozen leaders of state and national social conservative organizations will run a full-page ad Saturday in the Prescott Daily Courier, telling presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain, R-Az., that they cannot support his candidacy if he selects former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as his vice-presidential running mate. McCain is scheduled to appear at a campaign rally in Prescott Saturday on the steps of the courthouse where Sen. Barry Goldwater of Arizona launched his 1964 presidential bid.

The ad -- formally sponsored by Government is Not God PAC (www.gingpac.org) -- reprises social conservative activists' primary season criticism of Romney's record of passionately supporting abortion on demand and the so-called "gay rights" agenda both before and after Romney claims to have reversed his positions on such issues.

"For us the bottom line is this," the ad states. "The unvarnished facts of Mitt Romney's record as governor of Massachusetts make him utterly unacceptable as a Vice Presidential running mate. ...If Governor Romney is on your ticket, many social conservative voters will consider their values repudiated by the Republican Party."

(Full text is provided below.)

Most prominent among the ad's over two dozen signers is Paul Weyrich, president of the Free Congress Foundation, a founder of both the economically conservative Heritage Foundation and the socially conservative Moral Majority, and a national leader among conservative activists for nearly four decades.

Weyrich's is indisputably the most striking signature on the ad because of the dramatic change of heart it signals. Six months ago, Weyrich endorsed Romney's presidential candidacy. http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/11/06/romney_wins_backing_from_paul_weyrich

We can’t support a McCain-Romney ticket. Here’s why.

An Open Letter to John McCain:

- NO MITT -

We are conservatives who believe strongly in the sanctity of human life and of marriage and we recognize that the issues at stake in this upcoming election are serious and profound.

Indeed, we believe the very future of America’s security, against threats both foreign and domestic, will be determined by whom America elects as President in November.

Because we have invested our lives in securing a prosperous America that honors life and liberty, we must state our grave concerns regarding your pending choice of a running mate.

Securing and uniting the GOP Base

To be successful in November you must unite all elements of the Reagan coalition. Your choice of a running mate must reassure the Party’s base that their voices and values will be respected if you are to ignite and excite the grassroots to work hard for your election in November.

For us the bottom line is this: The unvarnished facts of Mitt Romney's record as governor of Massachusetts make him utterly unacceptable as a Vice Presidential running mate.

A very large (and growing) number of social conservative voters who have become aware of that record are likely to abandon a GOP presidential ticket on which Romney's name appears.

Governor Romney got no traction during the primaries simply because his recent “conversion” to conservative and pro-life principles is not credible.

To be clear, we all welcome anyone who has come around to the cause of life and family.

However, Romney's actions as governor flatly contradict both the values widely associated with his faith as well as his pro-life and pro-traditional marriage campaign rhetoric.

As late as December (before carefully selected audiences) he stated anti-life and anti-family positions inconsistent with his previous statements. His actions as governor betray well-timed conversions as mere political opportunism, and offend those who demand “straight talk” from their leaders.

Mitt Romney created $50 taxpayer-funded abortions

The proof is clear. He claimed to be pro-life, but by establishing taxpayer-funded abortion on demand as a “healthcare benefit” Romney achieved what no pro-abortion Massachusetts Democrat ever had!

He unconstitutionally established a permanent government seat on the state-run health care board for an unelected representative of Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider. This was after his pro-life conversion. Is it any wonder we question his political integrity?

Mitt Romney illegally ordered same-sex “marriage”

Governor Romney also claimed loudly to support traditional marriage. But he went far beyond the notorious Goodridge court opinion that, in brazen defiance of a state constitution which blocks judges from even hearing challenges to marriage law and policy, urged the Legislature to legalize homosexual “marriage.”

The Legislature never did…but Romney didn’t wait. Fulfilling a backdoor campaign promise to the pro-homosexual Log Cabin Republicans, he illegally ordered justices of the peace to perform same-sex “marriages” in direct violation of the Massachusetts Constitution and the Legislature’s constitutionally binding statute. Is it any wonder we question his political character?

(See: www.undergroundjournal.net/igroops/theunderground/adminpages/Letter-To-Romney-JAN-07)

Mitt Romney is unfit to be a ‘heartbeat away’

This goes directly to the heart of our concerns over Romney’s fitness to be a ‘heartbeat away from the presidency.’

When a chief executive can violate multiple articles of the oldest functioning constitution in the world and disobey statutes he solemnly swore to defend and execute faithfully, then blame judges who never even asked him to intervene, he mocks the principle of limited government and the separation of powers. He robs Americans of their unalienable right to self-government, for which so many soldiers, sailors and airmen have died.

These are just two issues (there are more) that absolutely disqualify Mitt Romney as a viable Vice Presidential option. He would fatally harm your appeal to voters with deep constitutionalist and social conservative commitments.

The Base CAN help you win

If Governor Romney is on your ticket, many social conservative voters will consider their values repudiated by the Republican Party and either stay away from the polls this November or only vote down the ticket. For the sake of your election, the health of your party, and the future of America you must not allow the obvious electoral consequences of that to occur.

The Base WILL stand on principle

As citizens, activists, and leaders with our feet on the solid ground of real world Republican and Independent voters, it is our duty to alert you that the grassroots is nearing a point of breaking with Republican Party leadership on many issues, not the least of which is the relentless whitewashing of Mitt Romney’s social liberalism.

On this we cannot be silent.

Senator McCain, despite the proclamations of your surrogates we hope you will act to earn the support of the conservative grassroots in November, unite the Republican Party, and lead it to victory. However, Willard Mitt Romney is a deal breaker.

NOTE: Organizations are listed for identification purposes only

Matt Barber
Policy Director
Concerned Women for America

Dr. Ted Baehr
Author of Culture Wise Family

Michael W. Calsetta
Conservative Democratic Alliance

Brian Camenker
President
MassResistance

Janet Folger
President
Faith2Action

Gary Glenn
President
American Family Association of Michigan

Thomas Glessner, J.D.
President, National Institute of Family and Life Advocates

James Hartline
Founder and Publisher
California Christian News

John Haskins
Parents’ Rights Coalition and UndergroundJournal.net

Linda Harvey
President, Mission America

Michael Heath
Executive Director
Christian Civic League of Maine

Gregg Jackson
Author/Radio Host

Judge Ned Kirby
Former Assistant Minority Leader
Massachusetts State Senate

Peter LaBarbera
President
Republicans for Family Values

Jan M. LaRue, Esq.
Jan LaRue Consulting

Dr. Scott Lively, Esq.
President
Defend the Family International

William J. Murray
Chairman
Religious Freedom Coalition

Troy Newman
President
Operation Rescue

John O’Gorman
Board Member
Massachusetts Citizens for Life

Sandy Rios
President, Culture Campaign

John Russo
President
Marriage and Family Massachusetts

Stephen Strang
Chief Executive Officer
Strang Communications

Karen Testerman
Executive Director
Cornerstone Policy Research

Randy Thomasson
Campaign for Children and Families

Paul Weyrich
President
Free Congress Foundation

Philip Zodhiates
President
Response Unlimited, Inc.


To sign our petition and send a personal comment to Senator McCain, go to: www.NoMittVP.com

Government Is Not God-PAC
Nancy Murray, Treasurer www.gingpac.org PO Box 77237, Washington, DC 20013

Obama's Global Tax

From The Conservative Voice

By Jim Kouri

The Global Poverty Act (S.2433) is expected to come up for a vote in the US Senate any time before the November presidential elections, according to conservatives who fear it is a giant step towards handing over US sovereignty to the United Nations and foreign governments.

This is the newest liberal-inspired plan to allow a United Nations style tax on American citizens, according to officials at the American Conservative Union

ACU officials say that this "sickening bill could potentially force the United States to spend as much as $845,000,000,000.00 on welfare to third-world countries."

While the Senate record of Sen. Barack Obama may appear to be a bit lacking for a man seeking the presidency, he has taken a leadership position in pushing forward this unique piece of legislation. While the idea of eliminating global hunger and disease throughout the world would appear to be a good thing, critics of the Obama-sponsored senate bill say this legislation appears benevolent only on the surface.

"This is the same tax on Americans that the socialists and New World Order enthusiasts have been dreaming about all these years. Americans are a generous people and may believe their leaders want to help the impoverished, but it is an idea that in reality is just one step closer to One World Government," claims political strategist Michael Baker.

"The socialists would like nothing better than to tax the people of the United States with the blessings of liberal-left American politicians and activists," he said.

According to critics of S.2433, since no one wants to be on the record as not wanting to combat poverty, some politicians -- without a doubt -- will feel pressure from some of their less courageous colleagues to go along with a policy they believe is harmful to the American people. Plus members of the news media have shown themselves to embrace socialism and will help to let this horrendous Obama-sponsored bill passed, without alerting Americans about its ramifications.

"This is all part and parcel of the New World Order: Third-World countries taxing the American people," said award-winning actor and political activist Michael Moriarty.

"These Maoists and Stalinists realized they could never bring people in other countries up to the standard of living we have in the United States. So, what do they do? They try to drag down the American people so that they are as poor and miserable as the impoverished in other countries," accuses Moriarty.

"It is not humane to burden the American taxpayer with billions in additional foreign aid. It is more than unacceptable," he added.

"How do liberals fight poverty? They make more people poor," said a New Jersey school teacher who has been critical of this nation's government schools.

"If history is to be our guide, American 'foreign aid' often winds up lining the pockets of Third-World tyrants and bureaucrats who hate America and do very little to help those who are truly in need," she said. "Remember the United Nation's Oil for Food scandal?"

The educator points to the United Nation's Oil for Food criminals who made extraordinary amounts of money while the Iraqi people went hungry as an example of the failure of internationalists to help people.

"I'm always reminded that when politicians say they want to help you, the best thing you can do is run away from them as fast as you can. They're not in the business of helping people -- they're in the business of grabbing as much power for themselves as possible," said Baker.

Phyllis Schlafly recently said in a speech before the members of the ACU:

"Obama's costly, dangerous and altogether bad bill (S. 2433), which could come up in the Senate any day, is called the Global Poverty Act. It would commit U.S. taxpayers to spend 0.7 percent of our Gross Domestic Product on foreign handouts...

"$845 BILLION is hardly a drop in the bucket and, yes, that's in addition to our Foreign Aid programs, which, in 2006, cost American taxpayers almost $300 BILLION!"

"If the Democrat-controlled Congress passes this bill, the United States will have taken the first step toward the complete surrender of our national sovereignty," Baker said.

In a statement released by the ACU, the officials at the conservative organization wrote:

"The American people will be watching and will not tolerate massive United Nations-style giveaways that are passed in the dark of night -- or in broad daylight for that matter. S. 2433 is a stealth bill and a dagger aimed at the heart of America’s sovereignty."

In Loving Memory of Pope John Paul The Great on the Anniversary of His Death

On this third anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul the Great, it is an impossible task to pay adequate tribute to the colossus who dwelt among us.

His pontificate was the third longest in history, and in his twenty-six and half years on the Chair of Saint Peter, he presided over 9 consistories, 15 synods of bishops, appointed 2500 of the world’s 4200 bishops.

He authored 14 encyclicals, 14 apostolic exhortations, 11 apostolic constitutions, 42 apostolic letters, 28 Motu proprio, and 5 books, in addition to hundreds of other messages and letters.

The Holy Father undertook 247 exhausting foreign and Italian pastoral visits, traveling a distance of 28 times the earth’s circumference, while welcoming an average of one million people per year to his weekly audiences and other meetings in the Vatican.

The extraordinary depth, breadth and volume of his teachings, such as his “theology of the body,” are so vast that the Church will be reflecting on them and absorbing them for generations to come.

When he began his pontificate, the Vatican had diplomatic relations with 85 countries. It now has diplomatic relations with over 175.

He played a pivotal role in bringing an end to the most murderous and tyrannical empire the world has ever known.

A poet, an actor, a laborer, a professor, priest, Archbishop, Cardinal and Pope, his life was bound up in mystical ways with the history of the twentieth century.

Many criticized him for being too "conservative;" others were critical that he did not enforce discipline and greater order in the Church, and impose sanctions on the dissidents and heterodox. Yet as we saw in the sorrowful days following his passing, his purpose was far beyond ecclesial administration. He sought to be the Vicar of Christ and shepherd to all the peoples of the world, carrying out the great commandment of Christ and following the example of the Apostles, to “make disciples of all nations.”

As a soul totally surrendered to God, his immeasurable accomplishment was to touch the hearts of the whole world with the love of Christ.

Like our Lord, he chose his words carefully for every nation and audience he addressed. His deep love and concern for America was, perhaps, most beautifully summed up at the close of his 1987 apostolic visit to the United States:

"As I go, I take with me vivid memories of a dynamic nation, a warm and welcoming people, a Church abundantly blessed with a rich blend of cultural traditions. I depart with admiration for the ecumenical spirit that breathes strongly throughout this land, for the genuine enthusiasm of your young people, and for the hopeful aspirations of your most recent immigrants. I take with me an unforgettable memory of a country that God has richly blessed from the beginning until now.

America the beautiful! So you sing in one of your national songs. Yes, America you are beautiful indeed, and blessed in so many ways:

• In your majestic mountains and fertile plains;

• In the goodness and sacrifice hidden in your teeming cities and expanding suburbs;

• In your genius for invention and for splendid progress;

• In the power that you use for service and in the wealth that you share with others;

• In what you give to your own, and in what you do for others beyond your borders;

• In how you serve, and in how you keep alive the flame of hope in many hearts;

• In your quest for excellence and in your desire to right all wrongs.
  
  Yes, America, all this belongs to you. But your greatest beauty and your richest blessing is found in the human person: in each man, woman and child, in every immigrant, in every native-born son and daughter.
  
  For this reason, America, your deepest identity and truest character as a nation is revealed in the position you take toward the human person. The ultimate test of your greatness is the way you treat every human being, but especially the weakest and most defenseless ones.
  
  The best traditions of your land presume respect for those who cannot defend themselves. If you want equal justice for all, and true freedom and lasting peace, then America, defend life! All the great causes that are yours today will have meaning only to the extent that you guarantee the right to life and protect the human person:

• Feeding the poor and welcoming refugees;

• Reinforcing the social fabric of this nation;

• Promoting the true advancement of women;

• Securing the rights of minorities;

• Pursuing disarmament, while guaranteeing legitimate defense:

All this will succeed only if respect for life and its protection by the law is granted to every human being from conception until natural death.

Every human person – no matter how vulnerable or helpless, no matter how young or how old, no matter how healthy, handicapped or sick, no matter how useful or productive for society – is a being of inestimable worth created in the image and likeness of God. This is the dignity of America, the reason she exists, the condition for her survival – yes, the ultimate test of her greatness: to respect every human person, especially the weakest and most defenseless ones, those as yet unborn.

With these sentiments of love and hope for America, I now say good-bye in words that I spoke once before: “Today, therefore, my final prayer is this: that God will bless America, so that she may increasingly become – and truly be – and long remain – ‘One Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all’”

May God bless you all. God bless America!"

An Appeal From A Red Cross Nurse in Iraq

I have received many emails from people asking is there is anything I need here in Iraq. Well, I personally am doing well and have no specific needs; however, I go to the hospital here 2 times a week and always inquire if they need anything.

Today when I went there things were busy with casualties. Some in surgery, some in ICU and some in ICW. Both military and civilians. I did get to visit the ones that were out of surgery and in ICW. There were 2 Iraqi women who the "bad guys" as they say here hid in their homes. Well, our good guys got the bad guys but the civilians were wounded in the process. With things heating up they expect to be busy at the hospital.

Anyway, today I was told that they need baby wipes. No particular brand but they use them on the patients. I went to the PX and all they had were 2 boxes which I bought and dropped off. If you feel so inclined to buy a box and send them to me I will make sure they get to the hospital. And include your name so we can send a special thank you for helping support the troops.

You can send them to:

American Red Cross
Attn: Carol Proxee
COB Speicher
APO AE 09393

Thanks for your help. I can not tell you how much it will be appreciated.