"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!!!

More Garbage From Al Reuteera

Powerline exposes yet another thinly veiled attack by Reuters against the Catholic Church and Pope Benedict XVI.

Martin Luther Must Be Rolling in His Grave

Like so many others, I was very happy to learn that Cardinal Ratzinger was selected to be the new pope. On my way to lunch today, I heard on the radio that Pope Benedict XVI is the first German pope in some 900 years.

Update: According to MSNBC, it's been 500 years since the last German pope.

Blithering Nonsense

Episcopalian Bishop V. Gene Robinson at the recent Planned Parenthood prayer (to Moloch) breakfast (via Ignatius Insight Scoop):

"Our defense against religious people has to be a religious defense. ... We must use people of faith to counter the faith-based arguments against us," he said.

Can People Be Weapons of Mass Destruction?

Yeah, I think so.

Culture of Death Indeed

Or, to put it less charitably, Leftist Morons on Parade.

Is There a Catholic Equivalent?

One of the bloggers at Mirror of Justice pointed out this forthcoming book by Mark Noll, which appears to provide an examination of contemporary Roman Catholicism from an Evangelical perspective.

Having read The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind, my tendency is to belive that Noll will be pretty fair in his assessment of the Church and her teachings. I do find it kind of odd, though, that there are so many books out there about Catholicism, some of which are pure garbage, that are written by self-professed Evangelicals. Even more amazing is that there doesn't seem to be any Catholic books which give an assessment of Evangelicalism. Seems that most, if not all, Catholic literature that discuss Evangelicalism is normally done within the context of apologetics or a conversion to Catholicism. If this correct, I wonder why.

Slouching Toward a Sell-Out

Looks as though the Vatican is on the verge of severing diplomatic ties with Taiwan in the naive hope that the ChiComs will reciprocate and extend greater religious freedom to underground Chinese Catholics. (via Amy Welborn)

Liked by the LDS

As I was reading this roundup of Protestant/Evangelical perspectives of JP II's passing, I started thinking to myself (don't ask me why), "I wonder what the Mormons think?" Here's a sampling from the Salt Lake Tribune:

Walter Whipple, who was an LDS mission president in Poland and now teaches Polish culture at Brigham Young University, called John Paul "a man of faith, vision and intellect, and one more thing, courage."

Despite Mormon teachings about how Christianity lost its way after the death of Jesus' apostles, LDS Church President Gordon B. Hinckley offered his respects, even adulation, for the man believed by a billion Catholics to be St. Peter's successor.

(...)

The pope "has been a true Christian his whole life and a marvelous example of Christian charity and love to the whole world. He has 'restored' much dignity to Christianity and has played an active role for the good in world affairs," wrote John Fowles of Salt Lake City on the blog bycommonconsent.com. "I am confident that he will make the right choices in the spirit world."

In other words, join the LDS Church.


BTW, on the same day that JP II passed, the 175th conference of the LDS church opened. I'm still trying to figure out if there's any meaningful significance to this. (Maybe God's way of casting the attention of misguided believers toward His One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church?)

Great Guy, But Too Bad He Was Catholic

I'm thinking that Al Mohler has never tried to make a good faith effort to find out if what he believes about Catholicism are actually true, or that he read JP II's last book.

Even in his most recent book, released in the United States just days before his death, John Paul II continued to define the work of Christ as that which is added to human effort. Like the church he served, John Paul II rejected justification by faith. Beyond this, he rejected the biblical doctrine of hell, embraced inclusivism, and promoted an extreme form of Marian devotion, referring to Mary as "Co-Redemptrix," "Mediatrix," and "Mother of all Graces."


And by the way Hugh, it's not the differences between Catholic and Protestant theology that Mohler illustrates, but rather, stereotypical Protestant ignorance about Catholic theology.

Not Even Fit for Birdcage Lining

Powerline has the scoop on the New Yuck Times' apparent inability to find someone who liked JP II.

The Persecution Continues

The Captain's Quarters notes that despite worldwide reports of Pope JP II's impending death, the ChiComs have stepped up their crackdowns on so-called underground (i.e., non-governmentally approved) Catholic churches. One can only speculate that the ChiComs' actions are based on a belief that the pope's illness and death will only inspire "illegal" Catholics in China to be more "subversive" in their behavior. If this is in fact the case, it certainly provides powerful testimony to how valuable and influential even the most infirm person in this world can be.

"Quality of Life"

A most disturbing term as applied to end of life issues, since it necessarily implies that at some point, a person ceases becoming a person or human being, and therfore can be disposed of like an old pair of shoes. This is basically why Terri Schiavo was starved to death, and we should all be frightened over the fact that the government has given its official stamp of approval to how this term "Quality of life" is being used.