Monday, October 13, 2008
And just when you thought ecumenical dialogue wasn't interesting...
http://apoloblogology.blogspot.com/2008/10/blog-post.html
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
eating crow
OK, for those of you who never thought I'd be here... check out this link:
http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/?p=1191
Monday, October 6, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Open letter to CT Attorney General Richard Blumenthal
Dear Mr. Blumenthal,
It is with great sadness that we write to you in regards to your action against the proposed regulation protecting pro-life health care professionals. As someone who watched with keen interest the unfolding of events regarding Plan B contraception and Catholic hospitals in the state, this HHS regulation would provide a necessary protection to people of conscience. We fully support the opportunity for those who have serious moral reservations about providing services that are known to end the life of an unborn child to be able to avoid acting contrary to their deeply held religious beliefs.
It is antithetical to the mark of a free society when individuals are forced or coerced to commit actions that go against their most fundamental beliefs. The absence of this protection for health care professionals will only serve to coerce such individuals to compromise their conscience or to leave their profession. Your position in the claim that to focus on the conscience of these individuals denies the rights of patients to necessary health care is flawed. First, your position would render the moral guidelines of such doctors, etc., to be meaningless and irrelevant. Second, it is highly unlikely that patients seeking such care will be unable to find those services. Third, the notion that abortion or emergency contraception is medically necessary, is, as you know, a highly controversial and contested claim. Emergency contraception is in actuality, can be and is designed to act as an early-term abortifacient. This is a defensible statement because it is not scientifically defensible to say that human life begins at any other point but at conception. Many contraceptive measures are defined "contraceptives" by defining pregnancy by implantation. This is not a reasonable position, as any rational reflection of the subject will show.
Please consider this our strong objection to your filing suit against this ruling. The needs of a free society demand that individual freedoms are not violated. Your position in this matter would choose to violate the individual freedoms of pro-life health care professionals.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
A response to a Catholic Obama supporter
Often times in debates, especially political, it is easy for people, ourselves included, to get swept up in emotion, and to divulge their conclusions with no explanation of how they got there. This frequently results in misunderstanding and confusion and can sometimes even lead to animosity and hatred. As Christians, we have a responsibility to rise above that. Also as Christians, we have an obligation to try to live a moral life, and avoid sin. In so doing, we have to make objective judgments about actions. We do not, however, have a right to make subjective judgments about people, and this was never our intention in the comment about reflecting on your Catholic soul. We are not passing judgement upon you or anyone else. It is, however, a reminder of the fact that as Catholics, we must recognize that the protection of innocent human life from the moment of conception until natural death is fundamental.
God is not Republican or Democrat, but God's love for all human life is one that extends beyond any political boundaries. As Catholics, we can have legitimate disagreements about how to pay for health care, education, housing, foreign policy, and many other issues. These disagreements can exist without any moral deficiencies on the part of either side. They are often disagreements about strategy, not ultimate goals. Vying for one side or the other can be morally acceptable.
The Church makes it clear that we can support a pro-choice candidate DESPITE his or her position but never BECAUSE of that position. It is completely incompatible to be both a faithful, practicing Catholic and pro-choice. Based on your response it sounds like you are supporting Sen. Obama for other reasons: health care, education, etc. Though we disagree in terms of approach to these issues, we fully take you at your word and don't question that it is your faith in Christ that motivates you to help those in need. But what the Church has always taught, and why we cannot possibly support Sen. Obama, is that human life is sacred from the moment of conception. Therefore, abortion is intrinsically evil, and advocating abortion is a sin. The right to life is fundamental; without it all other liberties stand in meaningless mockery.
Sen. Obama voted three times against a bill that would grant human rights to babies who survived abortion attempts and were living and breathing ON THEIR OWN outside the mother's womb. Such babies, instead, are wheeled into a utility closet until they cry themselves to death.
Currently, the Department of Health and Human Services is supporting a ruling that would protect pro-life doctors, nurses, and other health professionals who refuse to perform abortions. Sen. Obama would strike that rule down. Opponents of the rule, like Obama, might cite the separation of Church and State as the reason for opposing this ruling. However, the separation of Church and State was never intended to overrule the individual's informed conscience, which we as Catholics recognize to be supreme in governing our way of life.
The issue of abortion is also tied to socialized health care. If government becomes the single payer of health care, it can also dictate what it will and will not pay for. This will lead us on a path, which we are on already, that puts a monetary value on human life. We all know that pregnancies and births are very expensive. Other countries with socialist or communist medicine have child limitations, enforced by mandatory sterilizations and forced abortions. (China, anyone? Does this sound like free choice?) Already in this country we see insurance companies who would deny expensive cancer treatments, but at the same time cover physician-assisted suicide. Please refer to Oregon.
In terms of sexual ethics, Senator Obama voted for a bill to teach sex education to kindergartners. If you reply, like Senator Obama has, that this is a false claim, go online and read the text of the bill for yourself. We did. The language is in the first paragraph. As Catholics, we are taught that our sexuality was made for and brought to perfection in the context of our chaste lived vocations. As men and women we are brought to fulfillment sexually through our spouses, the Church, or our single way of life. The union of one man and one woman, as taught by the Church, is only morally permissible within the context of marriage, and only when it is free from coercion and any artificial means of contraception. The teaching of Humanae Vitae, clearly vindicated in the course of history, is highly instructive. In other words, it is when this marriage covenant is abused that natural law is thwarted and human dignity is diminished.
We are not voting on one issue. We are voting on many issues, but not all issues are equal in importance. The question of abortion is the trump card for us as Catholics. When the government can abrogate for itself the right to decide who may live or die for expediency or convenience, we are all in danger. Be forewarned: as the baby boomers move into long-term care en masse, you will start to hear arguments in favor of euthanasia much more frequently. Please pray for the disabled, both physically and mentally, already targets to the utilitarian viewpoint.
Roe vs. Wade should be overturned, not only because it makes the wholesale killing of innocent babies at every stage of development legal in all 50 states, but because it is bad law. It is the role of the legislature, accountable to the citizens of the United States, to make laws. By fiat, and with no Constitutional basis, the Supreme Court decided that abortion cannot be outlawed in the U.S. Since 1973, forty-seven million U.S. citizens have been aborted in this county. That's seven million each year, or the population of Los Angeles and Chicago combined. Forty-seven million members of our generation have been denied the right to live. The price of gas seems trivially unimportant, doesn't it?
Pro-abortion advocates think that overturning Roe v. Wade will make abortion illegal. This is not so. The issue will go back to the states, where the state legislatures, acting on behalf of the people they represent, will decide if and how abortion will be allowed in their jurisdiction. This is proper democratic procedure, after all, giving voice to the people. Forty-seven million citizens have been denied that vote in the matter.
You might still say that we are voting on one issue; in our defense, it seems the most important issue at stake. You might find that despite all this, you continue to support Senator Obama. We cannot make that decision for you. To your credit, yours is the most thoughtful and articulate defense of your support for him that we have heard from anyone. Most people just say, "Change, hope, change, change, evil George Bush, hope, change, hope." Yet we strongly disagree, and with the Church, we see that abortion is not just one issue among many. We are surrounded by a culture of death, with no regard for the value of human life. It is our responsibility to stand and be a voice for the voiceless. After all, it is for human lives that Christ suffered and died. His children are being denied life.
Please consider all of this as you determine how you will vote this November. In the meantime, we invite you and all others of goodwill to join in peaceful prayer vigil in the 40 Days for Life campaign. And remember, if life itself is jeopardized, all other liberties are meaningless.
God bless you.
God is not Republican or Democrat, but God's love for all human life is one that extends beyond any political boundaries. As Catholics, we can have legitimate disagreements about how to pay for health care, education, housing, foreign policy, and many other issues. These disagreements can exist without any moral deficiencies on the part of either side. They are often disagreements about strategy, not ultimate goals. Vying for one side or the other can be morally acceptable.
The Church makes it clear that we can support a pro-choice candidate DESPITE his or her position but never BECAUSE of that position. It is completely incompatible to be both a faithful, practicing Catholic and pro-choice. Based on your response it sounds like you are supporting Sen. Obama for other reasons: health care, education, etc. Though we disagree in terms of approach to these issues, we fully take you at your word and don't question that it is your faith in Christ that motivates you to help those in need. But what the Church has always taught, and why we cannot possibly support Sen. Obama, is that human life is sacred from the moment of conception. Therefore, abortion is intrinsically evil, and advocating abortion is a sin. The right to life is fundamental; without it all other liberties stand in meaningless mockery.
Sen. Obama voted three times against a bill that would grant human rights to babies who survived abortion attempts and were living and breathing ON THEIR OWN outside the mother's womb. Such babies, instead, are wheeled into a utility closet until they cry themselves to death.
Currently, the Department of Health and Human Services is supporting a ruling that would protect pro-life doctors, nurses, and other health professionals who refuse to perform abortions. Sen. Obama would strike that rule down. Opponents of the rule, like Obama, might cite the separation of Church and State as the reason for opposing this ruling. However, the separation of Church and State was never intended to overrule the individual's informed conscience, which we as Catholics recognize to be supreme in governing our way of life.
The issue of abortion is also tied to socialized health care. If government becomes the single payer of health care, it can also dictate what it will and will not pay for. This will lead us on a path, which we are on already, that puts a monetary value on human life. We all know that pregnancies and births are very expensive. Other countries with socialist or communist medicine have child limitations, enforced by mandatory sterilizations and forced abortions. (China, anyone? Does this sound like free choice?) Already in this country we see insurance companies who would deny expensive cancer treatments, but at the same time cover physician-assisted suicide. Please refer to Oregon.
In terms of sexual ethics, Senator Obama voted for a bill to teach sex education to kindergartners. If you reply, like Senator Obama has, that this is a false claim, go online and read the text of the bill for yourself. We did. The language is in the first paragraph. As Catholics, we are taught that our sexuality was made for and brought to perfection in the context of our chaste lived vocations. As men and women we are brought to fulfillment sexually through our spouses, the Church, or our single way of life. The union of one man and one woman, as taught by the Church, is only morally permissible within the context of marriage, and only when it is free from coercion and any artificial means of contraception. The teaching of Humanae Vitae, clearly vindicated in the course of history, is highly instructive. In other words, it is when this marriage covenant is abused that natural law is thwarted and human dignity is diminished.
We are not voting on one issue. We are voting on many issues, but not all issues are equal in importance. The question of abortion is the trump card for us as Catholics. When the government can abrogate for itself the right to decide who may live or die for expediency or convenience, we are all in danger. Be forewarned: as the baby boomers move into long-term care en masse, you will start to hear arguments in favor of euthanasia much more frequently. Please pray for the disabled, both physically and mentally, already targets to the utilitarian viewpoint.
Roe vs. Wade should be overturned, not only because it makes the wholesale killing of innocent babies at every stage of development legal in all 50 states, but because it is bad law. It is the role of the legislature, accountable to the citizens of the United States, to make laws. By fiat, and with no Constitutional basis, the Supreme Court decided that abortion cannot be outlawed in the U.S. Since 1973, forty-seven million U.S. citizens have been aborted in this county. That's seven million each year, or the population of Los Angeles and Chicago combined. Forty-seven million members of our generation have been denied the right to live. The price of gas seems trivially unimportant, doesn't it?
Pro-abortion advocates think that overturning Roe v. Wade will make abortion illegal. This is not so. The issue will go back to the states, where the state legislatures, acting on behalf of the people they represent, will decide if and how abortion will be allowed in their jurisdiction. This is proper democratic procedure, after all, giving voice to the people. Forty-seven million citizens have been denied that vote in the matter.
You might still say that we are voting on one issue; in our defense, it seems the most important issue at stake. You might find that despite all this, you continue to support Senator Obama. We cannot make that decision for you. To your credit, yours is the most thoughtful and articulate defense of your support for him that we have heard from anyone. Most people just say, "Change, hope, change, change, evil George Bush, hope, change, hope." Yet we strongly disagree, and with the Church, we see that abortion is not just one issue among many. We are surrounded by a culture of death, with no regard for the value of human life. It is our responsibility to stand and be a voice for the voiceless. After all, it is for human lives that Christ suffered and died. His children are being denied life.
Please consider all of this as you determine how you will vote this November. In the meantime, we invite you and all others of goodwill to join in peaceful prayer vigil in the 40 Days for Life campaign. And remember, if life itself is jeopardized, all other liberties are meaningless.
God bless you.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Catholic Dads
Hi everyone. I've found a great website called Catholic Dads. It is a convergence of blogs by Catholic dads. It's a great resource.
Also on it today is a video from Catholicvote.com that I would recommend for you all to watch.
God bless and pax vobiscum.
http://catholic-dads.blogspot.com/
Also on it today is a video from Catholicvote.com that I would recommend for you all to watch.
God bless and pax vobiscum.
http://catholic-dads.blogspot.com/
Friday, August 8, 2008
Thursday, February 7, 2008
And today...
...I join the countless others who have flirted with the oft-repeated heresy that my vote just doesn't count anyway.
In the primary, yesterday, I cast a vote for Mitt Romney, who, just hours ago, suspended his race for the Republican nomination. Ironically, I voted for him in one of the few states that went to McCain by a wide margin (not surprising, as CT is one of the blue-est states in the nation. I often refer to my area as the "purple corner.")
So now I have much thinking and praying to do about this upcoming November. Do I cast in with the man who sought to suppress First Amendment rights even at the expense of the pro-life cause he claims to support? Or do I just stay home? But is staying home giving a half-vote to the NARAL Democrat candidate whomever he/she might be?
In the primary, yesterday, I cast a vote for Mitt Romney, who, just hours ago, suspended his race for the Republican nomination. Ironically, I voted for him in one of the few states that went to McCain by a wide margin (not surprising, as CT is one of the blue-est states in the nation. I often refer to my area as the "purple corner.")
So now I have much thinking and praying to do about this upcoming November. Do I cast in with the man who sought to suppress First Amendment rights even at the expense of the pro-life cause he claims to support? Or do I just stay home? But is staying home giving a half-vote to the NARAL Democrat candidate whomever he/she might be?
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Veterans' Day
I know I'm a few days late with this, but I wanted to include this comic from Sunday. I think this is a great tribute to our veterans, without whom we would not enjoy the freedom we do.
Thanks!
Friday, November 9, 2007
poison popups
Is it possible to go one whole day without stumbling across some form of porn? It's really getting on my nerves...
Monday, August 6, 2007
San Francisco
At an early age I fell in love with Saint Francis. I first learned about him at a very important crossing point in my life. His great love, his humility, his tenacious foolishness in pursuit of Christ through Lady Poverty were inspiring to me. Saint Francis was a lover of all that God created. Because of that, people often look to him as the patron of animals. Make no mistake, though. Saint Francis was much deeper and more complex than the concrete statues of him that adorn birdbaths everywhere. His commitment to following Christ --totally-- is, in historical terms, singular.
He understood that love came with humiliation. After all, to take up one's cross means to march towards one's own crucifixion, the deadliest of all humiliations. And Francis did so with love. Not flowery, saccharine fairweather love, but stern compulsive conviction.
This conviction carried him through abandoning his father's wealth and life of ease, the ridicule he suffered when rebuilding the little church of San Damiano, through the many tests of faithfulness, and the painful honor to bear Christ's wounds in his own hands and feet.
It is this love and willingness to suffer any humiliation for Jesus, that marked Francis his whole life.
And I hear about what happens today in the city that bears his name. Crime, drugs, sexual perversions of every kind-- gay marriage, bathhouses, NAMBLA, a cross-dressing police commissioner, S&M demonstrations before churches. I saw photos from the March for Life in San Francisco a couple of years ago and was horrifed at what was thrown at the marchers. It has become a city that breeds death unto itself.
How is it that the modern Sodom and Gomorrah is the city of St. Francis?
There is no real explanation nor condoning it, but I can imagine that if any saint in heaven were asked to suffer the humiliation attached to such a situation, Francis would volunteer, offering the humiliation as a sacrifice for the conversion of souls. I doubt that this is theologically sound or even "historically" accurate, but it's how I like to think of it.
He understood that love came with humiliation. After all, to take up one's cross means to march towards one's own crucifixion, the deadliest of all humiliations. And Francis did so with love. Not flowery, saccharine fairweather love, but stern compulsive conviction.
This conviction carried him through abandoning his father's wealth and life of ease, the ridicule he suffered when rebuilding the little church of San Damiano, through the many tests of faithfulness, and the painful honor to bear Christ's wounds in his own hands and feet.
It is this love and willingness to suffer any humiliation for Jesus, that marked Francis his whole life.
And I hear about what happens today in the city that bears his name. Crime, drugs, sexual perversions of every kind-- gay marriage, bathhouses, NAMBLA, a cross-dressing police commissioner, S&M demonstrations before churches. I saw photos from the March for Life in San Francisco a couple of years ago and was horrifed at what was thrown at the marchers. It has become a city that breeds death unto itself.
How is it that the modern Sodom and Gomorrah is the city of St. Francis?
There is no real explanation nor condoning it, but I can imagine that if any saint in heaven were asked to suffer the humiliation attached to such a situation, Francis would volunteer, offering the humiliation as a sacrifice for the conversion of souls. I doubt that this is theologically sound or even "historically" accurate, but it's how I like to think of it.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Writer's Blogck
I am relatively new to this medium and have up until now been afflicted by a perfectionistic writer's block. As I drive to work and go through my day, at least ten ideas run in my head of blog topics, but when I sit down to the computer, they all either disappear or I want to make sure it is absolutely polished and complete before I commit it to publication. Partly, it's my own sense of perfectionism in what I do, partly it's out of respect for you the audience and the message and purpose this blog serves. But I have to remind myself, "This is a blog! Not the Wall Street Journal or Time or a graduate thesis." I'm sure it will be rough, but if I massage every word and phrase incessantly to the point of journalistic impotence, no purpose will be served. This doesn't mean I want to churn out mediocrity because the audience will take it; it means that I want to get my views out there and now, I'm not doing that. If I am unclear, hopefully that will spark some discussion that in clarifying, we can get to a point we never would have got to otherwise.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
"Life is Sacred"
My apologies for the dismal frequency of my posts on this blog. I have been starting up a specifically pro-life blog for the regional group my wife and I are involved with. This and my ridiculous hours of overtime at work have prevented much involvement here. Please visit the pro-life blog, Life is Sacred, the link of which is located to the right. We welcome any information or comments that we can post there to further spread the message of protecting the most innocent of human life.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Marriage as Sacrament
I'm reading a spiritually rich book right now by Dietrich von Hildebrand called "Marriage, the Mystery of Faithful Love." I want to share with you this short passage in the foreword to this edition, published by Sophia Institute Press, by the late archbishop of New York, John Cardinal O'Connor.
"Marriage as a Sacrament, then, becomes the concrete, earthly expression and incarnation of God's saving love for each of us. Herein lies the essence of the sacramentality of marriage: through the loving marital relationship, God continues to make known His presence in the world.
"In effect, when marital love and commitment that is open to life is expressed, God continues to take on flesh. God's love, therefore, does not simply transcend our own flesh, but rather comes and dwells in our midst. For a Christian, then, the vision of marriage must be rooted in one's commitment to Jesus and faith in Him as Lord.
"Jesus announced the advent of His Kingdom as one of tenderness and intimacy. He speaks of a God whose love, mercy, and forgiveness is extravagant, limitless, and without reservation. He is a God of concern who is totally and permanently faithful in bringing Creation to fulfillment by constantly drawing us back to Himself, the source of all goodness. Since marriage is the living, tangible, sacramental sign of this love, these characteristics are to be expressed and experienced in the marital relationship."
~~~
"Marriage as a Sacrament, then, becomes the concrete, earthly expression and incarnation of God's saving love for each of us. Herein lies the essence of the sacramentality of marriage: through the loving marital relationship, God continues to make known His presence in the world.
"In effect, when marital love and commitment that is open to life is expressed, God continues to take on flesh. God's love, therefore, does not simply transcend our own flesh, but rather comes and dwells in our midst. For a Christian, then, the vision of marriage must be rooted in one's commitment to Jesus and faith in Him as Lord.
"Jesus announced the advent of His Kingdom as one of tenderness and intimacy. He speaks of a God whose love, mercy, and forgiveness is extravagant, limitless, and without reservation. He is a God of concern who is totally and permanently faithful in bringing Creation to fulfillment by constantly drawing us back to Himself, the source of all goodness. Since marriage is the living, tangible, sacramental sign of this love, these characteristics are to be expressed and experienced in the marital relationship."
~~~
Minor Rant
OK, this is just a minor annoyance, but I have to say it. I like scrolling through the random blogs here on blogger.com. I like to see the different creative visions, opinions, interests, and the stories of people's lives. But here is the thing: I CAN'T READ CHINESE!!! OR SPANISH, OR PORTUGESE, OR KOREAN, OR ITALIAN. I can read a little bit of French, but do you get my point? Is there a setting somewhere that I can check so that when I click "Next Blog" I get only English blogs?
Monday, April 30, 2007
Semantics
Boy, it is interesting how phrases can skew a discussion. Since the partial-birth abortion ban was upheld, I've been listening a lot of discussion on the radio about what are the next steps for pro-choice and anti-choice groups. (Or is that anti-abortion and pro-death groups? Or pro-life and pro-women's health groups?)
To be fair, NPR has been looking at both sides of the issue with their usual civility and decorum, but the inclinations of the "establishment" still shine through
when the question is asked about women making the choice "to bear a child or terminate a pregnancy."
We probably hear those phrases so often that they can rush right past us without noticing what has happened. The fetus is either a child or the by-product of a pregnancy, all depending on the intention of the mother/ pregnant woman. If the woman wants the child, then yes, it is a child, and we're sympathetic to her struggles, her hopes and her joys. If she does not want a baby, then our society sees not a child but an inconvenience, a blob of tissue that will be an obstacle to any of that woman's happiness. Keeping a child is a joy, having an abortion is only terminating a pregnancy. It sounds like having one's tonsils out.
Oops, my mistake, on the news, they always refer to the procedure as "so-called" partial birth abortion. Wouldn't want to misrepresent the truth...
To be fair, NPR has been looking at both sides of the issue with their usual civility and decorum, but the inclinations of the "establishment" still shine through
when the question is asked about women making the choice "to bear a child or terminate a pregnancy."
We probably hear those phrases so often that they can rush right past us without noticing what has happened. The fetus is either a child or the by-product of a pregnancy, all depending on the intention of the mother/ pregnant woman. If the woman wants the child, then yes, it is a child, and we're sympathetic to her struggles, her hopes and her joys. If she does not want a baby, then our society sees not a child but an inconvenience, a blob of tissue that will be an obstacle to any of that woman's happiness. Keeping a child is a joy, having an abortion is only terminating a pregnancy. It sounds like having one's tonsils out.
Oops, my mistake, on the news, they always refer to the procedure as "so-called" partial birth abortion. Wouldn't want to misrepresent the truth...
Brownback on Hannity
So I heard Sam Brownback on Hannity today. God bless the man, he has no chance.
I think he knows this though, and I suspect that winning the election is not his primary motivation. I truly believe that his first goal is to bring the sanctity of life into the fore of the public debate. I am convinced of this because of what he said to Sean today. Sean asked Senator Brownback about abortion in the case of rape and he didn't dodge the question as any other politician with blind ambition would have done. He stook his ground and pointed out that the child is still innocent and sentencing her to death will not solve the exterior problems.
That is a hard lesson to take, but one that our society needs to learn.
I think he knows this though, and I suspect that winning the election is not his primary motivation. I truly believe that his first goal is to bring the sanctity of life into the fore of the public debate. I am convinced of this because of what he said to Sean today. Sean asked Senator Brownback about abortion in the case of rape and he didn't dodge the question as any other politician with blind ambition would have done. He stook his ground and pointed out that the child is still innocent and sentencing her to death will not solve the exterior problems.
That is a hard lesson to take, but one that our society needs to learn.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Das Boot, part II
So I did finally finish Das Boot. Wifey fell asleep long before it was finished-- big surprise; she's lucky to make it fifteen minutes into any movie and this one was considerably long. Besides, she likes movies that contain a lot of talking. She needles me about "it must be a guy thing" regarding movies that I watch where the main characters can have entire conversations with few, if any words. (See just about any movie by Sergio Leone.) I found it worth the two-disc plod. As one reviewer said, you find yourselves rooting for the crew even though they were fighting for Nazi Germany. The irony of the movie is strong, and to describe that in any detail would be to give away the ending for those who have not seen it.
Sadly, a symbolic victory
So today the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the ban on partial birth abortion. With mixed feelings I reflect on it, for though a victory for pro-life forces, its passage immediately becomes a symbolic victory.
I say this because the decision today upholds the ban on the method only, but not the practice in concept. The ban, if enforced, will not directly reduce the number of abortions in the United States. As a dammed river will overflow or change course to find its way to the ocean, the forces of abortion have already circumvented the obstacle and moved on to other "safer" methods. Live birth abortion is an alternative to partial-birth abortion in late-term pregnancies. The baby is delivered and placed in another room and denied nourishment or medical care until it dies. Other methods include injecting the fetus with chemicals which will seize its heart; the dead baby is then extracted via cesarian section. (This method in particular plays right into the argument against partial-birth abortion: why is it necessary for the health of the mother that the baby be aborted rather than delivered cesarian section?)
This seeming futility, however, does not negate the urgency in supporting the partial-birth abortion ban and other such legal measures. A symbolic victory in this uphill battle is a victory nonetheless. It sheds light on the brutality of the procedure and opens discussion on why abortion is morally wrong in all cases.
I say this because the decision today upholds the ban on the method only, but not the practice in concept. The ban, if enforced, will not directly reduce the number of abortions in the United States. As a dammed river will overflow or change course to find its way to the ocean, the forces of abortion have already circumvented the obstacle and moved on to other "safer" methods. Live birth abortion is an alternative to partial-birth abortion in late-term pregnancies. The baby is delivered and placed in another room and denied nourishment or medical care until it dies. Other methods include injecting the fetus with chemicals which will seize its heart; the dead baby is then extracted via cesarian section. (This method in particular plays right into the argument against partial-birth abortion: why is it necessary for the health of the mother that the baby be aborted rather than delivered cesarian section?)
This seeming futility, however, does not negate the urgency in supporting the partial-birth abortion ban and other such legal measures. A symbolic victory in this uphill battle is a victory nonetheless. It sheds light on the brutality of the procedure and opens discussion on why abortion is morally wrong in all cases.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
mission statement
So... a little about me.
I grew up here in Southeastern CT, the youngest of four kids. Not the most athletic kid, I was from early on interested in art. I began my college career studying architecture, but left it to follow another path. I switched to philosophy, studying for a couple of years for the Catholic priesthood. It proved not to be my vocation, as I finally realized that I was still in love with the woman who would become my wife.
At this writing, I am 26 years old (now having to stop and do the math...), am married to my beautiful bride Patty, and have three little boys tearing up the house. I shouldn't say house; actually, it's the Incredible Shrinking Mobile Home. It's nice for now, we got it before the people here before us let the maintenance pass beyond the point of no return. A lot of work, and watch your step.
I call myself a graphic designer, but I think the term graphic mechanic fits better. I took the job at the printing company for graphic design experience, and ended up staying on, eventually becoming prepress/ production manager, juggling, putting out fires and fixing all the customers' print files. I like the work that I do, but what I really am interested in is a project I don't know how to start.
I want to launch a magazine for Catholic young adults. Arts, theology, culture, politics, all in the light of Christ. I haven't come up with a name yet, but I do have a mission statement: "To seek out that which is holy, right and good in the world today, and to use it, like all good things, in the service of Christ." I see it as part coffee house, part apologetics guide, part cultural review, part evangelization tool.
More on that later...
I grew up here in Southeastern CT, the youngest of four kids. Not the most athletic kid, I was from early on interested in art. I began my college career studying architecture, but left it to follow another path. I switched to philosophy, studying for a couple of years for the Catholic priesthood. It proved not to be my vocation, as I finally realized that I was still in love with the woman who would become my wife.
At this writing, I am 26 years old (now having to stop and do the math...), am married to my beautiful bride Patty, and have three little boys tearing up the house. I shouldn't say house; actually, it's the Incredible Shrinking Mobile Home. It's nice for now, we got it before the people here before us let the maintenance pass beyond the point of no return. A lot of work, and watch your step.
I call myself a graphic designer, but I think the term graphic mechanic fits better. I took the job at the printing company for graphic design experience, and ended up staying on, eventually becoming prepress/ production manager, juggling, putting out fires and fixing all the customers' print files. I like the work that I do, but what I really am interested in is a project I don't know how to start.
I want to launch a magazine for Catholic young adults. Arts, theology, culture, politics, all in the light of Christ. I haven't come up with a name yet, but I do have a mission statement: "To seek out that which is holy, right and good in the world today, and to use it, like all good things, in the service of Christ." I see it as part coffee house, part apologetics guide, part cultural review, part evangelization tool.
More on that later...
Das Boot part I
Well, the TV's broken, so I can't finish watching the latest movie in from Netflix. I had started watching Das Boot, about a German submarine in WWII, the officers' disillusionment with the Third Reich, and the cat-and-mouse games they played with the British. Very long, but so far so good. I pick up on visual homages in movies, and I believe a scene from Pixar's Finding Nemo was an homage to Das Boot. When the whale appears behind Marlin and Dori seemingly out of nowhere, filling the screen, it's just how the sub appeared in the beginning of the movie. Nice touch. I'll give more feedback when I finish the movie
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