Monday, June 30, 2008
Zut alors! Oh la vache!
French Soldiers Accidentally Wound 16 in Military Shooting Demonstration
One for the TSTL ("Too Stoopid To Live") category...
Disgraceful
'Nuff said. Must go check my blood pressure. Red zone moment.
The Jonas Brothers
They each wear chastity rings and have vowed to remain virgins until they marry. Their father is an ordained minister of some sort, they do seem to have squeaky-clean images, their lyrics are relatively tame, so is it possible that these boys can keep up the good work and go against the Hollywood grain?
I certainly hope so.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Bella
Friday, June 27, 2008
Facebook frenzy
Why? Easy. I won't let my kids have myspace or facebook accounts because, well, you see too many horror stories about young teen or even preteen girls hooking up with predators masquerading as fellow teens, or worse, that poor girl in Missouri who committed suicide last year after the MOTHER of one of her classmates played a prank on her, pretended to be an interested boy, and then verbally abused and tormented this poor girl (who the ADULT knew suffered from depression) until she killed herself.
Then there's the issue of cyberbullying, as our dear friend the Mother of This Lot can tell you. Teen-aged girls are vicious and awful enough as it is, and the cowardly anonymity of the internet seems to empower and bring out the worst in them.
Those of you who visit here with any regularity probably find yourselves in the same boat as me, feeling like a dinosaur because you actually teach and insist upon morality and decency in your children...and find so little of that in any of their peers out in the world. Why allow the potential and actual evils of the world into your children's lives via these seemingly "fun" internet sites? They'll see enough of it in due time, and I feel it is my responsibility as a parent to monitor and filter to the best of my ability - not to shelter or keep them in a bubble - but to let them in on the rottenness of humanity in small, controlled doses and at a rate apace with their individual capacity to recognize and - God willing - withstand it.
So - if they aren't allowed to have those accounts, I won't have one either. It's only fair, and it is one small way to lead by example.
For those of you adults reading this who have accounts, I feel fairly certain that you aren't abusers and you're using them for the fun purpose for which they're intended. Just please, PLEASE protect your kids...and if they do have these accounts, check them regularly - i.e., daily. Check out their "friends" regularly, and check out the "friends'" list of "friends" and see where it leads you.
You may be shocked at what you find.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Lily Allen - Smile
For my niece who's going through a rotten breakup with a cheater...this song (and video) makes ME smile. Could've used it myself back in '91 or so...
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
For Digi...
VA Officials Weigh Charges In Gender-Uncertain Wedding
In a word...OY!
THESE are vocations to pray for!
METHUEN, Massachusetts (AP) -- The Rev. John McLaughlin never served in the military, but he's faced unexpected, violent death in the way troops do.
People who confront death "eventually start thinking about helping people in life," said John McLaughlin.
Decades ago, McLaughlin lay bleeding on a Boston street after being stabbed from behind. The prayer-filled moments that followed, when McLaughlin believed he might die, changed his life and ultimately led him to God.
Now, in a newly created job, he'll be trying to recruit military personnel to the Roman Catholic priesthood.
He believes that service members, who confront death as part of their jobs, could have a similar openness to religious service.
"You start realizing how fragile life is," McLaughlin said. "And when people start thinking in those terms, they eventually start thinking about helping people in life."
Entire story here. And RIP, dear, brave Fr. L.!
Happy Johannestag!
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Diet update and South Beach blog
Anyway, the Beloved has decided to get back to his pre-retirement USMC weight, so we bought the new South Beach Supercharged book, which focuses on not just the original diet, but also provides more information on exercise and recipes. He has lost 8 lbs in his first week (QUITE annoying!).
The tough thing for me is missing my Scott's Porage Oats in the morning (sniff!) and afternoon tea and cookies/snack with the girlies when they get home from school. So tonight I searched for SB-friendly cookie recipes and found this SB devotee's blog. Some interesting things to try, if you're of a mind to, and I will be adding stuff that we try AND like to the Bistro blog in the weeks to come. Of course, if any of you have suggestions, PLEASE post them over on the Brookside Bistro blog.
All right. Back to the d*mned brief now - about an hour to go.
UPDATE: The brief has been sent off to meet its fate, and that blasted Beloved advises he has now lost 12 pounds in ten days. Weasel.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
The Princess looks to high school
Thursday, June 19, 2008
My Old Friend
DIY Latin Course
Speaking of which, I encourage you to read his post entitled "Instrumentality" and its links so you get an idea of how out-of-control this Diocese and its Bishop have become.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Meet Jack...again!
YESSSSS!!!!!
I managed to get a few seconds of Jack between naps and "kills" for my maiden Mino post. As my dear Digi would concur, I reserve the right to annoy the crap out of you with cute kid and critter videos. ;-)
P.S. Steph, OH YEAH! I am SO using this for work...and the attendant writeoff, of course! (I will have to redact my Coldplay lullabye CD on the Amazon receipt, however...)
Ooooooh Neato!
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Question for my UK friends
Just curious...
Is it me?
My dear Nigerian priest friend (imported due to the shortage in the DOR) once told me that as part of his orientation back in 2001, he was strongly encouraged to download these canned homilies from some website and use them each week. He was duly shocked and appalled, and never has done so. His homilies are instructive, meaningful, moving, and would blow you away. He's 1:45 away from us or I'd be there every week.
Again, I really REALLY need to move!
To All You Dads....
To my Beloved, an incredibly patient, kind, loving, thoughtful, and connected daddy...charmer of babies and all other small mammals, fetcher of treats, killer of spiders, soother of fussies, helper with math, bane of fishes, midnight ironer of a dozen little girl dresses before leaving for a deployment at dawn...my safe harbor and the love of my life.
.
The Norman Rockwell painting above is entitled "Freedom from Fear" and is one of a series of four done during WWII to set forth our shared purpose in fighting - freedom from fear, freedom from want, freedom of religion, and freedom of speech - as addressed in a speech by FDR to Congress in 1941. Rockwell brought these ideals to life through images of American life as only he could produce. My grandfather (1912-1997) was an artist trained at the Chicago Art Institute, and owned one original Rockwell, (which went to his very nice and kind third wife, sadly, when he died) purchased in person from the man himself. It was a family love. Before and after my parents divorced, my dad always had tons of Rockwell prints at his office and all over the house, including this one and its brothers, as well as books of his works. All were chucked by my stepmother, who hated them, at some point during THAT divorce. Had I known, I'd've been to the house at the drop of a hat.
.
I used to pore through the books on weekend visits, wishing I could live in the world and in the families Rockwell depicted. This one was bittersweet to me, because when I looked at it, I often wished my parents were still together to tuck me in at night. I have very few happy memories of them having done so. I suppose I longed for that feeling of security and, yes, safety from scary noises, boogeymen and all those sorts of childhood fears that having a Daddy down the hall provided. It wasn't until much, much later that actually I read the caption on the print and understood that it was much, much more than a slice-of-life bedtime scene.
.
You can read more about "The Four Freedoms" here.
.
And finally, I must say Happy Father's Day to my Dad. Hope you are well, wish you would be, and I hope you are safe.
Saturday, June 14, 2008
RIP, SSgt Pickett
Flags to be lowered in honor of fallen Ft. Drum soldiers
Dieu et mon droit...voici le doigt!
C'est incroyable.... (<--click on link)
A little thank you gift for our help on D-Day.
It's like the Taliban blasting the Buddha monuments in Afghanistan. Sickening.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Tim Russert - Requiescat in Pace
Thursday, June 12, 2008
"The Nation Will Live to Regret What The Court Has Done This Day"
Amidst the awful news today coming out of Oklahoma, where two little girls were randomly and mercilessly shot to death and the killer(s) remain at large, and Iowa, where four young boys died when a tornado hit at Boy Scout camp, there's this:
Guantanamo detainees have habeas corpus rights.
What does this mean? Well, I am by no means a criminal law specialist, just a connoisseur, but here's the nutshell version. A writ of habeas corpus (literally "to have the body" of a prisoner, remember "Habemus Papam?") allows a prisoner the right to challenge the authority of a warden to continue to hold him on the grounds that his confinement is illegal, inasmuch as he had ineffective assistance of counsel at the time of trial. (A bit different than an appeal, which challenges the judge's conduct of the trial and his rulings from the bench).
He submits the writ to a judge, who reads it and either denies it or orders a hearing, at which time the prisoner can argue that his confinement is unconstitutional, cruel and unusual, etc. It is a device used to challenge the death penalty on constitutional grounds, as well as appeals.
So...
The Al Qaeda detainees being held in Cuba at GTMO, who were captured on the battlefields of Afghanistan and Iraq while actively engaged in terrorist activities calculated to kill American, British, and all coalition troops, not to mention any and all citizens of those countries who dared to oppose them, now have the right to petition the Federal Courts of the United States of America for release, despite the fact that they have never set foot on American soil.
Previously, such matters would be subject to decision before a military tribunal - cases stretching back to the Nuremberg trials confirm that foreign enemy combatants engaged in wartime activities against Americans and detained outside this country did not have habeas corpus rights, (i.e., Nazis who escaped after Germany's surrender and were subsequently captured in China helping the Japanese fight the Allies.) When the GTMO situation arose after 9/11, Congress passed legislation to allow these alien detainees to be tried before military tribunals, invoking the constitutional right to deny or "suspend" habeas corpus rights in times of war (the "Suspension Clause" - see below), and the President and Commander in Chief signed Congress' bill into law. Years later, the judicial branch is usurping the painstaking research, debate, and centuries of history that went into crafting and passing the law.
So essentially, our courts and taxpayer dollars will fund these evil bastards' attempts to be freed, and they will be entitled to free counsel provided by the very nation they have vowed to destroy.
Entire opinion here, (Boudemiene v. Bush 553 U.S. ___ ) but below are some highlights from the blistering dissenting opinions of Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Antonin Scalia (my legal idol). This is longish, but worth sticking around to read.
America is at war with radical Islamists. The enemy began by killing Americans and American allies abroad: 241 at the Marine barracks in Lebanon, 19 at the Khobar Towers in Dhahran, 224 at our embassies in Dar es Salaam and Nairobi, and 17 on the USS Cole in Yemen. See National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, The 9/11 Commission Report, pp. 60–61, 70, 190 (2004). On September 11, 2001, the enemy brought the battle to American soil, killing 2,749 at the Twin Towers in New York City, 184 at the Pentagon in Washington, D. C., and 40 in Pennsylvania. See id., at 552, n. 9. It has threatened further attacks against our homeland; one need only walk about buttressed and barricaded Washington, or board a plane anywhere in the country, to know that the threat is a serious one. Our Armed Forces are now in the field against the enemy, in Afghanistan and Iraq. Last week, 13 of our countrymen in arms were killed.
The Suspension Clause reads: “The Privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in Cases of Rebellion or Invasion the public Safety may require it.” U. S. Const., Art. I, §9, cl. 2.
What competence does the Court have to second-guess the judgment of Congress and the President on such a point? None whatever. But the Court blunders in nonetheless. Henceforth, as today’s opinion makes unnervingly clear, how to handle enemy prisoners in this war will ultimately lie with the branch that knows least about the national security concerns that the subject entails.
The game of bait-and-switch that today’s opinion plays upon the Nation’s Commander in Chief will make the war harder on us. It will almost certainly cause more Americans to be killed.
Today the Court warps our Constitution in a way that goes beyond the narrow issue of the reach of the Suspension Clause.
The Nation will live to regret what the Court has done
today. I dissent.
Uninformed Consent
A. Rejoice at the miracle of life
B. Beat your son to a pulp
C. Cry a lot, but carry on and support all three children (son, girl, baby)
D. What this evil hag did
My friends, just goes to show ya that laws - good and bad ones - are made to be broken.
Prayers for all miserable wretches involved, and especially for the little lost soul in this "victimless" crime.
So much reparation needed, so little time...
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Liturgical Atrocities (a la "America's Funniest Home Videos?")
The Beloved and I are on a YouTube tear this evening, vying for the who can find the worst liturgical dance video (I'm still winning with the Hokey Pokey, Happy Hands is currently in 2nd), so feel free to pitch in.
FYI, the subtitle to the contest is "DANCE DANCE DEVOLUTION"
Apt in so many ways...
My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is: Entirely Miss Reverend Lady Kit the Prickly of Mellow under Trollness Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title |
Yesssss.....
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
A Welcome Twist
Foundation Events Aim to Shine Light on Historical Facts
NEW YORK, JUNE 9, 2008 (Zenit.org).- A New York-based organization willbring a group of Jewish Holocaust survivors to visit Benedict XVI nextweek. They want to personally thank the Pope for the Church'sintervention in saving their lives during the war.The Pave the Way foundation is bringing the group to visit the GermanPontiff on June 18. It is just one initiative the foundation has undertaken to clear up misunderstandings about the Church and its role during the Holocaust.
Another initiative is a September symposium on the papacy of Pope Pius XII. The Pave the Way foundation partnered with TV News Agency Rome Reportsto videotape eye witness testimony. They uncovered secret activities of the Pope and members of the papal household to save the lives of Jews during the war.The foundation consulted various experts who will be panelists at the symposium. The audience will be over 100 mostly Jewish religious,educational and community leaders from around the world.The participants will be presented with historical newspaper accounts,documents and eye witness testimony from those who are still alive.
The purpose of the symposium will be to analyze what is known to date,while Vatican archivists continue to prepare thousands of documents to be opened. The foundation clarified that the symposium does not aim to give a scholarly review of archived manuscripts. "This event will be almost like a jury, where events of the day andactual witnesses can help the group reach a reasonable conclusion today, which will be subject to historical confirmation when the archives havebeen opened," a statement from the foundation explained. The symposium participants will also get a chance to visit Benedict XVI.
Copyright © 2008 Innovative Media, Inc.
H/T Mike at CatholicFaithList@googlegroups.com
Monday, June 9, 2008
Loud, proud, and legally protected...
Controversial Court Ruling Upholds Homosexual's Right To Prance Around Demanding Attention And Being A Drama Queen
HARTFORD, CT—The Connecticut Supreme Court on Monday upheld the right of individuals, regardless of sexual orientation, to engage in any number of "grandiose behaviors," including, but not limited to, sashaying across the room "like a hussy, yelling 'Oh my God!' at the top of their lungs while hopping up and down, and generally acting like Miss Thing."
The court ruled 5-2 in favor of the plaintiff in Carmichael v. State of Connecticut, a landmark case overturning a lower court's decision against homosexual Michael Carmichael's right to excessive theatrics. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice Chase T. Rogers argued that "although the loud and emotionally over-the-top behaviors of Mr. Carmichael may be considered annoying by the community standards established by both his heterosexual and homosexual peers, the question of whether or not an individual is acting overly queeny is not a matter for the law to determine."
The "actual" courtroom sketch
(LOL!!!)
DISCLAIMER: I guess I thought everyone knew The Onion is not "real" news, so to the outraged commenter who wanted to know how to get in touch with the Governor of CT, who to kill, etc., I'm truly very sorry to have alarmed you, this was just a joke!
Our Lady's England
The percentage of English Protestants and Catholics who worship in churches is so low that, in any given week, “there are almost as many Sikhs worshipping in their temples as there are Christians — Protestants and Catholics — in churches
and :
“Most people in England — which after all is quite Godless and secular — don’t have a heart for purification and reparation,” [. . .]“We don’t need to apportion blame for the past, but, as a nation, England wronged Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and his Holy Mother and we need to make reparation.”
Interesting...worth pondering and prayer.
(Ss. John Fisher, Edmund Campion, Thomas More, Margaret Clitherow, and all the English Martyrs, pray for us!)
Liturgical Hokey-Pokey
Words fail...if you can make the whole 8 minutes, let me know. I lasted for 1:31
H/T Cavey
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Stuck in the Middle With You...
GOOD: dude's a newly ordained deacon...which is saying something in the near-dead Diocese of Rochester.
BAD: dude looks like a lady...he was sporting a ponytail and earrings.
I need to move.
(Bishop Sheen & St. John Fisher, pray for us!)
Thank the Lord...
A mother who decided to abort her son because he may have inherited a life-threatening kidney condition is overjoyed that he survived the procedure.
An incredible story...selective eugenics brought down again by reality. May our Blessed Mother continue to keep this little one close.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
L.O.FRIGGIN'.L!!!!!
[Don't] vote for O[rc]bama!
(Surely someone with Photoshop skills could have fun with these!)
2 weeks too late...
“To put recent events in some perspective, I have asked Father Michael Pfleger, Pastor of St. Sabina’s Parish, to step back from his obligations there and take leave for a couple of weeks from his pastoral duties, effective today,” Cardinal George said in a statement.
But wait...the parishioners don't agree! (Link issues with Blogger this evening - you'll have to cut and paste):
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/06/03/cardinal-removes-pfleger-from-chicago-parish/