In His Place IV Nameless faces surrounding me; All but one, that one I see. Mother, must you glimpse me now With mangled flesh and splintered brow? I cannot bear your presence here; Not you, O Woman, my mother dear. But you have come for me, you say; To inspire me in this disarray. “Fear […]
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is an advisory body to the European Union. Based in Strasbourg, France, PACE has more than three hundred delegates. Their pronouncements of human rights issues are highly influential within the E.U. Last month, PACE passed a resolution (No. 1859) that made a strong statement against euthanasia. […]
When asked to comment on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ rejection of the so-called HHS “accommodation,” White House Press Secretary, Jay Carney, said, “I would simply note with regard to the bishops that they never supported healthcare reform to begin with.” Apparently, either Mr. Carney’s memory is failing or his trousers are ablaze. […]
Al Mohler absolutely dismantles Nicholas Kristof in this new piece. The cause of this skewering? Kristof’s “Beyond Pelvic Politics” column in The New York Times. Mohler notes, After asking his most pressing question, “After all, do we really want to make accommodations across the range of faith?,” he makes this amazing statement: “The basic principle of American life is that we […]
From Damascus to Tehran, a test for world leadership is underway. Daily, the Syrian military—well-armed, highly trained thugs whose current mission is to keep dictator Bashar Assad in power—kills up to 200 or more of its own citizens. Protests from Washington, the withdrawal of the U.S. ambassador, and an effort to condemn Syria in the […]
This week a lot of tokens of affection were exchanged. There is certainly nothing wrong with that. I’m not going to begrudge anyone their cards, candy, and flowers. There’s even a time and place for diamonds. I’m quite fond of gifts that involve chocolate myself! But, it is important to realize that love, true love, […]
When it comes to the hot-button issue of abortion, there are some questions that make even the staunchest pro-lifer uncomfortable: What do you say to the woman who finds herself pregnant due to rape? What do you do with the adolescent girl who is impregnated by her father, brother, or uncle? What if it was […]
Perhaps the title is a bit alarmist. The decision by the state legislature to redefine marriage may not actually be the death of reason, but more evidence of it. What’s interesting is that a body of legislators who have, presumably, told their own children that “I want it” is not sufficient reason, have been completely bamboozled […]
Why is The Artist being showered with so many international awards (and most likely a few Oscars)? It’s all about bringing back the movie magic, which The Artist does. This black-and-white film focuses on visual storytelling, which is precisely what film is supposed to be. Anyone who has gone to film school will appreciate the […]
While there’s very little value in the daytime soaps, the more sophisticated versions that we find on PBS are most entertaining, the latest being Downton Abbey —and I readily admit to being a fan. We can pretend that we’re interested in the history, the décor or the period costumes, but really, it’s the turbulent plot […]
Resistance to a new bill aimed at limiting foreign law in Pennsylvania courts serves as a case study of how Islamists and their allies operate: peddling falsehoods about Shari’a, painting Muslims as victims, and denying that anyone seeks to institutionalize aspects of Islamic law — even as they vigorously promote that very agenda. With similar […]
Today on the news I heard a Catholic claim that the American bishops are out of tune with the times because of their opposition to the Health Care Mandate. I wanted to scream. The Church isn’t supposed to be in tune with the times. We’re supposed to be in tune with Jesus. The Church was […]
Ann Coulter was on The Sean Hannity Show with guest host Mark Simone today. She bragged about Romney, her candidate, winning the CPAC Straw Poll, and how she swayed the crowd. She pointed out the weaknesses of Rick Santorum in a recent interview with Chris Wallace: He always gets nervous about providing a sound bite that […]
It is always essential to go to the heart of the issue through prayer and discernment. Is President Obama’s smoke and mirrors “compromise” on health plan coverage to cover sterilization and contraception, including drugs that may cause abortion announced on February 10, 2012 going to result in any reduction whatsoever of contraception, sterilizations, and early […]
If you don’t know the power of a hug, then you are probably not having much success in your relationships. To hug is to heal. To be hugged is to be healed. To not hug is to deprive. I am not exaggerating when I say that hugs have the power to convert. A person having […]
You are a dummy if you do not friend the Blessed Mother, the best thing this side of God. Mary is the very bestest friend we could ever have. Yet, there are some out there who don’t even bother accepting her friendship. In general, Protestants don’t include her in their social circles but there are […]
Last week UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told African nations to repeal criminal laws that places sanctions on homosexual conduct and to stop discrimination because of sexual orientation or gender identity. Ban Ki-moon addressed the 54 African nations at the African Union Summit in Addis Ababa on January 29. He urged the countries in attendance […]
Ancient Ones Blue and green their globes of eyes, The hunting of the dragonflies, Hulls of crystal swivel, catch The swarms arising from a hatch Summon now the ancient ones, The falcons of the Permian, Great with rowing their wing spread, They loop and stitch the sun with thread But now in falls of yellow […]
Getting the U.S. economy back on a path to solid growth and the job creation engine jumpstarted is dominating the headlines, talk shows and policy debates in Washington right now. Many of the legislative prescriptions focus on the dismal unemployment woes of newly separated military veterans, whose rates outpace the civilian population. The troubling figures […]
Amidst the hoopla, cheers, and ear-piercing whistles of enthusiastic approval for Republican presidential nominees at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference, several themes emerged. The most important of these centered on the conflict between what may be titled American foundationalism versus contemporary progressivism. Foundationalism embodies a family of concepts ordered hierarchically from God, the Declaration […]
Nicki Minaj, fresh off looking like a fool with Madonna at the Super Bowl, showed up last night on the red carpet at the Grammys with a guy dressed like the pope. This was just a prelude of what was to come. Minaj’s performance began on stage with a mock confessional skit. This was followed […]
President Obama thought he picked a fight over birth control, one that his re-election campaign quickly touted to his supporters. Instead, he has united Catholics, Evangelicals, those who cherish religious freedom and the right to follow one’s conscience, and those who believe that children are a blessing, not a “punishment” (as Obama once called babies). […]
The American bishops have, with alacrity, rejected President Obama’s proposed “accommodation” on the contraception mandate in no uncertain terms. Their response came before the sun had set on the very day of his announcement. Noting that the “proposal continues to involve needless government intrusion in the internal governance of religious institutions, and to threaten government coercion of […]
The beginning of the New Year saw only an increase in the oppression of Christians under Islam, from Nigeria, where an all-out jihad has been declared in an effort to eradicate the Muslim north of all Christians, to Europe, where Muslim converts to Christianity are still hounded and attacked as apostates. According to the Chairman […]
