How Could this Show Possibly Fail?

Highlights from Rosie O'Donnell's new variety show on NBC:

Segments included Kathy Griffin impersonating Nancy Grace, Alec Baldwin hitting Conan O'Brian with a pie, O'Donnell singing "City Lights" with Liza Minnelli and Jane Krakowski doing a product-placement-themed striptease for White Castle burgers and Crest Whitestrips.

As it turns out, the show could fail and did so spectacularly, I'm happy to report; one more thing for which to be thankful to almighty God this Thanksgiving weekend.

How Could this Show Possibly Fail?

Highlights from Rosie O'Donnell's new variety show on NBC:

Segments included Kathy Griffin impersonating Nancy Grace, Alec Baldwin hitting Conan O'Brian with a pie, O'Donnell singing "City Lights" with Liza Minnelli and Jane Krakowski doing a product-placement-themed striptease for White Castle burgers and Crest Whitestrips.

As it turns out, the show could fail and did so spectacularly, I'm happy to report; one more thing for which to be thankful to almighty God this Thanksgiving weekend.

Taking Stock this Thanksgiving

Two things (among many) for which I am thankful to almighty God:

1) My being received into the Holy Catholic Church.

2) My living in a country where, thanks to her enlightened (and yes, Protestant) founders, I could do the above without fear of reprisal.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Taking Stock this Thanksgiving

Two things (among many) for which I am thankful to almighty God:

1) My being received into the Holy Catholic Church.

2) My living in a country where, thanks to her enlightened (and yes, Protestant) founders, I could do the above without fear of reprisal.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Much Ado About Nothing

The Bush haters, getting in some last shots, are crying foul over Mrs. Bush's invitations to a Hanukkah reception at the White House that happened to be adorned a with a Christmas tree (shown above). Check out the loving comments beneath the story linked. Well, okay, I suppose a more appropriate image might have been used but honestly, is this really that big a deal?

Until few years ago, I lived smack in the middle of an orthodox Jewish neighborhood in northern Manhattan. Interestingly, I remember some of my Jewish neighbors wishing me "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Easter" on those particular days, not "Happy Holidays." My next door neighbor, a concentration camp survivor, often invited me over on Christian holidays to sample some of his single-malt scotch. He, like many in the neighborhood, rose early each day to attend 7 A.M. morning prayer at the synagogue across the street. This kind man did justice, loved mercy and walked humbly with his God. Not only did it please him to wish me Merry Christmas, he would thank me when the greeting was returned. Regardless, I am sure none of his neighbors considered him a bad Jew for that and he certainly struck me as godly man.

I suspect most of the people expressing outrage over this minor slip-up are also not the least bit religious. Forgiveness is far easier when you love your God.

Much Ado About Nothing

The Bush haters, getting in some last shots, are crying foul over Mrs. Bush's invitations to a Hanukkah reception at the White House that happened to be adorned a with a Christmas tree (shown above). Check out the loving comments beneath the story linked. Well, okay, I suppose a more appropriate image might have been used but honestly, is this really that big a deal?

Until few years ago, I lived smack in the middle of an orthodox Jewish neighborhood in northern Manhattan. Interestingly, I remember some of my Jewish neighbors wishing me "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Easter" on those particular days, not "Happy Holidays." My next door neighbor, a concentration camp survivor, often invited me over on Christian holidays to sample some of his single-malt scotch. He, like many in the neighborhood, rose early each day to attend 7 A.M. morning prayer at the synagogue across the street. This kind man did justice, loved mercy and walked humbly with his God. Not only did it please him to wish me Merry Christmas, he would thank me when the greeting was returned. Regardless, I am sure none of his neighbors considered him a bad Jew for that and he certainly struck me as godly man.

I suspect most of the people expressing outrage over this minor slip-up are also not the least bit religious. Forgiveness is far easier when you love your God.

More of this, Please

More hopeful signs from Holy Mother Church she intends to assert herself more vigorously in the future; from the Catholic News Agency:

Cardinal Stafford criticizes Obama "aggressive, disruptive and apocalyptic"

Washington DC, Nov 17, 2008 / 02:27 pm (CNA).- Cardinal James Francis Stafford, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary of the Holy See, delivered a lecture on Thursday saying that the future under President-elect Obama will echo Jesus’ agony in Gethsemane. Criticizing Obama as “aggressive, disruptive and apocalyptic,” he went on to speak about a decline in respect for human life and the need for Catholics to return to the values of marriage and human dignity.

The lecture was given at the Catholic University of America in commemoration of the fortieth anniversary of Pope Paul VI's encyclical Humanae Vitae, which marks him, whatever his failings, as one of the great popes of modern times. The Pope faced considerable pressure to liberalize rules on abortion and contraception but, in the end, heeded only the word of God, thus redeeming the Church from a fate suffered by most of the protestant faiths: the inexorable slide into irrelevancy. Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine.

More of this, Please

More hopeful signs from Holy Mother Church she intends to assert herself more vigorously in the future; from the Catholic News Agency:

Cardinal Stafford criticizes Obama "aggressive, disruptive and apocalyptic"

Washington DC, Nov 17, 2008 / 02:27 pm (CNA).- Cardinal James Francis Stafford, head of the Apostolic Penitentiary of the Holy See, delivered a lecture on Thursday saying that the future under President-elect Obama will echo Jesus’ agony in Gethsemane. Criticizing Obama as “aggressive, disruptive and apocalyptic,” he went on to speak about a decline in respect for human life and the need for Catholics to return to the values of marriage and human dignity.

The lecture was given at the Catholic University of America in commemoration of the fortieth anniversary of Pope Paul VI's encyclical Humanae Vitae, which marks him, whatever his failings, as one of the great popes of modern times. The Pope faced considerable pressure to liberalize rules on abortion and contraception but, in the end, heeded only the word of God, thus redeeming the Church from a fate suffered by most of the protestant faiths: the inexorable slide into irrelevancy. Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine.

The Gulf that Divides Us

This same hymn was sung at Corpus Christi Church Monday evening at a Requiem Mass marking the 450th anniversary of the deaths of Mary Tudor and Cardinal Reginald Pole. Oddly enough, the texts vary considerably between that heard in the video below, shot in England, and the one found in the Catholic Hymnal at Corpus Christi. No doubt exegeses of those two texts reveal the stark disparities in the Catholic-Protestant theological ethos.



Thanks to Hot Rod Anglican.

The Gulf that Divides Us

This same hymn was sung at Corpus Christi Church Monday evening at a Requiem Mass marking the 450th anniversary of the deaths of Mary Tudor and Cardinal Reginald Pole. Oddly enough, the texts vary considerably between that heard in the video below, shot in England, and the one found in the Catholic Hymnal at Corpus Christi. No doubt exegeses of those two texts reveal the stark disparities in the Catholic-Protestant theological ethos.



Thanks to Hot Rod Anglican.

Oh My, My, My! That Would Never Do!

First among the benefits of embracing the full Catholic faith are, of course, the undisputed sacraments; of that there is, well, no disputing. There are, however, numerous secondary and tertiary benefits and probably foremost among the latter is, for this former Episcopalian at least, no longer feeling the slightest compulsion to slog through the mollycoddling hand-wringing screeds from the pen of the Rev'd Dr. Ephraim Radner, of the Anglican Communion Institute, on the troubles tearing apart the Episcopal Church.

Dr. Radner has for years affirmed in numerous, seemingly interminable, essays the same message: while the Episcopal Church is in a deplorable state (oh dear, dear, dear, my, my!), straying further and further (oh, dear, dear, dear!) from Christianity (oh my!), we mustn't do anything rash (oh no, no, no, my stars!) like jump off this sinking ship (oh dear no, no, no, don't even rock the boat!) and seek out Christian alternatives to an institution rotten to the core (oh dear, dear, dear, no, no, no, heaven forefend!).

Radner comes across, in other words, as the clerical equivalent of the character played by the venerable Edward Everett Horton in umpteen movies, most notably the Astaire-Rogers musicals: the fussy, servile and hesitant nervous-Nellie who instinctively recoils at any suggestion of bold action. Horton was merely a comic actor, albeit a fine one, playing a part. Dr. Radner, alas, serves as the unfortunate exemplar of myriad frightened Episcopalians, clerical and lay, who remain in that apostate organization; appalled at what it has become yet too terrified to flee it, unmindful, apparently, of the possible risk to their souls. Wise up.

Thanks to the MCJ.



Image from Wikipedia

Oh My, My, My! That Would Never Do!

First among the benefits of embracing the full Catholic faith are, of course, the undisputed sacraments; of that there is, well, no disputing. There are, however, numerous secondary and tertiary benefits and probably foremost among the latter is, for this former Episcopalian at least, no longer feeling the slightest compulsion to slog through the mollycoddling hand-wringing screeds from the pen of the Rev'd Dr. Ephraim Radner, of the Anglican Communion Institute, on the troubles tearing apart the Episcopal Church.

Dr. Radner has for years affirmed in numerous, seemingly interminable, essays the same message: while the Episcopal Church is in a deplorable state (oh dear, dear, dear, my, my!), straying further and further (oh, dear, dear, dear!) from Christianity (oh my!), we mustn't do anything rash (oh no, no, no, my stars!) like jump off this sinking ship (oh dear no, no, no, don't even rock the boat!) and seek out Christian alternatives to an institution rotten to the core (oh dear, dear, dear, no, no, no, heaven forefend!).

Radner comes across, in other words, as the clerical equivalent of the character played by the venerable Edward Everett Horton in umpteen movies, most notably the Astaire-Rogers musicals: the fussy, servile and hesitant nervous-Nellie who instinctively recoils at any suggestion of bold action. Horton was merely a comic actor, albeit a fine one, playing a part. Dr. Radner, alas, serves as the unfortunate exemplar of myriad frightened Episcopalians, clerical and lay, who remain in that apostate organization; appalled at what it has become yet too terrified to flee it, unmindful, apparently, of the possible risk to their souls. Wise up.

Thanks to the MCJ.



Image from Wikipedia

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

...which means lots of hard-luck stories in the media (at least while there is still a Republican in the White House); poverty American style.

For years, Mike and Kelly D'Addeo planned to use their trove of Intel Corp. stock options to send their son Tony to a top college.

Tony would be a good candidate for any school: He's a straight-A senior at Bowie High School and captain of the football team, with near-perfect SAT scores. He's not interested in playing college football; instead, Tony talks about majoring in computer science or engineering.

"I'd like to have my own business someday," he said.

But the plunging stock market has made their stock options worthless and crushed the D'Addeos' Ivy League dreams.

As Herman Westinghouse (a family friend, generations back) put it so nicely: "The poor have their troubles as well as the rich."

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

...which means lots of hard-luck stories in the media (at least while there is still a Republican in the White House); poverty American style.

For years, Mike and Kelly D'Addeo planned to use their trove of Intel Corp. stock options to send their son Tony to a top college.

Tony would be a good candidate for any school: He's a straight-A senior at Bowie High School and captain of the football team, with near-perfect SAT scores. He's not interested in playing college football; instead, Tony talks about majoring in computer science or engineering.

"I'd like to have my own business someday," he said.

But the plunging stock market has made their stock options worthless and crushed the D'Addeos' Ivy League dreams.

As Herman Westinghouse (a family friend, generations back) put it so nicely: "The poor have their troubles as well as the rich."

Grafitti with a College Education

Two months ago I noticed, neatly chalked on a door in the IND Fifth Avenue station at 53rd Street, the following.

S A T O R
A R E P O
T E N E T
O P E R A
R O T A S

That, you may know, is a palindrome but not just any palindrome, it's the grandest and oldest palindrome of them all, dating back to the Romans. While the Latin words don't have much meaning what is kind of fun is they read the same left to right, going down and right to left, going up; down, left to right and up, right to left. What possessed somebody to write this pentagram on a door in the subway (it's still there) we will never know but I hope it stays up for a long time.

Grafitti with a College Education

Two months ago I noticed, neatly chalked on a door in the IND Fifth Avenue station at 53rd Street, the following.

S A T O R
A R E P O
T E N E T
O P E R A
R O T A S

That, you may know, is a palindrome but not just any palindrome, it's the grandest and oldest palindrome of them all, dating back to the Romans. While the Latin words don't have much meaning what is kind of fun is they read the same left to right, going down and right to left, going up; down, left to right and up, right to left. What possessed somebody to write this pentagram on a door in the subway (it's still there) we will never know but I hope it stays up for a long time.

Don't Let Them Get Away with it Anymore

The ever quotable Ted Nugent:

You don't need tough love in America, you need tougher love. Around the water cooler, at the church, at school. At the work place, at the picnic, and the bowling alley. You should be pounding the desk with your fist, raising hell, and take this beautiful state back from the pimps, and the whores, and the welfare brats, and the gang-bangers who seems to have all the rights in the world while the good people, the productive, law abiding people don't have jack squat -- and I think I am going to throw up.

Meanwhile, Dr. Helen (Mrs. Instapundit, and I hope she never sees that) is doing her part.

So many people who do not support Barack Obama and are downright sick of the creeping socialism in our country are not speaking up. It is imperative to do so, even in small ways. The other day, I was at a drugstore and the clerk was talking to what looked like a Baby Boomer who was discussing how he voted for Obama. They both scoffed that not many in Tennessee voted for him, "what do you expect?" said the older guy, "this is Tennessee we're talking about." They both chuckled in agreement. I looked at the clerk and said in a loud voice, "So what you're saying is those of us here in Tennessee who voted for McCain are rednecks, is that right?!!!!" There were several people milling around in line at this point and the clerk turned red and stammered, "No, ma'am," and went on to give some lame explanation about what he meant. But I knew I had him. He was visibly shaken and I hope the next time he decides to diss Tennesseans while at work, he'll think twice.

That goes for all Americans.

Don't Let Them Get Away with it Anymore

The ever quotable Ted Nugent:

You don't need tough love in America, you need tougher love. Around the water cooler, at the church, at school. At the work place, at the picnic, and the bowling alley. You should be pounding the desk with your fist, raising hell, and take this beautiful state back from the pimps, and the whores, and the welfare brats, and the gang-bangers who seems to have all the rights in the world while the good people, the productive, law abiding people don't have jack squat -- and I think I am going to throw up.

Meanwhile, Dr. Helen (Mrs. Instapundit, and I hope she never sees that) is doing her part.

So many people who do not support Barack Obama and are downright sick of the creeping socialism in our country are not speaking up. It is imperative to do so, even in small ways. The other day, I was at a drugstore and the clerk was talking to what looked like a Baby Boomer who was discussing how he voted for Obama. They both scoffed that not many in Tennessee voted for him, "what do you expect?" said the older guy, "this is Tennessee we're talking about." They both chuckled in agreement. I looked at the clerk and said in a loud voice, "So what you're saying is those of us here in Tennessee who voted for McCain are rednecks, is that right?!!!!" There were several people milling around in line at this point and the clerk turned red and stammered, "No, ma'am," and went on to give some lame explanation about what he meant. But I knew I had him. He was visibly shaken and I hope the next time he decides to diss Tennesseans while at work, he'll think twice.

That goes for all Americans.

Fort Worth Votes with its Feet

The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth is still the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth but is no longer part of the Episcopal Church, having just voted to re-align with the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone (South America).

Fort Worth has a rocky road ahead. ECUSA will most certainly train its considerable and well-funded legal firepower on the Diocese, seeking to strip it of its its real estate. While the Diocese will emerge victorious no matter what the courts decide (good luck, ECUSA, filling all those empty pews should you win), the legal bills will likely be huge. A much graver matter facing Fort Worth is the issue more than anything else responsible for the present-day morass, that could very well fracture Anglicanism beyond repair: women's ordination.

When the Episcopal Church voted thirty-two years ago to permit women to be ordained, the first bold steps were taken leading that institution from being a godly institution into a political one; the same for other Anglican denominations that later on voted likewise. Neither Fort Worth nor the Province of the Southern Cone ordain women to the priesthood (they do so into the diaconate, however, so the problem will come to haunt them in time) but until the Anglican Communion as a whole definitively resolves this contentious issue, on a theological rather than a civil basis, there will be no peace for the Diocese of Fort Worth, nor the other Anglican dioceses and provinces.

Just the same, let us all wish the Diocese of Forth Worth Godspeed! As a former Anglo-Catholic it it pleases me no end that diocese and the Dioceses of Quincy and San Joaquin, the only three "smells and bells," "bowing and scraping" dioceses in the Episcopal Church, have all fled that fallen institution. While a day does not go by without my thanking almighty God for being received into his Holy Catholic Church, I will never leave off praying for my Christian brethren in the Church where I worshiped most of my life. As an Anglo-Catholic I was taught to pray for the eventual reunification of the Anglican Church with the Church of Rome. As a Catholic, I pray for the same.

Fort Worth Votes with its Feet

The Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth is still the Episcopal Diocese of Fort Worth but is no longer part of the Episcopal Church, having just voted to re-align with the Anglican Province of the Southern Cone (South America).

Fort Worth has a rocky road ahead. ECUSA will most certainly train its considerable and well-funded legal firepower on the Diocese, seeking to strip it of its its real estate. While the Diocese will emerge victorious no matter what the courts decide (good luck, ECUSA, filling all those empty pews should you win), the legal bills will likely be huge. A much graver matter facing Fort Worth is the issue more than anything else responsible for the present-day morass, that could very well fracture Anglicanism beyond repair: women's ordination.

When the Episcopal Church voted thirty-two years ago to permit women to be ordained, the first bold steps were taken leading that institution from being a godly institution into a political one; the same for other Anglican denominations that later on voted likewise. Neither Fort Worth nor the Province of the Southern Cone ordain women to the priesthood (they do so into the diaconate, however, so the problem will come to haunt them in time) but until the Anglican Communion as a whole definitively resolves this contentious issue, on a theological rather than a civil basis, there will be no peace for the Diocese of Fort Worth, nor the other Anglican dioceses and provinces.

Just the same, let us all wish the Diocese of Forth Worth Godspeed! As a former Anglo-Catholic it it pleases me no end that diocese and the Dioceses of Quincy and San Joaquin, the only three "smells and bells," "bowing and scraping" dioceses in the Episcopal Church, have all fled that fallen institution. While a day does not go by without my thanking almighty God for being received into his Holy Catholic Church, I will never leave off praying for my Christian brethren in the Church where I worshiped most of my life. As an Anglo-Catholic I was taught to pray for the eventual reunification of the Anglican Church with the Church of Rome. As a Catholic, I pray for the same.

Ridi, Pagliaccio

Some comic relief in an otherwise bleak political environment:

VP-elect Biden hopes to be a hands-on No. 2

Biden is proving to be a hands-on No. 2 to President-elect Barack Obama. He is carving out his own niche, specializing in foreign affairs, his area of expertise for decades in the Senate, and sticking close to Obama.



Image from Young. Conservative. Catholic.

Ridi, Pagliaccio

Some comic relief in an otherwise bleak political environment:

VP-elect Biden hopes to be a hands-on No. 2

Biden is proving to be a hands-on No. 2 to President-elect Barack Obama. He is carving out his own niche, specializing in foreign affairs, his area of expertise for decades in the Senate, and sticking close to Obama.



Image from Young. Conservative. Catholic.

As John Paul II Might Have Said...

"The immense energies of social systems will embrace tomorrow's new evangelization."

His Holiness might also have said, "The astonishing mystery of ethical values will embrace modern man's human values."

Or perhaps you'll be moved by "The illuminating contemplation of solidarity will restore tomorrow's human condition."

You see, JPII did not actually make those insightful utterances but he could have. Learn how via Fisheaters.com and the miraculous Pope John Paul II Random Speech Generator. Try it yourself: it's fun and you'll amaze your friends!

As John Paul II Might Have Said...

"The immense energies of social systems will embrace tomorrow's new evangelization."

His Holiness might also have said, "The astonishing mystery of ethical values will embrace modern man's human values."

Or perhaps you'll be moved by "The illuminating contemplation of solidarity will restore tomorrow's human condition."

You see, JPII did not actually make those insightful utterances but he could have. Learn how via Fisheaters.com and the miraculous Pope John Paul II Random Speech Generator. Try it yourself: it's fun and you'll amaze your friends!

Killer Trees

Good news at last about the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and its relationship with the loathsome organization known as ACORN:

Baltimore, Nov 11, 2008 / 10:37 pm (CNA).-

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) has not yet been able to determine if grants made to ACORN were used for fraudulent voter registration, but has cut off all funding to the community organizing group, Bishop Roger Morin announced on Tuesday.

But...

“It’s a mistake and an erroneous assumption when people equate ACORN activities with something that the Catholic Campaign for Human Development is doing,” Bishop Morin added.

Maybe so, your Grace, but who can blame the people, given the CCHD's snuggling up to and subsidization of hard-core left-wing activists? Cutting off ACORN is a fine start but it would be better still if a chain saw were taken to the whole tree .

Thanks to Wannabee Anglican.

Killer Trees

Good news at last about the Catholic Campaign for Human Development and its relationship with the loathsome organization known as ACORN:

Baltimore, Nov 11, 2008 / 10:37 pm (CNA).-

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) has not yet been able to determine if grants made to ACORN were used for fraudulent voter registration, but has cut off all funding to the community organizing group, Bishop Roger Morin announced on Tuesday.

But...

“It’s a mistake and an erroneous assumption when people equate ACORN activities with something that the Catholic Campaign for Human Development is doing,” Bishop Morin added.

Maybe so, your Grace, but who can blame the people, given the CCHD's snuggling up to and subsidization of hard-core left-wing activists? Cutting off ACORN is a fine start but it would be better still if a chain saw were taken to the whole tree .

Thanks to Wannabee Anglican.

Clueless in New York

Riding the elevator to work this morning I noticed a fellow opposite me sporting a large gaudy belt buckle, like you see hawked in those ubiquitous (and awful) New York City street fairs, that formed the letters "DG." Given the lad's dress and his numerous other accouterments (treading gingerly here), it struck me as anomalous he would don hardware promoting Deutsche Grammophon. Stepping off the elevator it finally dawned on me "DG," in this instance, was more likely to stand for Dolce & Gabbana.

Clueless in New York

Riding the elevator to work this morning I noticed a fellow opposite me sporting a large gaudy belt buckle, like you see hawked in those ubiquitous (and awful) New York City street fairs, that formed the letters "DG." Given the lad's dress and his numerous other accouterments (treading gingerly here), it struck me as anomalous he would don hardware promoting Deutsche Grammophon. Stepping off the elevator it finally dawned on me "DG," in this instance, was more likely to stand for Dolce & Gabbana.

Easy Now!

According to the Topeka (Kansas) Capital-Journal, there's a movement afoot to "secure a national holiday in (Barack) Obama's honor." This is getting out of hand. Wouldn't it be prudent to wait at least until the man has beaten his impeachment rap?

Easy Now!

According to the Topeka (Kansas) Capital-Journal, there's a movement afoot to "secure a national holiday in (Barack) Obama's honor." This is getting out of hand. Wouldn't it be prudent to wait at least until the man has beaten his impeachment rap?

Hitting Rock Bottom, Dude

There's something so delightfully low-rent about this news item. It's not just the poor loser himself, the office he holds (held?) or the crime with which he's charged. It is, I think, the event at which the incident occurred that adds that certain je ne sais qua.

A City Council member from New Jersey had himself a wild weekend which included urinating over people at a nightclub and a subsequent arrest.

Steven Lipski, 44, a New Jersey councilman, made a fool of himself Friday night and possibly endangered his political career by attending a concert by a Grateful Dead tribute band in Washington, D.C., ingesting a serious amount of alcohol and then proceeding to urinate on fellow concertgoers.

Lipski was at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. and the other people attending the show were not equally inebriated so as not to notice what Lipski was doing from atop a second-floor balcony. Police officers were called; he was arrested and charged with simple assault, reports the New York Daily News.

The Washington Post's account of this story reports, "Lipski was described as "a wonderful and caring person." Another...said he always put "the well-being of his fellow human beings first." His pee must be of very high quality.

Hitting Rock Bottom, Dude

There's something so delightfully low-rent about this news item. It's not just the poor loser himself, the office he holds (held?) or the crime with which he's charged. It is, I think, the event at which the incident occurred that adds that certain je ne sais qua.

A City Council member from New Jersey had himself a wild weekend which included urinating over people at a nightclub and a subsequent arrest.

Steven Lipski, 44, a New Jersey councilman, made a fool of himself Friday night and possibly endangered his political career by attending a concert by a Grateful Dead tribute band in Washington, D.C., ingesting a serious amount of alcohol and then proceeding to urinate on fellow concertgoers.

Lipski was at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. and the other people attending the show were not equally inebriated so as not to notice what Lipski was doing from atop a second-floor balcony. Police officers were called; he was arrested and charged with simple assault, reports the New York Daily News.

The Washington Post's account of this story reports, "Lipski was described as "a wonderful and caring person." Another...said he always put "the well-being of his fellow human beings first." His pee must be of very high quality.

The Church's One Foundation is Jesus Christ Her Lord...

Sort of:

Monks brawl at Christian holy site in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM – Israeli police rushed into one of Christianity's holiest churches Sunday and arrested two clergyman after an argument between monks erupted into a brawl next to the site of Jesus' tomb.

The clash between Armenian and Greek Orthodox monks broke out in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, revered as the site of Jesus' crucifixion, burial and resurrection.

The brawling began during a procession of Armenian clergymen commemorating the 4th-century discovery of the cross believed to have been used to crucify Jesus.

taken away in handcuffs after scuffling with dozens of riot police.

Six Christian sects divide control of the ancient church. They regularly fight over turf and influence, and Israeli police are occasionally forced to intervene.

[]

Father Pakrat of the Armenian Patriarchate said the Greek demand was "against the status quo arrangement and against the internal arrangement of the Holy Sepulcher." He said the Greeks attacked first.

Archbishop Aristarchos, the chief secretary of the Greek Orthodox patriarchate, denied his monks initiated the violence.

[]

A ladder placed on a ledge over the entrance sometime in the 19th century has remained there ever since because of a dispute over who has the authority to take it down.

More recently, a spat between Ethiopian and Coptic Christians is delaying badly needed renovations to a rooftop monastery that engineers say could collapse.

Seems to me there was a temple nearby, about 2000 years ago, where there was squabbling of a similar nature. The outcome was not at all pleasant.



Thanks to Serge's Blog.

The Church's One Foundation is Jesus Christ Her Lord...

Sort of:

Monks brawl at Christian holy site in Jerusalem

JERUSALEM – Israeli police rushed into one of Christianity's holiest churches Sunday and arrested two clergyman after an argument between monks erupted into a brawl next to the site of Jesus' tomb.

The clash between Armenian and Greek Orthodox monks broke out in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, revered as the site of Jesus' crucifixion, burial and resurrection.

The brawling began during a procession of Armenian clergymen commemorating the 4th-century discovery of the cross believed to have been used to crucify Jesus.

taken away in handcuffs after scuffling with dozens of riot police.

Six Christian sects divide control of the ancient church. They regularly fight over turf and influence, and Israeli police are occasionally forced to intervene.

[]

Father Pakrat of the Armenian Patriarchate said the Greek demand was "against the status quo arrangement and against the internal arrangement of the Holy Sepulcher." He said the Greeks attacked first.

Archbishop Aristarchos, the chief secretary of the Greek Orthodox patriarchate, denied his monks initiated the violence.

[]

A ladder placed on a ledge over the entrance sometime in the 19th century has remained there ever since because of a dispute over who has the authority to take it down.

More recently, a spat between Ethiopian and Coptic Christians is delaying badly needed renovations to a rooftop monastery that engineers say could collapse.

Seems to me there was a temple nearby, about 2000 years ago, where there was squabbling of a similar nature. The outcome was not at all pleasant.



Thanks to Serge's Blog.

Diary of a Newly-Minted Papist: at Corpus Christi Church, West 121st Street

Image courtesy of the NYCAGO

I attended mass once before at Corpus Christi, back in the 90s (as an Anglican, of course), and remember being impressed with the fine music and liturgy, far above the norm for most Catholic churches. That is still the case, I am happy to report, to the extent I wonder if Corpus Christi should advertise itself as the church for recovering Anglicans. I felt right at home in this small but elegant church.

I attended the 11:15 mass, which, while not packed, had a good number of attendees. Things got off to a fine start with a prelude by Bach and the processional hymn: the fine old Protestant standard, Aurelia ("The Church's One Foundation"). To my amazement, all stanzas of the hymn were sung and to my greater amazement, they were sung by all with lusty Protestant vigor. The liturgy also seemed better than usual, as if somebody had gone through the Novus Ordo English translation and corrected some of its more egregious failings, e.g. "and with your spirit" for "and also with you" (the latter I've always found particularly irksome--I wonder if the better English is a legacy of Corpus Christi's long-serving pastor, now deceased, Msgr. Burke). Another agreeable surprise was another borrowing, Healy Willan's service music from the Anglicans.

The rest of the mass proceeded well and when over I was informed there was a coffee hour, the first I have heard of in a Catholic church. I went downstairs and encountered the same sort of quirky pointy-heads whose company I used to so enjoy at my old Anglo-Catholic church. All in all, most satisfactory.

But not perfect, of course (what's the purpose of a blog if not for complaining?). Here are some carps I have with Corpus Christi.

The card table altar: there must of been an altar on the east wall once upon a time, along with an altar rail, but no more; ripped out, no doubt, in compliance with the Vatican II reforms.

The use of "extraordinary ministers:" the Holy Father has made it clear the rampant use of civilians in the sanctuary is an abuse that must stop. When are the churches going to start obeying him? Fortunately, in the case of Corpus Christi, they only are only used as cup bearers and since poping, I choose not to receive in that form. I just bolted after receiving the host.

The Handshake of Peace (or whatever it's called): Ugh, I really hate it. It's a false climax distracting from the true climax of the mass, communion. Corpus Christi has a real coffee hour; there's no need for a little one during the mass.

There are an awful lot of lefties in the joint: given its propinquity to the ivy-covered nuthouse to the south (where your Bloviator was a patient many years ago) it's hardly surprising some of the inmates worship at Corpus Christi. It was a tad distressing seeing all those Obama buttons in a Catholic church, five days after the election. On the other hand, everyone I talked to was pleasant and welcoming, probably because politics, even left-wing, are not a religion for them as it is with the atheists.

Those minor flaws aside, I am seriously thinking of making Corpus Christi my regular church but that raises a problem. As I understand it, the Holy Catholic Church, being parochial, requires her flock to attend local parish churches. Wishing to be obedient, when I was received I duly registered with my local parish church, a few miles north of Corpus Christi. The trouble is, as my longer-suffering readers know all to well, I am a fool for music and the music at that local parish church is so bad it drives me to distraction. Perhaps if I were a better Catholic I could put up with it, put it out of my my mind, but alas, I am not and cannot.

Some of you have surely faced this dilemma as well so I ask you, what should I do? Grit my teeth and keep going to the local parish church, taking solace that at least I am being obedient, or flout church teachings and go to a church where I won't feel driven to apostasy every Sunday by the squawking cacophony passed off as music? Suggestions are gratefully received.

UPDATE: Another question: who gets the pledge?

Diary of a Newly-Minted Papist: at Corpus Christi Church, West 121st Street

Image courtesy of the NYCAGO

I attended mass once before at Corpus Christi, back in the 90s (as an Anglican, of course), and remember being impressed with the fine music and liturgy, far above the norm for most Catholic churches. That is still the case, I am happy to report, to the extent I wonder if Corpus Christi should advertise itself as the church for recovering Anglicans. I felt right at home in this small but elegant church.

I attended the 11:15 mass, which, while not packed, had a good number of attendees. Things got off to a fine start with a prelude by Bach and the processional hymn: the fine old Protestant standard, Aurelia ("The Church's One Foundation"). To my amazement, all stanzas of the hymn were sung and to my greater amazement, they were sung by all with lusty Protestant vigor. The liturgy also seemed better than usual, as if somebody had gone through the Novus Ordo English translation and corrected some of its more egregious failings, e.g. "and with your spirit" for "and also with you" (the latter I've always found particularly irksome--I wonder if the better English is a legacy of Corpus Christi's long-serving pastor, now deceased, Msgr. Burke). Another agreeable surprise was another borrowing, Healy Willan's service music from the Anglicans.

The rest of the mass proceeded well and when over I was informed there was a coffee hour, the first I have heard of in a Catholic church. I went downstairs and encountered the same sort of quirky pointy-heads whose company I used to so enjoy at my old Anglo-Catholic church. All in all, most satisfactory.

But not perfect, of course (what's the purpose of a blog if not for complaining?). Here are some carps I have with Corpus Christi.

The card table altar: there must of been an altar on the east wall once upon a time, along with an altar rail, but no more; ripped out, no doubt, in compliance with the Vatican II reforms.

The use of "extraordinary ministers:" the Holy Father has made it clear the rampant use of civilians in the sanctuary is an abuse that must stop. When are the churches going to start obeying him? Fortunately, in the case of Corpus Christi, they only are only used as cup bearers and since poping, I choose not to receive in that form. I just bolted after receiving the host.

The Handshake of Peace (or whatever it's called): Ugh, I really hate it. It's a false climax distracting from the true climax of the mass, communion. Corpus Christi has a real coffee hour; there's no need for a little one during the mass.

There are an awful lot of lefties in the joint: given its propinquity to the ivy-covered nuthouse to the south (where your Bloviator was a patient many years ago) it's hardly surprising some of the inmates worship at Corpus Christi. It was a tad distressing seeing all those Obama buttons in a Catholic church, five days after the election. On the other hand, everyone I talked to was pleasant and welcoming, probably because politics, even left-wing, are not a religion for them as it is with the atheists.

Those minor flaws aside, I am seriously thinking of making Corpus Christi my regular church but that raises a problem. As I understand it, the Holy Catholic Church, being parochial, requires her flock to attend local parish churches. Wishing to be obedient, when I was received I duly registered with my local parish church, a few miles north of Corpus Christi. The trouble is, as my longer-suffering readers know all to well, I am a fool for music and the music at that local parish church is so bad it drives me to distraction. Perhaps if I were a better Catholic I could put up with it, put it out of my my mind, but alas, I am not and cannot.

Some of you have surely faced this dilemma as well so I ask you, what should I do? Grit my teeth and keep going to the local parish church, taking solace that at least I am being obedient, or flout church teachings and go to a church where I won't feel driven to apostasy every Sunday by the squawking cacophony passed off as music? Suggestions are gratefully received.

UPDATE: Another question: who gets the pledge?

Children's Television

Chris Matthews, a TV reporter working the children's beat, recently proclaimed: "My job is to make the Obama presidency work...to make this work successfully because this country needs a successful presidency."

Your Bloviator swore off TV news decades ago, weaning himself from it with surprising ease after reading a day-in-the-life account of the producer of the CBS Evening News. That hard working fellow's day began with a copy of the New York Times placed on his desk by his secretary and his scanning the front page (and only the front page), pencil in hand, circling the stories his crack writing team would later distill down to fifty words or so. Thence to the Teleprompter, from which the avuncular Walter Cronkite would display every night his amazing ability to read words, all spelled out and everything. Reading that copy, it seems, was the sole involvement of America's most trusted newsreader in the production of the CBS Evening News. I learned later the process was similar at the other networks.

(Some years later the legendary Cronkite announced his retirement. The delightfully brash R. Emmett Tyrell, in his American Spectator, ran a small item that contrasted sharply with the Cronkite encomiums spewing from most of the media. Tyrell closed his piece with the stunningly accurate prediction the beloved Cronkite would soon become "a minor pest.")

So it's no TV news for this blogger and I would strongly recommend same for all my readers if it weren't for the fact statistically, most of you probably don't watch it anyway (and do any of you actually know someone who does watch network news--anyone, that is, not in the target group for all those ads promoting adult diapers, laxatives and erectile dysfunction cures?).

Mr. Matthews, however, has performed a valuable public service with his asinine pronouncement. Though the audience for network news programs is tanking in direct proportion to the degree they go into the tank for the left, the jackass blatherer's sanctimonious pronouncement he alone will decide what TV audiences should know and not know could well persuade those few remaining viewers of his, and his vacuous ilk, to click the off-button on TV news for ever. It couldn't have come at a more propitious time.

Children's Television

Chris Matthews, a TV reporter working the children's beat, recently proclaimed: "My job is to make the Obama presidency work...to make this work successfully because this country needs a successful presidency."

Your Bloviator swore off TV news decades ago, weaning himself from it with surprising ease after reading a day-in-the-life account of the producer of the CBS Evening News. That hard working fellow's day began with a copy of the New York Times placed on his desk by his secretary and his scanning the front page (and only the front page), pencil in hand, circling the stories his crack writing team would later distill down to fifty words or so. Thence to the Teleprompter, from which the avuncular Walter Cronkite would display every night his amazing ability to read words, all spelled out and everything. Reading that copy, it seems, was the sole involvement of America's most trusted newsreader in the production of the CBS Evening News. I learned later the process was similar at the other networks.

(Some years later the legendary Cronkite announced his retirement. The delightfully brash R. Emmett Tyrell, in his American Spectator, ran a small item that contrasted sharply with the Cronkite encomiums spewing from most of the media. Tyrell closed his piece with the stunningly accurate prediction the beloved Cronkite would soon become "a minor pest.")

So it's no TV news for this blogger and I would strongly recommend same for all my readers if it weren't for the fact statistically, most of you probably don't watch it anyway (and do any of you actually know someone who does watch network news--anyone, that is, not in the target group for all those ads promoting adult diapers, laxatives and erectile dysfunction cures?).

Mr. Matthews, however, has performed a valuable public service with his asinine pronouncement. Though the audience for network news programs is tanking in direct proportion to the degree they go into the tank for the left, the jackass blatherer's sanctimonious pronouncement he alone will decide what TV audiences should know and not know could well persuade those few remaining viewers of his, and his vacuous ilk, to click the off-button on TV news for ever. It couldn't have come at a more propitious time.

The Last Refuge of the Scoundrel

Comes word from Seattle it's okay now to display our country's flag.

Red, white and true blue: City hoists Old Glory

Stores see star-spangled sales

Barack Obama's presidential win held a poignant significance for liberal Seattleites: This is their America, too.

[]

With newfound patriotism, Seattleites want to wave the flag, hang it from their homes and stick it on their cars.

[]

Garner, a self-described "flag virgin" who lives on Capitol Hill, bought eight flags Wednesday -- some to wave and others to stick on her car to "mix and match with some nice Obama and peace signs. Then I bought a couple of flags for some friends who wanted to hang them from their truck along with their biodiesel stickers."

[]

"I'm finally proud to be an American again, after eight years of being ashamed," 66-year-old Mark Lowney said, ticking off a list of complaints, including the Iraq war.

Gee, that's inspiring. Still, I think it's a safe bet within a few years, if they haven't been burned, a lot of those flags will be found on Craig's List or eBay.

(h/t The Jawa Report)

The Last Refuge of the Scoundrel

Comes word from Seattle it's okay now to display our country's flag.

Red, white and true blue: City hoists Old Glory

Stores see star-spangled sales

Barack Obama's presidential win held a poignant significance for liberal Seattleites: This is their America, too.

[]

With newfound patriotism, Seattleites want to wave the flag, hang it from their homes and stick it on their cars.

[]

Garner, a self-described "flag virgin" who lives on Capitol Hill, bought eight flags Wednesday -- some to wave and others to stick on her car to "mix and match with some nice Obama and peace signs. Then I bought a couple of flags for some friends who wanted to hang them from their truck along with their biodiesel stickers."

[]

"I'm finally proud to be an American again, after eight years of being ashamed," 66-year-old Mark Lowney said, ticking off a list of complaints, including the Iraq war.

Gee, that's inspiring. Still, I think it's a safe bet within a few years, if they haven't been burned, a lot of those flags will be found on Craig's List or eBay.

(h/t The Jawa Report)

The First Casualties of the Election

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

The First Casualties of the Election

Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

Up the Establishment!

After thirty-eight calendar years we can now state, at long last and unequivocally, the 60s are finally at an end: the revolutionaries have won and now occupy the offices of the establishment. They now are the establishment, they are the man.

Meanwhile, your Bloviator is of reasonably chipper demeanor as should be all conservatives. Obama, Reid and Pelosi will soon be attempting the crafting of their respective Utopian visions. Those visions will conflict, of course, soon on, and the honeymoon will then be over for President Obama. When that happens, conservatives consigned to the back rows of the bleachers in the political arena can just relax, swill beer and enjoy the sight of congress and president (the establishment) tearing each other to shreds. Add to that the thrilling spectacle of hordes of Kos Kidz and moveon.ogres (establishment lackeys) who, not having the Republicans or Chimpy McBushhitlerburton to excoriate in their characteristically colorful language, will be forced to chose sides among their fellow left-wingers in office. These next four years are not going to be dull.

The nation will survive the farrago. During their wilderness years, Republican officials might profitably occupy themselves getting reacquainted with the notions of limited government, limited taxation and free markets. Who knows? After four years of establishment politics, those radical ideas' time may have come again.

Up the Establishment!

After thirty-eight calendar years we can now state, at long last and unequivocally, the 60s are finally at an end: the revolutionaries have won and now occupy the offices of the establishment. They now are the establishment, they are the man.

Meanwhile, your Bloviator is of reasonably chipper demeanor as should be all conservatives. Obama, Reid and Pelosi will soon be attempting the crafting of their respective Utopian visions. Those visions will conflict, of course, soon on, and the honeymoon will then be over for President Obama. When that happens, conservatives consigned to the back rows of the bleachers in the political arena can just relax, swill beer and enjoy the sight of congress and president (the establishment) tearing each other to shreds. Add to that the thrilling spectacle of hordes of Kos Kidz and moveon.ogres (establishment lackeys) who, not having the Republicans or Chimpy McBushhitlerburton to excoriate in their characteristically colorful language, will be forced to chose sides among their fellow left-wingers in office. These next four years are not going to be dull.

The nation will survive the farrago. During their wilderness years, Republican officials might profitably occupy themselves getting reacquainted with the notions of limited government, limited taxation and free markets. Who knows? After four years of establishment politics, those radical ideas' time may have come again.

Concerning the Election Results

Steven den Beste digs deep and finds a nugget of good news:

No one will be spinning grand conspiracy theories about this administration's Vice President being an evil, conniving genius who is the true power behind the throne.

Concerning the Election Results

Steven den Beste digs deep and finds a nugget of good news:

No one will be spinning grand conspiracy theories about this administration's Vice President being an evil, conniving genius who is the true power behind the throne.

Score at Least Two for McCain in Northern Manhattan

A father to his young son, overheard as I was nearing the polling station: "Actually, I voted for McCain."

Score at Least Two for McCain in Northern Manhattan

A father to his young son, overheard as I was nearing the polling station: "Actually, I voted for McCain."

Exit Poles

Here's one way to get off out the vote.

Babeland Offers Sex Toys for Votes

While some voters are waiting in line for free coffee (Starbucks) or ice cream (Ben & Jerry's) after they vote, others are waiting in line to get off. Sex-toy retailer Babeland is offering free sex toys from Nov. 4 to Nov. 11 at its New York and Seattle stores to those who produce a voter card or simply say they voted. One of two toys will be given away: for the ladies, Silver Bullet vibrators; for the gents, the Maverick Sleeve (heh).

Thanks to the Instapundit.

Exit Poles

Here's one way to get off out the vote.

Babeland Offers Sex Toys for Votes

While some voters are waiting in line for free coffee (Starbucks) or ice cream (Ben & Jerry's) after they vote, others are waiting in line to get off. Sex-toy retailer Babeland is offering free sex toys from Nov. 4 to Nov. 11 at its New York and Seattle stores to those who produce a voter card or simply say they voted. One of two toys will be given away: for the ladies, Silver Bullet vibrators; for the gents, the Maverick Sleeve (heh).

Thanks to the Instapundit.

Diary of a Newly-Minted Papist: at the Church of Saint Agnes, East 43rd Street

A Requiem Mass for All Souls was celebrated yesterday evening at St. Agnes Church using the Old Rite with chant and early polyphony. The liturgy and music were superb and I was deeply impressed with the expertise of the celebrants, most of whom looked about half my age.

St. Agnes was for many years the home of the silver-tongued orator Msgr. Fulton J. Sheen. The original church, a Victorian-Gothic pile of gloomy Catholic bricks, burned sixteen years ago and was rebuilt in classical style. It doesn't work for me. The proportions seem wrong and the place has the look and feel of having been done on the cheap. It is also not helped by a garish mural on the east wall painted by the cartoonist for the New York Post.

The main problem with St. Agnes, fortunately, is an easy fix: the interior is way over lit, far too many glaring fixtures giving the church all the sanctity of a Holiday Inn conference room. If they left some of the fixtures turned off or installed lower-wattage bulbs, St. Agnes would be vastly improved and would have a much lower electric bill as a bonus.

Diary of a Newly-Minted Papist: at the Church of Saint Agnes, East 43rd Street

A Requiem Mass for All Souls was celebrated yesterday evening at St. Agnes Church using the Old Rite with chant and early polyphony. The liturgy and music were superb and I was deeply impressed with the expertise of the celebrants, most of whom looked about half my age.

St. Agnes was for many years the home of the silver-tongued orator Msgr. Fulton J. Sheen. The original church, a Victorian-Gothic pile of gloomy Catholic bricks, burned sixteen years ago and was rebuilt in classical style. It doesn't work for me. The proportions seem wrong and the place has the look and feel of having been done on the cheap. It is also not helped by a garish mural on the east wall painted by the cartoonist for the New York Post.

The main problem with St. Agnes, fortunately, is an easy fix: the interior is way over lit, far too many glaring fixtures giving the church all the sanctity of a Holiday Inn conference room. If they left some of the fixtures turned off or installed lower-wattage bulbs, St. Agnes would be vastly improved and would have a much lower electric bill as a bonus.

Diary of a Newly-Minted Papist

For the nonce I best avoid listening to recordings of Anglican liturgical music. There is no wavering in my love for Holy Mother Church but the hearing of such glorious sounds as Herbert Howells' setting of the Te Deum and Jubilate, its reminder of what this music-loving fool had to walk away from, is almost too painful to bear.

UPDATE: Reader Daniel Muller writes:

I see nothing wrong with stopping in to an Episcopal or Anglican church for Morning Prayer or Evensong. For several years, I would attend Evensong at Church of the Incarnation in Dallas almost exclusively for the music. There is magnificent (pun intended) English service music there.

Realistically, however, Albion is fading into the cultural mists rather sooner than later, so even that option may not remain open long for any of us, Catholic, Episcopalian, or Anglican.

That's a great suggestion, Daniel, and lucky for me, St. Thomas Fifth Avenue, also notable for its music, is mere minutes from where I work. Evensong is celebrated three times a week there and I don't recall anything in the Catechism prohibiting me from attending every now and then.

I wonder if there will ever be an expansion of the Pastoral Provision and Anglican Use. It would be splendid, albeit ironic, if Holy Mother Church ended up the custodian of the Anglican liturgical and musical tradition in this country.

Diary of a Newly-Minted Papist

For the nonce I best avoid listening to recordings of Anglican liturgical music. There is no wavering in my love for Holy Mother Church but the hearing of such glorious sounds as Herbert Howells' setting of the Te Deum and Jubilate, its reminder of what this music-loving fool had to walk away from, is almost too painful to bear.

UPDATE: Reader Daniel Muller writes:

I see nothing wrong with stopping in to an Episcopal or Anglican church for Morning Prayer or Evensong. For several years, I would attend Evensong at Church of the Incarnation in Dallas almost exclusively for the music. There is magnificent (pun intended) English service music there.

Realistically, however, Albion is fading into the cultural mists rather sooner than later, so even that option may not remain open long for any of us, Catholic, Episcopalian, or Anglican.

That's a great suggestion, Daniel, and lucky for me, St. Thomas Fifth Avenue, also notable for its music, is mere minutes from where I work. Evensong is celebrated three times a week there and I don't recall anything in the Catechism prohibiting me from attending every now and then.

I wonder if there will ever be an expansion of the Pastoral Provision and Anglican Use. It would be splendid, albeit ironic, if Holy Mother Church ended up the custodian of the Anglican liturgical and musical tradition in this country.

Why are Kidz is Ilitterit

The following letter, along with the editor's reply, is copied in its entirety from yesterday's New York Post.

I have been a teacher in the New York City school system for over twenty years. For all of that time, I have also been a very proud member of the UFT.

Over the last several years, there have often appeared very negative comments presented in your editorials about the quality of New York City teachers.

You have frequently alluded to the fact that many or most teachers cannot spell correctly.

I would personally like to correct your front-page headline "Isiah Getting Just Deserts" (Oct. 27).

Deserts are arid regions. I think you meant to say the word "dessert."

I would like to think this was just a typo. However, perhaps whoever wrote this headline was not fortunate enough to attend school in New York City.

Rita Cooperman

New York Teacher

The Bronx

EDITOR'S NOTE: The American Heritage Dictionary, 4th Edition, defines "desert," as: n., something that is deserved or merited, especially a punishment. Often used in the plural.

Ms. Cooperman, take heart. While you were indeed made a fool of in the pages of the UFT-trashing New York Post, you also happened upon a truth: illiterates are churned out by unionized public schools everywhere, even those in the Elysian Fields of Greenwich, Connecticut.

Why are Kidz is Ilitterit

The following letter, along with the editor's reply, is copied in its entirety from yesterday's New York Post.

I have been a teacher in the New York City school system for over twenty years. For all of that time, I have also been a very proud member of the UFT.

Over the last several years, there have often appeared very negative comments presented in your editorials about the quality of New York City teachers.

You have frequently alluded to the fact that many or most teachers cannot spell correctly.

I would personally like to correct your front-page headline "Isiah Getting Just Deserts" (Oct. 27).

Deserts are arid regions. I think you meant to say the word "dessert."

I would like to think this was just a typo. However, perhaps whoever wrote this headline was not fortunate enough to attend school in New York City.

Rita Cooperman

New York Teacher

The Bronx

EDITOR'S NOTE: The American Heritage Dictionary, 4th Edition, defines "desert," as: n., something that is deserved or merited, especially a punishment. Often used in the plural.

Ms. Cooperman, take heart. While you were indeed made a fool of in the pages of the UFT-trashing New York Post, you also happened upon a truth: illiterates are churned out by unionized public schools everywhere, even those in the Elysian Fields of Greenwich, Connecticut.