Well, It Worked in 452

The Associated Press is reporting that several groups (six, to be precise) sent representatives to protest against the priesthood in St. Peter's Square today. These protesters have gathered on the day before the commencement of the three-day ceremony to close out the Year for Priests.

Do you notice a trend here? The Church does nothing to provoke these people, save bear witness to the will of Christ. However, these precious children of God stand in our midst and attack us. They stand in front of our cathedral during such a happy occasion as the recent diaconate ordinations. They stand below the pope's window and hurl hatred and viciousness towards his person. Where is the respect? You don't see me yelling at Bishop Clark for the things he's done - I just sit and type. Not too hostile, that. However, these protesters have hurled themselves at the physical dwelling places of the Lord.

When Pope St. Leo the Great rode out in 452 to meet Attila the Hun, the barbarian was convinced to spare the Eternal City, Rome. He had respect for the papacy. If a pagan warlord can recognize the sanctity and preciousness of the Church, why can't liberals and militant evangelicals? The day that Catholics show up at Protestant churches and WOC meetings yelling obscenities and hatred, that's the day when these people will be justified. The Church proves Her charity by being perpetually on the defensive. That's the mark of the true Church, folks. We don't spit in the face of sanctity. We may write down and share our displeasure, but that's it. No souls are lost, no blood spilled, no physical or emotional pain inflicted.

Pope St. Leo the Great, defender of the Church and of Rome, pray for us. May these barbarians withdraw as they did 1558 years ago.

The New Racism - Obama and Abortion

This cartoon is certainly thought-provoking, friends. It's from the blog Veritatis: The Cartoon, and comes at a very appropriate time. Liberals are saying that racism is dead because we have an African-American president. But when you look at this, and consider other relevant things, it's quite obvious that racism has simply evolved.

So what is this "evolved racism" that I mentioned? Let's just examine the First Lady, Mrs. Michelle Obama. I am certain that she is a very lovely person, and I cringe to think that anyone would call her "monkey," "ape-woman," or "the msising link." That's just inappropriate. Whenever someone gets thrust into the news for such hate-filled language, they are pretty much labeled as racist, intolerant, reactionary, etc. However, what about the innumerable jokes about how George Bush looked like an ape? No one was ever arrested for hate-speech like that. What about the people who said his mother looked like a bloated whale? Mrs. Bush just carried on in her usual way, not getting her husband (George H.W. Bush) to censor or prosecute the people. 

If we're really a post-racial nation, shouldn't our first ladies act the same when attacked? God forbid anyone makes fun of the Obamas - but the Bushes, they're just country hicks! Mock them and label them as morons, and no one lifts a finger. 

And please, do not get me started on Affirmative Action. For the handful of times that it actually works, it actually stifles the success of the genuinely qualified. I am clueless as how we all want to end racism, and yet we put up these bumpers around sensitive issues so that this group can get ahead, and that group doesn't get offended, and these people can say this, and those people can do that. If we're all equal, we should be treated as equals, and not given different starting positions.

I pray that President Obama realizes the gross injustices and contradictions in his presidency. How can he defend the ideals of the nation when things such as what is mentioned in the above cartoon are true? Is it post-racial for Planned Parenthood to erect its largest buildings in so-called "Black Ghettos"? The African American community is suffering because the politicians have declared racism to be over when, in fact, it is becoming more and more entrenched, but stealthily so. We are all equal in the sight of God, and for some people to be separated and exalted while others are held back due to feel-good politicking is to be part of a great injustice, one whose effects will be long-lasting and devastating for our brothers and sisters in faith.

But I digress . . .

I'm sure you're wondering by now why, exactly, Gen is going off into racial politics and that whole politically-incorrect morass. Well, it's especially apt considering my upcoming trip to Gettysburg and Washington, and the Governor of Virginia's declaration of "Confederate History Month." Come the end of the week, you'll see some history-related posts of Catholic interest: Col. Patrick O'Rourke, Fr. William Corby, the Catholic parish in Gettysburg, the impact of St. Elizabeth Anne Seton, and more. The reason I'm looking forward to this trip is that in the events of history is reflected the hand of God. We can see that His will is always achieved in the end. We were punished with civil war for four long years, losing over 600,000 men killed and wounded. However, because of this, 4,000,000 slaves were freed, and given liberty.

It is truly a shame that leaders like Obama seem to drift above the sacrifices of ages past, living only in their glorious "now," a "now" which excludes so much of what we are as a people. It's amazingly naive to presume that a mere 150 years past the Civil War, the last vestiges of racism are erased permanently. We can see racism in our own realm of interest: the annual Chrism Mass features an African-American dancing around the altar. Our African-American brethren are separated, officially, and given their own parish set aside from the others. Is not the Mass a place to come together, united and not focused on race?

If I wanted to, I could go on and on and on about the whole issue about race and the Catholic identity (or race and the American identity), but I know that there are a few die-hard Democrats who read this blog, and whose blood is probably boiling by this point. Mea culpa for contributing to your high blood pressure, dear blue-staters.

"End The Church Culture That Led to Abuse"

Today's Demagogue and Barnacle features an article penned by the would-be-theologian Mark Hare, whose musings on anything dealing with the Holy Catholic Church can be summarized as "Bishop Clark is divine" and "the old ways must die." His article is below, with my commentary.

A lot of Catholics are angry. (Good deduction, Sherlock.)
Some are incensed at what they see as a media attack on Pope Benedict XVI and other high-level Vatican officials for protecting pedophile priests.("They" as in "a lot of Catholics"? Shouldn't you include yourself, Mr. Hare, unless you are either not "incensed" or not Catholic"?)
Others, myself included, (Ah, here comes the "Me-Show" we can all expect from Mr. Hare) are far more disturbed by a pattern of paranoia and obfuscation by some in the pope's inner circle. (Paranoia? It's not paranoia when people really are out to get you, Mr. Hare. Just look at the news and tell me this isn't the case.)
The official preacher of the papal household delivered a Good Friday reflection comparing the media criticism of the pope to anti-Semitism. The church's chief exorcist charged that the devil "prompted" New York Times stories suggesting that the pope, as archbishop of Munich in 1980, may not have been sufficiently vigilant in preventing a pedophile priest from returning to parish ministry. (So now it comes to Mr. Hare to critique the Pope. Oh, rest assured, his credentials enable him to do just that - "columnist for Rochester, NY paper." Let us kneel before his awesome presence.)
Circling the wagons is the worst response; the pope and the hierarchy of the church are not the victims. (They are victims, Mr. Hare. How many innocent priests are labeled as pedophiles because a few idiots couldn't control themselves? How many bishops are now being slandered for doing the right thing, even though the media says they didn't? How many young men are being mocked and derided for their faith which prompts them to enter seminary or religious life? I can tell you, sir, it is vastly more than the children who have been abused. No one is saying "forget the kids," yet people seem all too willing to put words like this into the mouth of the Church. People like you, sir.)
It is painfully clear that the abuse was not an isolated American phenomenon. The criminal circle has widened to Europe, and I suspect that hundreds of allegations will become thousands.(I wonder how many of these cases hinge on a middle aged man who sees an opportunity to cash in on the contrived abuses of his past? Many of those who have come forward have not been abused - they have been goaded into action by the media and by gold-digging parents and spouses. This kind of behavior slanders the Church and wounds the true victims even more.)
Of course, the vast majority of priests and bishops (and certainly nuns) have given their lives to loving service. ("And certainly nuns"? What is this supposed to mean? Nuns are more pure than the priests and bishops? I tend to doubt that very much, Mr. Hare. How many nuns covered up abuses for the scandalous pastors? How many nuns physically attacked children in the classroom? Oh, you should not single out the nuns, sir. If anything, single out the new young people, men entering the priesthood, and women entering religious life, who are of the "new breed," the solid, God-fearing, and pure young people that you implicitly lump in with all the trash the Church must clear out.)
It is also true, as John Allen Jr., senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter, ( "senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter". . . "Thou woulds't have no power against me, had it not been given to thee from above.") has written, that if Pope Benedict is "part of the problem ... He's also a major chapter in the solution." While he was in charge of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was assigned responsibility for reviewing all cases of alleged abuse by priests. He is probably more familiar with the horrific details than anyone, Allen writes, and "he and his team approved direct administrative action in roughly 60 percent of the cases," Allen wrote in a New York Times (aka "Treason Times") op-ed piece. (Pope Benedict did not handle every single case that came through that office. That would have been impossible. When he did handle a case, personally, it was dealt with according to ecclesiastic and civil norms.)
As pope, Benedict has disciplined priests, met with victims and apologized for the harm done to them.
This damage, however, cannot be repaired with a new policy or an apology, or 20 apologies, or 100 apologies. Church culture protected criminal priests and silenced their young victims to avoid bringing shame and scandal to the institution; the result was both shame and scandal. (If you know the answer, why don't you go over to Rome and sort the Pope out individually? Oh, that's right, because your only venue is a liberal rag in an Upstate New York City.) Victims were twice victimized, and millions of Catholics have lost faith in the moral authority of the hierarchy. The "zero tolerance" policy of the U.S. Catholic bishops is a huge step forward, but there is no statute of limitations on contrition.
I do not believe that leaders of our church are indifferent to this tragedy. (Then why write this vociferous rubbish?) But every time a church official blames the media or anti-Catholicism or "petty gossip" for the crisis, I cringe. (Kind of like how I cringe every time I see that Mark Hare has written another piece attacking the institutions of Holy Mother Church.) The insular culture that so distorted the Gospel values remains intact.
As Timothy Shriver eloquently said in a Washington Post (can you cite any reputable pro-Church source, or are you only able to find what you want to in the liberal and anti-Catholic press? Convenient, isn't it?) op-ed piece last week, the only answer is conversion — a total change of heart, with God's help. The church teaches us that God's Spirit speaks to and through all of us, not just the hierarchy. (Right, but we aren't the ones who have intimate knowledge of the workings of God or the Church. Why consult a janitor when applying for college? It's the same thing. Lay people are generally not qualified for the kind of work required by things like this. We don't have the experience, the education, or the know-how.) I fear for the future of my church if its leaders do not listen to the many men and women (Don't you hate it when people use awkward language to make a political point?) whose lives, experience, and faithfulness could help them build a more welcoming, sensitive and accountable (accountable to whom, Mr. Hare? As of now, it's accountable to God, the Creator, not Bob the Created) church culture. That is what conversion requires.
Many of the Catholics I know struggle every day with our own sinfulness. We seek, as the church has taught us, contrite hearts. We expect no less from those who ask us to be faithful. (I guess the pity party's over, folks. And just when I was getting ready to pin the tail on the . . . donkey.)

And so, Mr. Hare tells us to "end the Church culture that led to abuse." I say "change the Church culture that led to liberal nut-jobs and Church-attacking 'Catholics' like Mark Hare."

The Treachery of a Nun, and a New Sidebar Feature

I was reading the National Review Online, and was stung by the following, my emphasis added:

President Obama will sign the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act at 11:15 A.M. EST.

You can watch it live at the White House web site.

Jake Tapper reports that the president will use 20 pens to sign the bill, and that one each will go to POTUS will Democratic Senators Reid, Durbin, Baucus, Harkin, and Dodd; along with Representatives Pelosi, Hoyer, Clyburn, Miller, Waxman, Levin, Dingell, and Rangel. Pens will also go to Vice-President Biden, H&HS Secretary Sebelius White House legislative affairs assistant Phil Schiliro, White House health policy chief Nancy-Ann DeParle, Vicki Kennedy, and Sr. Carol Keehan.

"So," thought I, "why is she getting one of these metaphorical pieces of silver?

The American Papist has the answer.

The last pen he used, reports Daniel Foster, will be given to Sister Carol Keehan, president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association.

Sr. Keehan, as most of you know, was a staunch ally of the Democrat efforts to push through their health care reform. She issued press releases on behalf of her organization asking representatives in Congress to pass the legislation, even without including abortion funding fixes (which they did). She met with Obama personally several days before the final vote in Congress, she contacted individual congressmen and assuaged their conscience that they could vote for the bill as-is, etc.

And, so, this brings me to the new Sidebar feature. It will be on the right (as is everything else on this blog), and will be titled, "Behold The Ranks of Judas." In it will be listed those Catholics who, though they profess to be truly Catholic, aren't. I will not presume to judge their motives or their souls - that's for God. I will, however, judge their actions. Judging actions is not the same thing as judging an individual, so do not comment here or anywhere saying, "You lack charity," "Love your enemies," "Judge not lest ye be judged." I'm getting tired of these faith-based phrases being twisted by the liberals into traps for those who defend the Faith. 

I will also refrain from putting anyone on this list who may be personally offended. We all know each other well enough, so there's no need to point fingers at others and ourselves. This is for the Church Universal, not the Church Rochesterian.

Some Franciscan Misconceptions

I have some relatives who have the privilege to attend a Jesuit institution "somewhere in New York State." The school is well known, and because we have readers walking in its hallowed halls, I will decline to mention it by name. After all, this is more of a "ha" kind of article rather than a "gotcha."

One of the patrons, obviously, is St. Francis Xavier, who, by himself, brought about thousands upon thousands of conversions in Southeast Asia and Oceania. He died just days before he would have arrived in China. What a different world we would have if this saintly man had lived long enough to set foot into that country.

However, the students are a bit confused about "St. Francis." "Isn't he the animal guy?" Well, no. He isn't. That is St. Francis of Assisi. However, this correction is not given to the students. One of my nephews overheard a teacher say, "You moron - they're the same guy. He played with animals and then he went over to Asia."

So Franciscans are actually just Jesuits in disguise? Thank God we've finally put that mystery to rest.

But wait, there's more.

There are (were?) posters hanging in those same hallowed halls which portray this ambiguous "St. Francis" as a "Green Knight." There have been no saints who got canonized on the basis of recycling, promoting ecology, cutting CO2 emissions, or anything along those lines. If so, Al Gore would surely be in their ranks.

So, just to recap, this is our Jesuit lesson for the day: St. Francis Xavier, aka St. Francis of Assisi, was a crusader for animal rights and ecology, and was commonly called the Green Knight. Sounds like a strange Catholic twist on Spider Man.


St. Ignatius of Loyola, pray for us.
St. Francis Xavier, pray for us.
St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us.


Al Gore, leave us alone.

Oppressive, Authoritarian, Full of Prejudices

I was perusing various website to which we have been directed for one reason or another, and this segment from "Fish Eaters" struck me as particularly relevant. The following was related by a monk who listened to an ex-communist woman speak about how Communists fear the Church.

I listened to that woman for four hours and she had my hair standing on end. Everything she said has been fulfilled to the letter. You would think she was the world's greatest prophet, but she was no prophet. She was merely exposing the step-by-step battle plan of Communist subversion of the Catholic Church. She explained that of all the world's religions, the Catholic Church was the only one feared by the Communists, for it was its only effective opponent.

The whole idea was to destroy, not the institution of the Church, but rather the Faith of the people, and even use the institution of the Church, if possible, to destroy the Faith through the promotion of a pseudo-religion: something that resembled Catholicism but was not the real thing.

Once the Faith was destroyed, she explained that there would be a guilt complex introduced into the Church…. to label the ‘Church of the past’ as being oppressive, authoritarian, full of prejudices, arrogant in claiming to be the sole possessor of truth, and responsible for the divisions of religious bodies throughout the centuries. This would be necessary in order to shame Church leaders into an ‘openness to the world,’ and to a more flexible attitude toward all religions and philosophies. The Communists would then exploit this openness in order to undermine the Church. 

 

We have our work cut out for ourselves. Arm yourselves with piety and devotion, and you will not be overcome. 

Error Is Not Homeless

In fact, it finds a willing home in many a Catholic. And these Catholics even look and act and feel Orthodox. I spoke with a priest today who spoke of his dislike for gay "marriage," and how he "loves and cherishes every word which comes from the Church - without exception."

One minute later, he declared, "Even if Obama were from Mars, I would have still voted for him over John McCain." 

Let us pray for our priests, that they find the courage to stand up for all people, not just those who want the choice to murder others.

Sorry All - We're "Too Dumb To Thrive"

The following comes from the article of a noted liberal, Joe Klein. The National Review posted a rebuttal to the post, illustrating how, now that it's pretty self-evident that Obama is dead in the water, the liberals have started their "temper tantrums." How true.

Absolutely amazing poll results from CNN today about the $787 stimulus package: nearly three out of four Americans think the money has been wasted. On second thought, they may be right: it's been wasted on them.

It is very difficult to have a democracy without citizens. It is impossible to be a citizen if you don't make an effort to understand the most basic activities of your government. It is very difficult to thrive in an increasingly competitive world if you're a nation of dodos.

Read more: http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2010/01/25/too-dumb-to-thrive/#ixzz0fGZcn6pT

So just to recap - We aren't worth the money the government has paid. What ever happened to "government of the people, by the people, and for the people?" Sorry, Abe. You got it wrong. Secondly, in addition to not being worth it in the eyes of this liberal moron child of God, we don't even understand the government. Rest assured, no matter how stupid we are, we know how to pull the lever which will kick Obama out of office come election day 2012.

You're not going to believe this

Dear CatholicVoteAction.org Member,

Planned Parenthood is asking Catholics to call Congress and demand taxpayer support for abortion.

The billion-dollar organization already receives over $300 million in taxpayer money, and stands to strike it rich if nothing is changed in the current health care legislation.

So this week the nation’s biggest abortion provider sent out an urgent message to counter the growing opposition by Catholics to taxpayer-funded abortion contained in the current health care bills.

The Catholic Bishops sprung into action late last week, announcing their strong opposition to the current health care legislation because the bills include taxpayer support for abortion and fail to provide a conscience clause for doctors.

The Bishops have asked all Catholics to petition Congress to remove any support for abortion from the health care bill.

So Planned Parenthood is attacking the Catholic Bishops and calling their actions “dangerous.”

Here’s what Planned Parenthood’s President Cecile Richards said in a message this week to her supporters: “If you’re Catholic and you disagree with the bishops, please let your legislators know when you send your message. Your voice as a pro-choice Catholic needs to be heard NOW.”

What?!!

How can you be a Catholic and support abortion, the killing of millions of our brothers and sisters?

The phones are ringing in the halls of Congress. Will activists claiming to be Catholic and pro-abortion be the only ones calling?

TAKE ACTION NOW

In the next 48 hours, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to try and ram through a vote to prevent any amendment from being offered to the current legislation. The vote on a “closed rule” would slam the door on any effort to offer a pro-life amendment to the healthcare bill.

Catholics, pro-life advocates and all people of faith need to move quickly!

Call 202-224-3121. Tell your Member of Congress to VOTE NO on the “closed rule” for H.R. 3962. Tell them to allow a vote on the Stupak Amendment.

If you do not know your representative, look him or her up here: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/directory/congdir.tt - With this directory you can lookup your Representative's local office phone number. Representatives pay more attention to calls made to their local office.

A bipartisan group led by Rep. Joe Pitts (R-PA) and Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) want to amend the healthcare bill by adding pro-life protections. This is what the Catholic bishops have asked for, and what an overwhelming majority of Americans want.

Here’s what the Associated Press reported Oct. 23: “Such an amendment would be almost certain to prevail, since it likely would attract the votes of most Republicans as well as some Democrats. So Democratic leaders won’t let Stupak offer it.”

If you have already called or written your Member of Congress, it is urgent that you contact them again right now.

So much is on the line. The Bishops know it. Planned Parenthood and Nancy Pelosi know it.

Send this email to all your friends and family. And call your Representative at 202-224-3121 today!

Sincerely,

Brian Burch, President
CatholicVoteAction.org

A Night of Victories

Well, where to begin? Seeing as how it looks like Dr. K the Vigilant was awake at Midnight posting returns in the gay marriage vote, we'll start there. The Maine newspapers this morning are reporting that gay "marriage" has been repealed. Conservatives:1 Liberals:0

The Republican gubernatorial candidate in Virginia has roundly defeated the Democratic candidate. Conservatives:2 Liberals:0

The Republican gubernatorial candidate in New Jersey has roundly defeated the Democratic candidate. Conservatives:3 Liberals:0

The Ny-23 District appears to have been our only loss, with the win going to Democratic candidate Owens instead of the Conservative Party's candidate. Conservatives:3 Liberals:1

All things considered, this election was much more favorable than I had thought it would be. In honor of this election and its outcomes, I have put new English Renaissance polyphony up. Enjoy!

Now That Would Explain It

ALBANY — Gov. David Paterson declared a state of emergency, saying a recent rise in swine flu cases has created a "disaster" and that certain provisions of state law needed to be set aside to get people vaccinated as quickly as possible.

I envision a similar article explaining the massive amount of liturgical abuse in the Diocese of Rochester:

ROCHESTER - Bishop Matthew Clark declared a state of emergency, saying a recent fall in vocations has created a "disaster" and that certain provisions of Canon Law needed to be set aside to get people educated as quickly as possible.

We laugh, but something tells me we would find very similar articles in the Catholic Courier if we looked.

Obama Signs 'Hate-Crimes' Bill Into Law

This is aimed directly at the Catholic Church.

'It's a very sad day for America and for religious liberties'

By Chelsea Schilling from World Net Daily.


A "hate crimes" bill opponents claim will be used to crack down on Christian speech, even the reading of the Bible, was signed into law today by President Obama.

The Senate approved the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act by a vote of 68-29 on Oct. 22 after Democrats strategically attached it to a "must-pass" $680 billion defense appropriations plan.

Most Republicans, although normally strong supporters of the U.S. military, opposed the bill because it hands out federal money to states and local governments in pursuit of "preventing" hate crimes. The bill creates federal protections and privileges for homosexuals and other alternative lifestyles but denies those protections to other groups of citizens.

Obama signed the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act at a White House ceremony today. Prior to signing the act into law, Obama spoke briefly of the hate crimes bill.

"After more than a decade, we've passed inclusive hate-crimes legislation to help protect our citizens from violence based on what they look like, who they love, how they pray or who they are," he said. "I promised Judy Shepard when she saw me in the Oval Office that this day would come, and I'm glad that she and her husband, Dennis, could join us for this event. I'm also honored to have the family of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy who fought so hard for this legislation. I just want you all to know how proud we are of the work that Ted did to help make this day possible."

American Family Association President Tim Wildmon warned that the new law "creates a kind of caste system in law enforcement, where the perverse thing is that people who engage in non-normative sexual behavior will have more legal protection than heterosexuals. This kind of inequality before the law is simply un-American."

Wildmon said the legislation creates possible situations where pastors may be arrested if their sermons on sexuality can be linked in even the remotest way to acts of violence.

"It threatens free speech and freedom of religion and is totally unacceptable," he said.

As WND reported, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder admitted a homosexual activist who is attacked following a Christian minister's sermon about homosexuality would be protected by the proposed federal law, but a minister attacked by a homosexual wouldn't be.

The Alliance Defense Fund blasted the "hate-crimes" bill, calling it "another nail in the coffin of the First Amendment."

"All violent crimes are hate crimes, and all crime victims deserve equal justice," ADF Senior Legal Counsel Erik Stanley said in a statement. "This law is a grave threat to the First Amendment because it provides special penalties based on what people think, feel, or believe. ADF will be on the front line to defend those whose free speech or free exercise of religion rights are violated by this unconstitutional law and to ultimately overturn this attack on freedom."

Opponents point to cases in Canada and Sweden, where Christians have faced criminal prosecution for preaching that homosexual behavior is a sin.

"ADF has clearly seen the evidence of where 'hate crimes' legislation leads when it has been tried around the world: It paves the way for the criminalization of speech that is not deemed 'politically correct,'" Stanley explained. "'Hate crimes' laws fly in the face of the underlying purpose of the First Amendment, which was designed specifically to protect unpopular speech."

Stanley said such crimes are already punishable under existing federal, state and local laws.

"Bills of this sort are designed to forward a political agenda and silence critics, not combat actual crime," he said. "The bottom line is that we do not need a law that creates second-class victims in America and that gives the government the opportunity to ignore the First Amendment."

Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, testified before Congress against the hate crimes bill in 2007.

"It is fundamentally unjust for the government to treat some crime victims more favorably than others, just because they are homosexual or transsexual," Dacus said. "This bill is an unnecessary federal intrusion into state law enforcement authority, and it is an unwise step toward silencing religious and moral viewpoints."

He said the adoption of hate crimes legislation has led to widespread suppression of speech deemed politically incorrect. The Pacific Justice Institute noted that in California, hate crimes laws are commonly invoked as a basis for further laws pushing acceptance of homosexuality in public schools and the workplace. The group also warned that use of "hate speech" terminology is also now being employed by minority religious groups in America to encourage suppression of free speech, as a prominent Hindu group called on Congress and major Internet service providers to shut down websites critical of Hinduism, including websites of Christian mission organizations.

The Pacific Justice Institute pledged to come to defend anyone who is prosecuted under the new hate crimes law because of their religious expression.

Liberty Counsel litigation counsel Matt Krause told WND, "It's a very sad day for America and for religious liberties in general."

He said the law will not deter crime or help the law-enforcement system.

"The only thing it will do is silence and scare Christians and religious organizations," Krause said. "It will penalize thoughts and actions, and it will not stop crime. It should be called the 'thought-crimes' bill."

He continued, "We encourage pastors and church leaders to keep doing what they're doing and preach the gospel. If they run into any barriers, they can contact us because we are ready and willing to defend them in any way we need to."

The White House announced it will host a reception this evening to commemorate the enactment of the hate crimes legislation. Obama's remarks will be aired live on the White House website.

International Socialist Organization from RIT

This post came to my email from 40 Days for Life in Rochester.

We had an eventful Midpoint Procession last Saturday.

For those who weren't there, a group of RIT students from the International Socialist Organization (they actually admit it) decided to protest our procession. They were very loud and irreverent, but some of them actually engaged in some meaningful discussions with the pro-life side and ended taking some pro-life literature and DVDs back with them. Please pray that the Holy Spirit enlighten them. Wouldn't it be great to see some of them on the opposite side next time.

There are now less than two weeks left in the campaign. If you haven't participated yet and have been meaning to get around to it, there's not much time left. Please visit our on-line schedule at http://www.vigilcalendar.com/rochester/login/login_page to sign up or reply to this email to let me know when you'd like to attend the vigil.

Victory Celebration/Gathering
To wind up the campaign we will be having a Victory Celebration on Saturday, October 31st. The schedule for this event is as follows:

1:00 Blessing by Fr. Bush in the sanctuary of Ss. Peter and Paul Coptic Church, 720 W. Main St.

1:00 - 1:30 March for Life to Susan B. Anthony Square on Madison St.
1:30 - 2:30 Christian music/refreshments
2:30 - 3:00 Yaweh Ballet will perform "Destinies Lost"
3:00 - 3:45 Witness talks from Silent No More Awareness Campaign members.

Please try to attend this powerful pro-life event. Spread the word!

Pro -Life Mass this Saturday
There will be a pro-life 11 am Mass at the Focus Pregnancy Help Center at 86 University Avenue on October 24. The celebrant will be Father Frederick Bush. Please bring a snack/refreshment to share.

So Little A Sentence, So Much Wrong

(CNN) -- A legally insane killer was on the loose in the state of Washington on Saturday, two days after he escaped during a field trip to a county fair, authorities said.

ACORN Supports Prostitution and Pedophilia

I'm sure some of you have heard about the huge scandal erupting with ACORN, one of the most active pro-Obama organizations. They . . . welll . . . just watch the video. It's disgusting.

Obama Lies; Grandma Dies

Despite the cartoonish look to this video, it needs to be taken very seriously. Obama is a threat to all right-believing Catholics and Christians. Obama needs to be prayed for earnestly. He must repent. He is a socialist and wants the United States to be socialist country.

Why Socialism Fails

From a friend:

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before,
but had once failed an entire class.

--------------------------------------------

That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.


The professor then said, "OK,
we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan".


All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.


After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B.
The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy.


As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.
The second test average was a D!
No one was happy.


When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.

The scores never increased as bickering,
blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.


All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.