Fr. Cutie

The sordid business of Fr. Alberto Cutie, the telegenic Catholic priest who was revealed to be getting it on with a divorced babe and who later defected to the Episcopalians, has been well-reported and commented on by now but I am compelled to offer the following points.

1) Had Fr. Cutie been middle aged or older, pockmarked and fat, his affair would not have received even half the attention it did; had his squeeze been equally repellent, not a quarter.

2) The fact he was received by the Episcopalians is further proof that just as Canterbury sends its best to Rome, Rome sends its worst to Canterbury.

Sadder to me than Fr. Cutie's tawdry peccadilloes (ho-hum, another wayward priest) is the behavior of his ordinary-to-be, the Rt. Rev'd Leo Frade, (Episcopal) Bishop of Southeast Florida, specifically, his Grace's ostentatious public welcome of Fr. Cutie into his very troubled church.

I am excited and pleased to inform you that, as you receive this message from me, we are announcing the reception of Father Alberto Cutié into the Episcopal Church. Father Alberto will embark on the ordination process to continue his ministry, as has been our practice in receiving other priests from the Roman Catholic communion into our Church.

In other words, Bishop Frade is "excited and pleased" a Catholic priest who reneged on a contract he made before God (as all contracts are, whether we acknowledge it or not), and couldn't be bothered to ask for release from it from his superiors, has fled to the Episcopal Church with the aim of becoming a priest in that institution. Is this what passes for evangelism in the Episcopal Church these days, scooping up the detritus of Holy Mother Church?

Apparently so, in fact Bishop Frade sees this debacle as a recruiting opportunity.

As many of you know the Rev. Alberto Cutié has been received into the Episcopal Church as a layperson in the Diocese of Southeast Florida. News surrounding this move has received a lot of attention in the press. I have had several phone calls from newspapers and many emails from people all over asking about how they can join the Episcopal Church. My guess is that this Sunday many of our churches will be visited by people who are just learning about us. So I am writing to suggest that you prepare yourselves and your leadership to receive them. I recommend that you make copies of brochures about the Episcopal Church and that you might consider a forum after church to answer questions.

Bishop Frade apparently hopes Catholics whose personal views conflict with Mother Church on matters marital and sexual will be inspired by Fr. Cutie's example and flock to the Episcopal Church. Not a chance. For though many Catholics in this country, sadly, do not even attempt to follow Church teachings, it seems they would rather belong to the true Church in a sinful state than a false one in putative grace; how else does one explain Nancy Pelosi, Teddy Kennedy, John Kerry, Joe Biden et al. not ditching Holy Church decades ago?

My guess is (contrary to Bishop Frade's), this past Sunday the number of people strolling into an Episcopal Church on account of Fr. Cutie being received into it could be counted on the fingers of one hand. And I bet most of them strolled out, never to return.

Fr. Cutie

The sordid business of Fr. Alberto Cutie, the telegenic Catholic priest who was revealed to be getting it on with a divorced babe and who later defected to the Episcopalians, has been well-reported and commented on by now but I am compelled to offer the following points.

1) Had Fr. Cutie been middle aged or older, pockmarked and fat, his affair would not have received even half the attention it did; had his squeeze been equally repellent, not a quarter.

2) The fact he was received by the Episcopalians is further proof that just as Canterbury sends its best to Rome, Rome sends its worst to Canterbury.

Sadder to me than Fr. Cutie's tawdry peccadilloes (ho-hum, another wayward priest) is the behavior of his ordinary-to-be, the Rt. Rev'd Leo Frade, (Episcopal) Bishop of Southeast Florida, specifically, his Grace's ostentatious public welcome of Fr. Cutie into his very troubled church.

I am excited and pleased to inform you that, as you receive this message from me, we are announcing the reception of Father Alberto Cutié into the Episcopal Church. Father Alberto will embark on the ordination process to continue his ministry, as has been our practice in receiving other priests from the Roman Catholic communion into our Church.

In other words, Bishop Frade is "excited and pleased" a Catholic priest who reneged on a contract he made before God (as all contracts are, whether we acknowledge it or not), and couldn't be bothered to ask for release from it from his superiors, has fled to the Episcopal Church with the aim of becoming a priest in that institution. Is this what passes for evangelism in the Episcopal Church these days, scooping up the detritus of Holy Mother Church?

Apparently so, in fact Bishop Frade sees this debacle as a recruiting opportunity.

As many of you know the Rev. Alberto Cutié has been received into the Episcopal Church as a layperson in the Diocese of Southeast Florida. News surrounding this move has received a lot of attention in the press. I have had several phone calls from newspapers and many emails from people all over asking about how they can join the Episcopal Church. My guess is that this Sunday many of our churches will be visited by people who are just learning about us. So I am writing to suggest that you prepare yourselves and your leadership to receive them. I recommend that you make copies of brochures about the Episcopal Church and that you might consider a forum after church to answer questions.

Bishop Frade apparently hopes Catholics whose personal views conflict with Mother Church on matters marital and sexual will be inspired by Fr. Cutie's example and flock to the Episcopal Church. Not a chance. For though many Catholics in this country, sadly, do not even attempt to follow Church teachings, it seems they would rather belong to the true Church in a sinful state than a false one in putative grace; how else does one explain Nancy Pelosi, Teddy Kennedy, John Kerry, Joe Biden et al. not ditching Holy Church decades ago?

My guess is (contrary to Bishop Frade's), this past Sunday the number of people strolling into an Episcopal Church on account of Fr. Cutie being received into it could be counted on the fingers of one hand. And I bet most of them strolled out, never to return.

Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire

Or the other way around? The bereaved mother of one of the recently arrested home-grown Muslim terrorists in New York, trying to figure out where things went wrong:

"He told me that he was a Muslim and that didn't eat pork anymore, and I told him, 'Get out of here!' " said his surprised mother, Adela Cromitie. "Why would he do something like that? He was raised Episcopalian."

Oh dear, Ms. Cromitie, where do we begin?

Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire

Or the other way around? The bereaved mother of one of the recently arrested home-grown Muslim terrorists in New York, trying to figure out where things went wrong:

"He told me that he was a Muslim and that didn't eat pork anymore, and I told him, 'Get out of here!' " said his surprised mother, Adela Cromitie. "Why would he do something like that? He was raised Episcopalian."

Oh dear, Ms. Cromitie, where do we begin?

Bound for Bovina, where even the cows are faster than the Internet connection, so postings will be few to none.

Back late next week.

Bound for Bovina, where even the cows are faster than the Internet connection, so postings will be few to none.

Back late next week.

"Good Only for Parting the Smug from Their Money"

Thus the Honda Insight 1.3 IMA SE Hybrid, according to the (London) Times.

I cannot see how making a car with two motors costs the same in terms of resources as making a car with one.

The nickel for the battery has to come from somewhere. Canada, usually. It has to be shipped to Japan, not on a sailing boat, I presume. And then it must be converted, not in a tree house, into a battery, and then that battery must be transported, not on an ox cart, to the Insight production plant in Suzuka. And then the finished car has to be shipped, not by Thor Heyerdahl, to Britain, where it can be transported, not by wind, to the home of a man with a beard who thinks he’s doing the world a favour.

To make it worse, the car is just plain lousy. In fact

It’s terrible. Biblically terrible. Possibly the worst new car money can buy. It’s the first car I’ve ever considered crashing into a tree, on purpose, so I didn’t have to drive it any more.

As Kermit famously said, "It's not that easy bein' green." Nope, it's fallacious.

(Thanks to BCE.)

"Good Only for Parting the Smug from Their Money"

Thus the Honda Insight 1.3 IMA SE Hybrid, according to the (London) Times.

I cannot see how making a car with two motors costs the same in terms of resources as making a car with one.

The nickel for the battery has to come from somewhere. Canada, usually. It has to be shipped to Japan, not on a sailing boat, I presume. And then it must be converted, not in a tree house, into a battery, and then that battery must be transported, not on an ox cart, to the Insight production plant in Suzuka. And then the finished car has to be shipped, not by Thor Heyerdahl, to Britain, where it can be transported, not by wind, to the home of a man with a beard who thinks he’s doing the world a favour.

To make it worse, the car is just plain lousy. In fact

It’s terrible. Biblically terrible. Possibly the worst new car money can buy. It’s the first car I’ve ever considered crashing into a tree, on purpose, so I didn’t have to drive it any more.

As Kermit famously said, "It's not that easy bein' green." Nope, it's fallacious.

(Thanks to BCE.)

C'mon Guys, Just Because I'm a Priest Dosen't Mean I Believe Any of This

Ryan W. McMaken writes on the LRC Blog, concerning the President's recent honorary degree,

Notre Dame President Fr. Jenkins's motivation in the whole affair is obviously just a crass desire to gain influence with a powerful man.

Any time an honorary degree or award of any kind is given to a powerful person, it's always safe to assume that the entire event is just a transaction to buy influence.

Works for me but I wonder if liberal figures like Fr. Jenkins also do it out of embarrassment over Church teachings: awarding degrees to prominent lefties so to make a loud public display of their independence from Holy Church and (they hope) bolster their creds with the left-owned academy. In other words, apologizing for being Catholic.

(Thanks to the Conservative Blog for Peace.)

C'mon Guys, Just Because I'm a Priest Dosen't Mean I Believe Any of This

Ryan W. McMaken writes on the LRC Blog, concerning the President's recent honorary degree,

Notre Dame President Fr. Jenkins's motivation in the whole affair is obviously just a crass desire to gain influence with a powerful man.

Any time an honorary degree or award of any kind is given to a powerful person, it's always safe to assume that the entire event is just a transaction to buy influence.

Works for me but I wonder if liberal figures like Fr. Jenkins also do it out of embarrassment over Church teachings: awarding degrees to prominent lefties so to make a loud public display of their independence from Holy Church and (they hope) bolster their creds with the left-owned academy. In other words, apologizing for being Catholic.

(Thanks to the Conservative Blog for Peace.)

Britain's Cultural Collapse

Hal G. P. Colebatch, writing in the American Spectator:

In more than a decade of observing and writing about Britain's society and culture, I have never encountered anything comparable to the rage and fury which has followed the revelation that large numbers of Members of Parliament of various parties are morally no better than thieves and criminals. Indeed, a number may soon be facing actual criminal charges for the grotesque, wholesale abuse of Parliamentary expenses.

How did things come to such a pass?

In a way it was all predictable. From the moment Labour took office under Tony Blair in 1997 it set about destroying Britain's sense of its historic culture, tradition, virtues, values and identity. The Adversary Culture was given free reign (sic) to attack every British institution which might contribute to such old-fashioned ideas as virtue, patriotism and duty.

Blair claimed soon after coming to power that Britain was no longer "living in the world of a hundred years ago, when guys wore bowler hats and umbrellas, all marching down Whitehall." Yes, and those were the guys who gave Britain a notably incorrupt public culture that once enabled it to do things like govern India with a tiny handful of flintily honest men. Under New Labour an intense culture war was opened up on every possible front to bring old-fashioned values into disrepute. There were some thing it was thought that real "ladies" and "gentlemen" did not do, such as lie and cheat. The use of the terms "lady" and "gentleman" was made a sacking offence at one university, an innovation which the government condoned as being in accord with the spirit of the times and of Cool Britannia. Symbols of patriotism, including the flag of St. George and the British flag itself, were banned on grounds of political correctness and in order to facilitate the celebration of diversity. Would-be police recruits were turned down for wearing Union Jack tattoos, foster-parents were banned for attempting to teach foster-children Christian values.

Read it all and see if there are not similarities to what is taking place on this side of the Atlantic.

(Thanks to William Tighe.)

Britain's Cultural Collapse

Hal G. P. Colebatch, writing in the American Spectator:

In more than a decade of observing and writing about Britain's society and culture, I have never encountered anything comparable to the rage and fury which has followed the revelation that large numbers of Members of Parliament of various parties are morally no better than thieves and criminals. Indeed, a number may soon be facing actual criminal charges for the grotesque, wholesale abuse of Parliamentary expenses.

How did things come to such a pass?

In a way it was all predictable. From the moment Labour took office under Tony Blair in 1997 it set about destroying Britain's sense of its historic culture, tradition, virtues, values and identity. The Adversary Culture was given free reign (sic) to attack every British institution which might contribute to such old-fashioned ideas as virtue, patriotism and duty.

Blair claimed soon after coming to power that Britain was no longer "living in the world of a hundred years ago, when guys wore bowler hats and umbrellas, all marching down Whitehall." Yes, and those were the guys who gave Britain a notably incorrupt public culture that once enabled it to do things like govern India with a tiny handful of flintily honest men. Under New Labour an intense culture war was opened up on every possible front to bring old-fashioned values into disrepute. There were some thing it was thought that real "ladies" and "gentlemen" did not do, such as lie and cheat. The use of the terms "lady" and "gentleman" was made a sacking offence at one university, an innovation which the government condoned as being in accord with the spirit of the times and of Cool Britannia. Symbols of patriotism, including the flag of St. George and the British flag itself, were banned on grounds of political correctness and in order to facilitate the celebration of diversity. Would-be police recruits were turned down for wearing Union Jack tattoos, foster-parents were banned for attempting to teach foster-children Christian values.

Read it all and see if there are not similarities to what is taking place on this side of the Atlantic.

(Thanks to William Tighe.)

Mystery Solved

Victor Davis Hanson wonders:

For the last eight years, rendition (hey, they even made a hit-piece movie about the supposedly awful practice), intercepts, military tribunals, and Iraq were sort of the refrains of the liberal-media choruses. Looking back, in light of the Obama media, was such hysteria simply politics, pure and simple? Bush did it: bad; Obama did it: fine? Was the issue always just Bush, and never (as alleged) the Bush profligacy in spending — given the silence now over Obama's crazed borrowing? Was there never any real concern about the supposed "cultural of corruption" when the media seized on a Tom DeLay, Duke Cunningham, Mark Foley, etc. — given the pass granted to Rangel, Dodd, and the tax-fraud nominations to the Cabinet.

The explanation for left-wing media's blatant double standard is threefold: Bush is a Republican, from Texas and wears cowboy boots (not necessarily in that order); let him be anathema.

(Via Instapundit.)

Mystery Solved

Victor Davis Hanson wonders:

For the last eight years, rendition (hey, they even made a hit-piece movie about the supposedly awful practice), intercepts, military tribunals, and Iraq were sort of the refrains of the liberal-media choruses. Looking back, in light of the Obama media, was such hysteria simply politics, pure and simple? Bush did it: bad; Obama did it: fine? Was the issue always just Bush, and never (as alleged) the Bush profligacy in spending — given the silence now over Obama's crazed borrowing? Was there never any real concern about the supposed "cultural of corruption" when the media seized on a Tom DeLay, Duke Cunningham, Mark Foley, etc. — given the pass granted to Rangel, Dodd, and the tax-fraud nominations to the Cabinet.

The explanation for left-wing media's blatant double standard is threefold: Bush is a Republican, from Texas and wears cowboy boots (not necessarily in that order); let him be anathema.

(Via Instapundit.)

For Sale

Gently used, secure, undisclosed location. No reasonable offer refused. Contact Secret Service, Washington, D.C.

For Sale

Gently used, secure, undisclosed location. No reasonable offer refused. Contact Secret Service, Washington, D.C.

Maybe This Is Why the Hip Hoppers Wear Them Around Their Necks

I think the time has come to dust off that Rosary they gave me when I poped last year.

Monsignor William Kerr has died. Among other things, he was famous for having administered the last rites to one of serial killer Ted Bundy’s victims and then became a spiritual counselor for Bundy on death row.

*****

When Fr. Kerr approached the near-catatonic girl, she told him that her mother had made her promise before going off to college for the first time that she would pray the Rosary every night before bed for protection; even if she fell asleep praying the Rosary, which she had that night so that when Bundy came into her room with murder on his mind, the beads were still clutched in her hands.

Later, Bundy would tell Monsignor that when he entered the girl’s room, he just couldn’t go on, he dropped his weapon, and he fled. Such is the power of our Mother’s protective mantle.

(Thanks to BCE.)

Maybe This Is Why the Hip Hoppers Wear Them Around Their Necks

I think the time has come to dust off that Rosary they gave me when I poped last year.

Monsignor William Kerr has died. Among other things, he was famous for having administered the last rites to one of serial killer Ted Bundy’s victims and then became a spiritual counselor for Bundy on death row.

*****

When Fr. Kerr approached the near-catatonic girl, she told him that her mother had made her promise before going off to college for the first time that she would pray the Rosary every night before bed for protection; even if she fell asleep praying the Rosary, which she had that night so that when Bundy came into her room with murder on his mind, the beads were still clutched in her hands.

Later, Bundy would tell Monsignor that when he entered the girl’s room, he just couldn’t go on, he dropped his weapon, and he fled. Such is the power of our Mother’s protective mantle.

(Thanks to BCE.)

Irksome Fr. Bellows

There is on the staff of a church in New York a part-time priest who is the exemplar of the (now thankfully disappearing) hearty, post-conciliar activist cleric. The man can't sing to save his life and he is tone deaf to boot. He exacts revenge against our God for that handicap by caterwauling so woefully and so off key even those sitting in the last pew, hard up against the narthex, struggle to resist holding their ears (the pain is partially relieved by the amusing sight of worshipers wincing at each loud, missed-by-a-mile note). Fr. Bellows (we will call him) has an aversion to elevating the host, barely lifting it above his nose and so fleetingly you'll miss it if you blink. Similarly with the chalice: tightly gripped in one hand with the seeming reverence due a beer stein and thrust forward as though he were cheering the MVP of a softball game. You almost expect it to be slammed down on the altar with a call for another round.

To his credit, when in the pulpit (which isn't always--sometimes he likes to shout from the sanctuary), Fr. Bellows shows he is perfectly capable of crafting a decent homily but often as not, he ruins it with his wildly emotive recitation, waving of the arms and long, overly dramatic pauses. A pity: if he simply spoke his text clearly and briskly, without fuss, his message would be much better received, even if we don't always agree with his post-Vatican II sentiments.

But surely the most annoying trait of Fr. Bellows (who seems to be the Catholic personification of the Rev'd Scot Sloan), more than his 110 decibel glad-handling, is his unsettling Cheshire Cat-like grin, sported throughout the mass and reminding one of a TV evangelist. "Wipe, sir, that protestant smirk off your face; you may take delight in yourself but there are those of us who do not, not by a damn sight," we are tempted to say. We do not, of course; as Catholics we must be obedient and behave. Instead, my quasi-Thomistic response is to recall a Robert Browning poem my dad would read to me when a boy, Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister, and remember (again) the sins charged to Brother Lawrence by his bilious accuser are no more egregious than the accuser's own, beginning with his very act of accusing. Mea maxima culpa.

There's a great text in Galatians,
Once you trip on it, entails
Twenty-nine distinct damnations,
One sure, if another fails;
If I trip him just a-dying,
Sure of heaven as sure can be,
Spin him round and send him flying
Off to hell, a Manichee?

Irksome Fr. Bellows

There is on the staff of a church in New York a part-time priest who is the exemplar of the (now thankfully disappearing) hearty, post-conciliar activist cleric. The man can't sing to save his life and he is tone deaf to boot. He exacts revenge against our God for that handicap by caterwauling so woefully and so off key even those sitting in the last pew, hard up against the narthex, struggle to resist holding their ears (the pain is partially relieved by the amusing sight of worshipers wincing at each loud, missed-by-a-mile note). Fr. Bellows (we will call him) has an aversion to elevating the host, barely lifting it above his nose and so fleetingly you'll miss it if you blink. Similarly with the chalice: tightly gripped in one hand with the seeming reverence due a beer stein and thrust forward as though he were cheering the MVP of a softball game. You almost expect it to be slammed down on the altar with a call for another round.

To his credit, when in the pulpit (which isn't always--sometimes he likes to shout from the sanctuary), Fr. Bellows shows he is perfectly capable of crafting a decent homily but often as not, he ruins it with his wildly emotive recitation, waving of the arms and long, overly dramatic pauses. A pity: if he simply spoke his text clearly and briskly, without fuss, his message would be much better received, even if we don't always agree with his post-Vatican II sentiments.

But surely the most annoying trait of Fr. Bellows (who seems to be the Catholic personification of the Rev'd Scot Sloan), more than his 110 decibel glad-handling, is his unsettling Cheshire Cat-like grin, sported throughout the mass and reminding one of a TV evangelist. "Wipe, sir, that protestant smirk off your face; you may take delight in yourself but there are those of us who do not, not by a damn sight," we are tempted to say. We do not, of course; as Catholics we must be obedient and behave. Instead, my quasi-Thomistic response is to recall a Robert Browning poem my dad would read to me when a boy, Soliloquy of the Spanish Cloister, and remember (again) the sins charged to Brother Lawrence by his bilious accuser are no more egregious than the accuser's own, beginning with his very act of accusing. Mea maxima culpa.

There's a great text in Galatians,
Once you trip on it, entails
Twenty-nine distinct damnations,
One sure, if another fails;
If I trip him just a-dying,
Sure of heaven as sure can be,
Spin him round and send him flying
Off to hell, a Manichee?

A Change for the Worse

The bell ringers of Liverpool Cathedral, instead of ringing the changes Saturday, took a walk on the wild side, ringing instead the 1971 ditty by the late multimillionaire Beatle John Lennon: "Imagine."

Hundreds of people gathered outside the cathedral to hear the tune, which Lennon, who was murdered in New York in 1980, described as ‘anti-religious, anti-conventional and anti-capitalistic’.

A cathedral spokesman said: ‘We feel this performance has inspired many people to think about their relationship with God in their lives. From what we have heard, it’s been received really well. It sounded absolutely fantastic.’

Well, that's just ducky. I'll bet those hundreds of people gathered outside the cathedral Saturday outnumbered by, oh let's say hundreds, those gathered inside the cathedral Sunday.

(h/t Stand Firm.)

A Change for the Worse

The bell ringers of Liverpool Cathedral, instead of ringing the changes Saturday, took a walk on the wild side, ringing instead the 1971 ditty by the late multimillionaire Beatle John Lennon: "Imagine."

Hundreds of people gathered outside the cathedral to hear the tune, which Lennon, who was murdered in New York in 1980, described as ‘anti-religious, anti-conventional and anti-capitalistic’.

A cathedral spokesman said: ‘We feel this performance has inspired many people to think about their relationship with God in their lives. From what we have heard, it’s been received really well. It sounded absolutely fantastic.’

Well, that's just ducky. I'll bet those hundreds of people gathered outside the cathedral Saturday outnumbered by, oh let's say hundreds, those gathered inside the cathedral Sunday.

(h/t Stand Firm.)

Sometimes It's Better to Let Others Play Through

Comes word from For What It's Worth, a blog chronicling the real estate market in Greenwich, Connecticut and its perpetrators as well, members of the golf team at the Brunswick School, an old and lately prestigious private school there, were caught in a traffic jam on Interstate 95 and in peril of missing an important tournament. A clever team member called his pa on his cell and arranged for a charter plane to whisk him and his teammates to Fishers Island, New York where the tournament was held. They made it just in time and won the tournament to boot.

If you think my purpose here is to beat up that kid for such an upper-class stunt, guess again. Eighteen years old, if that, the kid came up with an effective solution to a vexing problem facing him and his teammates and should be (and no doubt was) congratulated for his resourcefulness. In fact, perhaps a tad embarrassed, the kid shrugged off his accomplishment, insisting the plane was a mere "puddle jumper" (a two-engine Beechcraft turboprop) and didn't cost "that much because his dad knows the charter company owner." No doubt.

I wish, however, the kid's old man, instead of acceding to the gold-plated SOS had instead, while expressing sympathies for his plight, explained to his son that regardless of our circumstances, setbacks do occur and rather than move heaven and earth to thwart every last one of them, sometimes it is better just to just accept them; as God's will, fate--what have you. In the grand scheme, a prep school golf tournament is not that big a deal but in denying his son's request, the boy and his chums might have learned a valuable lesson, worth at least as much as the ungodly tuition at the Brunswick School, and one that could prove to be pure gold while making their way through life's journey.

Sometimes It's Better to Let Others Play Through

Comes word from For What It's Worth, a blog chronicling the real estate market in Greenwich, Connecticut and its perpetrators as well, members of the golf team at the Brunswick School, an old and lately prestigious private school there, were caught in a traffic jam on Interstate 95 and in peril of missing an important tournament. A clever team member called his pa on his cell and arranged for a charter plane to whisk him and his teammates to Fishers Island, New York where the tournament was held. They made it just in time and won the tournament to boot.

If you think my purpose here is to beat up that kid for such an upper-class stunt, guess again. Eighteen years old, if that, the kid came up with an effective solution to a vexing problem facing him and his teammates and should be (and no doubt was) congratulated for his resourcefulness. In fact, perhaps a tad embarrassed, the kid shrugged off his accomplishment, insisting the plane was a mere "puddle jumper" (a two-engine Beechcraft turboprop) and didn't cost "that much because his dad knows the charter company owner." No doubt.

I wish, however, the kid's old man, instead of acceding to the gold-plated SOS had instead, while expressing sympathies for his plight, explained to his son that regardless of our circumstances, setbacks do occur and rather than move heaven and earth to thwart every last one of them, sometimes it is better just to just accept them; as God's will, fate--what have you. In the grand scheme, a prep school golf tournament is not that big a deal but in denying his son's request, the boy and his chums might have learned a valuable lesson, worth at least as much as the ungodly tuition at the Brunswick School, and one that could prove to be pure gold while making their way through life's journey.

Nancy Pelosi Throws a Hail Mary

Pelosi says Bush team misled her on waterboarding

Quite right, when all else fails blame Bush, but I don't think it's going to work this time.

UPDATE: What fun! The AP changed the headline of the story linked above to "Pelosi: CIA misled her on waterboarding."

Whatever. It's fourth and long, Nancy, throw another one; there's gotta be a receiver out there somewhere.

UPDATE 2: Ha! "Nancy Pelosi is a woman of many talents. Yesterday, she performed the delicate art of backtracking while walking sideways." She'd make a fine quarterback if only she could pass.

Nancy Pelosi Throws a Hail Mary

Pelosi says Bush team misled her on waterboarding

Quite right, when all else fails blame Bush, but I don't think it's going to work this time.

UPDATE: What fun! The AP changed the headline of the story linked above to "Pelosi: CIA misled her on waterboarding."

Whatever. It's fourth and long, Nancy, throw another one; there's gotta be a receiver out there somewhere.

UPDATE 2: Ha! "Nancy Pelosi is a woman of many talents. Yesterday, she performed the delicate art of backtracking while walking sideways." She'd make a fine quarterback if only she could pass.

In the Throes of FSD

From the Washington Examiner:

Washington politicians are on a spending rampage the likes of which has never before been seen anywhere in human history. The spenders include President Barack Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, plus a supporting cast of bureaucrats like Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and his predecessor, Henry Paulson, and the Democratic majorities in the Senate and House (joined by a few Senate Republicans). These officials are terminally afflicted with what Sen. Tom Coburn, R-OK, calls “federal spending disease” (FSD) an incurable addiction in which the sufferer is utterly unable to stop spending other people’s money. An intervention by voters is the only effective treatment.

Much as I respect Sen. Coburn, I, for one, have little confidence in the Republicans to stop this madness, too many of them suffer from the same malady.

In the Throes of FSD

From the Washington Examiner:

Washington politicians are on a spending rampage the likes of which has never before been seen anywhere in human history. The spenders include President Barack Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, plus a supporting cast of bureaucrats like Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and his predecessor, Henry Paulson, and the Democratic majorities in the Senate and House (joined by a few Senate Republicans). These officials are terminally afflicted with what Sen. Tom Coburn, R-OK, calls “federal spending disease” (FSD) an incurable addiction in which the sufferer is utterly unable to stop spending other people’s money. An intervention by voters is the only effective treatment.

Much as I respect Sen. Coburn, I, for one, have little confidence in the Republicans to stop this madness, too many of them suffer from the same malady.

Whatsoever a Man (sic) Soweth, That Shall He Also Reap.

Pity the poor Jewish and Christian chaplains at Smith College (formerly a college for women). Proclaimers all of the gospel of diversity and inclusiveness, some folks high up in the Smith administration one day actually listened to them and proceeded to do the only logical thing: fire them.

'Our student body has become increasingly diverse in every way, including religiously, and we believe students would be better served by moving away from the emphasis on these three faith groups and moving toward broader support for the full range of religious belief and practice on campus.'

Support for the "full range of religious belief" seems to mean Buddhism and "Wellness" because the chaplains of those religions, apparently, have kept their jobs.

(h/t Banished Child of Eve.)

Whatsoever a Man (sic) Soweth, That Shall He Also Reap.

Pity the poor Jewish and Christian chaplains at Smith College (formerly a college for women). Proclaimers all of the gospel of diversity and inclusiveness, some folks high up in the Smith administration one day actually listened to them and proceeded to do the only logical thing: fire them.

'Our student body has become increasingly diverse in every way, including religiously, and we believe students would be better served by moving away from the emphasis on these three faith groups and moving toward broader support for the full range of religious belief and practice on campus.'

Support for the "full range of religious belief" seems to mean Buddhism and "Wellness" because the chaplains of those religions, apparently, have kept their jobs.

(h/t Banished Child of Eve.)

I Love that Dirty Water

Is Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop of Rochester in the Church of England, dropping broad hints the time may be nearing for Anglicans to start rummaging around for their swim trunks? (A wetsuit might be more appropriate, the waters of the Tiber are not pristine.) Ruth Gledhill of the Times heard him speak recently and took some notes. The Bishop seemed to have the Holy Catholic Church on his mind.

'Anglicans to their credit have never claimed to be the one, true Church.' [Nazir-Ali] noted that successive Lambeth Conferences had accepted that Anglicanism stands ready to disappear in the cause of Catholic unity, 'that is, it [Anglicanism] is not an end to itself but a means towards the greater Catholicism which is God's will.'

(Roger on that. As a young boy I was taught that belief and held it all my days as an Anglo-Catholic.) Nazir-Ali continues:

'Robert Runcie used to say he did not want the Archbishop of Canterbury to be turned into a Pope because one Pope was sufficient.

'What we need is first of all to recognize that there is a proper universal ministry for unity, that it is the Bishop of Rome that exercises that historic ministry for today, and to find a way for all Christians to accept that ministry.'

I think the Nazir-Ali's message might be especially pertinent to those Episcopalians weary of the power-mad woman at 815 Second Avenue, who see herself as Pope Joan redux. I also wonder if Bishop Nazir-Ali might someday quietly reconsider his views on women's ordination; putatively, he's for it but I wonder how great his enthusiasm these days.



(h/t William Tighe.)

I Love that Dirty Water

Is Michael Nazir-Ali, Bishop of Rochester in the Church of England, dropping broad hints the time may be nearing for Anglicans to start rummaging around for their swim trunks? (A wetsuit might be more appropriate, the waters of the Tiber are not pristine.) Ruth Gledhill of the Times heard him speak recently and took some notes. The Bishop seemed to have the Holy Catholic Church on his mind.

'Anglicans to their credit have never claimed to be the one, true Church.' [Nazir-Ali] noted that successive Lambeth Conferences had accepted that Anglicanism stands ready to disappear in the cause of Catholic unity, 'that is, it [Anglicanism] is not an end to itself but a means towards the greater Catholicism which is God's will.'

(Roger on that. As a young boy I was taught that belief and held it all my days as an Anglo-Catholic.) Nazir-Ali continues:

'Robert Runcie used to say he did not want the Archbishop of Canterbury to be turned into a Pope because one Pope was sufficient.

'What we need is first of all to recognize that there is a proper universal ministry for unity, that it is the Bishop of Rome that exercises that historic ministry for today, and to find a way for all Christians to accept that ministry.'

I think the Nazir-Ali's message might be especially pertinent to those Episcopalians weary of the power-mad woman at 815 Second Avenue, who see herself as Pope Joan redux. I also wonder if Bishop Nazir-Ali might someday quietly reconsider his views on women's ordination; putatively, he's for it but I wonder how great his enthusiasm these days.



(h/t William Tighe.)

As the Totalitarians Set Up Shop...

The lights go out in England. A tale of PC run amok:

There are no concentration camps or gulags but there are thought police with unprecedented powers to dictate ways of thinking and sniff out heresy, and there can be harsh punishments for dissent.

Nikolai Bukharin claimed one of the Bolshevik Revolution's principal tasks was "to alter people's actual psychology". Britain is not Bolshevik, but a campaign to alter people's psychology and create a new Homo britannicus is under way without even a fig leaf of disguise.

An example:

In September 2006, a 14-year-old schoolgirl, Codie Stott, asked a teacher if she could sit with another group to do a science project as all the girls with her spoke only Urdu. The teacher's first response, according to Stott, was to scream at her: "It's racist, you're going to get done by the police!" Upset and terrified, the schoolgirl went outside to calm down. The teacher called the police and a few days later, presumably after officialdom had thought the matter over, she was arrested and taken to a police station, where she was fingerprinted and photographed. According to her mother, she was placed in a bare cell for 3 1/2 hours. She was questioned on suspicion of committing a racial public order offence and then released without charge. The school was said to be investigating what further action to take, not against the teacher, but against Stott. Headmaster Anthony Edkins reportedly said: "An allegation of a serious nature was made concerning a racially motivated remark. We aim to ensure a caring and tolerant attitude towards pupils of all ethnic backgrounds and will not stand for racism in any form." 

In the past, in its drive for power, the left would hammer those who strayed from the party line as "counterrevolutionaries" or "reactionaries." Now it derides them as "intolerant" or "racists." It hardly matters, however, the term of opprobrium. What is essential is instant and wide-scale vilification, no matter how disproportionate it may seem to the offense (in fact, the more so the better), of those who dare to think differently, thus cowing them into submission.

As the Totalitarians Set Up Shop...

The lights go out in England. A tale of PC run amok:

There are no concentration camps or gulags but there are thought police with unprecedented powers to dictate ways of thinking and sniff out heresy, and there can be harsh punishments for dissent.

Nikolai Bukharin claimed one of the Bolshevik Revolution's principal tasks was "to alter people's actual psychology". Britain is not Bolshevik, but a campaign to alter people's psychology and create a new Homo britannicus is under way without even a fig leaf of disguise.

An example:

In September 2006, a 14-year-old schoolgirl, Codie Stott, asked a teacher if she could sit with another group to do a science project as all the girls with her spoke only Urdu. The teacher's first response, according to Stott, was to scream at her: "It's racist, you're going to get done by the police!" Upset and terrified, the schoolgirl went outside to calm down. The teacher called the police and a few days later, presumably after officialdom had thought the matter over, she was arrested and taken to a police station, where she was fingerprinted and photographed. According to her mother, she was placed in a bare cell for 3 1/2 hours. She was questioned on suspicion of committing a racial public order offence and then released without charge. The school was said to be investigating what further action to take, not against the teacher, but against Stott. Headmaster Anthony Edkins reportedly said: "An allegation of a serious nature was made concerning a racially motivated remark. We aim to ensure a caring and tolerant attitude towards pupils of all ethnic backgrounds and will not stand for racism in any form." 

In the past, in its drive for power, the left would hammer those who strayed from the party line as "counterrevolutionaries" or "reactionaries." Now it derides them as "intolerant" or "racists." It hardly matters, however, the term of opprobrium. What is essential is instant and wide-scale vilification, no matter how disproportionate it may seem to the offense (in fact, the more so the better), of those who dare to think differently, thus cowing them into submission.

Breaking News: Republicans with a Pulse

From the from the blog The Caucus on the The New York Times website (!):

Republicans also unveiled legislation aimed at curbing any attempt to move prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, prison to the United States as part of President Obama’s order to close the Cuban detention center by early next year. The name of the bill, the Keep Terrorists Out of America Act, succinctly explained the Republican line of attack.

Not only is it succinct, it's brilliant. I bet they're already banging out ad-copy that reads something like: "Democratic Congressman (insert name here) also voted against the Keep Terrorists Out of America Act. Is that the kind of person you want representing you and your loved ones?"

Works for me.

Breaking News: Republicans with a Pulse

From the from the blog The Caucus on the The New York Times website (!):

Republicans also unveiled legislation aimed at curbing any attempt to move prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, prison to the United States as part of President Obama’s order to close the Cuban detention center by early next year. The name of the bill, the Keep Terrorists Out of America Act, succinctly explained the Republican line of attack.

Not only is it succinct, it's brilliant. I bet they're already banging out ad-copy that reads something like: "Democratic Congressman (insert name here) also voted against the Keep Terrorists Out of America Act. Is that the kind of person you want representing you and your loved ones?"

Works for me.

When Justice Delayed is Just

That the CIA seems to be an entity unto itself, answerable to no one, is nothing short of deplorable in a federated republic like ours. The time has long past that agency was reined in and learned but good they answer to the president and congress, not the other way around. 

Just the same, it wouldn't break my heart if the CIA's refresher course in trias politica were postponed just long enough so that they may efficiently finish the job hanging out to dry Nancy Pelosi, Jay Rockefeller and all those other lying Democratic phonies in Congress for their faux outrage over the use waterboarding, and other "enhanced interrogation techniques," they fully approved of eight years ago and, in fact, urged their increased use; then rake the sons of bitches over the coals.

To paraprase Augustine, "Lord, make them chastened, but not yet."

When Justice Delayed is Just

That the CIA seems to be an entity unto itself, answerable to no one, is nothing short of deplorable in a federated republic like ours. The time has long past that agency was reined in and learned but good they answer to the president and congress, not the other way around. 

Just the same, it wouldn't break my heart if the CIA's refresher course in trias politica were postponed just long enough so that they may efficiently finish the job hanging out to dry Nancy Pelosi, Jay Rockefeller and all those other lying Democratic phonies in Congress for their faux outrage over the use waterboarding, and other "enhanced interrogation techniques," they fully approved of eight years ago and, in fact, urged their increased use; then rake the sons of bitches over the coals.

To paraprase Augustine, "Lord, make them chastened, but not yet."

How Can They Miss?

The new Chrysler Corporation: government, unions and FIAT. Now there's a recipe for quality. Watch those sales boom.

How Can They Miss?

The new Chrysler Corporation: government, unions and FIAT. Now there's a recipe for quality. Watch those sales boom.

Obfuscation: Murtech's Website

No doubt you will be as shocked as I was to learn a company owned by the nephew of Congressman John P. Murtha, called Murtech, is receiving no-bid government contracts yet doesn't seem to be doing much, according to the Washington Post reporter who visited the place. Determing what the company is even supposed to do is difficult and you won't get much help on that or anything else from what could be the Murtech website, all two pages of it.

You won't find on the Murtech website, for example, an address or phone number, nor the names of principals and other employees. It is, therefore, not an absolute certainty, I suppose, that this Murtech website is actually connected to the Murtech firm owned by the congressman's nephew, but gosh, you have to wonder.

One thing you will find, in spades, is gobbledygook, such as I have rarely seen before. For those in search of, for example, "Logistics Support," the website claims Murtech

Provides full range of logistics support to perform supply and logistics support at all organizational levels, provisioning and supply support. Specific support focuses on logistics support analysis (LSA), ILS planning and program implementation, inventory control, project management, shipping and handling coordination, and specialized facility requirements, warehouse management, and status reporting, tracking, facilities management, supply chain project/program plans and reports, and security support.

Okie, dokie, it looks as if they run a self-storage outfit; and what can you expect should you be in dire need of "Acquisition Support?" Have no fear, those good folks at Murtech will

[Provide] program management, analytical, engineering and technical services in support of Acquisition and Life Cycle mission functions. Specific support includes the acquisition and life cycle management functions, which are derived from the analysis of the program requirements and objections. Murtech utilizes a structured process that enables tracking of individual requirements and development planning and budgeting support documentation that is essential for program support. By integrating the system engineering design requirements, development schedules, test and evaluation results, ILSP requirements, training functions and manufacturing schedule, Murtech is able to provide detailed acquisition support documentation for the planning and budgeting cycles to ensure that the program remains on track with cost, schedule, and performance.

Got that? I hope you're taking notes.

Only once before have I encountered such inpenetrable jargon. It came from the lips of a former acquaintance who claimed to be the founder, owner and manager of an investment firm. He would use argot like the above when describing his work and those of us subjected to it would find ourselves scratching our heads, trying to figure out just what it was our friend did. The answer (not surprisingly) turned out to be nothing, the fellow was a fraud; he had no business and whatever income he enjoyed resulted from his embezzling from an an organization to which we both belonged. Any parallels, you think?

(h/t Instapundit.)

Obfuscation: Murtech's Website

No doubt you will be as shocked as I was to learn a company owned by the nephew of Congressman John P. Murtha, called Murtech, is receiving no-bid government contracts yet doesn't seem to be doing much, according to the Washington Post reporter who visited the place. Determing what the company is even supposed to do is difficult and you won't get much help on that or anything else from what could be the Murtech website, all two pages of it.

You won't find on the Murtech website, for example, an address or phone number, nor the names of principals and other employees. It is, therefore, not an absolute certainty, I suppose, that this Murtech website is actually connected to the Murtech firm owned by the congressman's nephew, but gosh, you have to wonder.

One thing you will find, in spades, is gobbledygook, such as I have rarely seen before. For those in search of, for example, "Logistics Support," the website claims Murtech

Provides full range of logistics support to perform supply and logistics support at all organizational levels, provisioning and supply support. Specific support focuses on logistics support analysis (LSA), ILS planning and program implementation, inventory control, project management, shipping and handling coordination, and specialized facility requirements, warehouse management, and status reporting, tracking, facilities management, supply chain project/program plans and reports, and security support.

Okie, dokie, it looks as if they run a self-storage outfit; and what can you expect should you be in dire need of "Acquisition Support?" Have no fear, those good folks at Murtech will

[Provide] program management, analytical, engineering and technical services in support of Acquisition and Life Cycle mission functions. Specific support includes the acquisition and life cycle management functions, which are derived from the analysis of the program requirements and objections. Murtech utilizes a structured process that enables tracking of individual requirements and development planning and budgeting support documentation that is essential for program support. By integrating the system engineering design requirements, development schedules, test and evaluation results, ILSP requirements, training functions and manufacturing schedule, Murtech is able to provide detailed acquisition support documentation for the planning and budgeting cycles to ensure that the program remains on track with cost, schedule, and performance.

Got that? I hope you're taking notes.

Only once before have I encountered such inpenetrable jargon. It came from the lips of a former acquaintance who claimed to be the founder, owner and manager of an investment firm. He would use argot like the above when describing his work and those of us subjected to it would find ourselves scratching our heads, trying to figure out just what it was our friend did. The answer (not surprisingly) turned out to be nothing, the fellow was a fraud; he had no business and whatever income he enjoyed resulted from his embezzling from an an organization to which we both belonged. Any parallels, you think?

(h/t Instapundit.)

Striking a Soft Bargain

One of the sacrifices the UAW made in the upcoming sale of Chrysler Corporation is "retirees are losing their entitlement to erectile dysfunction medicine."

Striking a Soft Bargain

One of the sacrifices the UAW made in the upcoming sale of Chrysler Corporation is "retirees are losing their entitlement to erectile dysfunction medicine."

Our Lady of Central Standard Time

After three of their watches expired on me in succession, I have sadly given up on my beloved Timex (their quality seems to have gone down the toilet) and have been searching for a new watch from a different maker. Here is one, made by the respectable Citizen company of Japan, I had to pass on; no doubt, in time, I will reject the notion of something being "too Catholic" but I'm not quite there yet.

I'll bet it's a big seller in Mexico, though.

Our Lady of Central Standard Time

After three of their watches expired on me in succession, I have sadly given up on my beloved Timex (their quality seems to have gone down the toilet) and have been searching for a new watch from a different maker. Here is one, made by the respectable Citizen company of Japan, I had to pass on; no doubt, in time, I will reject the notion of something being "too Catholic" but I'm not quite there yet.

I'll bet it's a big seller in Mexico, though.

Specter: Kemp Died for Republican Sins

The Washington Times reports 79 year-old Arlen Specter, who recently defected to the Democrats after his pollsters told him he had squeezed the lemon dry as a Republican, wasted no time getting comfy in his new party.

Sen. Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania Democrat, said part of the reason that he left the Republican Party last week was disillusionment with its health-care priorities, and suggested that had the Republicans taken a more moderate track, Jack Kemp may have won his battle with cancer.

I'm not sure that quite ranks in stupidity with blaming George Bush for not signing the Kyoto Protocol but it may well set a new standard for classlessness in Congress. Specter will make a good fit with his new political playmates.

Specter: Kemp Died for Republican Sins

The Washington Times reports 79 year-old Arlen Specter, who recently defected to the Democrats after his pollsters told him he had squeezed the lemon dry as a Republican, wasted no time getting comfy in his new party.

Sen. Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania Democrat, said part of the reason that he left the Republican Party last week was disillusionment with its health-care priorities, and suggested that had the Republicans taken a more moderate track, Jack Kemp may have won his battle with cancer.

I'm not sure that quite ranks in stupidity with blaming George Bush for not signing the Kyoto Protocol but it may well set a new standard for classlessness in Congress. Specter will make a good fit with his new political playmates.

The Bully's Pulpit

Apparently the President of the United State and his staff, who represent all Americans regardless for whom they voted, threatened to sic the White House press corps on recalcitrant debt holders of the now bankrupt Chrysler Corporation unless they signed onto the deal turning over the remains of the company to the UAW and Fiat.

Glenn Reynolds wonders what the press corp members' reaction will be to learn the President and his staff regard them as little more than poodles; to run, jump and fetch at their command. My guess is, while some of them might be be appalled, most will not be for the same reason minions of drug dealers, hip-hop thugs and schoolyard bullies are pleased to grovel and scramble at any request made by their leaders, including the beating up of rivals. Continual abasement for them is a small price to pay for the perceived elevation in their status being allowed to hang around with and do chores for those much cooler than they are.

The Bully's Pulpit

Apparently the President of the United State and his staff, who represent all Americans regardless for whom they voted, threatened to sic the White House press corps on recalcitrant debt holders of the now bankrupt Chrysler Corporation unless they signed onto the deal turning over the remains of the company to the UAW and Fiat.

Glenn Reynolds wonders what the press corp members' reaction will be to learn the President and his staff regard them as little more than poodles; to run, jump and fetch at their command. My guess is, while some of them might be be appalled, most will not be for the same reason minions of drug dealers, hip-hop thugs and schoolyard bullies are pleased to grovel and scramble at any request made by their leaders, including the beating up of rivals. Continual abasement for them is a small price to pay for the perceived elevation in their status being allowed to hang around with and do chores for those much cooler than they are.

Jazz Latitudinarians

Glenn Reynolds, the Instapundit, links to a site listing the 100 greatest jazz albums of all time. I only have a passing knowledge of jazz and wouldn't quibble with most of the honorees save for one glaring exception, number 87: Herb Albert & the Tijuana Brass, Whipped Cream & Other Delights. No way, Jose! As pleasant those insipid sounds might be, by no stretch of the imagination are they jazz. Years ago, when I worked in a record store, Albert's discs were found in the Easy Listening section, which is precisely where they belonged.

While I also question no. 46: George Gershwin's performance of Rhapsody in Blue (that work being an early example of "crossover," not jazz but a jazz-influenced "classical" composition), it certainly has far more jazz in it than "Tijuana Taxi."

Jazz Latitudinarians

Glenn Reynolds, the Instapundit, links to a site listing the 100 greatest jazz albums of all time. I only have a passing knowledge of jazz and wouldn't quibble with most of the honorees save for one glaring exception, number 87: Herb Albert & the Tijuana Brass, Whipped Cream & Other Delights. No way, Jose! As pleasant those insipid sounds might be, by no stretch of the imagination are they jazz. Years ago, when I worked in a record store, Albert's discs were found in the Easy Listening section, which is precisely where they belonged.

While I also question no. 46: George Gershwin's performance of Rhapsody in Blue (that work being an early example of "crossover," not jazz but a jazz-influenced "classical" composition), it certainly has far more jazz in it than "Tijuana Taxi."

Noted with Distress

Thomas More on praying, from The Sadness of Christ:

Would God we would sometime take so much pain, as soon as we have finished our prayers, as forthwith orderly to call to our remembrance again all things that have passed us in the while we seemed to pray. Lord, how foolish, how fond, and how filthy matters shall we many times there find? We would, I assure you, wonder how our mind could possibly in so short a space stray so much abroad into so many places so far severed asunder, and about so divers and sundry, so many and idle occupations. For if a man would even of purpose for a proof do his endeavour to occupy his thought upon as many and as manifold matters, as by any possibility he could devise, hardly could he, I trow, in so little a while think upon so many things, and so far distant asunder as our idle unoccupied mind wandereth about, while our tongue at adventure pattereth apace, upon our matins and evensong, and other accustomed prayers.

So true and so characteristic of our fallen nature: yet what else to do but keep at it, in the hope of doing a little better next time?

Noted with Distress

Thomas More on praying, from The Sadness of Christ:

Would God we would sometime take so much pain, as soon as we have finished our prayers, as forthwith orderly to call to our remembrance again all things that have passed us in the while we seemed to pray. Lord, how foolish, how fond, and how filthy matters shall we many times there find? We would, I assure you, wonder how our mind could possibly in so short a space stray so much abroad into so many places so far severed asunder, and about so divers and sundry, so many and idle occupations. For if a man would even of purpose for a proof do his endeavour to occupy his thought upon as many and as manifold matters, as by any possibility he could devise, hardly could he, I trow, in so little a while think upon so many things, and so far distant asunder as our idle unoccupied mind wandereth about, while our tongue at adventure pattereth apace, upon our matins and evensong, and other accustomed prayers.

So true and so characteristic of our fallen nature: yet what else to do but keep at it, in the hope of doing a little better next time?

Those Wacky WomynPriests, at it Again!

NJ woman ordained as a priest in controversial ceremony

It's tempting to snigger at the poor deluded soul you see in this video who now thinks she is a Catholic priest. In the end, however, it is more appropriate to feel sadness, for not only has she not been "ordained," she is automatically excommunicated for attempting it.

The video, from the Newark Star-Ledger, at least attempts to present both sides, thus is far better than most media accounts concerning shenanigans like this, which seem to take the stand anyone can become a Catholic priest, regardless what the Catholic Church might have to say about it. I do wish, though, the media would not use the word "controversial" to describe women's ordination in the Catholic Church, for to the Church, it is simply impossible: "the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women," thus is no more controversial than declaring pigs can't fly.

Those Wacky WomynPriests, at it Again!

NJ woman ordained as a priest in controversial ceremony

It's tempting to snigger at the poor deluded soul you see in this video who now thinks she is a Catholic priest. In the end, however, it is more appropriate to feel sadness, for not only has she not been "ordained," she is automatically excommunicated for attempting it.

The video, from the Newark Star-Ledger, at least attempts to present both sides, thus is far better than most media accounts concerning shenanigans like this, which seem to take the stand anyone can become a Catholic priest, regardless what the Catholic Church might have to say about it. I do wish, though, the media would not use the word "controversial" to describe women's ordination in the Catholic Church, for to the Church, it is simply impossible: "the Church has no authority whatsoever to confer priestly ordination on women," thus is no more controversial than declaring pigs can't fly.

Take 'Em Along for the Ride, Senator

Legacy crook Senator Christopher Dodd, apparently under the illusion he still stands a chance of re-election, yesterday in Connecticut took part in a slow-pitch softball game disguised as a public Q & A session. Not one of the many carefully screened questions gently tossed his way touched on the manifold scandals tarring his already dubious reputation. Eventually the charade came to an end and Dodd no doubt congratulated himself for pulling off the ruse.

Dodd is deluded, nobody but nobody believes him anymore, not even his pals in the Congress and White House. As soon as they can quantify the serious liability he is, the Democrats, following orders from on high, will dump him. George Bush was often accused of being overly loyal to subordinates in trouble; nobody will ever accuse Barack Obama of that.

Dodd is going down for sure but there's no reason for him not to have fun when that happens. The very moment he senses the Democrats are cutting him off, he should announce with as much fanfare he can muster he is changing his party affiliation to Republican (there's little difference between the two parties these days and he'll make a nice replacement for principle-free Arlen Specter, who recently pulled a similar stunt). Wheeler-dealer that he is, the dirt Dodd must have in his files on Democratic colleagues, accumulated after a thirty year career, must be staggering. Those colleagues' squirming will no doubt go a long way assuaging his bitterness at their betrayal.

Take 'Em Along for the Ride, Senator

Legacy crook Senator Christopher Dodd, apparently under the illusion he still stands a chance of re-election, yesterday in Connecticut took part in a slow-pitch softball game disguised as a public Q & A session. Not one of the many carefully screened questions gently tossed his way touched on the manifold scandals tarring his already dubious reputation. Eventually the charade came to an end and Dodd no doubt congratulated himself for pulling off the ruse.

Dodd is deluded, nobody but nobody believes him anymore, not even his pals in the Congress and White House. As soon as they can quantify the serious liability he is, the Democrats, following orders from on high, will dump him. George Bush was often accused of being overly loyal to subordinates in trouble; nobody will ever accuse Barack Obama of that.

Dodd is going down for sure but there's no reason for him not to have fun when that happens. The very moment he senses the Democrats are cutting him off, he should announce with as much fanfare he can muster he is changing his party affiliation to Republican (there's little difference between the two parties these days and he'll make a nice replacement for principle-free Arlen Specter, who recently pulled a similar stunt). Wheeler-dealer that he is, the dirt Dodd must have in his files on Democratic colleagues, accumulated after a thirty year career, must be staggering. Those colleagues' squirming will no doubt go a long way assuaging his bitterness at their betrayal.