Bashing Bush Through "An Iraq Interrogator's Nightmare"

While I don’t mean to denigrate, or even doubt, the psychological trauma that Eric Fair claims to have incurred, his published article in the rabidly anti-Bush Washington Post about what he experienced as a contract interrogator in Iraq raises an eyebrow. Indeed, my eyeballs just rolled when I read Fair’s suggestion that the wanton prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib, which the military began investigating well before it ever became news, is indistinguishable from the apparent approved interrogation practices of particular captured terrorists who may have information about planned terrorist plots. And the evidence Fair puts forth to support this suggested comparison, continuing violence in Iraq, is less than persuasive.

On a related front, some are quite predictably using Fair’s article as an opportunity to reassert their belief that the Catholic Church regards deportation torture to be “intrinsically evil,” and that anyone who disagrees with this is just a mindless apologist for SatanBush. Yeah, I don’t exactly know how he makes this connection either, but BDS has been known to make people lose all semblance of sense and sensibility.

Update (2/11/07): Somehow, I don't think the vital information provided by the detainees mentioned here was obtained by offering them milk and cookies.

Oh. My. Gawd.

The Archbishop of San Francisco, George Niederauer, states in a radio interview that he does not know what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's position on legalized abortion is.

One of the show hosts described Pelosi as "not only pro-choice, but she would be someone who would be working to try to keep abortion legal." The Archbishop was asked, "In your view is she less of a Catholic because of that?" He replied saying about Pelosi, "We haven’t had an opportunity to talk about the life issues. I would very much welcome that opportunity, but I don’t believe that I am in a position to say what I understand her stand to be, if I haven’t had a chance to talk to her about it."

Un-freakin'-believable.

I Can't Be the Only One to Have Noticed This

So there's been some going back and forth in the conservative blogosphere about the sincerity of Mitt Romney's pro-life conversion. Those who are suspicious of it point to statements Romney made as recent as 2002 wherein he expressly said he respected and would protect a woman's right to choose an abortion.

Supporters of Romney say that his past statements should not be held against him, and that it should be noted that Ronald Reagan, when he was the governor of California in the late '60's, did more to advance abortion rights than Romney has ever done as an elected official. (Reagan had signed a bill which effectively decriminalized abortion in California. It has been reported that Reagan deeply regretted doing this one year later after learning of the large number of abortions that had been performed).

I, myself, tend to fall into the camp that finds Romney's newfound pro-life position to be suspicious. Not so much because his shift is a 180 from the position he held as late as 2002, although it's certainly significant, but mostly because I haven't heard or seen Romney say or suggest that Roe v. Wade should be overturned. (It is well worth noting that in a 2002 Planned Parenthood questionnaire, Romney indicated affirmative support for the substance of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade ruling). Until he says Roe v. Wade is bad case law, I really don't think Romney's new position on abortion can be taken all that seriously.

Theological Query Re: Torture

If, as some would argue, torture is held to be intrinsically immoral by the Church, why then doesn't the Church condemn Christ for willingly participating in the manner by which His Passion occurred? Christ, after all, had foreknowledge that He would be brutally tortured, and could have easily escaped.

Interesting Questions to Ponder

There is little question that for the most part, Rudy Giuliani is a liberal on several significant social issues like legalized abortion. On that basis alone, social conservatives in the Republican Party, such as myself, would normally not have a reason to support Giuliani's yet to be announced candidacy for President.

But here's the thing. Important issues like abortion have pretty much been out of the hands of our publicly elected officials since 1973. Sure, there are some things our legislatures can and should do to curb the frequency of abortion, but the bottom line fact is they can't outright ban it because abortion has been determined by the Supreme Court to be a constitutionally protected right.

It therefore stands to reason that until the Supreme Court reverses itself in rulings like Roe v. Wade, whether a candidate for President is pro-life just may not be that important; at least in the short term. Indeed, what might actually be a more appropriate gauge for pro-lifers and social conservatives in evaluating a presidential candidate for 2008 is the kind of judges that candidate would appoint to the Federal courts. On that, Ed Morrissey from Captain's Quarters provides information which strongly suggests that if Rudy Giuliani were elected President, he would appoint Federal judges who are in the mold of Justices Scalia, Alito and Roberts (why Justice Thomas was not mentioned is a bit curious)and presumptively in favor of reversing cases like Roe.

On the Federal judiciary I would want judges who are strict constructionists because I am. I'm a lawyer. I've argued cases in the Supreme Court. I've argued cases in the Court of Appeals in different parts of the country. I have a very, very strong view that for this country to work, for our freedoms to be protected, judges have to interpret not invent the Constitution. Otherwise you end up, when judges invent the constitution, with your liberties being hurt. Because legislatures get to make those decisions and the legislature in South Carolina might make that decision one way and the legislature in California a different one. And that's part of our freedom and when that's taken away from you that's terrible.

Is this enough for pro-life advocates and other social conservatives to support a probable Giuliani candidacy for President? Would it make a difference that several polls show Giuliani as the only nationally known Republican who can beat Hillary Clinton in a head-to-head match? Frankly, these are questions that I myself will have to work through.

No Faith League

In the name of protecting its' god, Ratings, the NFL invokes an FCC rule and bullies several churches into shutting down planned Super Bowl parties.

Under NFL guidelines — and federal law — churches, schools and other public venues can hold football-viewing parties only if they use a single, living-room-size TV, no bigger than 55 inches. When they project the game onto 12-foot screens or set up banks of TVs, they cross the line, according to NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy.

Jumbo screens "have the potential to draw thousands of people, and if we had that going on across the country, it would eventually erode the television ratings," McCarthy said.

Poor NFL. It must really be hurting for ratings and having a hard time attracting advertisers.

What a Language Can Tell Us

In Mandarin Chinese, the words for "Catholic Church" are "Tian Zhu Jiao." Literally translated into English, these words mean master, or primary, religion of Heaven.

The words for "Protestant" in Mandarin Chinese are "Xin Jiao." Literally translated into English, these words mean new religion.

Kind of interesting, eh? Especially considering that the Chinese language and culture predate Christianity.

Paleo-Con Bush Derangement Syndrome

So the American Enterprise Institute, a private "neo-conservative" think tank, makes a public offer to compensate scientists who will refute the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, and that is viewed by some as a nefariously orchestrated "bribe" by the Bush Administration.

Give me a break. If you want to criticize AEI for actively soliciting scientific studies/reports that have a specific result to them, fine. But to suggest that the Bush Administration is behind this without a shred of credible proof is illustrative of a disturbed mind.

Thomist Schwag

Along with the appropriate wine, what better way to introduce most people to possibly the greatest philosopher and theologian in world history?

You Murder Babies

The cool thing about having a Site Meter counter on my blog page is that I can see where almost every visitor to this page is coming from. Yesterday, someone with a Planned Barrenhood IP address came by five times. In case that person ever comes back, I'd like him or her to pass on the above headline to everyone he or she knows at that God forsaken organization.

Cafeteria Catholic Personified

OK, this is uncharitable, but former DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe is an ass. As illustrated in this interview with radio pundit Hugh Hewitt, McAuliffe makes a mockery of the Catholic faith he professes by assuming it to be indistinguishable from a political ideology. I'm also pretty sure McAuliffe is flat out lying about the late John Paul II holding a private Mass especially for him and his wife, and that the pope knew he was pro-abortion prior to or during that Mass.

As a sidenote, I wonder why Hewitt describes himself as Catholic in this blog, seeing as how he fell away from the Church several years ago and is now member of a Presbyterian affiliated church.

Fr. Robert Drinan Dead

The guy certainly will have a lot to answer for now that he's passed, and I pray that God will have mercy on his soul.

He ran for Congress on an anti-Vietnam war platform. During his Congressional tenure, Drinan continued to dress in the robes of his clerical order and lived in a simple room in the Jesuit community at Georgetown.

But Drinan wore his liberal views more prominently. He opposed the draft, worked to abolish mandatory retirement and raised eyebrows with his more moderate views on abortion and birth control.

Wild and Crazy

So I'm playing around with The Oracle of Bacon generator, and I input Bruce Lee to see how many degrees of separation there are between the late actor/martial arts legend and actor Kevin Bacon. Much to my great surprise, it turns out there is only one actor that links Bruce Lee to Kevin Bacon (at least according to this generator). Even more surprising is who that actor is: Steve Martin.

It seems that Martin had a bit role in Bruce Lee's 1972 movie, Fist of Fury (Jackie Chan had a bit role in this move as well, but was uncredited). He, Martin, played a policeman.

As for Kevin Bacon, he had an uncredited part in Martin's 2001 film, Novocaine.

Pretty interesting factoid about Steve Martin, eh? I wonder if he ever got the chance to know Bruce Lee.

34 Years of Roe v. Wade

From the standpoint of constitutional law, it was an atrocity of a ruling then, and remains so today. At the very least, the Supreme Court should never have even agreed to review the case.

From a cultural/societal standpoint, what can I say? Since January 22, 1973, the United States has seen over 40 million children slaughtered in the womb.

Pray for us Holy Mother of God and Patron Saint of the Unborn.

The Paper of Lies

It's a good thing there is no legal requirement in this country to tell the truth in news reporting, otherwise the New York Times would be guilty of committing perjury. The latest offense by the Grey Lady via LifeSiteNews:

The New York Times has once again published another 'hit piece' on the institution of marriage, alleging that for “the first time more American women are living without a husband than with one”. However, US census data for 2005 shows that the January 16th front-page story in the New York Times is just another disturbing showcase of the Times’ tolerance for “journalistic malpractice”.

“For what experts say is probably the first time,” writes Sam Roberts on the Times front page, “more American women are living without a husband than with one, according to a New York Times analysis of census results.”

“In 2005, 51 percent of women said they were living without a spouse, up from 35 percent in 1950 and 49 percent in 2000,” writes Roberts. He adds that now married couples make up a minority of all American households and “the trend could ultimately shape social and workplace policies, including the ways government and employers distribute benefits.”

The plain truth is that Roberts’ findings are at variance with US census reports for 2005, which demonstrate a far different picture from the profiles selected by Roberts of single women “delighting in their new found freedom.”

Pelosi Admits She Supports Legally Killing Babies

Red State points out the following from an Ellen Goodman column about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi:

Pelosi was not plucked from the kitchen to Congress. The stay-at-home mom label may be politically correct these days but technically incorrect. Pelosi, offspring of a political family, was always involved in a campaign, she says, "no matter how little my babies were, if I was wheeling them in a carriage or carrying them in my stomach."

Did you catch that? Pelosi called what was in her stomach "babies," not fetuses or cellular globs. I wish someone in the MSM would follow up on this and ask Pelosi if she meant what she said, and if so, how she can continue to justify favoring legalized abortion (i.e., the legal killing of human babies while still fully or partially in the womb). Don't worry. I'm not holding my breath.

Rocky Balboa: Servant of Christ

According to Stallone, that's apparently the underlying theme of his latest (last?) Rocky movie. So much so that Stallone developed a kit for Christian ministry leaders to use.

Nice to see, and I understand "Rocky Balboa" is a pretty good flick, but I'm still going to wait for the movie to come out on DVD before watching it. I mean, $10 for movie ticket?! Please.

Cardinal Mahony's Gay Fish

You know that Christian fish symbol that you often see on the back of people's cars? Well, it looks as though good 'ol Cardinal "Hollywood" Mahony has endorsed a rainbow colored variation of this symbol as a sort of positive tribute to Catholics with homosexual tendencies.

Cardinal Mahony instructs his nearly 5 million Catholic members to "see in the [gay] fish pin a sign of recognition of our lesbian and gay sisters and brothers." Is Cardinal Mahony trying to hook his already desensitized laity with this fishy bait?

The Cardinal is perversely distorting a once holy and revered symbol used not only by the early Christians but today's Christians as well. Through the gift of the same Sacred Tradition the Apostles received from Christ, the early Christians recognized one another in the image of the fish during the persecution of their Church.

Most harmful are the Cardinal's attempts to further confuse his priests, religious, and laity by 'normalizing' the homosexual idioms 'lesbian' and 'gay' using the 'gay' Rainbow colored fish.

The expression of Hell being paved with the skulls of bishops couldn't be more apt. (link via)

Florida Wins the Crystal Football

Although the Gators were the clear underdog, their dominating win over Ohio State in the BCS Championship Game was not at all shocking considering that the Buckeyes gave up 39 points to and barely beat Michigan in their last game of the regular season. (Michigan, of course, was trounced in the Rose Bowl last week by USC).

So now that Florida has won the "championship," is it the #1 team in the country? Under the system that the NCAA currently employs for Division I college football, yes. However, let there be no mistake that this system is seriously whacked up, as evidenced by the fact that of all the winners of BCS bowl games this year, including Florida, there is only one team with an undefeated record - Boise State. You can pretty much bet the farm that Boise State, which plays in a so-called "mid-major" conference, will not be ranked #1 in the final BCS and AP polls.

They Actually Have Team Sports?

A losing streak that spanned over 200 games and 10 years, the men's basketball team at Caltech, the school in which the movie Real Genius was loosely based upon, finally won a game yesterday.

I knew a guy in high school who ended up going to Caltech, and based on what I observed of him in P.E. class, I'm not at all surprised that Caltech's losing streak lasted as long as it did. (Indeed, Caltech still hasn't won a conference game in over 20 years). But, like all Caltech students and graduates, the guy was super smart in science and math, and could be consistently counted on to bust the grading curve.