Happy Hanukkah (or Chanukah)


Hanukkah, is the eight day long Festival of Lights, and is one of the most joyous times of the Jewish year. The reason for the celebration is twofold (both dating back to 165 BC):


■The miraculous military victory of the small, ill-equipped Jewish army (Maccabees) over the ruling Greek Syrians, who had banned the Jewish religion and desecrated the Temple;

■The miracle of the small cruse of consecrated oil, which burned for eight days in the Temple’s menorah instead of just one.

The celebration is not only the Festival of Lights to commemorate the oil lasting for eight days instead of just one, but also the Feast of Dedication inasmuch as the Temple was rededicated after its destruction. (John 10:22) Chanukah means dedication. It commemorates the day the Holy Temple (this was the second temple) was re-dedicated after the defeat of Antiochus. The war was fought because King Antiochus marched into Judea with his soldiers and wanted all the Jews either to be killed, or to become Hellenists (a religion that includes mostly Greek customs, along with some Jewish customs).

Antiochus made terrible laws against the Jews which prevented them from following most of their customs. A statue of Antiochus was erected in the Jewish temple and the Jews were ordered to bow down before it. The Ten Commandments forbid Jews to worship statues or idols so they refused. Antiochus, the Syrian King and his army destroyed the Jewish Temple almost completely, and put pigs (which Jews are not allowed to eat) and idols all around it and stole holy vessels. A small group of Jews called Maccabees rebelled and after a three year war they recaptured Jerusalem from the Syrians. The Temple was all but destroyed.

The Jews had to clean and repair the Temple, and when they were finished they rededicated it to God. They did this by lighting the lamp (Menorah) – which was a symbol of God’s presence. Only one small jar of oil was found, enough to last only one day, but miraculously the lamp stayed alight for eight days. Hanukkah is not one of the larger Jewish Holy Days, but it is a joyous celebration nonetheless and falls close to the Christmas season nearly every year.

O ANTIPHONS BEGIN TODAY

The O Antiphons are Magnificat antiphons used at Vespers of the last seven days of Advent in various liturgical Christian traditions.

Each antiphon is a name of Christ, one of his attributes mentioned in Scripture. They are:
December 17: O Sapientia (O Wisdom)

December 18: O Adonai (O Lord)

December 19: O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse)

December 20: O Clavis David (O Key of David)

December 21: O Oriens (O Dayspring)

December 22: O Rex Gentium (O King of the nations)

December 23: O Emmanuel (O God is with Us)

In the Roman Catholic tradition, the O Antiphons are sung or recited at Vespers from December 17 to December 23 inclusive (but see note below on alternative English usage).

In the Church of England they have traditionally been used as antiphons to the Magnificat at Evening Prayer during this period, and although not printed in the Book of Common Prayer, have long been part of secondary Anglican liturgical sources, such as the English Hymnal. More recently they have found a place in primary liturgical documents throughout the Anglican Communion, including the Church of England's Common Worship liturgy.

Use of the O Antiphons also occurs in many Lutheran churches. In the Book of Common Worship published by the Presbyterian Church (USA), the antiphons can be read as a praise litany at Morning or Evening Prayer.

The hymn O come, O come, Emmanuel (in Latin, Veni Emmanuel) is a lyrical paraphrase of these antiphons.


The first letters of the titles taken backwards form a Latin acrostic of "Ero Cras" which translates to "Tomorrow, I will come", mirroring the theme of the antiphons.

Over the past month we have seen crazy examples of people showing up in Congressmen’s offices, in malls, and parks who decide to “Occupy” the space in the name of economic equality (or any other number of reasons).




But St. Raymond, a Catholic church in Downey California, decided to ‘Co-Opt’ the Occupy theme and hold an “Occupy Christmas” Flash Mob at Stonewood, a local shopping mall.



This event may not be earth shattering news, but a religious flash mob held in a mall in uber progressive California is definitely something you don’t see everyday.

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Msg to atheists: Don't cross this Tennessee town

Several years ago, the residents of Whiteville raised money to erect a large cross atop the town's water tower. An atheist group has sued a small town in Tennessee over a cross on a city water tower.Freedom From Religion Foundation objected, and finally Mayor James Bellar had one arm of the cross removed.

"As a result of what they had done to Whiteville, the people in Whiteville just more or less took it upon themselves to start a campaign to put crosses up all over this part of Tennessee that they could," the mayor explains. "And it's just been like a crusade down here with people making crosses and sticking 'em in their yard, putting 'em on sides of buildings, and everything else."

In front of city hall, citizens placed two other crosses on the right of way and the mayor put up a cross outside his business. That action made the atheist group angry, so they filed suit on behalf of a lone atheist.

"[In] the letters that I received originally, this person was identified as a 'Whiteville resident and taxpayer,'" says Bellar. "In the lawsuit, that person has now morphed into a 'John Doe who occasionally comes to Whiteville to transact business.'"

In short, it is one atheist trying to shut down the speech of the town's majority who happen to be Christian. Mayor Bellar says the town will not stand for it and will defend itself against the lawsuit.

Complacency is the Enemy of Faith

December 13th is St. Lucy Day, or Lucia, in Sweden. Lucia morning is celebrated in practically every Swedish home, and every community, office, school or club chooses a Lucia, who - dressed in a white gown and with a crown of candles in her hair - brings a tray of coffee, traditionally shaped saffron rolls, and ginger biscuits. Lucia sometimes serves glögg, a mulled wine. She is generally accompanied by a train of white-clad attendants, the girls wearing glitter in their hair and the boys wearing tall paper cones with stars on them. All sing the traditional Lucia carols.

ZENIT - Eucharistic Adoration Takes Off in Lebanon

ZENIT - Eucharistic Adoration Takes Off in Lebanon

Pope confirms Cuba, Mexico visits on Guadalupe feast :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Pope confirms Cuba, Mexico visits on Guadalupe feast :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Pope says focus on Jesus, not pre-Christmas distractions :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Pope says focus on Jesus, not pre-Christmas distractions :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

70% Prefer 'Merry Christmas' Over 'Happy Holidays' on Store Signs
Holiday shoppers, as they have for several years, would prefer to be greeted with signs reading “Merry Christmas” rather than “Happy Holidays” this season.


The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American Adults shows that 70% prefer that stores use signs that say “Merry Christmas.”

'Live Nativity Scene' to Be Displayed at Supreme Court, Capitol Building


The Christian Defense Coalition and Faith and Action are publicly sharing the message of Christmas this season by sponsoring a live nativity scene in front of the United States Supreme Court.


Part of “The Nativity Project,” a nationwide campaign that seeks to bring the focus of Christmas back to Jesus Christ, the display not only hopes to proclaim the powerful message of the Gospel but also celebrate religious freedom, countering the hostility toward public expressions of faith.


“Sadly, we are seeing an erosion and hostility toward public expressions of faith in the public square. This is especially true during the Christmas season,” said the Rev. Patrick Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition, in a statement.


“'The Nativity Project' is a reminder that our Constitution provides freedom 'of' religion not freedom 'from' religion. By encouraging people of good will to publicly display Nativity Scenes all across America, we are not only supporting religious liberty and First Amendment freedoms but we are loudly proclaiming the powerful message of Christmas.”


Mahoney additionally told The Christian Post that his group hopes to proclaim a message of hope and peace as well. “Peace on earth. Good will toward man.” That was the message that needed to be heard now, more than ever he believed.


“The Nativity Project” was first organized by a number of Christians in Boise, Idaho, who were troubled by the fact that manger scenes were no longer displayed in front of the City Hall and State Capitol.


“Sadly this has been occurring with frequency around the country,” Mahoney lamented. “Cities and states faced with potential legal action and negative court decisions regarding the public display of nativity Scenes have decided to refrain from setting them.”


Praying and searching for creative ways to publicly display nativity scenes, faith organizations discovered a unique and exciting approach to address the problem.


Not using any public funds, which courts have cited as a violation of the Establishment Clause when setting up nativity displays, The Christian Defense Coalition and Faith and Action applied for a permit to set up nativity scenes in front of public areas like the Supreme Court and Capitol Building.


Individual citizens and groups were allowed to apply for permits to set up nativity scenes in places like City Halls, State Capitol Buildings, courts, town squares and other public areas.


“No public funds are being used and the courts have allowed these displays to move forward,” the ordained minister from Virginia explained.


Volunteers from both faith organizations will be acting the parts in the live nativity skit, which will take place on Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 10:30 a.m. in Washington, D.C. and at the Fox News studios in New York City on Thursday.


“The traditional crèche, portraying Mary, Joseph and the Christ Child, along with angels, shepherds, Wise Men and animals, remind us of what Christmas is all about,” the Rev. Rob Schenck, president of Faith and Action, added in the statement.

News Now Clips Mighty merry for the holidays

News Now Clips Mighty merry for the holidays

Some words of advice for poor Rick Perry...that guy just can't catch a break...just when he seemed to be improving in the debates too...

Every man is a damned fool for at least five minutes every day. Wisdom consists in not exceeding the limit. -Elbert Hubbard, author, editor, printer (1856-1915)from Wordsmith.org

Full moon tonight

November 10th

Full Beaver Moon

3:16 pm

Full Beaver Moon – November This was the time to set beaver traps before the swamps froze, to ensure a supply of warm winter furs. Another interpretation suggests that the name Full Beaver Moon comes from the fact that the beavers are now actively preparing for winter. It is sometimes also referred to as the Frosty Moon.

WOW...AS SOON AS I HEARD OF THIS MIRACLE LANDING...OCCURING AS IT DID IN POLAND AND ON ALL SAINTS' DAY...I THOUGHT THAT JP HAD A HAND IN IT.

Poland, that miracle landing attributed to the Blessed John Paul II


An Aircraft during landing

On All Saints Day an aircraft with 230 passengers manages to land without a cart. On board there was a priest who was carrying with him the remains of John Paul II. The media and the web talk of a “miracle”
Monday, November 1, All Saints Day, an aircraft of the LOT Polish airlines, a Boeing 767 from Newark in the U.S., managed to land at Okęcie airport in Warsaw without a cart. More than 230 passengers and eleven members of the crew came out unscathed from this highly risky operation, which took place in Poland for the first time. Merit was immediately attributed to Commander Tadeusz Wrona, a pilot with fifteen thousand flight hours, many of which at the helm of similar aircraft. Not even twenty-four hours after this happy event, however, talk of a miracle was going around. Father Piotr Chyła, a Redemptorist who was returning home from America was on board that plane. The priest was carrying with him the remains of John Paul II, but he never wanted to specify exactly what remains they were. Despite his repeated statements he did not want to attribute the salvation to the blessed Pope, the media and internet now do not talk about anything else.
On the occasion of the liturgical memorial of the Blessed John Paul II, celebrated for the first time last October 22, the agency KAI of the Polish episcopate calculated that there are seventy among churches and chapels that possess his relics. Apart from the mortal remains, buried in the basilica of St. Peter, undivided as was thought at first (the bishop Tadeusz Pieronek recklessly announced in April 2008 the arrival of the Polish Pope's heart, to be placed in the cathedral of the castle Wawel in Krakow), this is blood and hair, which being part of his body, are considered first class, while objects once used by the Blessed, such as robes, miter and pastoral belong to the second. As emphasized by the KAI, the relics of blood and hair of the blessed are dispensed by his two former Secretaries: Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, archbishop of Krakow, and Monsignor Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki, Latin archbishop of Lviv in Ukraine.

According to a release from the Vatican press office issued on April 26 this year, just days before the beatification of the Polish pope, “during the last days of the illness of the Holy Father, the medical staff performed blood tests, to be made available at the Blood Transfusion Centre of the Bambino Gesu Hospital in view of a possible transfusion ... However, the transfusion did not take place and the blood collected was stored in four small containers. Two of these were available to the private secretary of Pope John Paul II, Cardinal Dziwisz; the other two remained at the Bambino Gesu Hospital”. In Poland the date this blood was collected is given as - April 2, 2005, but word has it that there was another collection done at the Gemelli hospital “before the tracheotomy”, that is, in February of that year (but some say that it was collected after the intervention).

Now this makes me shiver...what do you think he was seeing...could it have been our Lord and Saviour?

Steve Jobs' Final Words Revealed by Biological Sister...Published October 30, 2011


Mona Simpson, an author and biological sister of Steve Jobs, said her brother’s final words were “Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow,” in an Oct. 16 eulogy she delivered that was published Sunday in The New York Times.

Simpson remembered the man she first learned about when she was 25, living in New York and working at a small literary magazine. A lawyer had informed her that she had a rich and famous long-lost brother.


The two met, and a relationship emerged.
Simpson, now a novelist and professor at the University of California, remembered her brother being simple but true, a hard worker who didn't flinch at the idea a failing and never bought into gimmicks.

“If he loved a shirt, he’d order 10 or 100 of them,” she said at the Oct.16 service at Stanford University. “In the Palo Alto house, there are probably enough black cotton turtlenecks for everyone in this church.”

She also recalled his philosophy on life: “Fashion is what seems beautiful now but looks ugly later; art can be ugly at first but it becomes beautiful later.”

Jobs, in Simpson’s view, was a romantic, who would often worry about his coworker’s love lives and was a consummate matchmaker. “He believed that love happened all the time, everywhere,” she said.

Jobs eventually grew ill.

The Apple Inc. co-founder died of respiratory arrest resulting from pancreatic cancer that had spread to other organs at age 56 surrounded by family members. Apple did not disclose his cause of death, but Jobs had been in poor health for a number of years.

“Eventually, even ordinary pleasures, like a good peach, no longer appealed to him,” she recalled.

Simpson remembered his final moment, with Jobs glancing toward his family.

“Before embarking, he’d looked at his sister Patty, then for a long time at his children, then at his life’s partner, Laurene, and then over their shoulders past them,” she recalled. “Steve’s final words were, Oh wow. Oh wow. Oh wow.”

STORIES YOU WON'T HEAR ABOUT IN THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA...

200,000 hit U.S. streets -- for Virgin Mary


Queen of the Public Square

As many as 200,000 Americans took to the streets on October 15 and “occupied” thousands of public squares nationwide to voice their concerns about the nation’s future. Such an outpouring of public sentiment should have been enough to attract the attention of any decent media.


However, that was not the case. These Americans were not the angry squatters at Zuccotti Park near Wall Street in New York City. Rather, they were Americans proudly praying in over 7,500 public squares all across America asking God’s assistance in resolving the nation’s grave moral problems.

The Public Square Rosary Rally campaign is coordinated by the America Needs Fatima [1] campaign of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP). It has been held every October for the last five years as an appeal for divine assistance facing our anti-Christian culture.

Peaceful and Legal Rally

As a participant in the rosary rally on Fifth Avenue in New York City, I could not help being struck by the contrast between two opposing camps — the Public Square Rosary Rallies and the Occupy Wall Street Movement. I was hardly shocked by the corresponding media coverage.

Our rally peacefully and legally “occupied” the sidewalk in front of Rockefeller Center across from St. Patrick’s Cathedral. There is probably no more conspicuous place in all America as tens of thousands daily walk down those busy sidewalks.

Our demonstration of faith was extremely edifying as those present were comforted by the fact that they were joined by so many other rallies all over the country. Actually, there were probably well over a hundred rallies within the New York metropolitan area. There were forty in the Bronx alone. One participant at our symbolic rally on Fifth Avenue told me that all her friends had gone to local rallies. The idea of local organization was so strong that one local rally captain insisted on holding a separate rally within earshot of our own.

Joy and Faith

Participants were from all walks of life: strong in their faith and determined to give public witness that human solutions are not enough. I was impressed by how they almost shouted out their Hail Marys over the din of the busy street and knelt on the sidewalk without human respect. A few passersby would pray a Hail Mary or two while others even joined the crowd for the entire event. The bagpipes echoed up and down the concrete canyon to the strains of “Hail Holy Queen Enthroned Above.” The effect was electrifying as one felt as if Our Lady were actually queen of the public square for at least a short time.

What impressed me most was the calm and joy of the participants who sensed the importance of what they were doing. They were publicly appealing to a higher authority asking our Blessed Mother to come to our aid. As a result, a palpable blessing came over the rally.

At times the wind would blow intensely making it difficult to hold the American flag and the four TFP standards. At other times, the wind calmed down and the sun would illuminate the crowd almost as if Our Lady was smiling upon our efforts.

Everything about the rally reflected beauty, calm and order. Everyone left with the impression that our prayers were heard. We felt new resolve to continue fighting in the public square against an anti-Christian culture.

Anti-Rosary Rally

On the other side of the city, Occupy Wall Street protesters raged. It could not be more contrary to our own rally. In fact, after the public square rosary, I went to Zuccotti Park to see what Occupy Wall Street was all about. I found an anti-rosary rally.

The climate was one of deliberate chaos and agitation. Tribal drums beat out their message as the protesters sat and stood around the perimeter of the small park with primitive cardboard signs championing every leftist, ecological or sexual cause imaginable and unimaginable. A Woodstock atmosphere pervaded amid the tarps and sleeping bags that littered the once clean sidewalks and well-kept lawns of the privately owned park.


What impressed me was not so much the uncleanliness of the place (although it was aggressive); it was not even the wildly contradictory messages that the different protesters presented. Rather it was the agitated spirit of revolt that permeated the whole area. This spirit would manifest itself in displays of resentment, bitterness or even a veiled politeness on the part of those there. It would erupt into outright hatred as in the case I saw of a street preacher upon whom the protesters heaped abuse and insults. Earlier it had erupted in violent clashes with the police.

I could not help but think how different these people — united in revolt — were from those who had just been united in prayer.



Throughout it all, the media that could not see 7,500 “invisible” public square rosary rallies flocked to Zuccotti Park, seemingly eager to turn this motley assembly into revolutionaries of a pseudo-class struggle using a script straight out of Marx’s Communist Manifesto.

Prayers Not in Vain

It was a relief to leave the park and head back home. I was comforted by thinking of all the rosary rallies that had taken place. Our peaceful and legal “occupation” of 7,500 public squares dwarfed the efforts of these wannabe revolutionaries who have unsuccessfully tried to build enthusiasm by holding gatherings in places outside New York City.

Judging from media reports, I calculated that the nearly 200,000 Americans who turned to God in the public square probably outnumbered these poor partisans of the left by over three to one. The media did not take note of our efforts, but millions of American passersby did. Above all, God took note.

I was also comforted by the conviction that these prayers were not in vain. Our Lady at Fatima predicted her triumph over communism in all of its many forms. If we continue to pray, fight for our culture and oppose socialism , she will not fail to come to our aid.

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

one great principle of truth: Marriage is the union of husband and wife because children long for their mother and father.

Da Mihi Animas: Agnus Dei by Jotta A

Da Mihi Animas: Agnus Dei by Jotta A

The Netherlands to Abandon Multiculturalism

The Netherlands to Abandon Multiculturalism

The Call of Matthew According to Caravaggio

The Call of Matthew According to Caravaggio

Ember Days in the 21st century


Once not so long ago, this coming Wednesday (Sept. 21) would be marked as a day of fasting and abstinence. So would Friday, Sept. 23, and Saturday, Sept. 24. The church marks these three days as the fall Ember Days.

Although the fall Ember Days are marked as the first Wednesday following the Exaltation of the Cross (Sept. 14), they are inextricably tied to the fall equinox.

The winter, spring and summer Ember Days also occur at or around the seasonal equinoxes.



The winter Ember Days begin the first Wednesday following the Feast of St. Lucy (Dec. 13). The spring Ember Days begin on the Wednesday following Ash Wednesday. And the summer Ember Days begin the Wednesday after Pentecost.

Although they were fixed by Pope Gregory VII, their origins predate Christianity as a sacred time for marking the seasons.

I have felt for some time that we as a church, by our recent neglect of Ember Days, have lost an opportunity to connect ritually with those sacred rhythms of creation.


Given the psychic/spiritual cost of our contemporary era's alienation from those rhythms, I believe we need a revival of the potential power of Ember Days for the 21st century. Unlike our ancestors, we really don't ritualize the mysterious changing of the seasons and their relationship to the cycle of life.

About four years ago I gathered some of the folk from the Worship Commission and artists of our parish of St. Elizabeth to brainstorm some practices that we as a parish community could observe to rekindle a sense of the Sacred in terms of the great annual movement of the cosmos.












In addition to the traditional forms of fasting and abstinence, we challenged our community to some of the following methods of reconnection as part of the Ember Day observance. Following are some suggested practices we put out to our parishioners.

Fall-Tithe your grocery shopping during that period to a local food depot. Or volunteer for a soup kitchen.



Winter-Fast from electricity for one day. Limit yourself to only necessary cooking and driving. Take the phone off the hook. Have dinner by candlelight (with everyone present since no one drives that night). Go for a walk (weather permitting). Turn off the computer, television, cell phone and all electronic devices. Read a good book or have a good conversation. Go to bed at an early hour -- easy to do when the only source of lighting is by candle or fire in the fireplace.



Spring-Plant a seed (flower or vegetable) in a cup. Nurture that seed and transfer that seed out of doors when the weather permits.Go for walk at night and try to do some stargazing.



Summer-Spend at least a few hours sometime during the three Ember Days at a park, hiking or some other quiet place of solitude.

These are just a few of the ideas with which we came up. And any of these practices can be celebrated at any of the solstices (i.e. electricity fast).

What are some creative rituals you may suggest to re-engage our connection with the sacred rhythm of the Mystery of the changing season? How might you suggest your revival of Ember Days?

The Miracle of St. Januarius

Every year on September 19 (today), thousands of people assemble at the cathedral in Naples to witness the miracle of the blood of Saint Januarius. This miracle has occurred annually since AD 1389.

Saint Januarius was the bishop of Naples and received the palm of martyrdom under Diocletian's persecution of the Catholic Church (ca. AD 303).


Somehow samples of the martyr's blood were acquired and stored in a small vial. Today, this vial contains a dark reddish dried residue.


On the feastday, the archbishop of Naples holds up the reliquary containing the blood and shows that the vials contain the dry and solid remains of blood. Next, the archbishop places the reliquary on top of the altar of Saint Clare along with the bones of the saint.

The people begin to pray and shout and then the blood begins to liquify. The archbishop then moves the reliquary around to show that the once solid contents are not liquid . The Neapolitans commemorate the miracle with a 21 gun salute. The liquified blood remains in the vial on the altar for 8 days.

Rex Murphy: The media’s love affair with a disastrous president
Since 2008, much of the Obama coverage has been nothing more than orchestrated sychophancy.


As the bad economic news continues to emanate from the United States — with a double-dip recession now all but certain — a reckoning is overdue. American journalism will have to look back at the period starting with Barrack Obama’s rise, his assumption of the presidency and his conduct in it to the present, and ask itself how it came to cast aside so many of its vital functions. In the main, the establishment American media abandoned its critical faculties during the Obama campaign — and it hasn’t reclaimed them since.




Much of the Obama coverage was orchestrated sychophancy. They glided past his pretensions — when did a presidential candidate before “address the world” from the Brandenberg Gate in Berlin? They ignored his arrogance — “You’re likeable enough, Hillary.” And they averted their eyes from his every gaffe — such as the admission that he didn’t speak “Austrian.”


The media walked right past the decades-long association of Obama with the weird and racist pastor Jermiah Wright. In the midst of the brief stormlet over the issue, one CNN host — inexplicably — decided that CNN was going to be a “Wright-free zone.” He could have hung out a sign: “No bad news about Obama here.”


The media trashed Hillary. They burned Republicans. They ransacked Sarah Palin and her family. But Obama, the cool, the detached, the oracular Obama — he strolled to the presidency.


Palin, in particular, stands out as Obama’s opposite in the media’s eyes. As much as they genuflected to the one, they felt the need to turn rotweiler toward the other. If Obama was sacred , classy, intellectual and cosmopolitan, why then Palin must be malevolent, trashy, dumb and pure backwoods-ignorant.


Every doubt they hid from themselves about Obama, every potential embarrassment they tucked under the blanket of their superior sensibilities, they furiously over-compensated for by their remorseless hounding of Palin — from utterly trivial e-mails, to blogger Andrew Sullivan’s weird speculations about Palin’s womb, musings that put the Obama “Birther” fantasies into a realm near sanity. (We are now seeing an echo of that — with a new book promoting all sorts of unconfirmed gossip about Palin, including her alleged sexual dalliance with a basketball star.)


As a result, the press gave the great American republic an untried, unknown and, it is becoming more and more frighteningly clear, incompetent figure as President. Under Obama, America’s foreign policies are a mixture of confusion and costly impotence. It is increasingly bypassed or derided; the great approach to the Muslim world, symbolized by the Cairo speech, is in tatters. Its debt and deficits are a weight on the entire global economy. And the office of presidency is less and less a symbol of strength.


To the degree the press neglected its function as watchdog and turned cupbearer to a styrofoam demigod, it is a partner in the flaws and failures of what is turning out to be one of the most miserable performances in the modern history of the American presidency.


National Post

Western, Muslim societies ‘irreconcilable’: Canadian poll


56% of respondents in a new Leger Marketing poll see Western and Muslim societies locked in an unending ideological struggle.

A majority of Canadians believes conflict between Western nations and the Muslim world is “irreconcilable,” according to a new national survey that revealed a strong strain of pessimism in the country leading up to Sunday’s 10th anniversary commemorations of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S.

 The survey of 1,500 Canadians, conducted over three days last week for the Montreal-based Association for Canadian Studies, showed 56% of respondents see Western and Muslim societies locked in an unending ideological struggle, while about 33% — just one-third of the population — held out hope that the conflict will eventually be overcome.Another 11% of those polled didn’t answer the question.

ACS executive director Jack Jedwab said the finding has “serious ramifications” for Canadian policies aimed at bridging divides between cultures, which are based on the premise that citizens believe significant progress in mending such religious and cultural conflicts is achievable.

The dark view expressed in the survey “contradicts a fundamental idea in multicultural democracies like ours, that conflicts between societies can be resolved through dialogue and negotiation,” said Jedwab. “This is also a key element in multiculturalism, where Canada is often seen elsewhere in the world as a model in conflict resolution.”

He adds: “If a majority of Canadians feel it is irreconcilable, what does this imply for the various projects and programs in place that aim to bridge gaps?”

The online survey, carried out Sept. 6 to 8 by the firm Leger Marketing, is considered accurate to within 2.9 percentage points 19 times out of 20.

The results also confirm the findings of other recent surveys highlighting Canadians’ ongoing anxiety about the state of security in the post-9/11 world and their deep doubts about whether the long and bloody war in Afghanistan has done much to thwart the threat of terrorism.

In fact, 65% of respondents in the ACS survey said they don’t believe the world is safer from terrorists today than it was 10 years ago. And 70% of those surveyed said they don’t believe the war in Afghanistan has reduced the chances of terrorist attacks.

Jedwab said the “pessimistic feeling” about what the war has accomplished is likely linked to the “widespread hopelessness” about the prospects for ever resolving the deep-rooted, “ideological” conflict between Muslim and Western societies.

Many Canadians have come to believe “nothing will work” to end that conflict, said Jedwab, adding that this grim state of mind will require more scrutiny to fully understand and more carefully crafted public policies to rebuild a sense of optimism about the future of global relations.

The survey did offer one notable “ray of hope,” Jedwab suggested, pointing to a result showing that a slight majority of Canadians (52%) believe it would be wrong for airport security officials to do “extra checks” of “passengers who appear to be of Muslim background.”

While 39% of respondents were open to that kind of profiling, Jedwab interpreted the majority’s rejection of the practice as a sign that most Canadians realize such infringements “would make the purportedly irreconcilable conflict even deeper if the enshrined principles of our rights charters are to be disregarded.”

Coming+This+Month+to+U.S.+Public+Television+-+plus+EWTN+and+more.++Read+in+NEWS.

Coming+This+Month+to+U.S.+Public+Television+-+plus+EWTN+and+more.++Read+in+NEWS.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper says 'Islamicism' biggest threat to Canada


In an exclusive interview with CBC News, Prime Minister Stephen Harper says the biggest security threat to Canada a decade after 9/11 is Islamic terrorism.

In a wide-ranging interview with CBC chief correspondent Peter Mansbridge that will air in its entirety on The National Thursday night, Harper says Canada is safer than it was on Sept. 11, 2001, when al-Qaeda attacked the U.S., but that "the major threat is still Islamicism."

"There are other threats out there, but that is the one that I can tell you occupies the security apparatus most regularly in terms of actual terrorist threats," Harper said.

Harper cautioned that terrorist threats can "come out of the blue" from a different source, such as the recent Norway attacks, where a lone gunman who hated Muslims killed 77 people.

But Harper said terrorism by Islamic radicals is still the top threat, though a "diffuse" one.

"When people think of Islamic terrorism, they think of Afghanistan, or maybe they think of some place in the Middle East, but the truth is that threat exists all over the world," he said, citing domestic terrorism in Nigeria.

Pope 'almost moved to tears' during World Youth Day, says cardinal :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Pope 'almost moved to tears' during World Youth Day, says cardinal :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Check out this great MSN video: The daunting dilemma of disciplining your child

Check out this great MSN video: The daunting dilemma of disciplining your child

Pope to pilgrims as youth fest ends: Spread the faith - USATODAY.com

Pope to pilgrims as youth fest ends: Spread the faith - USATODAY.com

The EDL's Edge

Brazil To Host World Youth Day, Pope Announces - Local News Story - KJCT Grand Junction

Brazil To Host World Youth Day, Pope Announces - Local News Story - KJCT Grand Junction

Pope to declare Spanish saint 'doctor' of church

Pope to declare Spanish saint 'doctor' of church

Check out this great MSN video: Most Innocent Kitten Alive

Check out this great MSN video: Most Innocent Kitten Alive

MAN OF RAGE

HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU HAD "THE CRUSADES" THROWN IN YOUR FACE BY ANTI-CATHOLICS.MY LAST TIME WAS FROM A 19 YEAR OLD COLLEGE PUNK...AND I SWORE THE NEXT TIME...I WOULD BE PREPARED.KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.READ AND MEMORIZE THIS.

The Crusades
Muslims love talking about the Crusades… and Christians love apologizing for them. To hear both parties tell the story, one would believe that Muslims were just peacefully minding their own business in lands that were legitimately Muslim when Christian armies decided to wage holy war and "kill millions.”


The Truth:

Every part of this myth is a lie. By the rules that Muslims claim for themselves, the Crusades were perfectly justified, and the excesses (though beneath Christian standards) pale in comparison with the historical treatment of conquered populations at the hands of Muslims.

Here are some quick facts…


The first Crusade began in 1095… 460 years after the first Christian city was overrun by Muslim armies, 457 years after Jerusalem was conquered by Muslim armies, 453 years after Egypt was taken by Muslim armies, 443 after Muslims first plundered Italy, 427 years after Muslim armies first laid siege to the Christian capital of Constantinople, 380 years after Spain was conquered by Muslim armies, 363 years after France was first attacked by Muslim armies, 249 years after the capital of the Christian world, Rome itself, was sacked by a Muslim army, and only after centuries of church burnings, killings, enslavement and forced conversions of Christians.

By the time the Crusades finally began, Muslim armies had conquered two-thirds of the Christian world.

Europe had been harassed by Muslims since the first few years following Muhammad’s death. As early as 652, Muhammad’s followers launched raids on the island of Sicily, waging a full-scale occupation 200 years later that lasted almost a century and was punctuated by massacres, such as that at the town of Castrogiovanni, in which 8,000 Christians were put to death. In 1084, ten years before the first crusade, Muslims staged another devastating Sicilian raid, burning churches in Reggio, enslaving monks and raping an abbey of nuns before carrying them into captivity.


In 1095, Byzantine Emperor, Alexius I Comneus began begging the pope in Rome for help in turning back the Muslim armies which were overrunning what is now Turkey, grabbing property as they went and turning churches into mosques. Several hundred thousand Christians had been killed in Anatolia alone in the decades following 1050 by Seljuk invaders interested in 'converting' the survivors to Islam.

Not only were Christians losing their lives in their own lands to the Muslim advance but pilgrims to the Holy Land from other parts of Europe were being harassed, kidnapped, molested, forcibly converted to Islam and occasionally murdered. (Compare this to Islam’s justification for slaughter on the basis of Muslims being denied access to the Meccan pilgrimage in Muhammad’s time).

The Crusaders only invaded lands that were Christian. They did not attack Saudi Arabia (other than a half-hearted expedition by a minor figure) or sack Mecca as the Muslims had done (and continued doing) to Italy and Constantinople. Their primary goal was the recapture of Jerusalem and the security of safe passage for pilgrims. The toppling of the Muslim empire was not on the agenda.


The period of Crusader “occupation” (of its own former land) was stretched tenuously over about 170 years, which is less than the Muslim occupation of Sicily and southern Italy alone - to say nothing of Spain and other lands that had never been Islamic before falling victim to Jihad. In fact, the Arab occupation of North Africa and Middle Eastern lands outside of Arabia is almost 1400 years old.

Despite popular depiction, the Crusades were not a titanic battle between Christianity and Islam. Although originally dispatched by papal decree, the "occupiers" quickly became part of the political and economic fabric of the Middle East without much regard for religious differences. Their arrival was largely accepted by the local population as simply another change in authority. Muslim radicals even lamented the fact that many of their co-religionists preferred to live under Frankish (Christian) rule than migrate to Muslim lands.

The Islamic world was split into warring factions, many of which allied themselves with the Frankish princes against each other at one time or another. This even included Saladin, the Kurdish warrior who is credited with eventually ousting the "Crusaders." Contrary to recent propaganda, however, Saladin had little interest in holy war until a rogue Frankish prince began disrupting his trade routes. Both before and after the taking of Jerusalem, his armies spent far more time and resources battling fellow Muslims.

For its part, the Byzantine (Eastern Christian) Empire preferred to have little to do with the Crusader kingdoms and went so far as to sign treaties with their Muslim rivals on occasion.

Another misconception is that the Crusader era was a time of constant war. In fact, very little of this overall period included significant hostilities. In response to Muslim expansion or aggression, there were only about 20 years of actual military campaigning, much of which was spent on organization and travel. (They were from 1098-1099, 1146-1148, 1188-1192, 1201-1204, 1218-1221, 1228-1229, and 1248-1250). By comparison, the Muslim Jihad against the island of Sicily alone lasted 75 grinding years.


Ironically, the Crusades are justified by the Quran itself, which encourages Holy War in order to "drive them out of the places from whence they drove you out" (2:191), even though the aim wasn't to expel Muslims from the Middle East, but more to bring an end to the molestation of pilgrims. Holy war is not justified by New Testament teachings, which is why the Crusades are an anomaly, the brief interruption of centuries of relentless Jihad against Christianity that began long before and continued well after.

The greatest crime of the Crusaders was the sacking of Jerusalem, in which at least 3,000 people were said to have been massacred. This number is dwarfed by the number of Jihad victims, from India to Constantinople, Africa and Narbonne, but Muslims have never apologized for their crimes and never will.

What is called 'sin and excess' by other religions, is what Islam refers to as duty willed by Allah.

London riots: Archbishop Nichols calls for prayers on Independent Catholic News

London riots: Archbishop Nichols calls for prayers on Independent Catholic News

Some Things You Probably Do Not Know About Islam


1. When Muhammad was in his fifties he married a girl (Aisha) who was just six years old. The marriage was consummated when she was nine. This is one of the reasons why child brides are still common in the Muslim world. On coming to power in Iran in 1979, the Ayatollah Khomeini reduced the age at which a girl could be married to 9 years, thus following the example of Muhammad.

2. Muhammad participated in the massacre of 800 Jewish men who had surrendered themselves following a famous battle. Trenches were dug and they were all beheaded and their bodies thrown into the trenches. The women and children were distributed among the victorious Muslims as slaves.

3. When a woman came to Muhammad confessing that she had conceived a child out of wedlock, he said that she should wean the child and then be stoned to death. This sentence was duly carried out. In 1994, a Sharia court in Nigeria passed the same judgement against Amina Lawal thus following Muhammad’s example exactly. Because Muhammad’s behaviour is seen by Muslims as sacrosanct these kinds of laws will be almost impossible to change.

4. Muhammad supported the use of slavery. He gave away slaves as gifts. He owned all kinds of slaves including males, females and Black slaves. He passed around slaves for the purpose of sexual pleasure for his companions — men who were his chief lieutenants. He stood by and prayed while others beat slaves. He shared the pleasure of forced sex with female slaves after conquest. He captured slaves and sold them to raise money for warfare.

5. Muhammad told his followers to raid caravans in order to boost the economy of his fledgling state in Medina. Bandits and pirates need look no further for justification.

6. Muhammad said, “Whoever insults a prophet, kill him”; this is one of the reasons why Muslims are so intolerant of anyone mocking Muhammad…and why anyone doing so is liable to get killed. It is also the reason why Islamic law requires the execution of anyone insulting Muhammad or Islam. A Christian woman in Pakistan is currently facing execution for “insulting Muhammad”.

7. Muhammad said, “Whoever leaves Islam, kill him”; this why it is so difficult for Muslims to leave Islam. Abdul Rahman was flown to safety in Italy from Afghanistan in 2004 because he was threatened with execution for converting to Christianity. Many others are less lucky. Islamic law requires that those leaving Islam be executed. Islamic countries are now campaigning to get criticism of Islam outlawed worldwide. They are pursuing this via the United Nations (and making good progress!).

8. Under Islamic law, the testimony of a woman is worth half that of a man. That means that under Islamic law a woman is half as believable as a man.

9. At the end of his life, Muhammad boasted that he had been “made victorious through terror”. Is it any wonder that many Muslims are engaged in terrorism?

10. He also declared that he had been ordered to make war on non-believers until the whole world was dominated by Islam.



11. It is stated 91 times in the Koran that Muslims must follow the example of Muhammad in every detail. Just ponder the implications of that.



These are a small sample of facts about Islam. It should be enough to show you that the founder of Islam was a brutal warlord and that his words and deeds have given Islam its brutal and intolerant character. It is difficult to see what good can come from the teachings of a man like Muhammad. Take a look at the world and you will see that many of the most oppressive, brutal and backward societies are strongholds of Islam. They have become like this by following the teachings of Muhammad.



Islam now has a foothold in your country and we are seeing increasing pressure to make our society more Islamic. Do you want to live in such a society?



If the answer is “no”, it is important that you find out more about these issues. You can do so at:

CATHOLIC CHURCH IS BOOMING



Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on new survey data profiling Catholicism:


All we ever hear from the wild-eyed critics of the Catholic Church, including the dissidents within, is that the Church had better "get with it" and change its teachings on abortion, homosexuality and women's ordination. Yet it is precisely those religious institutions that are the most liberal on these issues—the mainline Protestant denominations—that are collapsing. Not so the Catholic Church. Indeed, its numbers are going north while the mainline denominations are going south.


The latest findings by the "Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership" project, a collaborative effort with Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, are illuminating. In the last 40 years, the Catholic population has increased by 75 percent; it has grown by 50 percent since 1990. More important, Catholic attendance at Mass is up 15 percent since 2000. And in the last five years, contributions have increased by 14 percent. It is also important to note that there has been a 40 percent increase in Latinos in the Church over the past five years.


Shedding more light on the statistics is a study released a few months ago by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion. Its "Landscape Survey" found that of those Catholics who have left the Church, roughly half became unaffiliated while the other half became Protestant. Regarding the latter half, only 23 percent did so because of the Church's teachings on abortion and homosexuality; only 16 percent left because of the way women are treated. Importantly, two-thirds of these Catholics elected to join a Protestant evangelical church.


In other words, disaffected Catholics who left for another religion opted to join a more conservative church. That they did not run down the block in search of a mainline denomination—one that entertains the liberal agenda on issues governing sexuality and women—is telling.


It's time some people took a hard look at the data and made some hard choices. This is great news for the Catholic Church.

Every temptation is a gift because it is the chance to be more like Jesus. Graces are enhanced every time we turn the other cheek.

HUNGER FOR BIBLE STUDY GROWING ALL OVER THE GLOBE

'ALL FOR GOD AND GOD FOR ALL': SEEK HIM, DON'T WORRY, AND THE RESULT IS OFTEN MIRACULOUS

What Are Three Characteristics of Diabolical Influence? How Are They Manifest In Our Modern World?

They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voie, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” For Jesus had commanded the evil spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places. Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” “Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him.. (Luke 8: 26-30)

You will then recall how Jesus drove the demon(s) out and into the herd of swine.

Bishop Fulton Sheen states that the following 3 characteristics are sure fire ways to determine diabolical activity.

Love of Nudity – For the text says: For a long time this man had not worn clothes.

Violence – For the text says: though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains. Mark 5:4 more vividly adds: For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him.

Division (Split Personality and divided from others) – for the text says, many demons had gone into him. Mark’s version has the demoniac reply My name is Legion, for we are many. (Mk 5:9). Further all the texts say the demoniac lived apart from others, in solitary places.

So here are three characteristics of the diabolic.It does not take much analysis to see how these three characteristics of the diabolic are alive and flourishing in the modern world, at least the Western branch of it. Let’s consider them

1. Love of Nudity - This is clearly manifest at several levels. First there is the widespread tendency of immodest dress. We have discussed modesty here before and ought to note that modesty comes from the word “mode” referring to the middle or to moderation. Hence, while we want to avoid oppressively puritanical notions about dress that impose heavy burdens (especially on women) and regard the body as somewhat evil, we must also critique many modern forms of dress at the other extreme. These “fashions” reveal more than is reasonable and generally have, as their intent to draw attention to aspects of the body that are private and reserved for sexual union in marriage. Too many in our culture see little problem parading about in various stages of undress, wearing clothing that are more intended to disclose and call attention to, than to conceal the private areas of the body. This love of disclosure and titillation is surely an aspect of the Evil One’s love of nudity, and he has surely spread his obsession to many in the modern West.

Pornography, though nothing new in this fallen world, has surely reached epidemic proportions via the Internet. Any psychotherapist, counselor or priest will tell you that addiction to pornography is a huge problem among people today. Pornographic sites on the Internet outpace all others tenfold. Multimillion Americans are viewing enormous amounts of pornography and the “industry” is growing exponentially. What was once hidden away in adult bookstores is now one click away on the Internet. And the thought that browsing habits are easily discoverable matters little to the addicts of this latest form of slavery. Many are on a steep slope downward into ever more deviant forms of porn. Many end up at illegal sites before they even know what has happened to them, and the FBI is knoocking on their door. Satan’s love of nudity has possessed many!

The overall sexualization of culture also ties in to Satan’s love of nudity. We sexualize women to sell products. We even sexualize children. Our sitcoms chatter endlessly about sex in a very teenage and immature sort of way. We are, collectively, goofy and immature about sex, and our culture giggles like horny teenagers obsessed with something we don’t really understand. Yes, Satan loves nudity, and everything that goes with it.

2. Violence – We have discussed here before how we, collectively, have turned violence into a form of entertainment. Our adventure movies and video games turn violent retribution into gleeful entertainment and death into a “solution.” Recent Popes have warned us of the culture of death, where death is increasingly proposed as the “solution” to problems. In our culture violence begins in the womb, as the innocent are attacked and it is called “choice” and “rights.” The violence and embrace of death continues to ripple through culture through contraception, violent gang activity, easy recourse to war and capital punishment. The past Century was perhaps the bloodiest ever known on this planet and untold people in the hundreds of millions died in two world wars, hundreds of regional wars and conflicts, horrific starvation campaigns in the Ukraine, in China and elsewhere, genocides in Central Europe, in Africa and Southeast Asia. Paul Johnson, in his book Modern Times estimates that over 100,000,000 died in war and violent ways in the just the first 50 years of the 20th Century. And with every death, Satan did his “snoopy dance.” Satan love violence. He loves to set fires, and watch us blame each other as we burn.

3. Division – Satan loves to divide. The devil wants to divide us, within our very own psyche and among each other. Surely he rejoices at every division he causes.! And thus, we see our families divided, the Church divided, our culture and Country divided. We are now divided at almost every level: racial, religious, political, economic. We divide over age, race, region, blue and red states, liturgy, music, language, and endless minutia.

Our families are broken, our marriages are broken. Divorce is rampant and commitments of any sort are rejected and deemed impossible. The Church is broken and divided into factions, so too the State, all the way down to the level of school boards. Though once we agreed on essentials, now even appeals to shared truth are called intolerant.

And within too, we struggle with many divisive drives and forms of figurative and literal schizophrenia. We are drawn to what is good, true and beautiful and yet what is base, false and evil also summons us. We know what is good, but desire what is evil, we seek love, but indulge hate and revenge. We admire innocence but often revel in destroying it or at least replacing it with cynicism.

And Satan dances his “snoopy dance.”

Three characteristics of the diabolic: love of nudity, violence, and division. What do you think? Is the prince of this world working his agenda? Even more important: are we conniving? The first step in over-coming the enemy’s agenda is to know his moves, to name them and then rebuke them in the Name of Jesus.

If you're NOT being treated with love & respect, check your "price tag". Perhaps you have marked yourself down. It's you who tell people what you're worth BY WHAT YOU ACCEPT. Get off the "clearance rack" and get behind the glass where they keep all the "valuables." The bottom line is....."value" yourself more. Repost if you like...You might help someone get off the "clearance rack"..

Prince William and Kate join in Canada Day celebrations at Parliament hill in Ottawa

HAPPY 144TH BIRTHDAY CANADA...BONNE FETE CANADA.
HAPPY CANADA DAY TO ALL MY FELLOW CANUCKS.

The most important moment of my life - Sixty years ago, 29 June 1951, Joseph Ratzinger was ordained a priest.

IT'S A GOOD THING...
The Netherlands to Abandon Multiculturalism

The Dutch government says it will abandon the long-standing model of multiculturalism that has encouraged Muslim immigrants to create a parallel society within the Netherlands.

A new integration bill (covering letter and 15-page action plan), which Dutch Interior Minister Piet Hein Donner presented to parliament on June 16, reads: "The government shares the social dissatisfaction over the multicultural society model and plans to shift priority to the values of the Dutch people. In the new integration system, the values of the Dutch society play a central role. With this change, the government steps away from the model of a multicultural society."

The letter continues: "A more obligatory integration is justified because the government also demands that from its own citizens. It is necessary because otherwise the society gradually grows apart and eventually no one feels at home anymore in the Netherlands. The integration will not be tailored to different groups."


The new integration policy will place more demands on immigrants. For example, immigrants will be required to learn the Dutch language, and the government will take a tougher approach to immigrants to ignore Dutch values or disobey Dutch law.



The government will also stop offering special subsidies for Muslim immigrants because, according to Donner, "it is not the government's job to integrate immigrants." The government will introduce new legislation that outlaws forced marriages and will also impose tougher measures against Muslim immigrants who lower their chances of employment by the way they dress. More specifically, the government will impose a ban on face-covering Islamic burqas as of January 1, 2013.



If necessary, the government will introduce extra measures to allow the removal of residence permits from immigrants who fail their integration course.



The measures are being imposed by the new center-right government of Conservatives (VVD) and Christian Democrats (CDA), with parliamentary support from the anti-Islam Freedom Party (PVV), whose leader, Geert Wilders, is currently on trial in Amsterdam for "inciting hatred" against Muslims.



As expected, Muslim organizations in Holland have been quick to criticize the proposals. The Moroccan-Dutch organization Samenwerkingsverband van Marokkaanse Nederlanders, which advises the government on integration matters, argues that Muslim immigrants need extra support to find a job. The umbrella Muslim group Contactorgaan Moslims en Overheid says that although it agrees that immigrants should be better integrated into Dutch society, it is opposed to a ban on burqas.



But polls show that a majority of Dutch voters support the government's skepticism about multiculturalism. According to a Maurice de Hond poll published by the center-right newspaper Trouw on June 19, 74 percent of Dutch voters say immigrants should conform to Dutch values. Moreover, 83 percent of those polled support a ban on burqas in public spaces.



The proper integration of the more than one million Muslims now living in Holland has been a major political issue ever since 2002, when Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn was assassinated for his views on Muslim immigration, and since 2004, when Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh was stabbed to death for producing a movie that criticized Islam.



Muslim immigration to the Netherlands can be traced back to the 1960s and 1970s, when a blue collar labor shortage prompted the Dutch government to conclude recruitment agreements with countries like Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey. In the 1980s and 1990s, Muslims also arrived in the Netherlands as asylum seekers and refugees, mainly from Afghanistan, Bosnia, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and Somalia.



There are now an estimated 1.2 million Muslims in the Netherlands, which is equivalent to about 6 percent of the country's overall population. Moroccans and Turks comprise nearly two-thirds of all Muslims in the Netherlands. Most Muslims live in the four major cities of the country: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht.



As their numbers grow, Muslim immigrants have become increasingly more assertive in carving out a role for Islam within Dutch society. For example, a documentary aired by the television program Netwerk in June 2009 reported that Dutch law was being systematically undermined by the growth of Sharia justice in the Netherlands.



In December 2004, the Dutch Ministry of the Interior published a 60-page report titled From Dawa to Jihad. Prepared by the Dutch intelligence agency AIVD, the report says that the Netherlands is home to up to 50,000 radical Muslims whose key ideological aim is to target the Western way of life and to confront Western political, economic, and cultural domination.



The report concludes that Dutch society is poorly equipped to resist the threat of radical Islam because of "a culture of permissiveness" that has become synonymous with "closing one's eyes" to multiple transgressions of the law.



As for Interior Minister Donner, he has undergone a late-in-life conversion on the issue of Muslim immigration. In September 2006, while serving as justice minister, Donner provoked an outcry after saying that he welcomed the introduction of Islamic Sharia law in the Netherlands if the majority wants it. He also said Holland should give Muslims more freedoms to behave according to their traditions.



After applauding Queen Beatrix for respecting Islam by not insisting that a Muslim leader shake hands with her during a visit to the Mobarak Mosque in The Hague, Donner said: "A tone that I do not like has crept into the political debate on integration. A tone of: 'Thou shalt assimilate. Thou shalt adopt our values in public. Be reasonable, do it our way.' That is not my approach."



Fast forward to 2011 and Donner now says his government "will distance itself from the relativism contained in the model of a multicultural society." Although society changes, he says, it must not be "interchangeable with any other form of society."

The greatest speech by an American leader on Israel. This is what America needs in the White House.

Seriously, this is greatness. What a breath of fresh air and righteousness in Obama's current climate of hatred and jihad-enabling.

TODAY IS THE MEMORIAL OF THOMAS MORE...

Sir Thomas More’s Psalm on Detachment (Written while imprisoned in the Tower of London, 1534)

Give me thy grace, good Lord:


To set the world at nought;


To set my mind fast upon thee,


And not to hang upon the blast of men’s mouths;


To be content to be solitary,


Not to long for worldly company;


Little and little utterly to cast off the world,


And rid my mind of all the business thereof;


Not to long to hear of any worldly things,


But that the hearing of worldly phantasies may be to me displeasant;


Gladly to be thinking of God,


Piteously to call for his help;


To lean unto the comfort of God,


Busily to labor to love him;


To know mine own vility and wretchedness,


To humble and meeken myself under the mighty hand of God;


To bewail my sins passed,


For the purging of them patiently to suffer adversity;


Gladly to bear my purgatory here,


To be joyful of tribulations;


To walk the narrow way that leadeth to life,


To bear the cross with Christ;


To have the last thing in remembrance,


To have ever afore mine eye my death that is ever at hand;


To make death no stranger to me,


To foresee and consider the everlasting fire of hell;


To pray for pardon before the judge come,


To have continually in mind the passion that Christ suffered for me;


For his benefits uncessantly to give him thanks,


To buy the time again that I before have lost;


To abstain from vain confabulations,


To eschew light foolish mirth and gladness;


Recreations not necessary — to cut off;


Of worldly substance, friends, liberty, life and all, to set the loss


at right nought for the winning of Christ;


To think my most enemies my best friends,


For the brethren of Joseph could never have done him so much good


with their love and favor as they did him with their malice and hatred.




These minds are more to be desired of every man than all the treasure


of all the princes and kings, Christian and heathen, were it


gathered and laid together all upon one heap .

"Gladness of heart is the life of man, and the joyfulness of a man prolongeth his days."

~ Ecclesiastes

See-through plane by 2050?

PARIS - A see-through plane that gives passengers a "panoramic" view of the earth and sky may sound far-fetched, but it's a vision for air travel in 2050 being touted by Airbus.


The aircraft manufacturer unveiled the futuristic plan this week ahead of the Paris airshow.

In addition to walls that can become transparent, the so-called "concept cabin" includes vitamin and antioxidant-enriched air, aromatherapy and morphing seats that change with the passenger's body shape.


In a release, Airbus says the passengers of 2050 will "recharge in a vitalizing seat whilst watching the planet spread out beneath their feet."

The cabin, still in the concept stage, would also allow travellers to play a virtual game of golf or join an interactive conference.

"There are no limits to the kinds of social scenarios in the centre zone of the concept cabin — the 'interactive zone,' " the company says.


"The virtual pop-up projections in this area can transform you to whichever social scene you want to be in, from holographic gaming to virtual changing rooms for active shoppers."

The cabin, Airbus adds, will also have mood lighting.

Details of the concept cabin follow an Airbus announcement last fall about the concept plane it would be housed in. The aircraft, the company said, would feature environmental benefits, including reduced fuel consumption, emissions, and noise.

The aircraft's structure "mimics the efficiency of bird bone," and features an "intelligent cabin wall membrane which controls air temperature and can become transparent," it said.

For more details visit www.thefuturebyairbus.com.

FULL MOON TONIGHT

The month of June's full Moon's name is the Full Strawberry Moon. June's Full Strawberry Moon got its name because the Algonquin tribes knew it as a signal to gather ripening fruit.It was often known as the Full Rose Moon in Europe (where strawberries aren't native).

Gallup: 61 Percent Say All or Most Abortions Should Be Illegal | CNSnews.com

GOOD NEWS
Gallup: 61 Percent Say All or Most Abortions Should Be Illegal CNSnews.com

Expert: homosexuality clearly a factor in new priest abuse data



NEW YORK, May 20, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A leading authority on the clerical sex abuse crisis has criticized those who conclude that new data has ruled out homosexuality as a significant cause in the scandal - even though the vast majority of priest abuse was perpetrated against adolescent males.

Dr. Richard Fitzgibbons, a top psychiatrist and expert in handling sexually abusive priests, says criminologists “crossed a line” by pronouncing on the psychological causes behind the data released May 18.

“Analysis of the research demonstrates clearly that the major cause of the crisis was the homosexual abuse of males,” said Fitzgibbons in an interview with the Catholic News Agency. http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/critics-say-new-study-misses-real-reasons-for-priest-abuse-crisis/

The new study, conducted by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and commissioned by the U.S. Bishops, shows that nearly 80 percent of victims were post-pubescent and adolescent males. However, the study concludes that available data “do not support the hypothesis that priests with a homosexual identity ... are significantly more likely to sexually abuse.”

The report marks the third such effort by U.S. Bishops to address the causes and manifestations of the clerical sex abuse scandal since it first erupted publicly in 2002.

The data also shows that less than 5 percent of abuse involved prepubescent children, contravening rumor that the scandal largely manifested as acts of pedophilia. But homosexuality, according to Fitzgibbons, was clearly the primary sexual aberration driving the bulk of abuse.

“One can conclude that these priests have strong same-sex attraction,” said Fitzgibbons. “When an adult is involved with homosexual behavior with an adolescent male, he clearly has a major problem in the area of homosexuality.”

The psychologist said that, while the college has done good work collecting data, criminologists “lack the professional expertise to comment on causes of sexual abuse.”

“If the (U.S. bishops) conference wanted an analysis of the causes of complex sexual behavior with adolescents, don’t turn to criminologists,” said Fitzgibbons. “They are not trained to understand those causes - that training is given to mental health professionals.”

Scholar: China Notices Link Between Christianity, U.S. Economic Success


The officially atheist Chinese government is surprisingly open to Christianity, at least partially, because it sees a link between the faith and economic success, said a sought after scholar who has relations with governments in Asia.

But while the Chinese government is open to Christianity, it also “wants to control Christianity.” Those in authority are very much aware of the Church’s role in bringing down the Berlin Wall and advancing democracy in the Soviet bloc.

“They view Christianity as a belief system that if not controlled will potentially overthrow the government,” said Jeynes during his lecture titled, “God, China & Capitalism: Is Christianity in China the Key Ingredient for Economic Success?” “But on the other [hand], they see that if you try to oppress Christians that it could lead to this explosion as it did in Eastern Europe and [they could] lose control that way.

“So they want Christianity for the benefits but they want to control it, and that is the balance they are currently trying to achieve.”

The scholar, who has multiple degrees in different disciplines and graduated first in his class at Harvard University, recalled an incident that confirms that China believes Christianity is responsible for the economic prosperity in the U.S. At a Harvard Business Conference years ago, Jeynes recalled top Chinese CEOs one after another asking Harvard scholars not about their talking points but about the relationship between Christianity and economic prosperity in the United States.

The Harvard scholars, Jeynes noted, were baffled and did not know how to respond.

China, however, is not the first to make a connection between the Christian faith and economic prosperity. German sociologist and political economist Max Weber wrote the book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism in which he argued that ascetic Protestantism was a major reason behind the rise of capitalism and the economic success of the Western world.

Weber observed that Christianity produces good work ethic and subsequently economic prosperity because it instills a sense of calling and people are more determined and more passionate about their work. The German economist also contended that Christianity promotes honesty, which is necessary to build trust that is essential in economic transactions; encourages people to be their best and be concerned about their neighbors’ standard of living; and discourages materialism.

Other world religions do not promote economic prosperity like Christianity, contended Weber.

Hinduism believes Hindus are born and not made so there is a large degree of passivity in the religion, Weber observed. Also, the Hindu caste system is not conducive to instilling a work ethic where people push themselves harder with the hope that they can rise above their current situation.

In Buddhism, which shares many similarities with Hinduism, followers are taught the importance of respect and deference to the point that they support the status quo instead of change. Buddhism also defines “desire” as fundamentally wrong, whereas in Christianity there is a distinction between the desire to glorify God and love people versus selfish and evil desires.

Meanwhile, Confucianism, dominant in East Asia, leaves less room for social mobility than Christianity because it emphasizes hierarchy. It also is more supportive of dominating forms of government than Christianity, Weber noted.

And with Islam, the hierarchical value is even more emphasized than in Confucianism. Islam emphasizes compliance rather than freedom of grace that Jesus brings. Christianity’s teaching of God’s love encourages followers to help raise the living standards of others, the economist also observed.

As Weber, other scholars, and now the Chinese government observe, where Christianity is dominant there is economic prosperity.

American Orthodox Rabbi Daniel Lapin, who is a political commentator, noted that 90 percent of scientific discoveries over the last 1,000 years were in nations where Christianity was dominant.

Many in the Chinese government, said Jeynes, believe that Christianity might be China’s best hope to establish morality as well as economic prosperity. Immorality is so “out-of-control” in China that a Chinese leader confided to him that if one were to randomly call someone from the Beijing phone book and offer the person $2,500 to come to a hotel room for sexual relations, then one out of three strangers would agree.

The Chinese believe that if the level of immorality that exists today, sexual immorality especially, persists, then the economic strength of the country cannot continue,” said Jeynes. “So they very quickly want to teach morality, especially to the young before their economy might indeed collapse.

“It is not that they embrace Christianity with the most pure motive,” Jeynes noted. “A lot of their motive is it is good for our country, the morality of the country, and if we want economic prosperity to continue we need to have a more invitational approach to those who are Christian.”

There are an estimated 100 million Christians in China, about 75 million of whom are in the “underground” church, said Jeynes, and the number of believers is growing by six to seven million a year.

The professor of education at California State University in Long Beach also spent time talking about arrests and persecution of house church Christians in China. He ascribed the crackdown to China being nervous about Christianity and its potential threat to the government’s power.


Christians in China are divided into two groups: those in the independent house church and those in the government-approved registered church. Jeynes revealed that the key difference between the two is whether the Gospel can be shared with minors, those under 18. Christians in registered churches are not allowed to share the Gospel with minors.

Jeynes concluded by saying that the key message he wants to convey is that China is both open to Christianity and nervous about the religion because of the potential problems it could bring to the communist government.

A GOOD THING...

Fish on Friday is back: a sign that we are proud to be Catholic


Catholic bishops have not always been proud to be Catholic. They are always wary of triumphalism, always nervous of sticking out of the so-called faith community. They’re not sure they like Catholic schools that are too Catholic (hence the recent tussle over the Cardinal Vaughan school in London) or figureheads, like Ann Widdecombe, who are too conscious of their Catholic identity. Their reluctance to show off their true colours has left the Church open to attacks from secularists who hate it as antideluvian. When the recent spate of child abuse scandals rocked the image of the Church, few raised their voice to remind outsiders that there were good priests as well as bad ones, and that the Church’s charitable legacy should not be ignored because of horrible tragedies.

 But now, the bishops have declared that the age of self-doubt is over. There’s no encyclical, no drum-rolling for a big announcement. But the bishops are introducing once again the traditional diet of fish on Friday. It’s a brilliant move, calculated to bind Catholics in Enlgand and Wales in an ancient observance many will remember as children. A change in diet may seem a small thing, but make no mistake about it: this is about strengthening the group’s identity, drawing a clear line distinction (even if only at meal times) between Catholics and the rest. Finally, the bishops believe Catholics are proud of their faith, and are ready to show it every week.

BE NOT AFRAID...