Moria Lives!

A Picture of the Boy

2012-01-27T09:03:00.000-05:00

Here he is . . .

I'm Alive!!!

2012-01-13T08:19:00.002-05:00

Ok Ignorant Redneck (do you still go by that name?) I said I would "try" to write one post a week so here is my first contribution:

Where have I been and why haven't I been keeping up with my blog? Well, long story short, after passing the BAR exam, I got a position as an associate attorney at a small law firm and started to work. And work. And work. I literally was at the office 12-14 hours a day and sometimes Saturdays. My life was consumed with cases and clients. Meaning that if I even had the time or inclination to write a blogpost, all I would have had to talk about would have been, well, cases and clients, with the odd office politics post now and again. Since I have a duty of confidentiality, and there is always the off chance that someone would recognize his case, or a friend's case, on this blog, I figured discretion was the better part and opted not to post at all.

Besides, does anyone really want to read the ins and outs of ERISA or FMLA claims? I didn't think so.

BUT, low and behold, about two weeks after my 31st birthday ;) I discovered that I was expecting. Since the Hubs and I had already been married for over two years I had kind of resigned myself to never having a baby, so needless to say we were both pretty excited! And with the news came dramatic shifts in my priorities.

I gave birth to CT on July 31, 2011. (Maybe I'll do a birth story post next?) I am still working on a few cases from home, which is nice. I really like the clients I have right now, and I intend to maintain a limited practice. I'm thinking adoptions, wills, and maybe some other odds and ends.

And of course, the baby is a wiggly bundle of yummy love! I'm so glad that I don't have to drop him at daycare. We're attached at the... well, it's not called a "hip" in common parlance (!) thanks to the Hubs who works so hard.

Well, that's it for now. I'll post some pictures of baby with the next post.

Abortionist Tiller Shot

2009-05-31T14:08:00.004-05:00

Abortionist George Tiller was shot at his Reformed Lutheran church today.

Read the full story here.

Pray that God may have mercy on Tiller's soul, and pray for the man who took God's vengeance into his own hands.

An Ode to Laner

2008-12-28T21:12:00.002-05:00

I had a mission, so simple, so clear . . .
Just make fun of Lane, whom I hold so dear.

I sat at my desk, and I thought and I thought,
But to razz my friend Lane, well it all came to naught.

I have plenty of fodder from the good times we've had,
Or maybe a one-liner about Laner's Dad.

Should I write about things that Lane liked that I found?
Like a pretty blue egg that fell to the ground?

Perhaps I should tell of the hilarity
When we ran through the halls with a stick and a bee?

Now those were the days of unrestrained humor,
The making of jokes and starting of rumors.

Lane must be wondering what's wrong with me now,
As he's currently reading with dark, furrowed brow.

But 'though this poem is very weak . . .
You're the one living on "Gaylord Street!"

Love ya' Laner!

Tagged Again!

2008-12-01T20:04:00.002-05:00

The rules of this Meme are:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them.
5. Let each person know they’ve been tagged and leave a comment on their blog
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

I was tagged by Dawn from A Helping Hand.

1. I like telling people that I'm a quarter Jewish, just like Harrison Ford.
2. I weighed 165 lbs. one year after I graduated from college.
3. I weighed 118 lbs. my first semester of Law School.
4. I now weigh 135 lbs. :(
5. I only have one pair of pants that fits (not including sweatpants).
6. I really enjoy sweets.

I'm going to tag Ignorant Redneck of Redneck Catholic and that's it, because everyone that I would link to is already linked! IR, help yourself to the mos excellent award in the next post!

A Helping Hand

2008-11-10T14:33:00.001-05:00

Dawn from A Helping Hand has given me an award!

This award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his/her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary and personal values every day.

The rules to follow are :
1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person that has granted the award and his or her blog link.
2) Pass the award to other 15 blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgment.
Remember to contact each of them to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I've always been just a wee bit jealous of all the other bloggers with their fancy awards and such . . . so now I have one of my own. Thanks Dawn. I'll post a list of who I would like to award this to shortly, but right now, I'm on the clock!

Homosexual Agenda

2008-11-02T07:18:00.010-05:00

Our local newspaper has an editorial today about Prop 8 in California, which is an attempt by the people of California to keep marriage as marriage and not redefine it to include other types of relationships. Since our local newspaper is pretty lefty, the editorial throws in the necessary references to "theocratic bullies" and "homophobic bigots." (Read the whole thing here.) But the main gist of the opinion piece questions the ad campaign of the Prop 8 supporters, which has brought up protection of children as an ancillary issue to this vote.

The author dismisses this tactic, but are the Prop 8 supporters so off base? In Massachusetts, so-called homosexual marriage was also "legalized" by judicial fiat. Have the kids there been affected, and are Californians right to be concerned about their children's safety if they don't stop the redefinition of marriage in their own state? Based on the information contained at this website the answer is emphatically "Yes!" Warning, the information contained at this site is extremely disturbing and I advise you to "click" with caution.

In Massachusetts, parents are not allowed to "opt out" of pro-homosexuality lessons, children in kindergarten are being indoctrinated, instructions about how to perform various sex acts that are really obscene have been disseminated, and teenage boys have been given information sheets about where the gay bars are so they can be picked up by adult predators. Absolutely disgusting. Is there any real doubt that the educrats in California won't be pulling these same stunts if Prop 8 doesn't pass?

Ultimately, the writer of the opinion piece is right. Who wouldn't vote for protecting children?

Sarah Palin in Indiana

2008-10-29T20:12:00.004-05:00

I went to the Palin rally tonight, but when 8:00 p.m. came my husband, my mom, my sister and her roommate and I were still inching along in traffic. There were cars parked all along the edge of the road and we started seeing people walking back to their cars, which made us nervous . . . finally, a young woman let us know that they were turning people away.

Let me tell you though, the line of cars heading to the rally was LONG! Any estimate of numbers you hear, just add another 10,000 or so for those of us who couldn't make it!

Okay, okay, last video . . .

2008-10-17T16:33:00.001-05:00

This is hilarious!

Uneducated Voters . . .surprised?

2008-10-14T06:39:00.004-05:00

This is an excerpt from Howard Stern, whom I CANNOT stand, but this bit is pretty funny.

Hat tip:RedState via Thoughts of a Regular Guy

Damning Evidence

2008-10-13T07:32:00.005-05:00

Click on picture to enlarge . . .

Mea culpa, but I don't have the link to where I got this from, so I'm sending apologies into the blogosphere. If you think I swiped this from your site, let me know and I'll link back!

UPDATE: Dawn from A Helping Hand has a link to the Memo.

This Guy is Awesome!

2008-10-06T06:55:00.002-05:00

Hat Tip: The Anchoress

Yesterday . . .

2008-10-03T15:03:00.004-05:00

I was telling people regarding my BAR Exam results: If I don't tell you I passed, please don't ask!

Today I am telling people regarding my BAR Exam results: I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! I passed! ad nauseum ad infinitum . . .

Coat Hanger Abortion

2008-10-02T08:28:00.005-05:00

Lately, I've been seeing the ever-ready-to-be-dusted-off-argument-for-legalized-abortion being taken out of the basement, primarily as a reaction to Gov. Palin. It is the dreaded "rusty coat-hanger" argument.

From now on, here is how that line of "reasoning" will be rebutted by yours truly:

Pro-Abort: "You are such a horrible person! If abortion isn't legal, women will be forced to jeopardize their health with a rusty coat-hanger!"

Me: "You're right. Getting stabbed to death with a rusty coat-hanger would be awful. That will be illegal, too."

Great video!

2008-09-20T07:09:00.002-05:00

From Catholic Vote.

Sarah Palin

2008-09-06T06:54:00.004-05:00

I gotta say it! I love, Love, LOVE Sarah Palin! I love that she's authentically pro-life, and I really love the way she's got the uber-lib types scrambling! This is fantastic!

One of the best lines? Hugh Hewitt said something to the effect that after failing to diminish her appeal, the media and the Dems have gone back to Mordor to regroup.

On a side note, my hubby said that I look like her . . . now if that's not the sweetest compliment, I don't know what is.

Ten things I'd like to see in action meme . . .

2008-08-04T14:13:00.003-05:00

Courtesy of Redneck Catholic (formerly Ignorant Redneck Rants):

10. Kentucky State licensing of me to practice the Law.
9. Derek Jeeter. (I'm not really a baseball/Yankees fan, but . . .Hello, Mr. Jeeter!)
8. A steam cleaner on the area rug in the front room.
7. My honey playing soccer. (He's got skills! Even better than Jeeter!)
6. The end of abortion.
5. Renewal and revitilization of convents.
4. My pregnancy. (Don't get excited! I'm not preggers yet, but it IS on my wish list. Hey, maybe it will help with number 5 . . .)
3. It would be nice if the Republican party could return to it's conservative roots.
2. The kids playing.
And . . .
1. Fr. Klotter bustin' out in the Extraordinary Form!

Long Time No Post Round-up

2008-07-24T07:13:00.009-05:00

I haven't posted in a long time, so I thought I'd do a round-up of everything I've been up to in the past few weeks . . .

First and foremost, of course, I got married. The wedding was awesome. We used the Extraordinary Form and it really was beautiful! I wish I had a recording so I could re-listen to it. But of course, I have to put up some pictures.

Here is one where we are saying our vows . . .

And here is a funny one of the wedding party, and one of my nephews, whose presence we were very perturbed by . . .

I also attended The Church Teaches Forum, and was fortunate enough to get a photo with Cardinal Arinze!

When I was introduced to His Eminence by Mom, and appropriately kissed his ring (ahem, IR, or should I say RC?)I asked for a picture and he said, "Okay, but not by yourself." Which was fine by me, but I wasn't sure what the caveat was for . . . Mom said that it could be scandalous for the Cardinal to have a picture with a young woman by herself, or it could be used for scandalous purposes, which I think is pretty respectable. The man in the picture is Pat Monaghan, who practices International Law with the ACLJ, I think, so not bad company!

Some of you may be thinking to yourselves, "Isn't this girl supposed to be studying for the Bar Exam?" The answer is "Yes!" The following is a little overview of what I have been doing instead . . .

putting up pot racks . . .

painting . . .

and hanging pictures . . .

Emphatically NOT studying. Heaven help me! Please say a prayer that I will be dedicated to memorizing the Rule of Law over the next few days, and maybe that the rules I memorize are the ones we're tested on!

June 14, 2008

2008-06-13T21:24:00.002-05:00

I'm getting married at 10:00 a.m. I wonder if I'll sleep tonight?

I've been tagged!

2008-05-28T19:39:00.004-05:00

IR at Ignorant Redneck Rants has tagged me with a meme:

Rules:
Answer the questions.
Tag 3.5 other blogs.

!-- Would you rather give up ice cream, or Pizza? I'm sorry, I didn't hear you . . .
@--Which season would you eliminate? The end of Fall, all of Winter, and the beginning of Spring.
#--You're stuck on a desert island, would you rather have your best friend with you, or cable television? Is this a redundant question?
$--would you rather be a bird, or a fish? Cardinal Bird
%--Which song would you ban from wedding receptions? Any song with words.
^--You have 5,000 dollars to spend in one store, where do you go? Home Depot. I'm in the process of making my fiance's house less of a bachelor pad!
&--You get to have one president of the US as a drinking buddy. Who do you pick? Hmmm. Tough one. I'd have to go with Reagan. He'd bring jelly beans!

But I can't tag 3.5 other blogs . . .I can't count that high! ;)

Is this funny . . .or one of the scariest videos ever . . .?

2008-05-25T22:17:00.002-05:00

It's official!

2008-05-20T11:55:00.000-05:00

I have successfully graduated from law school.

On to the Bar Exam . . .

Don't you hate it when . . .

2008-05-14T21:44:00.005-05:00

you think of the perfect response, oh, about two weeks later?

After my trip to NY to see Papa Benedict one of my classmates made the comment, which I've seen on left-wing blogs about a hundred times, that the Pope has "sooo much money" and "it just seems like he should give it to the poor and live more like Jesus." Generally when I've seen those types of comments on blogs I kind of do an eye roll and dismiss, but when someone says it to you in person you have to respond. So I squinched my eyebrows together at my classmate and mumbled that most of the Pope's "stuff" was gifts and that it didn't really belong to him, it belonged to the Church, so he can't just give it away.

Not a very satisfying response. Or persuasive.

So I was stewing about this interchange until it suddenly hit me:

Matthew 26:7-13

7There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. 8 But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? 9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor. 10 When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. 11 For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. 12 For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial. 13 Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.

Why, oh why, didn't I say something pithy, clever, and thought provoking like, "The disciples asked that same question of Jesus when the woman annointed him with expensive oils."

GRRRRRR!

Pope Benedict XVI

2008-04-17T07:52:00.003-05:00

I am lucky enough to have a ticket for the Papal Mass this weekend in New York. I can't wait to see Papa Benedict!

Love the shoes.

I've been tagged!

2008-04-16T07:09:00.004-05:00

Well, this is the first time I've been tagged with a meme (courtesy of Ignorant Redneck, http://reneckcatholic.blogspot.com) so I'll give it a shot. It's a nice distraction from my Administrative Law final exam that is due at 4:30!

Here goes:

1. When tagged, place the name and URL on your blog.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Write 7 non-important things/quirks/habits about yourself.
4. Name 7 of your favorite blogs.

7 non-important things/quirks/habits about myself:

1. I have a footnote in a Georgetown Law Review article.
2. I have thirteen nieces and nephews, courtesy of two of my sisters.
3. I would like to win the procreation race in my family. So far the high scorer has eight.
4. If I need to control a laugh, I hold my nose.
5. My fiance and I met on Ash Wednesday last year while volunteering at an income tax clinic. He says he was attracted to the ashes.
6. I am a major procrastinator. Hey, I need the pressure!

and last but not least . . .
7. My blog is named after my cat, who was named after the Mines of Moria in LOTR. My cat disappeared about six years ago. She's not dead, she's on the incredible journey. Mom thinks she made it to Hollywood.

My seven favorite blogs? This is a tough one, since there are so many good ones, but here are the seven I read most regularly:

1. Ignorant Redneck
2. Pro Ecclesia * Pro Familia * Pro Civitatis
3. Thoughts of a Regular Guy
4. The Curt Jester
5. Et Tu, Jen?
6. Catholic Caveman
7. And last but not least, this is my brother-in-law's blog . . .Seeking Justice

Thought I'd throw on some pictures from the Barrister's Ball

2008-04-11T14:48:00.003-05:00

Here's my honey. He is very handsome!

Notice that I have no feet in this picture! Someone should have caught that . . .

Christendom College

2008-04-08T17:34:00.003-05:00

Well I'll be! Pope Benedict mentioned my alma mater!

Here's what he said:

To special groups

I offer a warm welcome to all the English-speaking visitors and pilgrims attending today's Audience, including the groups from England, Denmark, Sweden, Indonesia, Canada and the United States. I extend particular greetings to the visitors from Christendom College and to the many student groups present. May this Lenten Season purify your hearts and renew your faith and your hope in the mystery of Christ our Redeemer. God bless you all!

Even though I wasn't with the group . . .I think the blessing applies to me too! ;)

Wedding Update

2008-03-11T09:19:00.005-05:00

I went to my bridal shower this weekend in Virginia. It was really interesting to see the ladies I know from different walks of life interacting with each other.

We played the toilet paper wedding dress game that I love. That's my only complaint as far as the shower went . . . I didn't get to play any of the games!

On the Anniversary of Roe. . .

2008-01-22T17:06:00.000-05:00

Planned Parenthood loves having access to high school students. They claim that they are interested in the "health" of these young people, and also have a goal of reducing "unplanned" pregnancies. Yeah right. Check out this consumer report, which rated the condoms distributed by PP as "poor"! Considering that the majority of people seeking an abortion claim a "contraceptive failure" we shouldn't be surprised that PP is quite willing to up those numbers. More money in the bank!

Another interesting tidbit amidst all the media yowling about abstinence only education, is that in California, the first state to reject federal funding tied to abstinence programs, the STD rate among teenagers is skyrocketing. Mmmmm . . .chlamydia, now that's healthy! To view charts of California's STD rates and teen pregnancy, go here and here. And of course, here is a report concerning abortions funded by Medi-Cal in 2001.

Obama: Mr. Abortion

2008-01-10T22:26:00.000-05:00

Obama Is the Most Pro-Abortion Candidate Ever
By Terence P. Jeffrey
CNSNews.com Editor in Chief
January 09, 2008

Barack Obama is the most pro-abortion presidential candidate ever.

He is so pro-abortion that he refused as an Illinois state senator to support legislation to protect babies who survived late-term abortions because he did not want to concede -- as he explained in a cold-blooded speech on the Illinois Senate floor -- that these babies, fully outside their mothers' wombs, with their hearts beating and lungs heaving, were in fact "persons."

"Persons," of course, are guaranteed equal protection of the law under the 14th Amendment.

In 2004, U.S. Senate-candidate Obama mischaracterized his opposition to this legislation. Now, as a presidential frontrunner, he should be held accountable for what he actually said and did about the Born Alive Infants Bill.

State and federal versions of this bill became an issue earlier this decade because of "induced labor abortion." This is usually performed on a baby with Down's Syndrome or another problem discovered on the cusp of viability. A doctor medicates the mother to cause premature labor. Babies surviving labor are left untreated to die.

Jill Stanek, who was a nurse at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Ill., testified in the U.S. Congress in 2000 and 2001 about how "induced labor abortions" were handled at her hospital.

"One night," she said in testimony entered into the Congressional Record, "a nursing co-worker was taking an aborted Down's Syndrome baby who was born alive to our Soiled Utility Room because his parents did not want to hold him, and she did not have the time to hold him. I couldn't bear the thought of this suffering child lying alone in a Soiled Utility Room, so I cradled and rocked him for the 45 minutes that he lived."

In 2001, Illinois state Sen. Patrick O'Malley introduced three bills to help such babies. One required a second physician to be present at the abortion to determine if a surviving baby was viable. Another gave the parents or a public guardian the right to sue to protect the baby's rights. A third, almost identical to the federal Born Alive Infant Protection Act President Bush signed in 2002, simply said a "homo sapiens" wholly emerged from his mother with a "beating heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord or definite movement of voluntary muscles" should be treated as a "'person,' 'human being,' 'child' and 'individual.'"

Stanek testified about these bills in the Illinois Senate Judiciary Committee, where Obama served. She told me this week he was "unfazed" by her story of holding the baby who survived an induced labor abortion.

On the Illinois Senate floor, Obama was the only senator to speak against the baby-protecting bills. He voted "present" on each, effectively the same as a "no."

"Number one," said Obama, explaining his reluctance to protect born infants, "whenever we define a pre-viable fetus as a person that is protected by the Equal Protection Clause or the other elements in the Constitution, what we're really saying is, in fact, that they are persons that are entitled to the kinds of protections that would be provided to a -- a child, a 9-month old -- child that was delivered to term. That determination then, essentially, if it was accepted by a court, would forbid abortions to take place. I mean, it -- it would essentially bar abortions, because the Equal Protection Clause does not allow somebody to kill a child, and if this is a child, then this would be an anti-abortion statute."

That June, the U.S. Senate voted 98-0 in favor of the Born Alive Infants Protection Act (although it failed to become law that year). Pro-abortion Democrats supported it because this language was added: "Nothing in this section shall be construed to affirm, deny, expand or contract any legal status or legal right applicable to any member of the species homo sapiens at any point prior to being born alive as defined in this section."

Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer explained that with this language the "amendment certainly does not attack Roe v. Wade."

On July 18, 2002, Democratic Sen. Harry Reid called for the bill to be approved by unanimous consent. It was.

That same year, the Illinois version of the bill came up again. Obama voted "no."

In 2003, Democrats took control of the Illinois Senate. Obama became chairman of the Health and Human Services committee. The Born Alive Infant bill, now sponsored by Sen. Richard Winkel, was referred to this committee. Winkel also sponsored an amendment to make the Illinois bill identical to the federal law, adding -- word for word -- the language Barbara Boxer said protected Roe v. Wade. Obama still held the bill hostage in his committee, never calling a vote so it could be sent to the full senate.

A year later, when Republican U.S. senate candidate Alan Keyes challenged Obama in a debate for his opposition to the Born Alive Infant Bill, Obama said: "At the federal level there was a similar bill that passed because it had an amendment saying this does not encroach on Roe v. Wade. I would have voted for that bill."

In fact, Obama had personally killed exactly that bill.

Merry Twelve Days of Christmas!

2007-12-26T00:48:00.000-05:00

H/t: Thoughts of a Regular Guy

Porn for Kids in Louisville Libraries

2007-12-17T11:34:00.000-05:00

A while back I posted a video from American Life League which spoke about a sexually graphic book that is marketed to kids. This is a book that is banned from prisons for being too explicit. Well, one of my intrepid blog readers, who was referred to as "Torch" in a short-lived TV program, brought to my attention the presence of this book in the Louisville Free Public Library. Here's the url for the online catalogue listing.

http://pac.lfpl.org/polaris/search/searchresults.aspx?ctx=1.1033.0.0.4&type=Keyword&term="It's%20perfectly%20normal"&by=TI&sort=RELEVANCE&limit=TOM=*&query=&page=0

(You will probably have to cut and paste the address.)

And yes it is in the "children" section.

If anyone has an opportunity, please stop by your local branch and complain about this book. If there is enough of a ruckus, it could get pulled.

And they wonder why we voted down the library tax . . .

Newspaper headline: "Teen birthrates rose, therefore abstinence only education is a failure!"

2007-12-11T12:08:00.000-05:00

Our local newspaper, The Courier Journal (Dad calls it The Curious Urinal, but that's a little too vulgar for my blog), published an editorial which cited the rise in teen births as evidence that abstinence only education isn't working. Let's play spot the fallacy, shall we? the following is the text of the editorial, with my comments in bold.

Some responded with shock to the news that U.S. teen births rose 3 percent in 2006, the biggest increase since 1991. Notice that he(?) is talking about births here, not pregnancies.

The majority of the 440,000 such births in 2006 were to girls between 15 and 19 years old. Black teens saw the largest increase, but these statistics were up among all ethnic groups except Asians.

We can hope that this is a statistical fluke, not the start of a trend.

However, we believe the case has been made anew for a balanced approach to sex education. Abstinence-only programs have been showered with federal dollars during the Bush years, but they're not realistic.Huh? Got any evidence for this claim?

And that's notwithstanding one conservative scholar's ridiculous claim that teens who became pregnant were "highly educated about contraceptives but wanted to have babies." His line of reasoning is easily discredited by scientific findings that teenage brains are works in progress. Development is slow in the region of the brain that allows one to fully consider the consequences of actions, for oneself or for others.Stating that teenagers brains are not fully developed and/or unable to understand consequences is an argument for parental supervision and perhaps a "no dating until your brain is fully developed and you are ready to put someone else's needs before your own" rule, of course this would prevent some people from dating until they are 40, but that's another topic . . .

What's needed for people in that age group is comprehensive sex education. Abstinence is an important option, of course, and should be included in any well-thought-out program. So this editor thinks that someone who has no concept of consequences should be given condoms and that will just solve everything? Is this supposed to be peruasive? Sorry, Charlie. Teenaged promiscuity is the problem. To solve the problem, you must address the problem.

However, really effective sex education also should involve frank discussions about sexuality, including the use of condoms to avoid unwanted pregnancies and prevent sexually transmitted diseases. Again, you've stated that teenagers can't use their brains. Taking the taboo off of promiscuity isn't the answer. Teens coming from non-actively religious households may enjoy the sex without consequences message, but no one has bothered to show that this type of behavior, i.e. sterilized, extramarital sexual activity has no negative effect. Putting aside the fact that such behavior is offensive to God, isn't there evidence that teenaged sexual avtivity leads to depression, eating disorders, and inability to form emotional attachments, among a host of other problems, not to mention BABIES?

Yes, it's crucial that we talk to teenagers about the moral and physical risks of having sex, especially before they're mature enough to understand the potential consequences. However, our great challenge is to arm young people with the best possible information, so that they are more likely to make the best possible decisions, if, which is likely, they sometimes find themselves feeling overwhelmed by an urge that's as normal as breathing. Isn't the best decision staying abstinent until marriage? Furthermore, didn't this editor already state that teens don't have well-developed brains? Is he now going to tell us that teens will, with cold, calculating logic, reach for the Trojan in the heat of the moment?

The truly insulting part of this editorial (yes, it is insulting to our intelligence) is the slight of hand as far as pregnancy vs. birth. There is simply insufficient evidence to conclude anything about the role of abstinence only education in this 3% rise in teen birthrates. what this editor has performed is the infamous, post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacy, but then wasn't even honest about that, by conflating pregnancy with birth, and not addressing whether the abortion rate had risen, fallen, or remained the same. For example, pregancy rates could have been constant but this is a portion of young women who chose life for their babies, where in prior years they may have aborted. It is even possible that pregnancy rates went DOWN, with a higher birthrate. Furthermore, were the "conservative critics" right in that the majority of teens getting pregnant were well aware of the availability of condoms? It's a hard sell to say that they weren't, since you would basically have to live in The Shire to be unaware of condoms.

Just for the record, I am personally opposed to any kind of "sex ed." in public schools, outside of a biological explanation of how babies come to be, whatsoever. Partly because I don't trust public educrats to teach abstinence properly (whatever happened to chastity?), and partly becuase I think parents bear the responsibility of teaching their children morals. When this type of responsibility gets farmed out to the government, parents end up having little to no control over how their children are going to be introduced to sexuality, which will form the basis of their "worldview" on male-female (or considering today's educrats, any other imaginable combo) relationships. It's hard to counteract such a "feel good morality," and once a parent gets wind of it, it may already be too late.

Rudy in Kentucky

2007-12-06T10:44:00.000-05:00

Rudy Guiliani came into Kentucky yesterday, and I was disappointed to discover that our former Congresswoman Anne Northup is sponsoring a fundraiser for him. She was a reliable pro-life vote, but now her sponsorship of Ghouliani makes me nervous about her commitment to ending abortion, since I'm sure she'll run again.

"Planned Parenthood" Sexualizing Children

2007-12-04T09:56:00.000-05:00

There is a common social mythos that "preparing" a child (as young as 8!) for sexual activity will prevent them from engaging in risky behaviors. This is a scam perpetrated by Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the United States. The actions of PP remind me of the tobacco companies. Recruit them young, get them hooked, and watch the money roll in. All the while denying that there are harmful effects. At least with the tobacco companies it was only physical side effects. With PP and the promotion of promiscuity, sterilization, and abortion, the side effects run the gamut from physical, emotional, and psychological harm all the way to spiritual harm.

Getting Ready for Marriage . . .

2007-11-29T17:31:00.000-05:00

My fiance and I sometimes amuse ourselves by singing church music. Neither one of us can sing but it's fun and not annoying, like it can be when you sing with someone who just KNOWS they sound good. For awhile, our repetoire was a little limited, since my honey was strictly new Mass until we started dating. But last night we branched out into a little "Kyrie" and "Agnus Dei." Quite a change from "On Eagle's Wings!"

Well, while we were on the topic, I suggested that he listen to the Mass music I had picked out for our wedding. It's "Mass of the Sheperds" by Karl Kempter. You can listen to it online here (just scroll down to the bottom of the page).

The only problem was that my sweet, wonderful honey loves the TLM in large portion because of the solemnity of it all. He thought "Mass of the Sheperds" was a little too "joyful." So I beat the crap out of him and told him that he could be depressed on our wedding day if he wants to, but we're having "Mass of the Sheperds."

Isn't it beautiful? We're really learning to compromise . . . ;)

Update . . .

2007-11-29T17:17:00.000-05:00

My letter might produce some results . . . we'll see. Apparently the sight of my professor's name in the cc list ruffled some feathers, and the Vice President of Student Affairs invited me to have a meeting with him. So I did.

When I walked into his office he immediately started protesting that the University has not discriminated against the Cardinals for Life, and has even given them travel money (for the March for Life in D.C.).

I told him that wasn't my allegation, but, as I stated in my letter, that it would be greatly appreciated if the University would take steps to properly inform campus security that student groups don't need a license. He responded that if someone calls and complains, then campus security has to "check out the situation." I responded that that isn't the problem. Security hasn't simply asked if it's a student groups and then moved on, security has demanded that the students leave. I also mentioned that student groups should be reminded that they are not to call security simply because they dislike the message of other groups.

We'll see if it helps.

Pro-Abortion Groups Can't Take The Heat!

2007-11-19T21:53:00.000-05:00

When Planned Parenthood came to my oh-so-liberal-law-school, the Cardinals for Life (an undergraduate group) valiantly appeared, passing out flyers and standing up for innocent pre-born babies. Of course, all the strong independant womyn sponsoring the event couldn't be expected to win with logic and rhetoric in the marketplace of ideas. Oh, no. They called Campus Security to protect them from the two(2) young women and two(2) young men who were handing out information outside of the forum causing absolutely no disruption to the event itself. This is the second time that Planned Parenthood and their student group lackeys have pulled this kind of stunt.

Well, I'm a law student, so I sent a friendly letter to the VP of Student Affairs, President Ramsey, Dean Chen, and several other key individuals in our university.

Here is my letter:

To Whom It May Concern:

On several occasions members of the student organization,“Cardinals for Life,” have been approached by Campus Security at the request of other student organizations. The members of “Cardinals for Life” have been told that they need a license to hand out literature, and since they do not have a license they must leave the area.

According to the Code of Student Right’s, Section 7, part C, “students may distribute written material on campus without prior approval, providing such distribution does not disrupt the operations of the University or violate University rules.”

I respectfully request the University to inform all student organizations that it is impermissible to use Campus Security as a means of denying the free speech rights of other student organizations.

I further request that Campus Security be informed that student organizations do not need a “license” to distribute literature on campus. This instruction will prevent Campus Security from wasting time harassing student organizations exercising free speech rights, and prevent an impermissible chilling of free speech due to intimidation.

Thank you for your consideration in this matter.

Sincerely,
My Signature

We'll see if this letter produces any results, even though the faculty advisor for the Federalist Society (yes, I cc'd him) suggested resending the letter through counsel, since he does not expect the University to take action when a mere student points out that there are violations of their own student handbook, (not to mention the Constitution) going on!

This morning at the Abortion Mill . . .

2007-11-10T10:01:00.000-05:00

our new Archbishop Kurtz was in attendance! It is so wonderful to have support like that coming from the hierarchy, especially considering that Archbishop Kelly didn't even come to the annual Walk for Life.

There were about 350 people there, so I'm guessing people knew that the Archbishop was coming. Hopefully this exposure to what's going on downtown will inspire people to devote maybe one Saturday a month to praying outside the mill.

I caught a little exchange between some of the escorts that was startling in its stupidity. Apparently they think the Archbishop was violating the "separation of church and state." What? Do they just want him to keep his religion inside the four walls of the Church? Haven't they heard about that pesky "free exercise" clause? You know, the one that is actually in the Constitution?

Sigh. I hope they don't go to law school. They'd probably get straight A's and end up on the Kentucky Supreme Court . . .

Diversity for me, but not for thee . . .

2007-11-09T10:08:00.000-05:00

At my oh-so-politically-correct-law-school they don't even TRY to hide the agenda. Our "Diversity Committe" for example, has hosted such diverse forums as:

"Why Affirmative Action is a Relevent Necessity." Everyone on the panel was lock-step in agreement that of course we need affirmative action! How else are wealthy white liberals going to feel good about themselves?

We also had a forum about homosexual marriage, with a panel of THREE homosexuals. The highlight of the event was when the lesbian started railing against the "religious right" for their intolerance.

Now, dear friends, we are going to have a forum on "Reproductive Freedom" with Planned Parenthood, and some reporter who, I have a sneaky suspicion, is also pro-abortion. Here's a link to the announcement of the forum which is open to the public. If anyone reads this and happens to be in Louisville on Nov. 13th, please come, get free lunch, and help me give 'em hell.

Kentucky's Gubernatorial Race

2007-11-05T10:50:00.000-05:00

Well, it looks like somebody finally put a fire to Governor Fletcher's backside, and reminded him that there are lots of issues that socially conservative Democrats in Ky care about. While his campaign until now has focused on, "The other guy has ethics problems too!" in the 11th hour Fletcher is pointing out some of the issues that may cause Kentuckians, especially those from Western KY, to think twice before voting for Beshear.

For example, Beshear has been endorsed by a radical homosexual lobby. Here is a link to their endorsement, and if you can manage to parse the doublespeak, it quickly becomes apparent that Beshear has promised same-sex unions and the promotion of homosexual adoptions among other things. Kentuckians overwhelmingly voted to affirm marriage as marriage, and I'm sure most do not want special protections and privileges for a small group of deviants.

I haven't been blogging . . .

2007-11-05T10:47:00.000-05:00

because I got engaged! And I've been very busy with planning the wedding, not to mention the regular duties of a full time law student.

I'll probably end up turning this into a wedding blog because it's the foremost topic on my brain. Paying attention in Products Liability has been challenging to say the least!

Dissent is the Highest Form of Patriotism . . . or "Don't taze me, bro!!"

2007-09-18T12:51:00.000-05:00

If only J. Kerry had been elected president. Then we could all dance around in the streets with gumdrop smiles. The so-called "terrorists" would be at peace with us because they are only upset at George Bush and his war-for-oil. No one would have to hold a job because all our needs would be taken care of by the government. Students would thus have a greater ability to engage in the free exchange of ideas . . . Ahh . . .If only . . .

Sen. Craig and Hypocrisy

2007-08-30T11:47:00.000-05:00

The recent scandal involving the homosexual activities of Idaho's Sen. Craig(R) has solidified a position I've been tempted to take for awhile. Homosexuals are hypocrites. Because Sen. Craig was in a fairly conservative state, it behooved him to be publicly conservative for political purposes, while tripping the light fantastic, so to speak, in private. I wonder when the MSM will make the connection?

Thriller Wedding

2007-08-12T10:29:00.000-05:00

Too bad this is ABD (Already Been Done), or I would want to do this at my wedding . . .

The Rich Get Richer . . .

2007-08-12T09:55:00.000-05:00

I am so sick of hearing people (liberals actually, but I guess they're people too...) denying that allowing a tax cut to expire is the same as raising taxes. Come on people, when something that is done or not done causes taxes to go up, then that is a raise in taxes. It's math.

I also have a distaste for people (again, liberals) complaining about the majority of tax breaks going to the more wealthy among us. Doesn't this just make sense since the wealthy shoulder a higher tax burden in the first place?

Anyway, here is a little analogy to help the economically illiterate undestand what is going on when when we're talking about tax breaks.

H/T No Pasaran!

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

1. The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
2. The fifth would pay $1.
3. The sixth would pay $3.
4. The seventh would pay $7.
5. The eighth would pay $12.
6. The ninth would pay $18.
7. The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, thats what they decided to do.

The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until on day, the owner threw them a curve. Since you are all such good customers, he said, Im going to reduce the cost of your
daily beer by $20. Drinks for the ten now cost just $80. The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his fair share?

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33, but if they subtracted that from everybodys share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each mans bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay.

And so:
1. The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
2. The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
3. The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
4. The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
5. The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
6. The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before and the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings. I only got a dollar out of the $20, declared the
sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man, but he got $10! Yeah, that’s right, exclaimed the fifth man. I only saved a dollar, too. Its unfair that he got TEN times more than I! Thats true!! shouted the seventh man.
Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!

Wait a minute, yelled the first four men in unison. We didn’t get anything at all. The system exploits the poor! The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up. The next night the tenth man didn’t show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had beers without him.

But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn”t have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

That, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being
wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore.

Ahhh . . .Cheap Labor!

2007-08-08T08:57:00.000-05:00

For my summer employment, I worked at a legal aid clinic in NoVa. I worked for free, as an investment in my future career as a struggling-to-pay-off-my-student-loans attorney. Hopefully, this investment will pay off. That's one example of cheap labor.

A second example of cheap labor is the crowd of day workers I passed every morning on my way to work. Actually, I pretty much passed them morning, noon, and night. In fact, one night I passed one who was passed OUT under a tree by the local library, being oh so gently shaken awake by a policeman. I am somewhat uncharitably but realistically under the assumption that the gentleman in question was passed out due to excessive drinking at the run down watering hole that is catty-corner to the library.

I was really disappointed that I didn't have a camera to capture that incident, so I borrowed one to take a few pics for posterity. These aren't the best, when I took these pictures it was a little late in the day for prime day worker gathering, but they do give a feel for what it's like in NoVa re: illegal(?) immigrants hangin' around, waiting for the white vans to come pick them up for a job.

SMOKERS UNITE!!

2007-07-25T19:39:00.000-05:00

Great article from Townhall.com.

Buy Cigarettes for the Kids
By Jacob Sullum
Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Politically, making smokers pay for children's health insurance is a great idea: Everybody loves children, and everybody hates smokers. But once you get beyond the popularity contest, it's clear that financing an expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) with a big increase in the federal cigarette tax is neither fair nor wise.

As a group, smokers are less affluent than nonsmokers, and a poor person's spending on cigarettes represents a much bigger chunk of his or her income than a rich person's. These facts combine to make cigarette taxes highly regressive.

According to a Tax Foundation analysis, the Senate proposal to pay for a $35-billion SCHIP expansion by raising the federal cigarette tax from 39 cents to $1 a pack is the "least defensible alternative" because "no other federal tax hurts the poor more than the cigarette tax." The foundation's Gerald Prante calculates that "the burden of the proposed cigarette tax hike on the lowest-earning 20 percent of households is 37 times heavier than it would be if the government raised the money with the federal income tax."

Some supporters of higher cigarette taxes argue that smokers should bear a disproportionate fiscal burden because they account for a disproportionate share of taxpayer-funded medical expenses. But researchers such as Harvard economist W. Kip Viscusi estimate that, if anything, smoking saves taxpayers money.

Because smokers tend to die earlier than nonsmokers, they do not consume as much health care in old age or draw on Social Security as much as nonsmokers do. Leaving aside Social Security savings, a 1997 study in The New England Journal of Medicine concluded that total health care spending would go up, not down, if everyone stopped smoking.

Even if smoking does, on balance, increase government outlays, a 1994 report from the Congressional Research Service concluded that cigarette taxes in all likelihood already covered any external costs that reasonably could be attributed to smoking. Since then, the average cigarette tax (state and federal combined) has tripled, rising from 50 cents to $1.46, an increase of more than 100 percent in real terms. And that's not counting the price hike needed to fund the tobacco companies' settlement payments to the states.

Relying on yet another cigarette tax hike could mean that the people paying for SCHIP's expansion will be poorer than the people benefiting from it. The current Senate bill would raise the family income cutoff for SCHIP, currently 200 percent of the official poverty level, to 300 percent. Some legislators prefer a limit of 400 percent, which comes out to $82,600 for a family of four.

A decade ago, SCHIP's supporters sold the program as a way of providing health coverage to children whose parents could not afford it but were not quite poor enough to qualify for Medicaid. Now they are proposing changes that would make SCHIP resemble a middle-class entitlement.

President Bush is not the most credible opponent of a new federal health care entitlement, given his support for the exorbitant Medicare prescription drug benefit. But he is right to oppose SCHIP expansion and the tax hike that comes with it -- a burden that nonsmokers eventually will find themselves bearing as the percentage of the population that smokes continues to dwindle (an explicit goal of higher cigarette taxes).

SCHIP expansion is especially worrisome in light of research by economists David Cutler and Jonathan Gruber, who found that making publicly funded health care more broadly available tends to crowd out private coverage, encouraging people to decline employer-provided insurance or drop coverage of dependents. According to a 2007 paper co-authored by Gruber, "the number of privately insured falls by about 60 percent as much as the number of publicly insured rises."

This research suggests that much, if not most, of the money spent on SCHIP expansion would pay to cover children who already have insurance. That does not seem like a smart use of taxpayers' money, even if the taxpayers are an unpopular minority.

Harry Potter

2007-07-25T19:30:00.000-05:00

*****SPOILER ALERT*****SPOILER ALERT*****

So, I finished reading Harry Potter this weekend and I really enjoyed it. However, there is one quibble that I have that goes to the "Is this book acceptable or not for Catholics?" debate. Did Dumbledore seriously ask Snape to kill him? And was it seriously looked at as this major heroic thing for Snape to have done it? J.K. tried to make it "seem" all hunky-dory cause, ya' know, Dumbledore was gonna die anyway. An argument, I might remind you, often employed to justify starving people to death in the real world.

So to any parents, please make sure to tell your muggle children reading this book that IT IS NEVER OKAY TO DELIBERATELY KILL AN INNOCENT HUMAN LIFE, EVEN IF THAT PERSON (as humans tend to) IS GOING TO DIE ANYWAY!!!!

A Little Tribute to the Motu Proprio . . .

2007-07-14T08:12:00.000-05:00

H/T: The Lair of the Catholic Caveman

Catholics Against Rudy? I'm in!!!

2007-07-10T14:41:00.000-05:00

Here's a link to their website . . .

Catholics Against Rudy

Here's Mom's

2007-05-20T10:14:00.001-05:00

She didn't really agree with the analysis . . .but that's what the test said so it must be true!

You are driven and ambitious and tend to make radical moves to reach your goals.
You are a direct and forthright person. You like to get to the core of the issue right away, with few signs of hesitation.
You like following the rules and being objective. You are precise and meticulous, and like to evaluate decisions before making them.
You have a sunny, cheerful disposition.

What does your drawing say about YOU?

Draw a mountain . . .reveal your personality

2007-05-18T09:46:00.000-05:00

The results of my analysis say:

You tend to pursue many different activities simultaneously. When misfortune does happen, it doesn't actually dishearten you all that much.
You are a direct and forthright person. You like to get to the core of the issue right away, with few signs of hesitation.
You are creative, mentally active and industrious.
You have a sunny, cheerful disposition.

I'll take it!

What does your drawing say about YOU?

Separate Graduation Ceremonies

2007-05-14T08:17:00.000-05:00

So today I checked "The Daily Docket," an email from the law school administrators letting us know what's going on at school. It came as a bit of a surprise to me (though it shouldn't) that the BLSA (Black Law School Association) is having a special graduation ceremony the night before the general graduation ceremony. Can I get a "What? What?"

How shameful! Students of the BLSA, let me extend my apologies for the actions of our school! Fight the power, and don't let them send you to the back of the bus! Separate is inherently unequal, and if a diverse group of people (meaning people with different skin tones) is not represented at the ceremony, the ceremony will also be presumptively racist! You will not learn cultural sensitivity!

They are trying to bamboozle you with a special ceremony, but you shouldn't fall for it! Remember, "special" is also a term used for the mentally impaired. Don't let the University label you "Not as good." Boycott the racist ceremony and join your peers at the general ceremony!

In Response to the tragedy at Virginia Tech . . .

2007-04-19T22:48:00.000-05:00

the President of my oh-so-politically-correct university sent us an email on the 17th about the occurence. The pertinent parts read as follows:

The University of Louisville is stunned and saddened by Monday's events at Virginia Tech University. Our deepest sympathy goes out to the victims, their families and the entire Virginia Tech community.

This incident has led us to review our emergency response and communication procedures. While we do not have any reason to expect a similar occurrence at UofL, we encourage all our students and employees to review our emergency procedures at: http://php.louisville.edu/ur/preparedness/procedures.php

Well, I mosied on over to find out what our emergency procedures are. I found such helpful hints as: "If you hear gunfire, immediately seek refuge in an area that can be locked from the inside. A room without windows would be the best choice. Hide inside that area behind a desk, under a table or in a closet or bathroom. Remain still and quiet." Gee, thanks.

Also helpful were these instructions in case of a bomb threat: "Immediately evacuate the building, using your preplanned evacuation route." Ummm . . .is this my personal preplanned route or an "official" one? If there is an official preplanned route, are we allowed to know about it?

Wouldn't you know it, today we got an email that there was a bomb threat. The helpful advice was to carry on with our business. While I am the eternal optimist and quite willing to assume that the bomb threat was a hoax, I would somehow feel even more optimistic if I knew the ex-army ranger and ex-marine in my classes were packing some heat!

President Ramsey, please consider taking the "no gun" stickers* down.

*Gun Stickers at UofL

In Honor of Sunday: Catholic Heaven v. Protestant Heaven

2007-04-15T09:50:00.000-05:00

AN ODE TO ROMA . . .

2007-04-12T23:07:00.000-05:00

Roma you're a giant.
You ought to take a bath.

Lane thought he smelt you at the ball . . .
But we couldn't do the math.

How could your scent be ling'ring here,
This year, 2007?

When last we saw your face, my dear,
T'was '06, May eleven?

We tried to find a replacement.
She wasn't quite the same.

She did not have the stench of you!
(We don't even know her name!)

But then it struck us both so clear
And we knew the reason why!

"It's 'cause we miss our stinkin' Romes!!!"
And we both sat down to cry.

WE MISS YOU ROMA!

Random

2007-04-01T08:48:00.000-05:00

It has come to my attention that an unnamed nun's cure of Parkinson's disease has been attributed to the late Pope John Paul II. This of course will seal the deal on his cannonization if it proves trustworthy, but I also had another thought. Has anyone alerted Michael J. Fox of this cure? Perhaps he should try praying to JPII to intercede on his behalf, and give up on the embryonic stem cell hooey he's been pursuing. After all, the score is 1 to 0, with JPII in the lead over embryonic stem cells in the cure for Parkinson's race . . .just a thought.

The Intellectual Confusion of PC Policies

2007-03-24T18:18:00.000-05:00

On the Dean of Admissions' door at my oh-so-politically-correct law school there is a sticker proclaiming his office to be a "safe-zone."

The pretty pink triangle of course means "safe" for gay people. Now, I have no intention of discussing the obvious false advertising of this sticker, since I'm sure our Dean of Admissions hasn't found the cure for HIV/AIDS. What I want to discuss are the implications of the sticker.

1. Only homosexuals are safe in this particular area. Since there is a sticker for one group and not others, it may be assumed that heterosexuals and asexuals are not safe there.

2. The rest of the campus is unsafe. I think the true implication of the sticker is that it is unsafe for homosexuals everywhere else, but without a sticker, how are heterosexuals going to know where they are safe?

For example, there is no Safety Sticker here:

How can we know if this is a safe place, or even more disturbing . . .who it is safe for?!?!

Call me crazy, but shouldn't the whole campus be "safe" for everyone?

I wouldn't want to inadvertantly step into the "unsafe for women zone" and get the snot beaten out of me. I'm much too delicate and dainty.

Abortion and "Catholic" Politicians

2007-03-02T10:05:00.000-05:00

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bishop on Nancy Pelosi: It's "Categorically Impossible" to be Catholic and Hold Abortion is "Just a Choice"

By John-Henry Westen

PORTLAND, OR, March 1, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - "It is categorically impossible for the same person to state that he or she believes simultaneously both what the Catholic Church teaches and that abortion is just a choice," says Bishop Robert Vasa in a column released today by the Catholic Sentinel, the diocesan newspaper of the Archdiocese of Portland and the Diocese of Baker.

Although Vasa, the Bishop of Baker, did not mention her by name, he was referring in his column to Democrat Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi specifically, and to all politicians of a similar ilk in general.

"Some months ago a prominent Catholic public person," says Vasa, "described as faithful to the church, was asked if being pro-choice or pro-abortion was an issue which conflicted with the Catholic Faith." He goes on to quote verbatim what Nancy Pelosi stated in a highly publicized interview with Newsweek in October last year. "To me it isn't even a question. God has given us a free will. We're all responsible for our actions. If you don't want an abortion, you don't believe in it, [then] don't have one. But don't tell somebody else what they can do in terms of honoring their responsibilities."

Vasa then adds a comment by Pelosi's daughter Alexandra Pelosi, calling her only a "close relative" of the unnamed prominent Catholic. Alexandra was quoted in the San Francisco Chronicle on January 17 as saying that according to her Catholic school education neither abortion nor homosexuality were wrong, "They were just choices."

"It seems to me that there are just choices and there are unjust choices," counters Bishop Vasa. "Choices would be the preference for chocolate ice cream over vanilla ice cream or sherbet instead of ice cream. That is just a choice."

"A just choice would be to choose to pay a fair and living wage to employees as opposed to simply meeting the mandatory standard of minimum wage laws," he wrote. "An unjust choice would be to choose to terminate the life of another human being. This is not just a choice and it is not a just choice; it is an unjust choice."

"Furthermore it is an unjust choice which is diametrically opposed to the clear and consistent teaching of the Catholic Church as well as to the clear and consistent teaching of God Himself in the Ten Commandments. The direct, intentional taking of the life of an innocent human being is inhumane and unjust. It is not just a choice!," wrote the Bishop.

Although not referenced in Bishop Vasa's column, the younger Pelosi commented about her mother to the Chronicle saying: "My mother, throughout her entire life, has been faithful o the Church, even though the Church has not been that faithful to her because of her politics. And I think that takes a lot of perseverance. And still, people protest her right to go to her own church."

Bishop Vasa concludes his column "It is categorically impossible for the same person to state that he or she believes simultaneously both what the Catholic Church teaches and that abortion is just a choice."

This article may be found at LifeSite.

It makes no sense. . .

2007-02-26T21:16:00.000-05:00

Every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday when I go to the gym at my oh-so-politically-correct public university, I am confronted by a bright red banner proclaiming the idiocy of my school. Oh yes my friend, we have a "zone" that is free from all hatred. It's mandated by the powers that be. Why is such a banner so incredibly stupid? Let me propose something that may be controversial. I think that there are lots of things that are very good to hate, and of course, the university does also, we just don't always agree about what those things may be.

For example, I think that it is good to hate things (or actions really) that are sinful. I know, I know, using the word "sinful" makes me sound like a religious fanatic. I don't mind. It's true.

The university hates intolerance. Now, hating intolerance isn't always a bad thing, depending on what you are intolerant of. I think it is good to be intolerant of (cue doomsday music) SIN! The university is intolerant of viewpoints that recognize that there is such a thing as sin, unless it's sin against the sacred cows of feminism, sodomy, affirmative action, and man made global warming. They are very intolerant of those types of viewpoints.

At least I know where I am allowed to engage in hating depravity, and where I am allowed to love white straight males who drive gas guzzling cars. The university has it clearly marked.

Not Bad for a Cradle Catholic!

2007-02-10T23:32:00.001-05:00

You know the Bible 95%!

Wow! You are awesome! You are a true Biblical scholar, not just a hearer but a personal reader! The books, the characters, the events, the verses - you know it all! You are fantastic!

Ultimate Bible Quiz
Create MySpace Quizzes

If I do say so myself!

God Bless Principal Anne Carroll

2007-02-09T11:05:00.000-05:00

Anne Carroll, the principal of Seton School in Manassas, Va., deserves great praise. She has broken the mold of your typical "catholic" high school. At Seton, we learned true Catholic doctrine, and while not everyone was able to appreciate what we received there (some of the female graduates will forever be bitter about having to wear skirts below their knees)I have never met anyone with a bad word to say about Mrs. Carroll. She had a way of making us want to behave well because we didn't want to disappoint her. While some other teachers might have had a bit too strong of a disciplinary bent, one conversation with Mrs. Carroll could straighten out the toughest cases. she provided balance, reason, and inspiration.

I remember meeting up with some of my grade school friends who were going to Presentation in Louisville after my second year at Seton. They told me about the "debates" about abortion they had in their religion classes, which were "non-judgemental" with no preconceived winner. What a bunch of crap. Contrast this with my experience at Seton, where we were taught the truths of the Catholic Faith, and how to defend these truths.

I was a boarding student, and there were quite a few of us, so if you are looking for a Catholic School that that is true to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church, I recommend Seton School in Manassas, Virginia.

Global Warming (booga booga booga)

2007-02-06T22:09:00.000-05:00

Here's a link to an article on Global Warming that I found interesting. Remember . . .just because "every scientist agrees," doesn't mean that every scientist agrees...

Justice Clarence Thomas & Me (w/eyes closed)

2007-01-29T22:57:00.000-05:00

Judge MacAnulty

2007-01-29T22:48:00.000-05:00

Funny story . . . last week as I was walking toward the entrance of my law school, recently elected Judge MacAnulty was walking out. As he allowed the door to swing shut behind him, he looked at me and said, "I would hold the door for you, but chivalry is dead."

I guess he's right . . .

Law Students and Reality

2007-01-29T21:01:00.000-05:00

Today was a cold day in Louisville, I'll admit, but never have I heard so many people complaining about the temperature than my fellow law school students. I was wondering if there was a reason for the extraordinary quantity of whining by these law students, and I think I have discovered it. Law students aren't good at dealing with what is.

Let me explain. Rarely, if ever, will a law student (or for that matter a lawyer) give anyone a straight answer. For example, if you ask a law student, "Should XYZ evidence be admitted into trial?" The answer will invariably be "That depends."

This is not reality. This is a world where reality is constantly manipulated to fit whatever notion that particular person is advocating at that moment. Is the defendant guilty? Not if Johnny Cochran (RIP) is around!

Icy cold weather cannot be manipulated into something that it's not. Cold is cold, and no amount of clever argumentation can change it. Lawyers hate that.

I bet the mechanical engineers handled the weather with fewer complaints . . . they deal with reality . . .

Merry Christmas!!!

2006-12-23T03:14:00.000-05:00

Double Standards. . .

2006-12-04T20:19:00.000-05:00

Okay, this is my last post on abortion for awhile, I just couldn't resist how true this cartoon is. . .

Quick Quiz

2006-12-04T11:12:00.000-05:00

Answer yes or no to the following situations:

A. The mother of a family of 14 is pregnant again. Her husband — the father of all 14 of these children — has a history of alcohol abuse and mental disorders which frequently causes him to abuse his other children. The mother herself is already worn out from trying to care single-handedly for her large family and doesn't feel she can care for another child at this point. On top of all this, two sons in the family also have a history of alcohol abuse, one of the children is in a mental institution, and none of the other children have steady, dependable jobs with which to support mom and dad. Abortion or Not?

B. A poor black family in the South is expecting a fifth child. This family, because of its skin color, already has difficulty receiving help and are already at the bare minimum poverty level. The outlook for their present children does not look bright. Abortion or Not?

C. A woman is engaged to a man some years older than she; she finds out that she is facing an unplanned pregnancy. The child she is carrying is definitely not the son of her fiancé, and he is worried for her sake and for their repution in their community. This child could put a serious strain on their relationship and on any future children. Abortion or Not?

Okay, everybody finished? Here are the results:

A. If you answered Abortion for A, congradulations! You just aborted Ludwig Van Beethoven!

B. If you answered Abortion for B, again, congradulations! You just aborted Martin Luther King, Jr.

C. If you answered Abortion for C, YOU WIN THE GRAND PRIZE! You, my friend, have just aborted Jesus of Nazareth.

I found this at http://www.nd.edu/~observer/09151999/Viewpoint/2.html

The GREAT Debate!

2006-11-30T22:23:00.000-05:00

I'm kind of excited . . .a classmate of mine is interested in having a religious debate. We've settled on having it over Christmas break, and it should be quite interesting. I'm going to let my classmate choose the topic. I think that is only fair since I have homecourt advantage AND a picture of Pope Benedict!

So Jeff. . .let the games begin . . .well, in about a week . ..

ARE WE SAFER?

2006-11-25T21:46:00.000-05:00

Every morning when I walk in the front door of my oh-so-politically-correct law school, I am confronted by a seemingly innocuous sticker showing a gun with a Ghostbusters style red circle-with-a-slash. The message, of course, is that weapons are not allowed on the premises.

I understand the motivation for this type of thing. After all, there have been a frightening number of school shootings, from Columbine to the shooting of the Amish children . . .but I had wondered if letting crazy gun toting killers know that no one would be able to defend himself* if the crazy gun toting killers decided to have their next rampage in my school was the best idea.

My fears were all for not. Yesterday, I saw a gentleman sitting on one of the "smoking benches" with a sad expression on his face and a semi-automatic under his arm.

"What's wrong?" I asked, being the compassionate individual that I am.

He looked at me with soft brown eyes misted with unshed tears. "I wanted to shoot the whole %&*#$ place up. . ." he said, "but then I saw the sticker . . ."

For the purposes of full disclosure, the incident described above never happened.

I know, big shocker, since it never would happen.

But there is a ray of hope. Even if the sticker serves only as a deterrent to upstanding citizens from protecting themselves from the crazies, perhaps the angry feminists who loiter in the hallways will have their own deterrent effect.

* This use of "himself" as a universal pronoun could be enough to set the feminists after me!!!

Pro-choice fetus. . .

2006-11-13T23:53:00.000-05:00

Richard Dawkins' Speech at RMWC

2006-11-12T21:30:00.000-05:00

I watched Richard Dawkins' speech on his book "The God Delusion" on C-SPAN2 this evening. Well, okay, only parts of it . . .but there was one aspect that I found to be humorous, sad, and enlightening all in the same instant.

This gentleman (a noted atheist) claims that of course atheism has a moral code, and it arises from a recognition of how we would like to be treated, a sort of golden rule if you will.

Mr. Dawkins lamented the fact that there are no self-described atheists in office in the United States, but also speculated that there were quite a few "closeted" atheists, who lied to get into office because most of the darn Christian plebes in this country wouldn't vote for an atheist. And of course, he segued into a minnie rant about the horrible prejudice of Christians that force this condition on the poor atheist politicians.

This led me to wonder, would Mr. Dawkins vote for a Christian if he could choose instead to vote for an atheist? It seems to me that most people prefer those in power to actually agree with them. Since most people in the United States are still (believe it or not) Christian, it stands to reason that they would prefer to vote for Christians. Furthermore, is lying in order to gain power acceptable in the atheistic "morality"? Mr. Dawkins certainly had no condemnation for those atheist politicians who did so . . .Does this mean that Mr. Dawkins would like it if Christians lied in order to get power?

The answer is: No, of course not.

The further answer is: Can you really trust this type of moral code?