Priest Arrested in China

From the AFP:

Chinese police detained a Vatican-backed Catholic priest and blocked his ordination as a bishop, a parishioner said Thursday, in a move likely to raise tensions with the Holy See.

The detention of Joseph Sun Jigeng came as China's state-run Catholic church reportedly ordained another bishop without the consent of the Vatican, which stipulates ordinations can only go ahead with the Holy See's blessing.

On the Mob

A good interview with Ann Coulter. The delivery of her first line, "They must be hard at work." is hilarious.

Peter and Paul

Source of the Problem

Two events transpired in Catholic USA this past weekend, one in Saint Louis and the other in Milwaukee. In the Rome of the West, the Archdiocese of St. Louis played host to a Eucharistic Congress that drew an impressive array of speakers. Appropriately, the congress fell on the same weekend as the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. The idea behind the event was to highlight the preeminent role of the Holy Eucharist in the life of the Church for local Catholics. Sounds great!

The same weekend, I was back in my hometown of Milwaukee. Among other things, I met up with some friends, a young married couple, visiting from Ireland. The husband, a medical doctor, hails from Ireland and the Mrs. from Milwaukee. As one would expect, they took a little holiday to bring their kids stateside for a visit with grandma and grandpa. Over some drinks at a local pub, the Church and the spiritual life surfaced as topics. My friends informed me that they recently attended Sunday Mass at a local Milwaukee parish. I knew right when they said "Saint Sebastian Parish" that the news about what happened there would not be good. You see, Saint Sebs. is known as an uber-liberal parish in the archdiocese. In fact, the pro-choice, Democratic mayor of the city is a favorite son. Bracing myself for the worst, they informed me that the organist/pianist gave the homily and sang a duet with his wife (I gather a ditty from "Fiddler on the Roof") and naturally, there was no kneeling during the Eucharistic Prayer. The parish is a basket case of liturgical craziness. Even the smooth, gentle cadences of an Irish accent relaying the events couldn't soften the blow.

(On a related note, not too long ago, I received a text from a friend, another MD living out in San Diego that read, "Today at Mass the priest high-5'd everyone as he walked down the aisle during the entrance hymn. It was showtime at the Apollo after that.")

What is going on at our Catholic parishes in this country?

While I applaud initiatives like a weekend-long Eucharistic Congress, and acknowledge that much good can come from it, to be blunt, every liturgy should be a "Eucharistic Congress" of sorts. The problem is that, for several decades now, too many bishops in the United States have conspicuously failed to uphold and defend an authentic liturgical culture, that should be, by definition, all about the Eucharist. Meanwhile pastors and "liturgical committees" have run amok, introducing all shades of bizarre innovations and abuses that result in a scandalous undermining and marginalizing of the Real Presence.

Many Catholics have no true understanding of the Church's teaching on the Eucharist because, week after week, year after year and parish to parish, the creeping aberrations in liturgy have long since become normative. As Catholics, it's as though we've had our memories wiped clean of what the liturgy actually is all about. We are already on the second generation that is being reared in a liturgical culture that is severely distorted and gravely detached from our ancient traditions. Liturgy has become less Eucharistic, less God-centric, less vertical, and more horizontal, narcissistic, soft sofa and Oprahfied. One weekend Eucharistic Congress, however well intentioned, organized and executed, cannot make up for the decades-long phenomenon of an entrenched, aberrant liturgical culture. That problem needs to be confronted and corrected. In his own day, Saint Thomas More offered sobering thoughts on the responsibilities of bishops:

Why do not bishops contemplate in this scene [the apostles sleeping in Garden of Gethsemane] their own somnolence? Since they have succeeded in the place of the apostles, would that they would reproduce their virtues just as eagerly as they embrace their authority and as faithfully as they display their sloth and sleepiness! For very many are sleepy and apathetic in sowing virtues among the people and maintaining the truth, while the enemies of Christ, in order to sow vices and uproot the faith (that is, insofar as they can, to seize Christ and cruelly crucify Him once again), are wide awake--so much wiser (as Christ says) are the sons of darkness in their generation than the sons of light.

In short, the priorities of bishops should be:

1. Insist on "by-the-book" liturgies throughout the dioceses, at every parish, and follow up to make sure that this is being carried out. Be deadly serious when addressing abuses and the priests guilty of committing them. Many faithful lay Catholics are absolutely fed up with the Oprahfication going on in the Church. Stop treating us like we're nuisances when we bring abuses to your attention. We work hard in the real world, and face a lot of garbage from secular society. We're loyal to the Church even when it's not popular, and even when her leaders publicly mess up in a major way. We deserve to experience a liturgy that does not patronize us or remind us of the silliness out there. And so we also deserve bishops who listen to us.

2. Encourage, rather, insist on a far and wide dissemination of the Old Form of the Mass at many more parishes than what is currently available to Catholics. The Holy Father clearly believes that we have much to learn from the usus antiquior.

3. Bishops need to take the lead when it comes to liturgy and not delegate to a committee. You're a successor to the Apostles. Lead!

4. Demand greater sacramental life at every parish, i.e., increase Confession times, encourage more frequent Confession, wider access to Eucharistic adoration. (Something encouraged by the Eucharistic Congress, I am told.)

5. Catechize, Catechize, Catechize.

"Are you a flake?" Bachmann Responds

Even Popes Tweet the News

A qualified embrace?


"It is important to remember that virtual contact cannot and must not take the place of direct human contact with people at every level of our lives." -Pope Benedict XVI

From NBC:

Pope Benedict XVI is on Twitter, and he tweets from an iPad.

His Holiness sent out an initial tweet, announcing the launch of a Vatican news portal. Vatican officials said the Pope personally sent out the social networking missive.

"Dear Friends, I just launched News.va Praised be our Lord Jesus Christ! With my prayers and blessings, Benedictus XVI," read the tweet.

Cutting Funds

From Politico:

The Texas Legislature approved a bill Monday that would both compel the state to push the Obama administration to convert Texas’s Medicaid program into a block grant and defund abortion providers like Planned Parenthood.

The omnibus health bill also includes a number of other controversial provisions, including plans to save $400 million over the next year by increasing the use of Medicaid managed care.

The legislation now goes to the desk of Gov. Rick Perry, who has been generally supportive of both the Medicaid reforms, as well as anti-abortion language.

Pathetic

From FoxNews:

A man was arrested after he donned an army uniform and posed as a soldier so that he would get bumped up to first class on a flight from the Dominican Republic to New York's John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport, the New York Post reported Monday.

Rock Diaz, 22, of Long Island, has a history of pretending to be a military man to get VIP treatment, according to police -- he once even smooth-talked his way into a jetliner's cockpit, where he was photographed sitting at the controls.

He was busted when a sharp-eyed customs official at JFK asked him his rank -- and he gave an answer that did not match the insignia on the uniform he was wearing. ...

Diaz -- who sources said never served in the military -- also had a black POW patch on his sleeve, which an actual soldier would never wear in that spot, the sources said. His dog tags were comically engraved with the words, "USA Marines Corp."

The Spanish-speaking Diaz said that he did nothing wrong and blamed any confusion on a language barrier.

"I never asked to get upgraded. The stewardess offered me a new seat, and I asked why. They explained it to me in English, and I did not understand," Diaz said. "I moved where they told me to sit."

I'm sure that some real Marines would love to have a chat with Diaz. I don't think there would be a translation problem.

The "I'm Catholic, but..." Situation

It's stories like this that get the blood boiling and has me reaching for another Smirnoff Ice. From the The Christian Science Monitor

Many traditional religions, including Catholicism, prohibit homosexual relations and marriage. Still, many adherents find ways to distance themselves from those teachings, without abandoning their faith.

Mr. Jones says there is an unofficial traditional among American Catholics of differing with the church on controversial social issues. He says that many Catholics support the use of artificial birth control and the death penalty, both of which the Church officially opposes.

Most Catholics “have a pretty good sense that they can make up their own minds,” Jones says, “and still be in good standing with the Catholic Church.”

It's that final observation by Jones, utterly stupid, nonsensical and yet so pervasive, that sums up the situation resulting from a notable lacuna in leadership from bishops in this country over the past several decades.

Line in the Sand

Now that New York has its gay "marriage" law (no surprise there), the leadership of the Catholic Church in that state should reflect hard on how to deal with the Catholic legislators and governor who have maniacally pursued this degenerate agenda from its inception to its consummation this evening.

Will these shameless politicians be allowed to continue touting their Catholicism with impunity after betraying it so egregiously?

Will Archbishop Dolan finally exercise the ultimate means available to him to duly punish the renegade Catholics?

Let's get to the point: Is excommunication in order?

I am concerned that many of the higher ups, cautious as ever with rocking the boat, will simply view this sorry episode as a battle lost, and posit a "moving on" approach as the best course of action.

I hope I'm wrong.

President "I"

What is it with this guy? He does this all the time. You'd think his speechwriters would say, "Um, Mr. President, you should probably cut back a bit on the creepy, subconscious narcissism." (For some reason, the last 10 seconds or so of the clip is off, but you get the idea.)

Forcing Modesty

From Reuters:

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Skimpily dressed visitors to New York City's main jail complex can only see inmates if they cover up with an oversized, baggy, green T-shirt as part of a new dress code.

The new rules at Rikers Island aim to maintain a "family friendly" environment at the jail.

Maybe some churches should follow suit during the dog days of summer. Quite often, I am stunned by what some women get away with wearing into church.

As a matter of fact, as chagrined as I am by the tendency over the past couple of decades to create new "ministers" for every responsibility within the church that should belong to priests, I am making it known here that I would gladly volunteer myself as a Modesty Minister so that I could hand out oversized black smocks to "skimpily dressed" Mass attendees as they enter the vestibule. I say black because I wouldn't want to see any resemblance between the smocks and the gaudy, chintzy chasubles I've seen at some churches.

No!

Gore Favors Fewer Children

Al Gore reflects on climate change and demographics. From The Daily Caller:

“One of the things we could do about it is to change the technologies, to put out less of this pollution, to stabilize the population, and one of the principle ways of doing that is to empower and educate girls and women,” Gore said. “You have to have ubiquitous availability of fertility management so women can choose how many children have, the spacing of the children.

“You have to lift child survival rates so that parents feel comfortable having small families and most important — you have to educate girls and empower women,” he said. “And that’s the most powerful leveraging factor, and when that happens, then the population begins to stabilize and societies begin to make better choices and more balanced choices.”

Sick stuff.

Buried Detail of Health Care Law

From the Associated Press:

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama's health care law would let several million middle-class people get nearly free insurance meant for the poor, a twist government number crunchers say they discovered only after the complex bill was signed. ...

Up to 3 million more people could qualify for Medicaid in 2014 as a result of the anomaly. That's because, in a major change from today, most of their Social Security benefits would no longer be counted as income for determining eligibility. It might be compared to allowing middle-class people to qualify for food stamps.

Medicare chief actuary Richard Foster says the situation keeps him up at night.

"I don't generally comment on the pros or cons of policy, but that just doesn't make sense," Foster said during a question-and-answer session at a recent professional society meeting.

About Time

On Wisconsin!

From the JSOnline:

Madison - Wisconsin stands on the verge of becoming the 49th state in the country to allow concealed guns, with the state Assembly expected to pass the concealed carry bill on Tuesday.

The bill to allow the concealed carry of weapons has passed the Senate, so approval in the Assembly would send the bill to Gov. Scott Walker, who supports the measure.

Invasion

From the Associated Press

ROME – The Vatican is betting an iPod beats "Shush!" in lowering the tour guide noise level in basilicas.

It will even lend you one for free to try to prove its point.

From a tiny booth in the back of St. John in Lateran, the Holy See's pilgrim agency has been quietly asking tourists if they want to tour Rome's oldest basilica with an iPod in hand loaded with an app specially designed to access the place's art, architecture and Christian history.

I'm a little ambivalent about this, leaning toward the negative. As it is, where can't you go these days without spotting people meandering around, eyes and minds utterly fixated on the bright, flashing screens of their little mobile devises, ipods and ipads? You see it all the time at restaurants, in churches, at cafes, in the home, at work, while walking. The list goes on, and children and adults are both utterly hooked. The phenomenon of withdrawing inside a handheld devise, and away from the other before you, is ubiquitous, and in my opinion, dangerous. There may be certain benefits, but at what cost?

A Blind Eye to Racism

From well-known conservative and African-American economist Walter Williams:

Born in- 1936, I've lived through some of our openly racist history, which has included racist insults, beatings and lynchings. Tuskegee Institute records show that between the years 1880 and 1951, 3,437 blacks and 1,293 whites were lynched. I recall my cousin's and my being chased out of Fishtown and Grays Ferry, two predominantly Irish Philadelphia neighborhoods, in the 1940s, not stopping until we reached a predominantly black North or South Philly neighborhood.

Today all that has changed. Most racist assaults are committed by blacks. What's worse is there're blacks, still alive, who lived through the times of lynching, Jim Crow laws and open racism who remain silent in the face of it. ...

In many of these brutal attacks, the news media make no mention of the race of the perpetrators. If it were white racist gangs randomly attacking blacks, the mainstream media would have no hesitation reporting the race of the perps. Editors for the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, and the Chicago Tribune admitted to deliberately censoring information about black crime for political reasons. Chicago Tribune Editor Gerould Kern recently said that the paper's reason for censorship was to "guard against subjecting an entire group of people to suspicion."

???BOSTONCATHOLIC???

Saints Peter, Paul and James: Bishops. Martyrs. Saints. Look to them.

From LifeSiteNews:

BOSTON, June 20, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A ‘gay-friendly’ parish in Boston is celebrating a victory after leaders in the parish said the archdiocese of Boston had given permission to reschedule a Mass intended to celebrate Boston’s gay pride month for a less controversial date.

The Mass, with the theme “All Are Welcome,” has been rescheduled for July 10 after the archbishop’s office rejected an earlier date that diocesan officials said implied too much cooperation with the city’s gay pride celebrations.

However, it was not only the date that gave the impression of support for gay pride. The original statement in the church bulletin announcing the mass had explicitly invited “all friends and supporters of the LGBT community to a Mass in celebration of Boston’s Pride Month.”’...

Local conservative Catholics met news of the Rainbow Ministry’s prayer service with dismay. C.J. Doyle of the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts called the service a “tragedy” that revealed “a massive failure of formation and catechesis in Saint Cecilia’s Parish.”

“The archdiocese is neglecting the spiritual welfare of the people of St. Cecilia’s by refusing to give them the full truth of Catholic teaching,” Doyle told LifeSiteNews.com Monday afternoon. “Clearly this Mass, if it is allowed to go forward, will be both a scandal and a sacrilege.”

Contact information:

Archdiocese of Boston
66 Brooks Drive
Braintree, MA 02184-3839
Telephone: 617-254-0100

What is going on in Boston? It seems like a perfect microcosm for what has been going on in the US Catholic Church for decades now. You see, what Catholics in America need today are bishops who lead without fear, not timid men who cave and cower before frenzied, mob-like lobbies. Our bishops ought to reflect and draw inspiration and courage from the example of their predecessors, the Apostles. After all, if the bishops won't lead out of fear, what will happen to the flock?

No Joke

This actually appeared on CNN. Thank you, Fareed Zakaria. How embarrassing. Sad thing is, I bet a lot of people would endorse this. Constitutional amendment via Facebook. Madison must be rolling over in his grave.

Iceland is using citizens' ideas drawn from Facebook and Twitter to rewrite its Constitution. Is it time for the United States to do the same? Fareed Zakaria explores the question.

We all know how Americans revere the Constitution, so I was struck by the news that tiny, little Iceland is actually junking its own Constitution and starting anew using an unusual - some would say innovative - mechanism.

The nation decided it needed a new Constitution and it's soliciting ideas from all of Iceland's 320,000 citizens with the help of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Golden Reagan Humor

Classic

Kinda Sorta Pro-Life

"I am pro-life and believe that abortion should be limited to only instances of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother." Mitt Romney

The logical inconsistency of Romney's position is so evident that one has reason to question if he really gets it, when it comes to the horror of abortion and the argument behind the pro-life cause, i.e., the inescapable fact that every abortion results in an innocent life being snuffed out, regardless of the circumstances surrounding the pregnancy. Leaving a legal door ajar to permit the killing of unborn children through exceptions for rape, incest, etc., is wrong. I like Romney, but statements like this, and his odd decision not to sign onto the Susan B. Anthony Pledge, are not going to help him convince the pro-life cause.

There are also doctors, like Ron Paul for instance, who argue strenuously that abortion is never really necessary to save a mother's life.

The Father and Fatherhood

Here's an excerpt from a well-written piece by Fr. Roger J. Landry, Responding to the Crisis of Fatherhood:

“The crisis of fatherhood we are living today is an element, perhaps the most important, threatening man in his humanity,” Cardinal Ratzinger said in a remarkable March 15, 2000 speech at the Cathedral of Palermo, Sicily. The crisis of fatherhood facing modern society — a true “dissolution of fatherhood” — comes, he continued, from reducing paternity to a merely biological phenomenon, as an act of generation, sometimes even carried out in a laboratory, without its human and spiritual dimensions. That reduction not only leads to the “dissolution of what it means to be a son or a daughter,” but, on a spiritual plane, impedes our relationship to relate to God as he is and revealed himself. God, Cardinal Ratzinger stressed, “willed to manifest and describe himself as Father.” Human fatherhood provides us an analogy to understand the fatherhood of God, but “when human fatherhood has dissolved, all statements about God the Father are empty.” The crisis of fatherhood, therefore, leaves the human person confused about God and himself. That’s why, he argued, the crisis of paternity is perhaps the most important element threatening the human person and society.

Place of Honor

The Holy Father recently reminded Catholics that Gregorian Chant is not just a thing for the history books. No, it is still a living and integral element of the Church's liturgical heritage that must be preserved.

From the Catholic News Agency:

Pope Benedict XVI has reminded church musicians of the primacy of Gregorian chant in the Mass, describing it “as the supreme model of sacred music.”

The Pope set out his views in a letter for the 100th anniversary of the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music. The letter was read at the institute on May 26 and made public on May 31.

He praised Gregorian chant as being “of huge value to the great ecclesial heritage of universal sacred music.” But Pope Benedict also noted that sometimes it was erroneously “considered an expression of an idea corresponding to a past, gone and to be forgotten, because it limited the freedom and creativity of the individual and the community.” This was a view he wanted to counter.

Nota bene to parishes in America. It is fair to ask to what degree the words of the Holy Father will sink into the soil of the Catholic Church in the United States. It is so incredibly rare to find a parish these days that truly appreciates the patrimony of the Church in this regard. Liturgical music, in too many cases in churches across America, is just appallingly inadequate, uninspired and, well, schmaltzy to the point of total distraction.

Defending Marriage

A powerful defense from NFL star David Tyree:

Found!

Thank God for the return of this precious relic.

From the Associated Press:

LONG BEACH, Calif. – Parishioners at St. Anthony Church in Long Beach prayed fervently after their 780-year-old relic was stolen. When it was returned, they thanked God and the police for bringing their little piece of St. Anthony back home.

"St. Anthony is the patron saint of travelers and lost things but today he's also the honorary saint of the Long Beach Police Department," said the pastor, the Rev. Jose Magana.

Rising Star in the GOP

Wisconsin has another star in its conservative ranks in Sean Duffy. Talk about an atypical, but pretty impressive conservative: from MTV to conservative spokesman. The left despises him and is investing heavily in his defeat in the next election cycle...all the more reason to support him. This story is a little condescending, but offers a pretty good look at Duffy's life.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

King vs. Political Correctness

This is excellent. While discussing the phenomena of Islamic radicalization going on in American prisons, Representative Steve King responds to the whiny, straw man charge of "racism" emanating from a Democratic colleague. These people are so predictable.

Impromptu Bachmann

Advance to the 23 minute mark and you'll get an impromptu interview with Michele Bachmann. Her appeal is growing.



An oldie but goodie, watch Bachmann light into Obama, the "imperial president" in '09 on the floor of Congress. She breaks down the corruption behind the GM takeover.

A Disgraceful Catholic

Catholic New York

From CNN:

New York (CNN) -- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo proposed a bill Tuesday that would legalize same-sex marriage, effectively delivering on a promise he has made since taking office in January.

The Marriage Equality Act would grant same-sex couples equal rights to marry "as well as hundreds of rights, benefits and protections that are currently limited to married couples of the opposite sex," according to a news release from Cuomo's office.

In a statement accompanying the release, Cuomo said the state has "been on the right side of history," citing such civil rights battles as women's suffrage.

"But on the issue of marriage equality, our state has fallen behind," he said.

If the episcopacy in NY wishes to retain a modicum of credibility before the flock, severe action must (finally) be taken against Cuomo's numerous and scandalous slaps at the Church. Enough is enough.

Discovering Michele B.

I just finished watching the Republican primary debate archived on CNN. John King was "uh", "ok" really annoying with his repeated kinda-sorta interruptions. Michele Bachmann was impressive, no other way to put it. Her handle on the few foreign policy questions was masterful and pretty surprising, considering she usually has been portrayed as a single issue, anti-ObamaCare crusader, doncha know? (Nothing wrong with that, of course.)

Romney was, as usual, solid and articulate. I think it will come down to these two. The others will only fade from here on out.

Here's Politico on Bachmann:

It was, quite simply, a different Michele Bachmann who emerged on stage at St. Anselm’s College in New Hampshire — a nuanced, focused and polished politician rather than the one-dimensional firebrand she’s been caricatured as in the past. If she is to make a serious run at the presidential nomination, Monday’s debate might be the turning point that gave the GOP establishment a reason to give her a second look.

Back In Business

Great news from the Badger State. The state Supreme Court upheld the controversial law involving the elimination of most collective bargaining "rights" passed and signed into law by the Republican legislature and Governor Scott Walker. From the Journal Sentinel Online:

Madison - Acting with unusual speed, the state Supreme Court on Tuesday reinstated Gov. Scott Walker's plan to all but end collective bargaining for tens of thousands of public workers.

The court found a committee of lawmakers was not subject to the state's open meetings law, and so did not violate that law when they hastily approved the measure and made it possible for the Senate to take it up. In doing so, the Supreme Court overruled a Dane County judge who had struck down the legislation, ending one challenge to the law even as new challenges are likely to emerge.

Tough Questions

Here's an excerpt from a terse letter by House Speaker John Boehner to President Obama on America's military involvement in Libya:

Therefore, on behalf of the institution and the American people, I must ask you the following questions: Have you or your Administration conducted the legal analysis to justify your position as to whether your Administration views itself to be in compliance with the War Powers Resolution so that it may continue current operations, absent formal Congressional support or authorization, once the 90-day mark is reached? Assuming you conducted that analysis, was it with the consensus view of all stakeholders of the relevant Departments in the Executive branch? In addition, has there been an introduction of a new set of facts or circumstances which would have changed the legal analysis the Office of Legal Counsel released on April 1, 2011? Given the gravity of the constitutional and statutory questions involved, I request your answer by Friday, June 17, 2011.

Stolen Relic

Horrible story.

Town Hall

Simply excellent:

Excellent Debate: Hoyer vs. Ryan

Frontline Images

MSNBC regularly features a photoblog that traces, among other happenings in the world, the course of events in the war in Afghanistan.

These images of a medevac rescue of a wounded Marine, Lance Cpl. Blas Trevino, were particularly striking. Trevino was shot in the abdomen and even securing his evacuation was a trial, as the link relates.

May his recovery be swift and complete.

Cry for Argentina

“It is difficult for us Catholic Argentineans to wake up to the sad reality of paganism that pervades the national culture. For that reason, we are not able to undertake a New Evangelization. We cling to old affirmations: ‘Catholic Argentina,’ ‘that of our heroes.’ We place authentic demonstrations of popular piety into the same bag with false demonstrations. The faithful don’t always find solace in Sunday preaching. Catholic schools often differ from lay schools only through better discipline, but not by better education in the faith.”

A sobering statement from Archbishop Carmelo Juan Giaquinta on the state of affairs in Argentina. The observation could certainly be applied across the board to other Western countries.

To Grow or to Plan?

A thought-provoking article from Jonah Goldberg appearing in National Review Online:

Economic growth is an enemy of all central planners for the simple reason that growth jumps the guardrails of The Plan; it changes the aesthetically appealing flat line of the steady state and makes it jagged. Growth creates new products, destroys old ones, and allows people to behave in ways that render PowerPoint projections dismayingly obsolete. Worse, it takes power from the planners.

In order to herd people back onto the official path, planners must tell them that what exists outside the guardrails is too terrifying to contemplate. “Beyond here there be monsters” is the posted sign at every guardrail.

Gaming the System

George Will discusses how President Obama is servicing big labor at the expense of free trade. From The Washington Post:

Because government is inherently dangerous and often mischievous, the Constitution’s framers provided, and congressional rules have multiplied, mechanisms for blocking government action. These mechanisms can, however, also be used to force action. One is being so used in a dispute that has two remarkable facets.

President Obama is sacrificing economic growth and job creation in order to placate organized labor. And as the crisis of the welfare state deepens, he is trying to enlarge the entitlement system and exacerbate the entitlement mentality.

Taking Stock of "Change"

Mark Steyn has a brilliant piece appearing in National Review Online, Obama's Road to Nowhere:

This is Main Street, Obamaville: All bumps, no road. But shimmering on the distant horizon, beyond the shuttered diner and the foreclosed homes, is a state-of-the-art electric car, the new Fiat Mirage, that should be wheeling into town in a half-decade or so provided it can find somewhere to charge. “We will be able to look back and tell our children,” declared King Barack the Modest of his own candidacy in 2008, “this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow.” Great news for the oceans! Meanwhile, back on dry land, a quarter of American mortgages are “underwater” — that’s to say, the home “owners” owe more than the joint is worth. In Harry Reid’s Nevada, it’s 63 percent. Perhaps Obama’s Aquatic Bodies Water-Level Regulatory Authority, no doubt headed by Jamie Gorelick or Franklin Raines or some other Democrat worthy, could have its jurisdiction extended to the Nevada desert.

The question again surfaces: Who is still left supporting this president?

A Question

A new poll shows O sliding and Romney rising. Apparently though, forty-four percent would still vote to give the man a second term. My question: WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE? It's because he's doing such a great job on the economy, right? Or is it that low unemployment rate?

Judicial Review

Ready for this?

From the Los Angeles Times:

Judges sharply challenge healthcare law

Skeptical questions from three federal judges in Atlanta suggest they may be ready to declare unconstitutional all or part of the healthcare law promoted by the Obama administration and passed last year by Congress.

...in an ominous sign for the administration, the judges opened the arguments by saying they knew of no case in American history where the courts had upheld the government's power to force someone to buy a product.

The "Radicals" in Islam

From Andrew C. McCarthy, writing for National Review Online:

Political correctness requires that we becloud this simple truth with a few caveats that, in most any other context, would be regarded as distractions by sensible people. So it is necessary to say that there is more than one interpretation of Islam. We must further note that the fact that Islam itself is the radicalizing catalyst does not mean that all, or even most, Muslims will become radicals. But here is another disquieting truth: Even the terms “radicalization” and “radical Islam” get things exactly backwards. The reality is that the radicals in Islam are the reformers — the Muslims who embrace Western civilization, its veneration of reason in matters of faith, and the pluralistic space it makes for civil society. What we wishfully call “radicalism” is in fact the Islamic mainstream.

"Demonic"

She's right on the money.

Setting the Record Straight

From the Associated Press:

FACT CHECK: Democrats distort GOP Medicare plan

WASHINGTON – Democrats are distorting the fundamentals of a Republican plan to reshape Medicare, falsely accusing the GOP of pushing a proposal that tells the elderly "you're on your own" with health care and that lets insurers deny coverage to the sick.

Medicare always pushes hot buttons with voters. Both parties know this and spare no effort to exploit the issue, with truth as the frequent casualty. That's the case now as Democrats go after a far-reaching plan introduced by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and largely embraced by congressional Republicans.

Buckley vs. Paul

Watch a classic discussion between William F. Buckley Jr. and Ron Paul on libertarianism.



Having watched this, I can only lament that philosophical discussions like this are so rare to find in Washington (or elsewhere) these days. Paul Ryan is right about the priority placed by most politicians on simply winning elections over doing what's right for the country.

Simply Brilliant

Speaker John Boehner recognizes Paul Ryan, who lights into the Democrats. Enjoy.

Yemen

John Bolton offers a clear analysis of the situation in Yemen.