"Pahmping" Them Up

The Governator puts in a good word for the Minutemen:

"I think they have done a terrific job, and they have cut down the crossing of illegal immigrants by a huge percentage, so it just shows that it works when you go and make an effort and when you work hard. ... It's a shame the private citizen has to go in there and secure our borders," he said.

Despite a firestorm of criticism, Schwarzenegger has stood by his comments, telling a news conference, yesterday: "I think the most important thing to note is I am a champion of immigrants. I promote immigration. I am an immigrant myself. I think it's extremely important that we do it in a legal way."

"[The federal government's] job is to secure the borders and they have not done their job," Schwarzenegger continued. "And when the government – the state or the country – doesn't do its job, then the private citizens go out and it's like a neighborhood patrol."

Sidenote: If you've heard about them, there's a "Los Angeles, CA Mexico" billboard near where I live in Orange County. Absolutely ridiculous.

Update: When it comes to illegal immigration, the normally rational Professor Bainbridge chooses politics and hyperbole over law.

A Paper That's Barely Fit to House Train Your Dog

Patterico examines the latest effort by the L.A. Times to distort the news in order to rip the U.S. military.

I Say About a Year

Until we see a made for TV movie about the bizarre story of "runaway bride" Jennifer Wilbanks.

Should Have Been Done Eons Ago

The Archdiocese of New York derecognizes (unrecognizes?) Marymount Manhattan College as a Catholic institution. (via the Corner at NRO)

Update: A good cause of action for derecognizing Loyola Marymount University in L.A. (It'll never happen, of course, as long as Cardinal Hollywood Mahony is running things)

It's Not Exactly Harvard, but C'mon...!

A black female student at Trinity International University (the mother ship of this humble attorney's law school) is criminally charged with making racial slurs and threats against fellow students. Why did she allegedly do it? Apparently, she just doesn't like going to TIU. (via RelapsedCatholic)

Smut

There must be really something wonderful about fatherhood when it makes someone who actually works in the sleaze industry write a book complaining about our oversexed culture.

Update: An unlikely solution in Reavill's book, but I like it.

It All Adds Up

Anyone know where Karl Rove was during the conclave? (raised eyebrow influenced by Amy Welborn)

Update:On the basis of unnamed sources, foundationless asertions and a determination to portray the Catholic Church as just a political institution that happens to like talking about God, Time magazine will be reporting that "the campaign" for pope resulted in Cardinal Ratzinger getting 95 out of 115 votes. (via Drudge).

Will There Soon Be Altar Girls?

Since moving back down to the OC earlier this year, I've been attending the parish I was baptized and confirmed at, St. Mary's by the Sea in Huntington Beach. Up until fairly recently, St. Mary's had been a kind of pre-Vatican II traditionalist holdout in the diocese. For not only was the Tridentine Mass presided over every Sunday at St. Mary's (by indult, of course), the Novus Ordo Masses there were done in a very "conservative" manner (e.g., most people knealt to receive communion, no one held hands during the Our Father, and the "sign of peace" gesture was always omitted). However, with the retirement last year of it's longtime pastor, Fr. Daniel Johnson, St. Mary's has been undergoing some "Spirit of Vatican II" changes that I'm frankly sorry to see.

The most significant change was the elimination of the Sunday Tridentine Mass. The diocese, or more specifically, Bishop Tod "Mahoney Clone" Brown, is of the belief that the indult to preside over the Tridentine Mass at St. Mary's is personal to Fr. Johnson and does not apply to the parish. And if you believe that, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell you.

Other changes that are being implemented by the diocese at St. Mary's include the appointing of extraordinary ministers and having people line up in two single file lines down the center aisle to receive communion (thus, effectively eliminating use of the communion rails). Unlike the elimination of the Tridentine Mass, I really don't have a huge problem with these changes. However, since the only reasons that have been given for making these changes are that they fall within the liturgical norms of the Church and Bishop Mahoney Clone desires to see them, I highly suspect that at some point in the near future, the insufferable music of Marty Haugen will be used for the processional and recessional hymns. Ugh!!!