New Blog Template

...because good videos like this shouldn't get cut off or interfere with the pics of Jesus.

Plus I think this is a cleaner look. And like President Obama, I don't want to hear any attitude about it. The deliberation for the template change was on C-Span, after all. You must have missed it.

Help out a Regular Guy

Fellow blogger and Catholic Dad Paul Mitchell is taking a stand to change things for the better. He's a strong pro-life conservative running for State Representative in the 62nd district in Illinois. Please help him out any way you can, either by prayer, money, or real estate on your blog. Thanks, Paul!

March for Life video

Well, as of yet, The Day hasn't printed my letter. They usually hold my pro-life submission off until Saturday, when fewer people read the paper. And I do have some videos and interviews that my wife and I did with a few people we met on the March. This video below, however, is a great indication of the magnitude of the March for Life, both in numbers and its importance. I've gotta say, the line at the end is especially significant.



Thanks to Leticia for posting it.

Heard on Rush today...

by author unknown:

"The danger to America is not Barack Obama but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the presidency. It will be easier to limit and undo the follies of an Obama presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their president. The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr. Obama, who is a mere symptom of what ails us. Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince. The republic can survive a Barack Obama, who is, after all, merely a fool. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools such as those who made him their president."

Here here!

Presidential halo sighting!

We've seen these before. Or is this Kabuki?

Non Nobis Network

I join with the guys at Creative Minority Report and the other members of the Non Nobis Network, giving thanks to God for HIS victory in stopping an anti-life, anti-freedom health care bill that would enslave Americans for years to come.

Non nobis, non nobis, Domine
Sed nomini tuo da gloriam.

Not to us, not to us, o Lord,
But to your name give glory.

My favorite version of the Non Nobis is recorded on John Flynn's song titled "Holy Is Our King," on the album Kissing the Heart of God, which can be purchased here.

Note to Newsweek:

We are not here to make the President's job any harder or easier. We're not here for his sake at all.

The job of the President is to serve the American people in ways consistent with the Constitution.

And dismantling the American economy against the will of the people via overreaching legislation propped up with outright bribes and unfair deals is not consistent with the Constitution.

And they wonder why the Tea Parties have become so popular these days.

Letter to Editor, March for Life 2010

With no ill will toward Elissa Bass or the Algiere family, I find it interesting that the Day ran a 500 word, front-page article with large pictures about a missing goat, yet this story doesn't even get mentioned:

Hundreds of area residents joined hundreds of thousands of Americans from across the country to join the largest, longest-running grassroots march on Washington to stand in defiance of the Roe v. Wade decision which enabled approximately 50 million state-sanctioned deaths since 1973.

This is an especially shocking journalistic oversight considering: 1. Current health care legislation dominating news this year has been effectively derailed in part by objections over abortion and other right-to-life issues. 2. Recent polls show that the majority of Americans for the first time since 1973 consider themselves "pro-life" and 3. A federal study released in the April 2009 issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention confirmed a strong link between breast cancer and both abortion and oral contraceptives.

Is there a reason for the Day's oversight? If staff funding is a problem, I would be happy to give a reporter a ride to next year's March for Life. Until then, wait for the call when my cat goes missing.

George Soros met with his advisors this morning...

I've seen a few different versions of this video, but this is the best one yet.



h/t Patrick Madrid

One more thing the Brown win in MA means...

...people like David Marciniak have one less over-reaching incompetent statist nitwit to worry about in Washington.

There are still Minutemen in Massachusetts

Scott Brown won in Massachusetts. The first Republican Senator in 47 years from that state. This is huge.

Living in Connecticut, I get to listen to a sports station out of Boston that gets rebroadcast from Providence. (Caveat: I'm not a big sports fan, but their commentary is really funny nonetheless and the morning guys also tackle politics on a regular basis. Dennis and Callahan, the hosts of WEEI's morning show, have been huge supporters of Scott Brown, as have most of their callers. The energy that Massachusetts residents have been voicing in support of Brown has been unbelievable, and their excitement this morning is palpable. And well it should be.

Coakley's unacceptable positions aside (like disregarding conscience protections for Catholics and others who reject abortion), as well as her arrogance, (like disdaining shaking hands with constituents out in the cold and joining with Obama in mocking Brown's Government Motors truck) and her sheer stupidity (such as claiming Curt Shilling is a Yankees fan, as if that would help her even if it were true), this election was a referendum on Obamacare. Both Brown and Martha Coakley--I'll refrain from the Marcia jabs for now-- made it clear that the outcome of this election would effect the Senate vote on the Obamacare monolith. Obama, in his emergency visit to Massachusetts last week, also hammered home the point that his agenda on health care hinged on the special election.

And the people don't want it! Poll after poll across the country shows that the citizens of this country do not want either the legislation in its current form nor the manner in which the powers that be in government are ramming it through, citizens-be-damned. The people of Massachusetts saw correctly that this was their chance to immediately affect the end result that so many have wanted, despite the deaf ears of their elected representatives in Washington.

Heads exploding!
From time to time I lurk over at Change.org because it's the strongest concentration of moonbat leftist anti-Catholic opinion that I can handle. Scott Brown wins in the deep blue state of Mass and their immediate response is silence on the event and to headline an article about how Meghan McCain will reshape the Republican party into a more gay-friendly, Democratic Republican party.

Here's my response to that... Meghan, we have a big tent over here. You're welcome to be under the tent, but don't expect to have a place of honor on the stage.

Conservatives are sick of getting pushed around, both by liberals and weak-kneed Republicans.

Oh, and by the way, how appropriate is this? Today's Old Testament reading was the story of David slaying Goliath:

The Philistine then moved to meet David at close quarters,
while David ran quickly toward the battle line
in the direction of the Philistine.
David put his hand into the bag and took out a stone,
hurled it with the sling,
and struck the Philistine on the forehead.
The stone embedded itself in his brow,
and he fell prostrate on the ground.
Thus David overcame the Philistine with sling and stone;
he struck the Philistine mortally, and did it without a sword.
Then David ran and stood over him;
with the Philistine’s own sword which he drew from its sheath
he dispatched him and cut off his head.

I'm in love with my son's Kindergarten teacher...

...and she has her own new blog! She's really smart, really wonderful, really beautiful, and, well, I could go on. But instead of letting me blather on about her, you should check her out yourself.

Alright, this is awkward...

A friend whose daughter is at the Franciscan University of Steubenville sent this to me. If you have had no ties with the school, you'll probably think this is an anti-recruitment video. If you have any friends who have gone there, you'll get the joke. It's an exaggeration, but not much of one.



Thanks, Mary!

Live Action has a new publication...

... called The Advocate.

you can read it here.

Local ties to the tragedy in Haiti and some ways you can help

Our hearts go out to the people most affected by the tragic earthquake in Haiti. In a country that has suffered so much, more suffering. While the pictures reveal a level of devastation to people and property that is unreal, the real pain and sorrow this has caused is unimaginable. Like so many others, I have offered my prayers for the souls lost, the people trapped in the rubble and for the survivors who must now dig out, already having lost loved ones.

I urge anyone to continue to pray and offer sacrifices for the people of Haiti and to contribute to relief efforts.

My own diocese has local ties to Port-au-Prince. With many Haitian immigrants in our area, the Diocese of Norwich "twinned" itself with the Diocese of Port-au-Prince some years ago in an effort to strengthen cultural ties and lend support to the poor of that country. The Haitian Ministries of the Diocese of Norwich does great work there, as does their Hospice Saint Joseph, which welcomes international medical personnel to offer their services to the people of Haiti. The Haitian Ministries office is now collecting donations with a promise of matching funds up to $10,000, so help them out if you could. The two Connecticut residents who staff the mission house there are thankfully alive; the director was trapped in the rubble of the building for hours and was rescued by her husband, who drove six hours to reach her. The full story is here. The Norwich-based Haitian Health Foundation, which has offices in Jeremie, about 100 miles from Port-au-Prince, will also be helping both now and in the future.

Of course, in the aftermath of the earthquake, much tragic news is expected. One local woman, Roberthe Antoine, has already learned that five of her family members have died and is still awaiting news on the rest.

Please continue your prayerful support.

House offer was rejected

We bid on a house last week but I just heard from the seller. They're not accepting our offer, but are going to list it with a realtor and try to get their imaginary number. Good luck to them!

So now, we wait until our place sells and find another house that doesn't need half as much work. St. Joseph, pray for us.

A petty gripe and a lesson learned

I've never been good with confrontations. I'm the kind of guy who always tries to be nice, no matter what, who has no street smarts and always thinks of the right thing to do or say about ten minutes after I should have done or said it. Lee Marvin I am not. Case in point:

Wifey and I took the kids shopping the other day to a local discount store. You know, the kind with factory closeouts, store buyouts, crap from China, 5,000 two-cent pencils with "Revere Police Department" printed on them, last year's editions of the Rand-McNally road atlas for $1.00, and other such stuff. This particular retail cornucopia announces its presence with a 50-foot fiberglass cowboy in the parking lot holding an American flag. Let's just say that everyone around here has shopped there at least once and will refer to it while smirking or rolling their eyes. Or both.

Well, we needed some small household stuff and some homeschooling supplies, so we loaded up into the family bus and headed on down the road. Our time through the store was pretty normal: we found more stuff to put in the cart than was on our list. The boys were really helpful, if only because I gave them jobs to do to keep them occupied. I'd be at one end of the aisle and wifey was at the other with the baby and the cart. I'd pick a few items and hand them to the boys who dutifully marched them to Mom and came back for more. They stayed out of trouble, didn't scream or break anything and didn't knock anybody else over. So far, a success. They even got to pick out one small toy each.

When we decided we'd had enough, we gave the order. "OK, kids, go to the register." Wifey and I trailed about ten feet behind as Fric, Frac and Fred raced to the counter. I was pushing the cart, paying attention to what I was doing, so I didn't see what happened next, it all happened so fast. Fred, who is 3, found an entire cardboard rack of emergency whistles hanging there. Of course, he put one to his lips and blew. (You might be thinking that this story is about a busted eardrum or us getting kicked out of the store, but you'd be wrong. In fact, there was no audible noise at all from the whistle.) The cashier immediately left her perch, walked over to the whistles and announced to my wife that we had to buy that whistle. She pointed to the sign. "It says right there if you blow the whistle, you have to buy it." She proceeded to untangle the whistle in question. My wife, immediately replied "Fine, I'll pay for it, but you can throw it away. Why would I want that in my van?" Unfazed, the cashier continued to untangle the whistle. We explained to Fred that because he had to buy the whistle, we had to put his toy back. Fine, I think he forgot about it within five minutes. Wifey and I exchanged some looks and some hushed conversation, then she took the boys outside while I paid.

Here's what I did: I asked the lady if she thought 3 year olds could read. She didn't answer. I then explained to her that if that was their store policy, then the whistles should not be there at the register, unpackaged, unprotected, and at the eye level of a 3 year old. I took the whistle display and moved it to a more, um, appropriate spot. Then I paid and left. (I know, the word wuss comes to mind.)

Here's what I realized after I left the store I should have done: I should have handed the cashier the dollar, plus six cents for the tax, and told her to keep the whistle as well as all the $80.00 worth of items in my carriage.

Here's what I will do: send a note to the manager of the store bemoaning not the dollar lost, but the policy they have to set their customers up. According to sources close to me, they've been pulling that crap for years. Well, gripe done and lesson learned. But that's the last dollar they'll get from me. Next time, I'll go to Job Lot. I think I can pick up a copy of the Dirty Dozen there. I need to do some studying.

Continuing with the Darth Vader motif...

this commercial made me laugh my butt off.

Have a good day!

Welcome, Godson!

Our godson Aaron was born into this world early Thursday morning. With some minor initial complications now under control, hopefully he and mom will be coming home soon! God be praised!

Some ruminations from a funeral

My sister-in-law's father passed away and the funeral was this past week. The Mass was at a church that my wife and I go to on occasion, but it was celebrated by a visiting priest. My wife and I were nervous, because at funerals with visiting priests and a lot of people in the pews who don't usually attend Mass, you just never know what will happen, as LarryD can certainly attest to. We were quite relieved, though, as the priest actually stuck to the rubrics of the Mass, and didn't turn an occasion for praying for the deceased and comfort for his family into a canonization rite or a New Age meditation on oneness. He reminded us that God's plan is for our eternal union with Him but pointed to the centrality of the Cross in that plan. The priest comforted the family members that at death we do not cease to exist but hopefully enter into the fullness of life eternal with God, and we offered prayers for the mercy of God to be extended upon this man and all of us.

At different parts of the Mass I looked around at the church and pondered the symbolism of what I saw: the crucifix, whose victim purchased the mercy we were imploring; the statues of the saints, whose preaching and lives of witness made possible our own life in Christ; the baptismal font and Easter candle, present and central to every person's entry into the Church, and now present at one's exit from earthly life; the incense, which carries forth our prayers and worship to God in heaven, yet lingering to sanctify the space in which we worship.

These things are what the Church wishes us to ponder in the Liturgy, and the priest, acting according to his responsibilities, allowed me to ponder such things because he wasn't competing for my attention.

Sincere condolences

...to the family of Kevin Archbold. and to my sister-in-law's family for the loss of their father David.

May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Angel Band
by the Stanley Brothers

My latest sun is sinking fast
My race is nearly run
My longest trials now are past
My triumph has begun

Chorus
Oh come angel band
Come and around me stand
Bear me away on your snow white wings
To my immortal home
Bear me away on you snow white wings
To my immortal home

Oh bear my longing soul to him
Who bled and died for me
Whose blood now cleanses from all sins
And brings me victory

[chorus]

I know I'm near the holy ranks
Of friends and kindred dear
I brush the dew on Jordan's banks
The crossing must be near

I've almost gained my heavenly home
My spirit loudly sings
The holy ones, behold they come
I hear the noise of wings

No-fault divorce

I've decided to do some research on no-fault divorce. Last month I posted about a gay-marriage advocate who mockingly attempted to get a ban on divorce enacted in California.

As I said then, the sad part of his idea, namely, that if heterosexuals want to "dictate" the rules for marriage, they'd better be prepared to follow through on it, is that most people saw his point to "stick it" to the heterosexuals and didn't really take the idea seriously. However, I think that he stumbled upon precisely the crux of the matter. Gay marriage will not be the death of the institution of marriage; no-fault divorce already dealt a terrible blow. "Gay marriage" is a misnomer and a contradiction of terms; no-fault divorce, enshrined in law, and having disastrous effects in culture and in the nature of the family, is truly a destructive force.

This needs to come into the public discussion, as it is clear to me that the emperor has no clothes. Once I know more about the subject, I'd like to start initiating discussion on this topic, both here and elsewhere. I'll start off now with the easiest entry possible: the Wikipedia entry on no-fault divorce.

I'd love any feedback I can get. Thanks!

Senator Dodd calls it quits!

...and me working in a company full of men save the one extremely liberal woman, I had no one to hug when I heard the news.

My guess is he got a phone call from Rahm explaining that it was not in the best interests of the Party for him to run again. I just wonder what job he was promised in the administration next year. Ruining-the-banking-industry-Czar?

Within minutes of Dodd's announcement came the news that CT Attorney General Richard Blumenthal will run for the Democratic ticket for the seat. He is bound to be the Democratic candidate, as he is very popular in this heavily Democratic state. (Though as we have seen from his adament pro-choice stance and his comments in last year's Catholic Church tax exempt debacle, Blumenthal is no friend of ours.)

The Republican primary will be a showdown cage-match style between Linda McMahon and Rob Simmons, both of whom are pro-choice. Since no pro-life candidate is running for the seat, we'll have to look at other factors. I'm inclined to support Simmons given his other conservative stances, especially in matters of national security and fiscal responsibility, but either one of the Republican candidates will really have to bang the drum to overcome the charm and recognition of CT's liberal posterboy, Dick Blumenthal. This race will determine if the frustration Connecticut citizens have expressed toward Senator Dodd is merely over his arrogance and disregard for his constituents or over the roughshod manner in which the Democratic machine is running this country headlong into a ditch.

...And in other family stuff news...

...I will soon be starting a part-time tutoring job a few nights a week, funded by the No Child Left Behind Act. Helping out the failing public school system, helping out kids, helping out my family budget, hey, it's a good thing...

It was either that, or wait for one of those "green" jobs everyone is talking about.

...


...


...


crickets chirping

I've been bugging St. Joseph...

...for a bigger sardine can. Two adults, three boys, one baby girl and a cat are kind of cramped in 912 ft^2 of living space. We put an offer on a house last week and are waiting to hear back. The seller thinks it's worth twice what it actually is (and twice what we bid on it) despite the fact that it reminds me of a movie with Tom Hanks and Shelly Long. So we'll see what happens. If this is the house God has picked for us, I'll get back to you with good news. If this is not the house He has for us, well, we'll keep bugging St. Joseph.