Bloggers' Request--Catholics Pay Attention, Please

Father Z has requested that bloggers pass on this information. Contact your bishops if you are in the States. To date, 107 have responded in demanding a repeal of the mandate against conscience. Also, Senator Rubio has drafted a bill to counter-act this heinous bill of Obama. Here are the links, one and two. If you never did anything political in your life, do it now.

I am a writing with an injured hand and arm, offering up this for all of the Catholic priests, sems, bishops and laity in the States. Read, pray, act. Act, please, now.

No democratic process in Britain--Government pushes its own agenda and against the wishes of the people

LifeSiteNews has published an excellent article on the fight to stop the Cameron government from pushing through gay civil "marriage". Anglican and Catholic bishops alike are asking for a concerted, interdenominational effort on the part of churches to stop this movement. Archbishop Conti of Glasgow wrote eloquently that, “Those in Government need to be respectfully reminded that a mandate to govern does not include a mandate to reconstruct society on ideological grounds, nor to undermine the very institution which, from the beginning, has been universally acknowledged as of the natural order and the bedrock of society, namely marriage and the family. In terms of law, its support and defence have been on a par with the defence of life itself. We weaken it at our peril.”


Those is Britain should be demanding an explanation of this obsession with the present coalition government, which, as the article notes, did not publicize this agenda either in any of the parties' platforms or in the run-up to the election. Gay "marriage" was not an issue.


So, why is it now? This is ideology gone mad. Cameron and company are undermining the democratic processes of Parliamentary government. 


SPUC has passed this resolution and we must all support these pro-life efforts.“That the Council of SPUC, noting the various proposals currently being made by the present Government and others in regard to the status and standing of marriage and its consequent effect upon family life; and further noting the higher proportionate incidence of abortion in unmarried women compared to married women, resolves to do its utmost to fight for the retention of the traditional understanding of marriage in the history, culture and law of the United Kingdom, namely the exclusive union of one man with one woman for life; and accordingly instructs its officers and executive committee to conduct a major campaign to this end, to co-operate with other persons and societies in so doing and specifically to target the Government’s consultation period starting in March, 2012, in regard to (so-called) same sex marriage.” 

And, now for something completely different

I remember an episode light years ago when I was engaged and visiting the home of my fiance in Hampstead. Before dinner, the Pater asked me what I would like for my aperitif. Knowing the good cellar of the household, I said "whiskey" and promptly got a jab in the ribs from my sweet intended. I should have said "sherry", being a lady. However, the Pater poured me a generous glass of the finest and said, "Ah, these American ladies are so independent." What he really meant was that I did not do quite the right thing.

However, given a choice between a Emilio Lustau Solera Reserva Dry Oloroso or The Macallan, at a younger age, I would have chosen The Macallan, still my favorite whiskey. However, as I have grown a bit older, I find that I like the dry sherries much more, even though they are out of fashion in most places. 

I did take a short wine course a million years ago when I was as Notre Dame, (not part of the curriculum), and learned all about before dinner wines, wines during various courses, dessert wines and so on. Plus, I was fortunate enough to hang around various connoisseurs in graduate school (and...what is graduate school for...?) and learned "at the table" as it were. Also, when I was in the Senior Common Room in Bristol, we always had sherry before dinner, but it was always Harvey's. The faculty was a bit happier when I bought the old La Guita from El Vino's, the real thing from Spain. When I lived in London, one could take a jug into El Vino's and fill it up with The Macallan from a cask. I wonder if one can do that now? Happy days.

As I am living in Ireland, I am surprised at two things in the range of alcohol. First, all wines are two to three times as expensive as even in Britain and I do not understand why. Wine is much more expensive than in Malta, and the United States, where the Californian and other State wines keep prices competitive. The prices here are ridiculous and probably have something to do with the new Irish budget and belt tightening. An not-so-nice ordinary wine is the same price as a nice Coppola in California.

Secondly, I cannot understand why so many American beers, and I do not mean lovely Wisconsin or Iowa real ales. are sold here instead of British beers. Amazingly, at the local Supervalu, Guinness is not to be found, unless the shop is simply out all the time. I learned about real ales when I lived in Wisconsin and we used to shop at a great store which sold only Wisconsin produce. Also, the family lived in Alaska for awhile, which, believe it or not, in Anchorage there are more Cordon Bleu chefs and great restaurants then any other city in all the fifty states. In Ireland, at least where I am, women do not go to pubs here as they do in England, escorted, of course. And, as I do not go out to dinner much, I do not drink unless with dinner. I wonder if Mary and Jesus drank the wine He made out of water at Cana? Most likely, and why not? 

Ah, well, as the Feast of St. Brigid of Ireland is tomorrow, maybe she would not mind someone raising a glass of The Macallan. God bless Ireland and boy, does this country need blessing.