Tablet article continued...

Image thanks to Hermeneutic of Continuity

Timothy Radcliffe commenting on the debate over so-called "gay marriage" is an attempt, I think, to uphold the traditional teaching of the Church. Some points he makes are fine and incorporate of bit of the Theology of the Body thinking of Blessed John Paul II. However, his argument gets bogged down in a lack of the spirituality of marriage. We cannot merely uphold marriage on the grounds of the physical relationship between the man and the woman, or else we are merely falling into the same heresies which Radcliffe denounces. The spiritual aspect of marriage is that the two become one and that this physical union is an expression of what should be happening in cooperation with the Indwelling of the Holy Trinity, the example of the Trinity in love and commitment. If Radcliffe expressed that most excellent marriages get beyond the physical relationship into something more sublime and holy, his argument would not only be stronger, but more in keeping with the beautiful teaching of the Church on the fact that marriage transforms two people into something more than what each would be if not joined in holy matrimony. Indeed, the spiritual growth and move to holiness and saintliness is one of the real reasons for matrimony. One is called to marriage as a vocation which leads one into heaven, as well as providing stability to the couple, the family, and society. The goal is not merely sexual happiness or babies, but the ultimate purification of the mind and body, in a union which more perfectly mirrors that of the God-Head. I do not mind the emphasis on bodily union as ordained and blessed by God, but that is simply not all there is to a good marriage. Perhaps, Radcliffe did not have the space to develop his ideas.f Also, look at my post on chaste marriages, http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.fr/2012/01/unusual-controversial-catholic-subject.html

Ah, the Rubbish Published in The Tablet....

I actually picked up and read a few articles in The Tablet today, and my hands did not dissolve into leprosy. However, the stupidity and political correctness of the "magazine" reveals a relativism which endangers all good and clear catechesis. Great Britain and Ireland, and I guess France, where I have picked up this edition, exhibit a majority of Catholic adults who do not know a thing about the teaching of the Catholic Church. The ignorance and arrogance of the adult Catholics in a typical parish astound one. Anti-intellectualism is rife and the idea that the study of one's Faith ends at school leaving is profoundly common. I have written many times on the subject of one, adults taking responsiblity for their own Faith, and two, the halting of blaming priests for ignorance. Look at previous posts, including a link with the Vatican document on the laity here in my post of January 16th,  APOSTOLICAM ACTUOSITATEM  and the dumbing down of lay expectations:
http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19651118_apostolicam-actuositatem_en.html

That The Tablet panders to weak-minded and less than accurate thinking may be one of the reasons it succeeds in selling. As a famous author told me years ago about the editorial staff, one cannot do much with mediocrity.

In a cover article on the gay marriage question in Britain, "Can marriage ever change?", three people are allowed to give comments on the present crisis. I shall refer to the two shorter ones first and then take on the longer comment. Martin Pendergast is a master of the cliche. He also makes banal sweeping statements such as "The model of marriage that we have today is rooted more strongly in eighteenth-and nineteenth-century social patterns than it is in earlier religious tradition", completely ignoring centuries of social behavior among Catholics of all classes, which benefited from the Scriptures and the increase in the dignity of women as found in the Gospels. That such women as Brigid of Sweden and others give us examples of married women who knew their role in marriage and society is a fact ignored. Also, the old and boring references to David and Jonathan and Ruth and Naomi, etc, implying friendships are more enduring than the Catholic Church's idea and teaching on marriage are laughable. That David was a potentate with myriad partners, that the Queen Mother was Queen and not a "wife" and that the relationship of Jonathan and David was close has nothing to do with gay marriage. Ruth and Naomi were related and following the age-old traditions of duty and committed love in the extended family. That he uses these as examples defies explanation. The Church has always valued friendship, which has nothing to do with gay marriage. Statistics on the number of sexual partners the typical homosexual has may be found elsewhere. Sex and friendship are not mutually exclusive, but cannot be confused, especially theologically.

Criticizing the idea that procreation is not longer an important part of marriage is simply wrong. If he does not know this, the question of being open to life is still number one or two on the pre-marriage interview by the priest in Great Britain. I have seen the forms, and have been part of the process myself. That there are exceptions has always been the case, for older couples beyond child-bearing age, for example, but these remain exceptions.

More drivel.
The essence of civil unions is that they are based on an equality of persons legally expressed in a mutual signing of a contractual covenant, rather than expressed in vows of subjection, one to another."
I have worked in the past in homosexual recovery groups. This is more controversial in Great Britain than in America, but I can tell you from experience and working with psychologists that the typical gay relationship is not about equality, but subjection.  The partnership involves a "feminine" and a "masculine" psychological and physical relationship. Sorry, this is not a reflection of equality. Pendergast does not want a "buying into a marital bond, the sacramentality of such unions is what many of us strive to live out." This is self-deception and taking the idea that the sacrament of matrimony is given one to the other to an obscene nuance. That he wants to avoid an official sacrament just shows that he not only does not understand the depth of a real marriage contract between two people, but that he does not understand the sacramental theology of marriage in its fullness.

The second banal comment is by Tina Beattie, who does her best, I guess at referring to the sexuality of homosexuals, completely forgetting that such a relationship is out of the bounds of natural law and one of the sins which cries out to heaven. She writes that, "the loving relationships of my gay friends have helped me to understand more deeply what marriage means as a partnership of equals....maybe we heterosexuals need the marriages of our homosexual friends to help us to understand what marriage looks like when it's not corrupted by traditions of domination and subordination." The feminist speaks.

I have only two questions to ask the lady--what about the corruption of a serious sin against nature and the long Catholic teaching that the wages of sin is eternal death? Obviously, the woman does not believe in hell or sin, or even the long lists of Modernist Heresies her type of comment reveals undermining her understanding of marriage, sin, etc. Of course, she uses the buzz word of "diversity", which in American journalism is always a tip-off. More later on the Radcliffe commentary.

The Church is the Enemy to POTUS

Check out this cartoon on Fr. Z's blog.....http://wdtprs.com/blog/2012/03/dear-taliban/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wdtprs%2FDhFa+%28Fr.+Z%27s+Blog+-+What+Does+The+Prayer+Really+Say%3F%29
,
and another good comment by Buchanan on his site http://buchanan.org/blog/the-glaring-inequality-of-obamaville-5040

Thoughts on Simone Weil

Simone Weil is one of my favorite philosophers and being in France reminds me of her great contribution to the mystical theology which joined philosophy, political activism and mystic thought.

She is buried in Ashford, Kent and last year, I visited her grave with a friend of mine. Simone was only 34 for she died and her writing may appeal to young people. I read her over thirty years ago and I had the honor of attending a three day conference at the University of Notre Dame concerning her thought. Simone never became a Catholic, although she loved Christ and His saints, such as St. Francis. She said she wanted to sit on the steps of the great cathedral which was the Church, waiting outside with her people, the Jews. I think she may have had the Baptism of Desire.

What is significant is Simone, who came from a brilliant family, represents the end of a generation of mystical philosophers, so common on the Continent in the 19th and early 20th centuries. As philosophy became more and more modern, post-modern, etc., separation between prayer and philosophy, between religious experience and philosophy and theology and philosophy has been irrevocably broken. Her death and her small grave symbolize to me the end of the great tradition of philosophy being the handmaid of theology.

At the end, she had a disease or condition which made it difficult for her to eat. Her biographer said this of her, that as she identified with the sufferings of the Jews and others in the War,  "As for her death, whatever explanation one may give of it will amount in the end to saying that she died of love."Sir Richard Lodowick Edward Montagu Rees, 2nd Baronet translated many of her works and wrote a biography of her. May her spirit of compassion and real thought be passed down to other youths who may want to restore philosophy to its rightful place in the Church and in the world.

Just are reminder--Harry Potter

Just a reminder on the evils of Harry Potter. And, do not ignore these....

So, Harry Potter is NOT the same thing as more traditional fairy tales. In Harry Potter there is even a desensitization to sin. O’Brien goes on to say in this same interview:

“There are other serious problems in these books, notably the question of authority and obedience. Harry’s faults are rarely punished, and usually by the negative authority figures in the tale. The positive authority figures actually reward Harry for his disobedience when it brings about some perceived good. His lies, his acts of vengeance and his misuse of his powers are frequently ignored. The message of ’the end justifies the means’ is dominant throughout.”

Now remember, Harry Potter is attending witchcraft school. O’Brien then describes a shocking and terrifying scene:

“In one class, the students are taught to cut up mandrake roots, which are living human babies, for use in a potion. At the least this can cause a subconscious desensitization to abortion.”

http://www.stmichaels.org/01-harrypotter.shtml

Russell Crowe as Noah?

I have to get my head around this. Russell Crowe is set to be Noah in the new making of the Biblical tale. Here is the article on the news.

Can you imagine what he would act and look like? Something like Captain Jack Aubrey meets God...Well, we shall see. I find the attempt interesting. I am looking forward to the special animal effects....

We Must Forgive and Forget. We Must

The Anime for Adults--the Count of Monte Cristo

I have written about forgiveness on this blog many times. I have noted the hatreds of even Catholics towards national enemies. I am sick to death of forgiveness which passes for patriotism.

If Catholics or Muslims do not forgive, then we shall not inherit the Kingdom of God. Salvation only comes to those who forgive and not those who hate.

I have written much about the litany of hate I have heard from the Irish. I am writing about the litany of hate I am hearing against the Jews. Anti-semitism is alive and well in Europe and the non-Jews cover it up with politically correct nonsense about "radicalized" Muslims or the history of Palestine. If those in power or around the table insist on remembering past sins against their peoples, we shall only repeat the past. I have even heard hatred for Germany, who has bailed out the very countries who now seem to resent the bail-outs. In Iowa, we call that biting the hand that feeds one.

Hatred does not create, only destroys and it destroys the soul of those who continue in that national, historical and philosophical hatred. The children in France would not have been killed except for political correctness and no one cares about the military men who were killed. In fact, the lack of investigation about those murders led directly to the horrible murders of those beautiful children.

I have referred to the anime, The Count of Monte Cristo before as well. The Count was almost damned by his unforgiveness. This can happen to anyone.

Christ gives us clear words on forgiveness. We have the words of the Our Father. We shall not get to heaven with vengeance and hatred in our hearts.

And be ye kind one to another; merciful, forgiving one another, even as God hath forgiven you in Christ.

Ephesians 4:32

Yet another terrorist who has not been labeled such in the past....and he killed as he was not investigated thoroughly

Surprise, surprise, the man arrested for the murders of soldiers and three Jewish school children and a parent, is a terrorist. When will Europe, and France, wake up to profiling? If the first military murders would have been investigated in the complete way the murders of this past week were done, this man would have been found earlier.

Let us stop pretending at the reality of more of these types of murder not happening again....Note the section from this site--the Telegraph online.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/9157126/Toulouse-siege-live.html

13.14 The Telegraph's Ben Farmer reports from Kabul that Merah fled Sarposa Prison in Afghanistan in June 2008 after a Taliban attack.

Ghulam Farouq, general director of Kandahar prison, said Mohammed Merah, son of Mohammed Siddique, was arrested sometime in 2007 while working with Taliban insurgents as a bombmaker.

He spent around a year in the Sarposa Prison on bombmaking charges before he and hundreds of others escaped on June 13, 2008 in a huge breakout. Up to 1,000 inmates, including 350 Taliban militants escaped that day when a suicide lorry bomb breached the prison walls and up to 30 Taliban fighters then attacked and helped inmates escape.......

The daily Le Monde said Merah had trained with Pakistani Taliban fighters in a border tribal zone before being sent into southwestern Afghanistan to fight against NATO forces supporting the Kabul government.

French troops are part of that NATO operation, which may explain why the first victims of the gunman's killing spree were serving paratroopers killed in Toulouse on March 11 and Montauban on March 15.

French intelligence sources said about 30 French fighters trained by the Taliban were believed to have taken part in attacks on Western forces in Afghanistan.

Go to this site to see the beautiful photos of the children killed. Explosives were found in the suspect's apartment today. 

Feast of St. Benedict, March 21

St. Benedict, Pray for Us

Today in the Tridentine Calendar, the Benedictines celebrate the Feast of St. Benedict. His gifts to Western Civilization are enormous, including the Rule, the monastic system we take for granted, and the European-wide establishment of schools. As a Benedictine at heart, I have nothing but admiration and praise for this man, who is one of the Patrons of Europe, along with SS. Cyril and Methodius. Pray to him for humility this Lent. He has in his rule a list of goals for those who aspire to that virtue. One is considering one's self inferior to all others. For some, this is not hard, as one may feel like a failure in life and see one's inadequacies. For others, this is a challenge, to see the worth of those around them. I highly suggest reading the Rule for Lenten reading.There is also a daily reading from the Rule on this website, for those who do not have the time to sit and read the entire book, although it is very short. Here is today's reading:

Chapter 42: That No One Speak After Compline

Monastics ought to be zealous for silence at all times,
but especially during the hours of the night.
For every season, therefore,
whether there be fasting or two meals,
let the program be as follows:

If it be a season when there are two meals,
then as soon as they have risen from supper
they shall all sit together,
and one of them shall read the Conferences
or the Lives of the Fathers
or something else that may edify the hearers;
not the Heptateuch or the Books of Kings, however,
because it will not be expedient for weak minds
to hear those parts of Scripture at that hour;
but they shall be read at other times.

If it be a day of fast,
then having allowed a short interval after Vespers
they shall proceed at once to the reading of the Conferences,
as prescribed above;
four or five pages being read, or as much as time permits,
so that during the delay provided by this reading
all may come together,
including those who may have been occupied
in some work assigned them.

When all, therefore, are gathered together,
let them say Compline;
and when they come out from Compline,
no one shall be allowed to say anything from that time on.
And if anyone should be found evading this rule of silence,
let her undergo severe punishment.
An exception shall be made
if the need of speaking to guests should arise
or if the Abbess should give someone an order.
But even this should be done with the utmost gravity
and the most becoming restraint.

A Van Gogh Re-Discovered

Every once in awhile, an exciting find or re-discovery happens in the world of art. This painting has been proved to be a Van Gogh. It is lovely and exuberant. I am so happy to be studying it today, as it is quite refreshing. I am very pleased with the old roses. Here is the report from the Museum.

This photo provided by the Kroeller Mueller Museum in Otterlo, Netherlands, Tuesday, March 20, 2012, shows a painting entitled "Still life with meadow flowers and roses" by Vincent van Gogh. The Kroeller Mueller Museum says new X-ray research has finally put beyond doubt that "Still life with meadow flowers and roses" really is by Van Gogh. It has also uncovered in greater detail an art school study by Van Gogh of two wrestlers concealed on the same canvas and invisible to the naked eye. (AP Photo/Kroeller Mueller Museum)

I particularly like the roses in this painting. Somehow, the freshness and life of this painting shows us another side of the tormented Van Gogh. May he rest in peace.

Pope's Itinerary to Mexico and Cuba and bits of news...

The Pope is going to Mexico soon and will meet some of the most anti-Catholic politicians in the world. On the various websites around the world, many news items are coming out. Here is one on the drugs cartels calling a truce. However, the number of babies aborted since Mexico City approved abortion in 2007 is 75,000.

Two websites provide insights into the horrendous problems in Mexico. One is here.
.

The Knights Templars drugs cartel is calling a short truce -- but only to welcome Pope Benedict XVI to Mexico, an official said Sunday.

"They did put up signs announcing this," a Guanajuato state government source told AFP privately.

"The Knights Templars are holding off on all violent action, we are not killers, welcome to the pope," the official said paraphrasing one of the signs put up in the town of Irapuato, Guanajuato state.

The signs were seen in at least seven towns statewide.

The pope arrives March 23 in Leon, in the neighboring state of Michoacan, where the Knights Templars were founded.

President Felipe Calderon has launched a military crackdown against the cartels battling it out for control of the lucrative drug trade, in which some 50,000 Mexicans have lost their lives since 2006.

And, here is another article on the Pope's itinerary. The schedule for the Holy Father's forthcoming visit to Mexico and Cuba from the 23rd to the 29th of March 2012 has been released. Pope Benedict will depart on Friday 23rd of March from Rome’s Fiumicino airport on ruote to Mexico. On arrival at Guanjuato International Airport the Pope will be greeted by dignitaries. Highlights on Saturday 24^th of March will include a courtesy visit to the Federal President of Mexico at Conde Rul House in Guanajuato.

Later in the evening the Holy Father will greet children in Guanajuato’s Peace Square.

Following the celebration of Holy Mass on Sunday, March 25, in León Park, Pope Benedict will later that day celebrate vespers with the Bishops of Mexico and Latin America in the Cathedral of the Blessed Mother of the Light of Leon
On Monday morning March 26^th the Holy Father will depart Mexico for Cuba arriving in the country in the mid afternoon. Later that evening the Pope will celebrate mass to mark the 400^thanniversary of the rediscovery of the Virgin of Charity of Cobre in Cuba’s second largest city, Santiago de Cuba.
The Pope will visit this shrine to Our Lady on Tuesday morning the 27^th before departing for Havana.
After paying a courtesy visit to the President of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers the Pope will meet with the Bishops of Cuba at the Nunciature in Havana.
The Pope’s final full day of activities on Wednesday, March 28, will include Mass in Revolution Square in Havana.


http://www.news.va/en/news/itinerary-for-papal-visit-to-mexico-and-cuba-relea 

"Come to Rome in complete safety,"

There is an interesting letter on Rorate Caeli, one of my favorite blogs, on a letter from Monsignor Nicola Bux on the SSPX and Rome. I highly suggest that you read it. This type of thing gives me hope in all the gloom surrounding the spurned overtures from Rome.

Chavagnes International College

Chavagnes International College is a great but small treasure in the Vendee. Here, where I am visiting, the ancient monastic site holds a small English boys' college, where students get individual attention and much Catholic input. The Headmaster, Mr. Ferdi McDermott, who founded the school over ten years ago, has a charismatic personality which informs the entire staff with a certain energy. In addition, what is most impressive is the faculty tutor staff, some of whom are young and traditional and who are part of the Community of St. Gregory here, an official Community of the Faithful. Without this backbone of prayer and commitment, the school would not be as precious as it is. For any traditional Catholic family which does not want to home school the boys, this is a real option.

The French boys learn English and the English boys learn French. The curriculum is solid and I have rarely seen such a dedicated staff. Even the food is better than typical English school fare, but then, it is in France.

Last night, the students and faculty provided a Shakespeare night with selections and it was very well done, including the music and ambiance. It was lovely to hear Shakespeare in the middle of the Vendee, including Henry V selections. Here is one of the links to the school, which also has the Tridentine as well as the NO Mass, and there is another link. There is also a book from Amazon.

The Brainwashing of Relativism for a Generation of Catholic Youth: where are the heroes of tomorrow?

The Battle for Malta

There is a generation or maybe two, of young people who cannot distinguish real Islam from the teachings of the Koran to the media indoctrination of the so-called religion of peace. This is partly because the media chooses to highlight a phrase which indicates that the religion of Mohammed is not really practiced by the terrorists, or the Muslim Brotherhood, who are somehow "radicalized". The radicalization of Islam is not an aberrational addition, but part and parcel of the religion, and if anyone takes the time to actually study the Koran and the Hadith, one discovers the truth. In December, one of the Egyptian clerics went live and on video to proclaim that Islam will take over Rome, as it did Constantinople. Why no one notices these things except the great Spencer is beyond me. Why is it that Catholics are so afraid of being truthful about the violence within the original teachings, still being taught to millions of people across the world?  Let me give you part of the quotation from this Egyptian Al-Nas TV from Spencer's website--Salem Abu Al-Futouh : The Prophet Muhammad told us that Islam would spread. He told us about the Islamic conquest of Constantinople - Turkey of today - and indeed, it was conquered. He also told us about the conquest of Rome, which is Italy. People find this strange. "How can we conquer Italy?" they say. "We are too weak." You should consider the number of Muslims in that great Christian center - another person converts to Islam every day. Check on the Internet how many people want to convert to Islam in the very heart of that papal center of Christianity, on their own turf.

The Battle of Lepanto

Now, conversion is not violence exactly, it is numerical and the fact that strict Muslims do not contracept or abort their babies means that there are more and more young Islamic people and as Christians do contracept and abort, there are less and less Christian youth. However, the message is still one of conquest and the comparison of the take over of Rome with that of Constantinople should warn Christians that there is a danger in the message. Unless Catholic parents stop being so politically correct, unless history is actually taught from the standpoint of truth rather than political correctness or even political agenda, that would include a hatred of the West and a hatred of Christianity, the youth will not be able to withstand conversion and be duped into a religion of hate and violence. Catholic teaching needs to recapture the stand of the Church Militant on this point and Catholics need to understand that those who speak such threats are not insane or exaggerating. Let us not forget that the Catholic Liturgical Calendar celebrates the feast days of Mary, the Mother of God because she intervened in two great battles which stopped the conquest of Europe by the Muslims. One is the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary, September 12th, a battle spilling over from the 11th, celebrating the Battle of Vienna in 1683, and is why there was the attack planned on September 11th, 2001. Wiki has a nice article on this. 


The second feast day is that of the Most Holy Rosary, celebrating Mary's intercession over the Battle of Lepanto, again highlighted here from Wiki.  Our Catholic youth can read about these great battles in several excellent books, including those by Anne and Warren Carroll, the great historian, who died last year. I can also suggest teaching the young through the books of Hilaire Belloc, The Crusades, and  The Great Heresies. which is actually highlighted here, as it is all online.


Let me end with a section of Belloc's last book mentioned above--and apologies for the weird print. 


Cultures spring from religions; ultimately the vital force which

maintains any culture is its philosophy, its attitude toward the universe;
the decay of a religion involves the decay of the culture corresponding to
it_we see that most clearly in the breakdown of Christendom today. The bad
work begun at the Reformation is bearing its final fruit in the
dissolution of our ancestral doctrines_the very structure of our society
is dissolving.

        In the place of the old Christian enthusiasms of Europe there
came, for a time, the enthusiasm for nationality, the religion of
patriotism. But self-worship is not enough, and the forces which are
making for the destruction of our culture, notably the Jewish Communist
propaganda from Moscow, have a likelier future before them than our
old-fashioned patriotism.

        In Islam there has been no such dissolution of ancestral
doctrine_or, at any rate, nothing corresponding to the universal break-up
of religion in Europe. The whole spiritual strength of Islam is still
present in the masses of Syria and Anatolia, of the East Asian mountains,
of Arabia, Egypt and North Africa.

Sadly, these have proved to be prophetic words. Note the Polish Hussars charging at the Battle of Vienna. We need to teach classes on these heroes again, now.

Think Why Antisemitism is on the Rise in France

Here is a report from The Times of Israel

M

K Ya’akov Katz called Monday for Jews to leave France in the wake of a deadly attack on a Jewish school in Toulouse.

“There is no Jewish future in France,” Katz, of the National Union party, said, adding that the state of Israel is the future of the Jewish people, and that Jews should not trust their fate to “Sarkozy, Obama or other world leaders.”

French President Nicolas Sarkozy (photo credit: Olivier Fitoussi /Flash90)

The Israeli Foreign Ministry, by contrast, expressing shock over the attack, said Israel was confident the French authorities would do “everything possible” to bring the perpetrator to justice.

Opposition head Tzipi Livni posted on her Facebook page, calling it a sad day. “The state of Israel and the Jewish people are partners in battling antisemitism and hate crimes,” she said. Livni said France must protect its citizens from events like this one, adding that she trusts the French authorities will find the person responsible.

The UK board of Jewish Deputies issued a press statement, saying the attack is “a terrible reminder of the threat” minorities in Europe face.

A rabbi, two of his children and a young girl were killed when a man on a motorbike shot them in front of a Jewish school in Toulouse. The man fled, and French police were searching for him.

In the wake of the deadly attack, MK Danny Danon (Likud), called for an urgent session Tuesday of the Knesset’s Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs Committee, which he chairs, to discuss the attack.

“We will not allow the pogroms of the beginning of the 20^th century to return to Europe,” Danon said.

The French ambassador to Israel, Christophe Bigot, is expected to attend the session, entitled “Manifestations of Anti-Semitism in Europe.”

I think it is time for leaders to start being honest and admit why there is a rise of Antisemitism in France, which has up to a 10% Muslim population. Edith Stein, St. Teresia Benedicta of the Cross, pray for us and for those who have died recently from hate crimes.

Santorum can beat Obama

From the Santorum camp:


In Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia (four critical states) our campaign is polling 4% better than President Obama, while the Romney campaign is polling 4% worse than the President.

Why is there an 8 point difference between our campaigns? Because our principles and ideas are winning over independent voters and Mitt Romney's negative attacks and issue flip-flops are not.

Americans want leadership and a concrete plan of action. They don't want more equivocation and policy half-steps. That's why we can beat Obama and Mitt Romney never can.

The numbers show us what we already know in our hearts. Our conservative principles and ideas are the key to winning in the fall.

Santorum visited a favorite pizza place

Rick Santorum, the man officially supported for president on this blog, was in the Quad Cities where I am from, and visited a pizza place the conservatives all know in Moline. Here is a little clip:

Rick Santorum continued his assault on Mitt Romney in Moline on Monday ahead of Tuesday's Illinois Republican presidential primary.

In a rousing speech to about 200 people at The Moline Club, the former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania questioned Mr. Romney's conservative credentials and pledged to cut corporate taxes to "zero" to aid manufacturing in places like the Quad Cities.

"We have one nominee who says he wants to run the economy. What kind of conservative says that the president runs the economy?" Mr. Santorum said of Mr. Romney. "What kind of conservative says 'I'm the guy because of my economic experience that can create jobs?' 

"We conservatives generally think that the government doesn't create jobs." 

Mr. Santorum, who served in the U.S. House 1991-1995 and in the U.S. Senate 1995-2007, is trailing Mr. Romney in recent Illinois polls. But on Monday he pointed to his recent victories in Alabama and Mississippi as evidence he could upset the odds again.

He castigated Mr. Romney for implementing a system of universal health care while he was governor of Massachusetts, calling it the inspiration for "Obamacare." 

His 40-minute speech, peppered with references to President Ronald Reagan, portrayed this year's presidential election as a pivotal moment in history that was about the fundamental nature of the country.

"I don't care what the unemployment rate is going to be. It doesn't matter to me," he said. "My campaign doesn't hinge on unemployment rates and growth rates. There's something more foundational that's going on here."

Christie Schilling, the wife of U.S. Rep. Bobby Schilling, R-Colona, spoke before Mr. Santorum took the stage, describing him as a "pro-life hero." Mr. Santorum was introduced to the audience Monday by Neil Anderson, a Republican candidate for District 72 state representative. 

Mr. Santorum reportedly travelled to Rep. Schilling's pizza restaurant after speaking and made his own pizza, which he called a "Santorum special." When a restaurant staffer was asked if he could verify that report, he replied, "Sir, I cannot confirm that; I have secret service standing next to me." 


The pizza place, a great meeting ground for traditional Catholics as well as conservative politicians, has great food, if you are in the area. I was last there in March, 2011, almost a year ago. Greetings to all, and especially my seminarian friend from the area.

POTUS pushes his anti-moral agenda big time...

This is getting to be out and out persecution of all moral people and especially the Catholic Church. The Obama administration has announced today that all health insurance for young women in all colleges and universities must provide sterilization. This is just to prove a point. This man is capable of persecuting the Church for a point. Remember is a Black Liberation Theology buff, believing that the Blacks are the chosen people of God. He also is a Marxist. Wake up America. I think he is capable of starting a faux war to keep being a president.

God help us. Here are some quotations from the article: (CNSNews.com) - All student health care plans covering female college students in the United States must include coverage for free voluntary sterilization surgery, the Department of Health and Human Services announced late Friday afternoon.

Women of college age who do not attend school will also get free sterilization coverage whether they are insured through an employer, their parents, or some form of government-subsidized plan.

All student health plans, HHS said Friday as it finalized a new regulation under the Affordable Care Act (otherwise known as Obamacare) must cover the full set of cost-free women’s “preventive services” that HHS ordered last month must be covered by all U.S. health care plans.

These free “preventive services” include surgical sterilization procedures and all Food and Drug Administration-approved contraceptives, including those that cause abortions.


Check this update from WND for Obama's Marxist connections.

Marxism and the Politics of Envy

My Catholic friends have been a bit dubious about my claims as to the rise of communism and Marxism in Ireland. I stand by my observations. Here in France, the Left is rising again as well. These movements are worrying, as the Catholic Church will bear the brunt of prejudice against religion, which is part of the Marxist agenda. At least in America, there is more openness among communists and Marxists as to their atheism. Here it is covered up by a veneer of culture. Note this article from yesterday's International News site from France--here.


Tens of thousands marched in Paris on Sunday to support firebrand leftist presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon, who has shaken up France's election campaign with a surprise jump in the polls.

Melenchon of the Left Front, who represents a coalition of leftist parties including the Communists, has emerged as a significant factor in the campaign just as Socialist frontrunner Francois Hollande faces a resurgent threat from incumbent President Nicolas Sarkozy.

His virulent attacks on the rich, France's elite and austerity measures have struck a chord with many voters and polls this week showed him surpassing the symbolic 10 percent mark, up four points from the start of the year, with only five weeks to go before the April 22 first round of voting.

Waving a sea of red Left Front and Communist Party flags, tens of thousands of supporters marched through central Paris under cloudy skies in a symbolic rally to "retake the Bastille" -- the square where the medieval fortress and prison was stormed during the iconic moment of the French Revolution.

In good Gramsci fashion and I feel another Gramsci blog approaching here this week, the symbols used are those of the Republic. Same thing is happening in Ireland, where the Republican movement has been undermined by the communists. Watch and see what happens. The Politics of Envy is alive and well in France and Ireland.

Mirror of Justice is a Great Blog

Edmund Campion and Ignatius would not agree with this statement, found on Mirror of Justice, one of my favorite blogs listed on my blog list. Read on that blog for more information.

Jesuitry

From the New York Times, 17 March 2012:

In a letter to the president of Georgetown University, John J. DeGioia, 66 members of the law school faculty said Friday that the University should address Ms. Fluke's concerns and consider providing contraceptive coverage in the student health plan. "The current policy puts student health at risk," said M. Gregg Bloche, a professor at the law school, "and with our Jesuit tradition, we should be concerned about that."

Res ipsa loquitur.

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