Apr
30
The Specter Story – A Pennsylvanian’s Perspective
April 30, 2009 | Comments Off
I have let the Specter story roll around in my mind for a few days before posting. Given the intense bickering on the blogosphere over the subject, it is well that I did. The gloating by Democrats and Obama supporters is a bit much and I believe it is misguided because I don’t see this as [...]
Apr
27
On the road
April 27, 2009 | 1 Comment
I will be out of town for the next four days, travelling for a business meeting in San Diego. In the meantime, my friend and semi-frequent commenter G-Veg will be filling in for me. You may remember G-Veg from such blogs as the Political Spectrum (Memories, in the corner of my mind). Hopefully I will [...]
Apr
27
This is less than comforting
April 27, 2009 | 2 Comments
I’m not much of a health worrier, and I have a fairly confident feeling that I will be avoiding the pig swine flu. That said, I’d feel a lot better if the largest cluster of suspected outbreaks in the States were not located precisely where I’m going to be spending the next four days (see [...]
Apr
27
Ambassador Glendon declines Laetare Medal from Notre Dame
April 27, 2009 | 3 Comments
Apparently, she was not interested in being used as a prop by the university. Here is her letter: April 27, 2009 The Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C. President University of Notre Dame Dear Father Jenkins, When you informed me in December 2008 that I had been selected to receive Notre Dame’s Laetare Medal, I was [...]
Apr
24
Party over Faith (updated)
April 24, 2009 | 6 Comments
Rich Leonardi has the scoop on a missive sent by the Hamilton County Democratic Party. As Rich says, they showed which word in the name “Catholic Democrats” they value most highly. The text reads (my comments in red): Dear Supporter. On behalf of Catholic Democrats – a call to action (How very Marxist) Dear Democrats, [...]
Apr
24
The Hunt for Gollum
April 24, 2009 | 1 Comment
I’m not normally into fan flicks and the like, but this looks fairly awesome.
Apr
24
Goldstein deconstructs the left
April 24, 2009 | Comments Off
Is there any blogger who does a better job of cutting through the bs and getting right to the heart of the matter than Jeff Goldstein? I’m going to violate certain rules of good blogging etiquette and quote his entire rant. in my experiences dealing with the politically engaged leftist who visits this site (not [...]
Apr
23
The jerkstore just called and they’re running out of you
April 23, 2009 | Comments Off
As I may have mentioned in the past, my wife and I have a small (fe)ebay business. Mainly it involves a bunch of pottery and collectibles she inherited from her uncle. We’ve shipped as far away as Australia, and the buyers have been content to pay the fees associated with international shipping. Today we received [...]
Apr
23
Real men wear shorts
April 23, 2009 | 2 Comments
If they’re good enough for the Pope . . . One of the photos shows Karol Wojtyla, then the archbishop of Krakow, wearing a T-shirt, shorts and a red bandana scarf. An enormous fish is lying at his feet. Another photo depicts Wojtyla having a meal in front of his tent. The photos were taken [...]
Apr
23
McCain denounces OLC “witch hunt”
April 23, 2009 | 1 Comment
An indication that those who are clamoring for prosecutions of those involved in the OLC torture memos may have gone too far: John McCain is calling it a witch hunt. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) warned Thursday that any attempt by the Obama administration to prosecute the Bush-era lawyers who wrote memos signing off on waterboarding [...]
Apr
23
People just do not understand the dangers of the promotion of contraception
April 23, 2009 | 1 Comment
That is the conclusion I’ve come to in the wake of reading the responses to this post by R.S. McCain. McCain is writing about the decision to make Plan-B contraception available to 17-year old women. Who cares that she’s not even old enough to buy a pack of cigarettes legally? Get her drunk on wine [...]
Apr
23
Actually, Hillary might have a point
April 23, 2009 | Comments Off
Kathryn Lopez has a Corner post up titled, “Hillary Compares Margaret Sanger to Thomas Jefferson.” Presumably, K-Lo is upset by this comparison. I don’t know. I’ve always tended to side with Conor Cruise O’Brien’s assessment of Jefferson that “the twentieth-century statesman he would have admired most is Pol Pot.” Hyperbole yes, but it also hints [...]
Apr
23
Avast ye matey!
April 23, 2009 | Comments Off
In honor of the great bard’s 445th birthday, today is Talk Like Shakespeare Day. Follow the link for some helpful tips. And yes, I know that the post title is more fitting for Talk Like a Pirate Day, but after watching South Park last night, I felt it appropriate.
Apr
22
The most honest footnote I have ever seen
April 22, 2009 | Comments Off
It’s a fairly common tactic to discredit studies you disagree with by noting the “impure” funding and sponsorship that possibly taints the research that went into the study. So that is why I absolutely love this footnote I came accross in a paper on “green jobs.” Readers should be just as skeptical of us as [...]
Apr
22
Bishop D’Arcy: Fr. Jenkins is “simply wrong”
April 22, 2009 | Comments Off
It’s going to be difficult for Fr. Jenkins to argue himself out of this one. As the American Papist reports, his Bihsop has issued a very stern rebuke of Fr. Jenkins. Recently, Father John Jenkins, CSC, in a letter of response to Bishop Olmsted of the Diocese of Phoenix, who had written him, critical of [...]
Apr
22
How Hitler Hated “Hitler’s Pope”
April 22, 2009 | Comments Off
Matt Archibold of Creative Minority Report links to a story in the Telegraph regarding Hitler’s plans to abduct Pius XII, and the Vatican’s plans to respond to such an occurrence. This causes Matt to ponder: Weird, huh? Why would Adolf Hitler be coming up with a plan to kidnap the Pope if the Pope were [...]
Apr
22
“I am compatible with all faiths on the planet”
April 22, 2009 | 1 Comment
So said Les Knight, founder of the “Voluntary Human Extinction Movement” to Laura Ingraham after she asked him about his religious preference. How new agey. How progressive. How nauseatingly banal and predictable. Moreover, how incredibly stupid. In order to be “compatible” with all the faiths of the world, wouldn’t one have to subscribe to the [...]
Apr
21
It’s an honor just to be nominated
April 21, 2009 | 1 Comment
I’ve been nominated by the Crescat in the category of “Best Catholic Political Blog that is not the American Papist” for the 2009 Connonball Catholic Awards. Yeah, I don’t know what they were drinking either, but I am appreciative of the shout out.
Apr
21
On twits and twitter
April 21, 2009 | 2 Comments
Ed Morrissey has a post up at Hot Air that serves as a useful jumping off point for something I’ve been meaning to write for a few weeks but hadn’t had the chance to quite yet. Ed begins: There are two phenomena that I confess to not “getting” these days: Twitter and Meghan McCain. Both [...]
Apr
20
New mama’s new blog
April 20, 2009 | Comments Off
The crankywife has started her own blog. It’s decidedly unpolitical, so take a look at String, Stitches and Stains. And there’s a picture of the baby there, so you have to click on the link in order to see it.