Where's the milk and honey?

I just got back into the country after being gone for three months, and I am heartbroken that the country is not flowing with milk and honey and is not a paradise! I thought Obama was going to fix everything. It's almost like you just can't belive what the media tells us to belive anymore. [snicker].

RS

Black History Month

A history lesson for Black History Month.



RS

Church issues bioethical document.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has issued a bioethical document addressing many of the current problems and trends in our present times.

It addresses things like:

- Embryonic and adult stem cell research

- Contraception, especially oral contraceptives

- Receiving vaccines which were derived from aborted fetuses

- In vitro fertilization and test tube babies.

- Frozen embryos.

- Gene therapy

- Human cloning

The document can be found here:

Dignitatis Personae (The Dignity of a Person) at the USCCB website. (document in pdf format)

A VERY important document for our times. President-elect Obama needs to read this if he's as open minded as he says he is.

It's also Providential to find the document on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who is the patroness of the unborn and who helped convert a nation which practiced human sacrifice. Maybe this document can be a help in converting our own nation of the Untied States from it's human sacrifice of abortion and euthanasia.

Our Lady of Guadlupe, ora pro nobis!


RS

Religious persecution and the rise of communism

Although there is a lot in the gloom and doom crowd who are fearing the complete supression of religion under Obama, I think we have to realize that we here in the United States are VERY blessed with religious freedom to the degree in which we have it. But in spite of what happens, I think all Catholics and other Christians need to ask ourselves: if religious persecution does happen, are we willing to stand up and sacrifice ourselves for the Truth? I think many of us fear increases in religious persecution because it might mean we would have to do something and put ourselves in the way of danger and stand up for our beliefs and convitions ... and really look at ourselves and see if we really believe our beliefs and are convicted about our convictions.

It reminds me of a friend of mine who was born in Cuba and was a small boy when the communist revolution there happened. He said that Catholics who had been going to daily Mass for years were suddenly persecuting the Church and handing over priests to be arrested. He ended up fleeing Cuba with his mother. I can tell you, the popularity of the Che Guevara icon and the pro-Cuba leanings of many in the entertainment industry drives him nuts.


Fr. Tim Finigan at The Hermeneutic of Continuity posted this video from the Don Camillo series in Italy, which should be a reminder that religious persecution has been pretty recent.



And communism is still a player in Italian politics. I took this photo in October of 2008 just outside of Norcia, Italy:


And, sadly, the Democratic party has been sliding down the path to socialism and communism as well, esepecially under Barak Obama. It's a slippery slope, and once a country falls under it's spell, it is hard to let it go. As momentous as the fall of communism was in the Soviet Union, there is a growing number of people in Russia who want communism back. People had become so dependant on the government, that they are willing to throw away liberties to have programs spoon fed to them by the government again.



Hopefully, our country can wake up from its morbid fascination with socialism and move back to freedom and responsibility.

RS

Election Results

Hmmm. I just wonder. Did the Democrats really win, or did the Republicans just really lose? I almost consider that there was a "liking" vacuum. I really wonder what the results would have been had those people who only voted against the Republicans because they hate Bush (even though he wasn't even running) hadn't voted. I often got the feeling that even some of the most vocal Obama supporters just needed someone to like and since Obama wasn't Bush, he was the guy.

I think the Republican party, and all conservatives, need to wake up and start being clearer about their views and more intelligent in their arguments. Well, I kind of take that back, not Republicans in general, but the Republicans who are actually running for office. They need to be more direct in addressing and forcing issues and more intelligent and direct in their explanation of the issues.

It's also disturbing to see that so many people voted in a racist or sexist way too. Not only people voting for Obama only because he's Black, but also people voting for McCain only because he chose a woman as a running mate. That's frustrating to me that people would not vote on issues but only on accidental appearances. Sad.

In my opinion this could be an odd blessing in disguise. I think this country has had some dangerous curiosity about socialism. I think even if McCain had been elected, it would have only delayed an inevitable Obama or Obama-like election. Maybe this will be the time where America will hopefully see that socialism is not good for the country, not good for the States, and not good for the individuals. I pray that the American people will see the bad fruit they have wrought, and realize that we need to stop this country from heading into a socialistic society based on our hedonistic desires. We weren't made to be slaves to our passions, and our society is already on that slippery slope. But, I'm not going to gloom and doom, I still think this country has the ability to open it's eyes and see just where our society is headed. I pray we can also have the fortitude as individuals to stop being selfish and to turn the country around.

Pleasure is the new opiate of the masses, and the Democrats promise and use that quite a bit. Sadly though, it does not lead to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but already to leading to death (abortion and euthanasia), slavery (to the passions in sex, homosexual activity, dependance on welfare and social programs, entertainment), and purusit of pleasures (at any cost, even life and liberty).

Well, life goes on, and so we must prepare to fight against anything that will hurt our country no matter which political "side" it comes from. I'd start with the Republican party getting it's act together over these next four years.

RS

Song for November 5th, 2008

This is for Ronny, who would like to sing this song to all those who voted for Obama.

"Head Like A Hole" by Nine Inch Nails

(sorry, couldn't find an embedable version of the video)

RS

Zombie Survival Test

Heh, I guess going through the whole Half-Life/Half-Life 2 series and watching "Shaun of the Dead" help. I'm going to need it to get through the Zobamabies. Found through Fr. Erik Richtsteig's blog



The scary thing is that I've imagined Obama singing the "RE Your Brains" song to me. It's a funny song if you've ever worked in corporate America and like zombie stuff. So head over to Jonathan Coulton's music page and listen to "RE Your Brains." Just go down to "Thing a Week Two" and the last song should be "RE Your Brains", then just click the "Hear" button. It'll be creepy picturing Obama singing it to you.

Note: It is a zombie song, so it does have some descriptions of how zombies attack.

RS

White suprimacists against Obama?

I saw an article in the news yesterday, which honestly surprised me.

Alleged white supremacist plot to kill Obama is foiled

I do not support racism, so my thoughts are just imagining what a white suprimacist would think. My conclusion was that if anything, white suprimacists should love to have Obama as president. Obama has the potential to kill more Blacks, Hispanics, and other minorities than the KKK has done in the last 100 years. Obama supports abortion "rights" so vehemently. And that support means lots and lots of funding for Planned Parenthood. I don't think it's any surprise that abortions are highest among poor minorities, and with Obama's push of things like the "Freedom of Choice Act" it will only increase how many abortions are being done, especially on poor minorities.

Many unborn girls will also be more likely to be aborted by those who hold "values" that they should have more boys than girls. Certain extremist Hindu and extremist Muslim sects, as well as some seculars, hold these views.

I just find it odd that given the views of white suprimacists, they would be against Obama. Because of his proposed legislation, millions of Blacks, Hispanics, and other minorities will die, which puts Obama's agenda of the legalization and encouragement of the killing of minorites in line with those of white supremacists.

For me, I refuse to support Obama's agenda to legalize abortion which hurts and ends human lives especially those of minorites and women. You don't think it does? Hang out in front of an abortion clinic sometime and see how happy all the people are who go in. See who goes in and see how they act. Everyone knows what is going on in there, they just refuse to face the truth.

May God have mercy on all their souls.

RS

Current most overused word in the media

"Slam"

I am so sick of seeing this word. You know it is overused and usually used in situations which really don't need that dramatic of a word.

"LOS ANGELES - A light rail train slammed into a bus near downtown during Friday morning's commute, injuring at least 13 people, fire officials said."

"Ike Slams Into Eastern Cuba; Thousands Begin Evacuating"

OK, maybe it's appropriate in those instances. But I see it everywhere, so I've become jaded to the word ... aside from it being annoying.

"Catholic Bishops Slam Pelosi On Abortion"

It's just getting ridiculous. I swear, any outside observer looking at US media coverage would think that the US Presidential election is actually decided by a tag-team wrestling match.

(story made with ACTUAL headlines)

This is the big tag team match! Obama and Biden are going up against McCain and Palin for the Heavyweight Presidential Championship of the United States of America!

OK, the two teams are in the ring. The referee has Obama and McCain step forward before the bell. OH! Before the bell rings, McCain is already in Obama's face, yelling. "IN 'POLICY SPEECH,' MCCAIN SLAMS OBAMA"

And the bell rings. But Obama quickly get's up and begins fighting back. It looks like Obama already has the upper hand. He moves in on McCain and ... WOW! "OBAMA SLAMS MCCAIN ON IRAQ FACTS" then he goes again! "Obama Slams McCain Over The Economy"!

Uh-oh, Palin doesn't like this ... she jumps into the ring. But Obama is ready and ... oh, Obama has them both and "Obama slams McCain camp ..." Palin crawls out of the ring back to the corner.

Obama makes a tag with Biden and now Biden is in the ring. He grabs McCain and "Biden Slams McCain on Economy"! Biden is playing to the fans.

But watch out, McCain is crawling to the corner. And Biden is not paying attention. Yes, McCain makes the tag! But Biden sees it in the nick of time and "Joe Biden Slams Sarah Palin on Down Syndrome Son, Stem Cell Research." Biden again plays to the crowd. Wait, what's this? Palin is up faster than he thought! She grabs Biden and "Sarah Palin Slams Biden on Energy; Drill, Drill, Drill!" Oh, she's pummeling him!

Obama tries to enter the ring! But, what!? It looks like, we have another player! Out of the crowd ... and he grabs a chair ... and is that, yes, it is! "Lindsay's dad slams Barack Obama" BOOM! And Obama is reeling.

After drilling Biden, Palin goes for the tag and McCain is back in the ring. And "McCain slams Biden in new Ad" Biden is motionless. McCain turns and taunts Obama! What's he saying? Oh, he points at Obama, laughs, picks up Biden and "McCain slams Biden VP pick" right to Obama's face!

Oh, we have other people running into the ring. I don't think the Dems liked that. Now, Hillary is running onto the floor. She jumps in the ring, and "Clinton Slams McCain On Farm Bill" but he gets right up and "McCain Slams Clinton for Support of Woodstock Concert Museum".

Then Palin jumps in too, and "Palin Slams Hillary For Her No Show"

Now the Republicans are getting some help. George Bush comes running in but Hillary sees him and "HILLARY SLAMS BUSH ON BIN LADEN

In fact Hillary is going nuts! She's attacking her own team and "Hillary Slams Obama Over Deceptive Ohio Mailers" Obama is furious, and "Obama slams Hillary on her gaffe about lobbyists"

Oh, it's complete chaos in here! We'll be back after this commercial break ...


Admit it, people would be much more interested in the elections if this were the way it was decided. LOL

Regarding this post, I can see it now: "Media outlets slam the Roman Sacristan for slamming the use of the word 'slam'"

RS

Abortion and Politics

The US Bishops have an excellent article addressing the issue of abortion and the political sphere in responding to Senator Biden's recent erroneous statements.

I recently had a small argument with a Catholic friend of mine who kept approaching the abortion issue from the angle of Church teaching. However, the abortion issue falls under natural law. Abortion isn't wrong just because the Church teaches it's wrong. Abortion is wrong because it is an intrinsic evil, that is, it is the termination of an innocent human life. Murder, the killing of an innocent human being, is something that all persons intrinsically know is wrong. The stage of development does not make a person any less human or alive. Thus the Church's teachings on abortion affirm this natural order. Abortion is not a religious issue per se, it is a human rights and justice issue.

Senator Biden was acting like abortion was an issue similar to the Immaculate Conception. A Catholic can't make laws that say everyone has to believe in the Immaculate Conception. But Catholics as well as any human person are obliged to follow the natural law and work to stop the killing of innocent human lives which happen in abortion. This is also why abortion is never morally permissible.

The US Bishop's article follows [with my emphasis]

Bishops Respond To Senator Biden’s Statements Regarding Church Teaching On Abortion

WASHINGTON—Cardinal Justin F. Rigali, chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Bishop William E. Lori, chairman, U.S. Bishops Committee on Doctrine, issued the following statement:

Recently we had a duty to clarify the Catholic Church’s constant teaching against abortion, to correct misrepresentations of that teaching by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on “Meet the Press” (see http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2008/08-120.shtml). On September 7, again on “Meet the Press,” Senator Joseph Biden made some statements about that teaching that also deserve a response.

Senator Biden did not claim that Catholic teaching allows or has ever allowed abortion. He said rightly that human life begins “at the moment of conception,” and that Catholics and others who recognize this should not be required by others to pay for abortions with their taxes.

However, the Senator’s claim that the beginning of human life is a “personal and private” matter of religious faith, one which cannot be “imposed” on others, does not reflect the truth of the matter. The Church recognizes that the obligation to protect unborn human life rests on the answer to two questions, neither of which is private or specifically religious.

The first is a biological question: When does a new human life begin? When is there a new living organism of the human species, distinct from mother and father and ready to develop and mature if given a nurturing environment? While ancient thinkers had little verifiable knowledge to help them answer this question, today embryology textbooks confirm that a new human life begins at conception (see www.usccb.org/prolife/issues/bioethic/fact298.shtml). The Catholic Church does not teach this as a matter of faith; it acknowledges it as a matter of objective fact.

The second is a moral question, with legal and political consequences: Which living members of the human species should be seen as having fundamental human rights, such as a right not to be killed? The Catholic Church’s answer is: Everybody. No human being should be treated as lacking human rights, and we have no business dividing humanity into those who are valuable enough to warrant protection and those who are not. This is not solely a Catholic teaching, but a principle of natural law accessible to all people of good will. The framers of the Declaration of Independence pointed to the same basic truth by speaking of inalienable rights, bestowed on all members of the human race not by any human power, but by their Creator. Those who hold a narrower and more exclusionary view have the burden of explaining why we should divide humanity into those who have moral value and those who do not and why their particular choice of where to draw that line can be sustained in a pluralistic society. Such views pose a serious threat to the dignity and rights of other poor and vulnerable members of the human family who need and deserve our respect and protection.

While in past centuries biological knowledge was often inaccurate, modern science leaves no excuse for anyone to deny the humanity of the unborn child. Protection of innocent human life is not an imposition of personal religious conviction but a demand of justice.

RS

Dear Nancy Pelosi

Saint Basil the Great on abortion:

"A woman who deliberately destroys a fetus is answerable for murder. And any fine distinction between its being completely formed or unformed is not admissible among us."

"Those who give potions for the destruction of a child conceived in the womb are murderers, as are those who take potions which kill the child. "

-Saint Basil the Great (A.D. 329-379)

RS

They have to vote McCain-Palin now

All those women who said they were voting for Hillary because she is a woman are now obligated to vote for McCain because of his vice-presidential choice.

I bet she likes grizzlies too. \o/

LOL.

RS

You don't think it's become a religion?

Time for some Monday levity.

I hate politics and most of the discussion thereof, but here's a rare post on it.

As much as it is a satire, it pretty much does describe many Obamaniacs' feelings (including the the media) ...


or is it just a trip into the head of Obama himself? Probably both. The irony is that liberals whine that religion should not be a part of politics. Yet, Obama supporters are often more fanatic than most religious.

Sacristan's bow to Mom & Dad for the tip for the video.



RS

Michael Moore and Lord of the Rings

Speaking of Michael Moore, how would he treat the Lord of the Rings?

Fellowship 9/11

(Thanks to ronny for originally pointing this out to me.)

RS

I've Been Sneaking Into China

Ha! Ha! Ha!
Apparently, I have been able to sneak into China. When I check my sitemeter, I occasionally get hits from several places in China:


even though my website is supposedly blocked by the Chinese government.


My Catholic Chinese brethren must be laughing about it!

"Ha! We can still see the Roman Sacristan's site!"
Our prayers are with you, Catholic brethren, keep the Faith!

RS

The other part of the Church's teaching on immigration

My Vatican Information Service newsletter on Wednesday contained a summary of the speech delivered by Archbishop Agostino Marchetto, secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, during the Global Forum on Migration and Development

It has the usual things about human rights, but there is one part that is not emphasized enough by many Church leaders:

"But rights and duties go together," he added. "Therefore, at the same time, migrants have the duty to respect the identity and the laws of the country of residence, strive for proper integration (not assimilation) into the host society and learn its language. They are to foster esteem and respect for their host country, even to the point of loving and defending it.

Living in Texas, I have seen much, much abuse of the immigration laws and have seen a lot of people who refuse to integrate (which is sad because it is to their own disadvantage).

Certainly, immigrants (even illegals) are humans, but the fact that they are humans means they also have the ability and duty to strive to not be a burden. It is a part of man's dignity to be able to work for his own sustinance. These people are not animals that we keep in a ghetto (or barrio) zoo. It's win-win if illegals use the proper channels to become legal and contribute to our country. There is a system that works (even if it can seem onerous. Unfortunately, there are many who don't bother with it. Again, it's only to their own disadvantage.

Yes, I have known illegals, and also those who have become citizens. I have seen the system work and I have seen the advantages of citizenship and integration firsthand. I have also lived in another country, so I know the difficulties of going to another country, culture, and language.

There's still opportunity here in the U.S., but you have to want to work for that opportunity.

Fr. Stephanos also has a good summary of what the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches about immigration:

What does the Church teach about immigrants?

RS

Prison culture

I just watched this series on a prison in California that focuses on hardcore gang members and leaders. Yet I always find the word "gang" to be rather misleading. Usually it just conjures up some image of a rag-tag group of thugs who just engage in street fights and turf wars. But these gangs are really more like super mafia or highly organized networks of crime. They are responsible for drug trafficing, high stakes robbery, violent crimes, assassinations, and the like.

Warning: Although it is a National Geographic show, it does have a bit of potentially graphic visuals.

Lockdown Gangland Pt 1


Lockdown Gangland Pt 2


Lockdown Gangland Pt 3


Lockdown Gangland Pt 4


Lockdown Gangland Pt 5


I found these videos pretty amazing. In spite of having this extremely tight security prison, with former Navy Seals acting as some of the guards, you have some of these inmates able to continue carrying on their work from within the prison itself.

Not only that, but the actual organization and discipline of some of these guys is actually amazing. Without wanting to sound too cliche, you wonder what these guys could do if they could use their powers for good instead of evil? That these guys would be able to be that ingenious and that disciplined to carry out not just crime outside the prison, but to have power struggles within the prison.

Even the "footsoldiers" who are just gang members have such discipline that they cannot get into a fight without permission from the upper ranks.

It eventually leads to the question of the death penalty. Much of the argumentation against it is that we now have prisons that attempt to reform the prisoner. But what about situations like this? When you have such hardened criminals, they not only resist reforming their lives, but actually go to prison to learn and hone their skills better, and continue to carry out extremely violent crimes from within the most secure parts of the prison.

A question is what happens to those who do leave their gangs. They are still serving life without parole. Still, those who have reformed have less of a case for the death penalty.

I won't go into costs, since I don't want to put a price on a man's life.

It is a difficult question. While I support the death penalty, on an emotional level I would never want to have to be on a jury deciding that myself. It is a difficult question in which you have to wonder if the concept of justice has been lost. What about the value of the life of the person who was murdered? From a religious standpoint: would it be better for a person to serve justice in this life so that they don't have to in the next? Difficult questions, but ones we need to look at intellectually rather than a strictly emotional level.

I would see the death penalty as being something only to be used in repeat murders or in cold blood. On the average, I don't think it would be necessary. However, what about these extreme cases, like those mentioned in the above, or those in the supermax prisons? And I especially ask this in light of the afterlife and God's justice.

RS

Hillary and the woorld of tommorow

The Hi-Tech Candidate needs spellchecker.

I'm suprised I haven't seen this on the blogosphere yet. I figure if the libs want to pick on Bush for little things, with equal rights we can laugh at them.

From the Daily Telegraph

Clinton's Hillarious spelling gaffe
June 01, 2007 12:00
POOR old Hillary Clinton - let down by a logo.

The presidential hopeful - in the running to be first female leader of the free world - was left looking like a goose during a speech to Silicon Valley technology business leaders in California.

Her podium, at the Applied Technologies University campus in Santa Clara, was framed by a backdrop featuring the large slogan "New jobs for tommorrow".

Yep, that's right, with an extra "M" in the middle of the last word.

According to a gushing report from the scene, "She quickly let her audience of some 150 Silicon Valley CEO's know that she was the hi-technology presidential candidate".

However, Ms Clinton clearly failed to impress upon them that she was the high-quality grammatical candidate.

And while they focus on new jobs for tomorrow, perhaps they should all concentrate on correct spelling for today.

RS

Scary statistics.

I saw this video over at youtube.com and on another blog that tracks trends. I find it rather naive.



It seems all neat and stuff. It's just like some scatterbrained, MTV, visual "can't we all just get along? ... Power to the people ... big government stinks ..."-fest.

Can't we all just get along?
Well, to put it bluntly, no. Many can get along, but there are also many who just can't. This video even proves it.

Go back and watch it again, this time pay attention to the statistics. Yes, technically, a majority of people want peace. But, those statistics should be rather alarming.

Commentary:

"Are we that different?"
Well, we're human, so we obviously care about those whom we love and are sad when they are hurt or killed. But, yes, there are vastly different cultures and very different perspectives on things.

Ok, check out these statistics, straight from the video:
"65% of Egyptians want democracy" (that's a majority, right?)
"74% of Jordanians want democracy" (that's a majority, right?)
"81% of Europeans want Middle East Peace"
"87% of Americans want Middle East Peace"
"67% of Israelis want real Middle East peace talks now."
"62% of Palistinians want real Middle East peace talks now."

Let's look at the other side of the coin.

According to the video:
35% of Egyptians don't want democracy ... 1 out of every 3 people don't want it.
26% of Jordanians don't want democracy ... 1 out of every 4 people don't want it.
19% of Europeans don't want Middle East Peace ... 1 out of every 5 people don't want it.
13% of Americans don't want Middle East Peace ... just over 1 out of every 10 people don't want it.
33% of Israelis don't want peace talks ... 1 out of every 3 people don't want it.
38% of Palistinians don't want peace talks ... 1 out of every 3 people don't want it.

That's alot of people who don't want these things.

"Global Public Opinion is the New Super Power."
Oh great, when did opinion decide reality? Mob rule? No thanks. I thought reason was used to observe and understand reality.

The problem is that over in the Middle East there are still many who don't want peace. Well, they want peace, but that will only happen in their minds when the other side is dead or overthrown. And those people don't give a damn about who is in office or your personal opinion. Do you really think you can just get everyone to just stop fighting? Sheesh.
I'm sure a vast majority of Iraqis want peace if not democracy. But, I really don't see the extreme Muslim rebels listening to them ... in fact they are terrorizing them.

RS

Saint Christopher Magallanes and Companions

Today is the Feast of Saint Chrisophter Magallanes and Companions.

Now, I have to admit, I had never heard of these Saints. And now I realized why. These Saints have only recently been raised to the altar by Pope John Paul II on May 21, 2000. And they were inserted into the universal calendar of the Church in the new 2002 edition of the Missale Romanum.

With a hat tip to Carolina Canonball over at The Crescat, I found out that Saint Christopher and Companions were a part of the Cristero rebellion in Mexico. This brings these Saints a little bit closer to home for me being in Texas and having a parishoner who has a great devotion to the Mexican Martyrs of the Cristeros rebellion, so much so that he taught himself Spanish just to be able to go to Mexico to learn more about the Cristeros. If you haven't heard of them, you might be more familiar with one of the more popular Martyrs of that movement, Blessed Miguel Pro.

I don't think many people realize that Mexico went through a Communist revolution and that the Catholic Church was suppressed to the point of the government putting priests and religious to death. Eventually the Cristeros formed and fought back against the government.

You can learn more about Saint Christopher (or Cristobal) Magallanes and Companions at Carolina Canonball's post and at the Patron Saint Index.

I also give a hat tip to Matt at Absolutely No Spin for bringing to my attention a Google Video about the Cristeros.

As a warning, there is a bit of foul language in it (subtitled). However, it gives a bit more history of some of the battles of the Cristeros and even covers the story of Saint Jose Sanchez del Rio, a young boy who was martyred during this time (and was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI on November 20, 2005).



RS