Archive for the ‘ Uncategorized ’ Category

Happy 240th Birthday USMC and Happy Veterans’ Day

Semper Fi

Green Light a Vet

http://www.greenlightavet.com/

The white man in that photo

Some of us have the honor and privilege of remembering Peter Norman, John Carlos and Tommie Smith from that day in 1968. But then, we also have the responsibility of teaching their courage to our children.

Which is another reason why the Twins won’t be going to public schools, and just might be home schooled. I don’t want my kids to forget the ongoing struggle for true equality – and think the hype about sexual orientation has anything at all to do with civil rights should be given equal billing.

Kudos to Riccardo and Griot and BBC for reminding me.

Source: The white man in that photo

How to fail “Statistics 101”

I am blown away by anyone (let alone a “postdoc”) who would present this study as anything other than embarrassingly poor statistics.  It would be ludicrous, if it wasn’t pathetic:

http://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2015/10/no-scientists-have-not-found-the-gay-gene/410059/

The last line of the article is not the best (that kudo goes to “correlation does not prove causation” – but that old saw should be painfully obvious to the most casual observer); but it is almost the last line (word): “We need to change how epigenomics research is performed throughout the community.”  I respectfully offer that the problem is not epigenomics, the problem is the current understanding of statistics – regardless of the subject.

Abort73.com

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What Jesus Really Said About Sins of the Flesh – Crisis Magazine

Another excellent column by Anthony Esolen (precision is a beautiful thing).

Source: What Jesus Really Said About Sins of the Flesh – Crisis Magazine

James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and…Grover Cleveland

Strange bedfellows indeed – but where are they when we need them?

Source: Master, Peer, Ward, Puppet – Crisis Magazine

Fish, or cut bait

As I write this (2015 October), I still enjoy all the freedoms I can imagine. But, I can imagine that these freedoms are not long for this world.

For example, as big a mistake as I believe Roe v Wade, and Obergefell are, and as abhorrent as I find the state-sanctioned (and subsidized by my tax dollars) murder of millions, and the fashionable redefinition of an ages-old institution, my life really has not been directly impacted. I certainly have not found the need to adjust my actions, or re-evaluate my opinions. But, neither do I think this new status quo will be mine to have until my children bury me – or until their children bury them (etc.).

The trend, however, is distressing.

Some have said that the current state of affairs for Roman Catholics is the worst it’s ever been. Frankly, my vision of the First Christians and the persecutions of Nero are a tad worse. I think the overt anti-Catholicism in this country, not all that long ago (tho before my time), was worse than things are now.

True, the obsession over sexual orientation of priests is fuel for the secular (read: anti-Catholic) media. We are our own worst enemy – most especially the way the Church has reacted (not) to priests who express (I repeat: express) any sexual orientation. Continuing to molly-coddle politicians who claim to be “good” Catholics, while supporting the abortion industry isn’t helping anybody. The list goes on (and on). But, it’s not all that bad. Yet. Is it?

I don’t see it staying that way, tho.

In a recent article in Crisis Magazine, James Kalb writes “On Resistance: What are the Options?”  He and I are on the same page: things are definitely going (gone?) south, and what are we going to do about it? I mean, I can live with a lot of the current nonsense; but what do I do when the politically-correct police (some countries do have “religious police” – I guess we can never have that here?) come calling?

He closes with “As someone said, silence is death – and that is not at all prudent.” Yeah, kinda. What death? I am very attached to my corpus, but Christ made several references, some not all that oblique, to the requirement to die (physically) in order to live (spiritually).

GOD forbid, but I really do believe we are moving toward the opportunity to put our money where our mouth is. I really do believe the time is coming where our feet will be held to the fire. Maybe I’ll never see a re-incarnation of Nero. But, there might be some white sheets with the eye-holes already cut-out that will be exhumed.

Back, to Kalb: “Should Catholics swear an oath to uphold the Constitution?” Too late, already have. Years ago, in fact. And proud of it. However, I kinda glossed over the “enemies…domestic.” I was focused on “enemies foreign.” Now, almost daily, I am given a new example of domestic enemies; so far most of them are in Washington, D.C.

I am having a harder and harder time working for a corporate giant “whose ‘corporate vision’ emphasizes ‘tolerance and inclusion’ that include compulsory celebration of ‘sexual diversity’.” Pretty sure the day is coming when I’ll be standing at the urinal next to someone in a dress, tho. And the “celebrations” aren’t compulsory, yet.

I can already see that I don’t want my kids in public schools, and Common Core and all the other crap mandated by the left is just coming into the mainstream. Trouble is, will Catholic schools be in the same camp? Yes, I am seriously entertaining home schooling – hopefully it will remain legal for at least the next twelve years. Cross my fingers.

Could living in this country get so bad (my point of view) that I will have to make a conscious, deliberate decision “not to follow the directives of civil authorities”? Yeah, I think so. It hasn’t yet. But, I don’t have any reason to think it’s an impossibility.

Just last week, coming out of Harbor Freight, another customer asked if I was Catholic. No, it’s not like I have “RC” tattooed on my forehead; in fact I wear a Crucifix on a chain around my neck – all the time (not just in church). We talked about where this country was going, both of us on the same side of “it’s not getting better.” It was a wonderfully frank and open discussion between two strangers. Did my heart good.

Most recently, is an article in the Christian Science Monitor (picked up by MSN): “Texan Mom wins fight against McGraw-Hill textbook that ‘erased’ slavery.” Apparently, Roni Dean-Burren made the discovery and posted it on Facebook. Sadly, McGraw-Hill doesn’t seem at all remorseful, but has promised to “clarify.” “Clarify,” my ass. But, this incident is indicative of two things: (1) the changes are small, and practically invisible; and (2) if the adults in this country don’t pay attention we will lose this country.

So, a big BRAVA to Ms. Dean-Burren for raising the flag; and I’m guessing that merely posting it on Facebook didn’t put her in the poor-house or take years of campaigning (like the “good old days”). We should all be as diligent. We all need to be as diligent.

Freedom isn’t free.

Ref:

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2015/1005/Texan-mom-wins-fight-against-McGraw-Hill-textbook-that-erased-slavery

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/texan-mom-wins-fight-against-textbook-that-erased-slavery/ar-AAf8ooX?ocid=mailsignout

On Australia’s New Catholic Prime Minister – Crisis Magazine

A glimmer of hope from Down Under?

Source: On Australia’s New Catholic Prime Minister – Crisis Magazine

Islam Bulldozes the Past

It is easy to find examples of the destruction of antiquities and relics at the hands of Islamic extremists: Bamiyan Buddhas, Mosul Museum Iraq, Mosul Public Library (8,000 books and manuscripts), Palmyra, Syria, etc. Countless.

This reminds me of how the Nazis and the Communists of the Soviet Union and Red China tried to erase existing cultures in areas they over-ran. But, I digress.

It’s no good pointing fingers at others when our own house is in such a shambles. You know: I should take care of the 2-by-4 in my eye before I dig around for the speck in yours (Matthew 7:3, Luke 6:42). Although we Americans don’t really have much of a past to destroy, what we have in common with the Muslim extremists is a lack of vision of the future.

Vision is not defined by running from anything. Running away is characterized by fear. Rather, vision is the act of moving toward something. So, while the Muslim extremists are hell-bent (no, it took no effort at all come up with that pun, it just rolled off my fingertips naturally, almost organic, you might say) to destroy everything that is older than today, they will soon find themselves in the position of sweeping their arms across a landscape of nothing. No doubt they think themselves better than nothing; but in fact we are all known by the company we keep, and so they will be known as, well, nothing.

Americans are not so different. In our past, we have the invasion of a continent (something we seemingly have never stopped doing) and slavery. Yet, what is the biggest topic these days? Nothing to do with Native Americans or African Americans. It’s as though we have bulldozed those issues under the currently fashionable “everything I am has to do with sex.”

In the movie, “The Bridges of Madison County,” Clint Eastwood asks Meryl Streep to describe her husband. She pauses, searching for an answer, and comes up with: “He’s clean.” Of course, this gets some mileage, and eventually Meryl is able to offer some other adjectives. But all we hear about these days in the media (“press” hardly fits in this internet age) is someone’s sexual preference.

I just read an article that talked about Obama’s administration and how diverse it was. The opening paragraph spoke about Obama’s nomination of an “openly gay man.” While the article does spill some ink on other non-white-male demographics (oh, wait: Eric Fanning looks white to me; apparently the “male” part is up for debate), it does focus on those who identify themselves strictly by sexual orientation. Well, what else do you know about Eric Fanning?

Another paragraph states: “…members of the LGBT community have also made similar advances under Obama: There are now hundreds of openly gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender appointees in the executive branch….” When I was growing up, there was only one minority, and that the one whose roots were in Africa. Now, Blacks hardly get a mention – even from a president who seems to have the same roots. Ironically, Blacks are hardly any better off under Obama than they were under Clinton (14.4% now, “just over one percentage point higher”).

Evidently, the “vision” of this country is not to actually make progress, but merely to ignore the past. Isn’t that what ISIS is doing? I will grant you that the white Europeans did their utmost to destroy the peoples and their cultures that existed for thousands of years, and “we” imported millions of Africans to die in the name of capitalism; but this country has been in a position to help others far less fortunate than us white males for some time. And what are we focused on? Trying to legitimize a life-style. More than that: impose a life-style on those who would rather not. Sounds like homosexuals are the new “white Europeans.” Manifest destiny all over again? Not to worry, they say, we have bulldozers, too.

We need intimate knowledge of the past. Nor that the past has any magic about it, but because we cannot study the future, and yet need something to set against the present.

C.S. Lewis

References:

Islamic State Destruction Renews Debate Over Repatriation of Antiquities,

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/31/arts/design/islamic-state-destruction-renews-debate-over-repatriation-of-antiquities.html?_r=0

Antiquities Scholar: Islamic States Destruction of Museum & Library is Cultural & Ethnic Cleansing

http://www.democracynow.org/2015/2/27/antiquities_scholar_islamic_states_destruction_of

Muslim clerics call for destruction of Egypt’s Great Pyramid and other antiquities

http://freethoughtnation.com/muslim-clerics-call-for-destruction-of-egypts-great-pyramid-and-other-antiquities/

Raymond Ibrahim

http://www.raymondibrahim.com/islam/huffington-post-msm-facilitate-destruction-of-egypts-pyramids/

Islamic State accelerates destruction of antiquities in Syria

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/middle-east/islamic-state-accelerates-destruction-of-antiquities-in-syria-1.2328087

Islamic State militants bulldoze ancient Nimrud city

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/06/us-mideast-crisis-iraq-nimrud-idUSKBN0M20GZ20150306

Islam Bulldozes the Past

http://www.danielpipes.org/15650/islam-bulldozes-the-past

Waqf continues to destroy Jewish antiquities

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/163528#.VgEK3mPdU2s

Retired army general wants Egypt’s St. Catherine’s Monastery demolished

http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/98907/Egypt/Politics-/Retired-army-general-wants-Egypts-St-Catherines-Mo.aspx

Obama has vastly changed the face of the federal bureaucracy

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-has-vastly-changed-the-face-of-the-federal-bureaucracy/2015/09/20/73ef803a-5631-11e5-abe9-27d53f250b11_story.html

graphic:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-ups-diversity-in-appointees/2015/09/20/5b042aac-5ffb-11e5-8e9e-dce8a2a2a679_graphic.html