Brutally Honest

Feds engage in Islamophobia

Hmm... does the Prez know about this?

Federal prosecutors took steps Thursday to seize four U.S. mosques and a Fifth Avenue skyscraper owned by a nonprofit Muslim organization long suspected of being secretly controlled by the Iranian government.

In what could prove to be one of the biggest counterterrorism seizures in U.S. history, prosecutors filed a civil complaint in federal court against the Alavi Foundation, seeking the forfeiture of more than $500 million in assets.

The assets include bank accounts; Islamic centers consisting of schools and mosques in New York City, Maryland, California and Houston; more than 100 acres in Virginia; and a 36-story glass office tower in New York.

Confiscating the properties would be a sharp blow against Iran, which has been accused by the U.S. government of bankrolling terrorism and trying to build a nuclear bomb.

A telephone call and e-mail to Iran's U.N. Mission seeking comment were not immediately answered. Nor was a call to the Alavi Foundation.

Now that's hope and change to believe in but it's also baffling. 

Of course, it's also fodder for the apology tour... after all, Obama is slated to be out of the country again soon is he not?

The AP was sure to seize on the civil liberties threat thread:

It is extremely rare for U.S. law enforcement authorities to seize a house of worship, a step fraught with questions about the First Amendment right to freedom of religion.

The action against the Shiite Muslim mosques is sure to inflame relations between the U.S. government and American Muslims, many of whom are fearful of a backlash after last week's Fort Hood shooting rampage, blamed on a Muslim American major.

"Whatever the details of the government's case against the owners of the mosques, as a civil rights organization we are concerned that the seizure of American houses of worship could have a chilling effect on the religious freedom of citizens of all faiths and may send a negative message to Muslims worldwide," said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

The mosques and the skyscraper will remain open while the forfeiture case works its way through court in what could be a long process. What will happen to them if the government ultimately prevails is unclear. But the government typically sells properties it has seized through forfeiture, and the proceeds are sometimes distributed to crime victims.

Let's use the funds to pay the families of the fallen in the War on Terrorr restitution... after all, restitution has been bandied about by more than a few of those in power has it not?

It's a superb idea... and no better use for the money could be found.

Crossposted(*).

Nancy Pelosi, thy name is hypocrite

The woman is despicable... and now we have video evidence:

By way of STACLU.

Crossposted(*).

The dithering will continue...

... and sadly, our troops will pay the price:

President Barack Obama does not plan to accept any of the Afghanistan war options presented by his national security team, pushing instead for revisions to clarify how and when U.S. troops would turn over responsibility to the Afghan government, a senior administration official said Wednesday.

That stance comes in the midst of forceful reservations about a possible troop buildup from the U.S. ambassador in Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry, according to a second top administration official.

In strongly worded classified cables to Washington, Eikenberry said he had misgivings about sending in new troops while there are still so many questions about the leadership of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Obama is still close to announcing his revamped war strategy — most likely shortly after he returns from a trip to Asia that ends on Nov. 19.

But the president raised questions at a war council meeting Wednesday that could alter the dynamic of both how many additional troops are sent to Afghanistan and what the timeline would be for their presence in the war zone, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss Obama's thinking.

He will not lead.

H/T to Hot Air who alternately thought of titling their post "Obama votes present".

Crossposted(*).

What's wrong with this picture?

I'm no fashion king.  Ask my wife.  She critiques what I wear all the time and I can't tell you how many times she's stopped me with these words: "Ain't no way in heck that you're wearing that".

Methinks someone ought to have stopped the First Lady.  But again, I might not be the best judge.

You? 

H/T Gerard.

Crossposted(*).

"Islamophobia is a fake concept"

We've all heard the meme... so succinctly expressed by Pamela Taylor at The Washington Post:

As we all struggle to make sense of the terrible events at Fort Hood, it is all too easy to blame a particular religion or a particular ethnic background. No doubt, certain pundits will have a field day, using this tragedy to proclaim yet again that Islam is a terrorist religion and Muslims or Arabs are violent and not to be trusted. Those who have more a favorable view of Islam and Muslims will realize that the shootings do not reflect Islamic teachings and that the vast majority of American Muslims are appalled at such violence.

Until we know more about Maj. Nidal's motives we should not jump to conclusions, and certainly we should not declare that he had religious/political motivations simply because he was Muslim.

The shootings at Fort Hood raise many questions. Major Nidal complained of being treated poorly by fellow soldiers because he was Muslim. It got bad enough, according to a New York Times article, that he hired a lawyer to seek to end his military career early. This request was denied, and he remained in the military. How severely did Islamophobic treatment by the very people he was trying to serve impact Maj. Hasan? How did the army's refusal to let him end his service early, even though he agreed to pay off the cost of his education, affect his feelings about the army? What kind of stresses are Muslim soldiers placed under when they are deployed to areas where they are killing fellow Muslims, and perhaps people of similar ethnic background? Is the army taking extra precautions to deal with the additional stresses these soldiers are under?

Unsurprisingly, her mindset is shared by Barack Hussein Obama.... and many, many other Leftists, to our detriment and the detriment of  all of Western society.

Phyllis Chesler at PajamasMedia has cogent and relevant and brilliant things to say about it all:

We had all better learn this, beginning with the U.S. Army. The army must become free of political correctness; otherwise, there will be more Ft. Hoods, more single-cell operatives. There is a difference between “jumping to conclusions” and making a rational, reasoned judgment based on fact and experience. The Army should mandate the reporting of jihadic or Islamist statements by its soldiers. No one should be penalized for making such reports.

Islamophobia is a fake concept; there is no anti-Muslim backlash

Fake phrases and fake concepts like “Islamophobia” gave Major Hasan all the cover he needed. Even soldiers and other psychiatrists in the American Army were afraid of reporting Hasan’s Islamist (not Islamic) rants lest they be seen as “racists” or as “Islamophobic,” lest they be written up, demoted, even dishonorably discharged.

The politically correct concept of “Islamophobia” was as much behind the trigger as Major Hasan was.

Americans have been propagandized: The Islamophobia narrative as propaganda

Islamists are very clever and have launched a successful campaign to treat a totalitarian and apartheid system as a persecuted race, as a victim. The terrorist jihadist is always the victim. There is no anti-Muslim backlash. Hell no! The fact that Major Hasan was not ejected from the army because his colleagues feared death by lawsuit/loss of their careers is perfect proof of that.

Deliberate confusion
The term “Islamophobia” is a deliberate attempt to combine criticism of a belief system with hatred of a people because of the color of their skin. Thus “Islamophobia” is wrongfully allied with the real horrors of racism.

“Islamophobia” is a nonsense term. A “phobia” is an “irrational fear.” “Claustrophobia” is irrational because enclosed spaces do not tend to kill you. But given the permanent intifada against Israel; a high level of Muslim-on-Muslim crime, including terrorism and honor killings; a fearfully mounting death toll; and the realities of Islamic (not Islamist) gender and religious apartheid, we actually have many reasons to be fearful of some – certainly not all – aspects of Islam. Women, gay men and Jews have particular reason to be fearful. As do civilian commuters in major European cities, tourists in Asia and Africa, and American soldiers on military bases.

It’s not “phobic” to be worried about Islam/Islamism. It is eminently rational, given that since 9/11, there have been more than 14,000 jihadic attacks against civilians around the world. This does not include battlefront statistics.

Do not demonize the truth teller, deal with the issues

But to think that the answer to any criticism of Islam or Muslims is to demonize its critics and to indulge in exaggerated self-pity is to make the world more dangerous for us all.

The truth
America is fighting back in a war that radical, jihadic Islamists have declared against Israel and the West, especially against America. The Islamists have managed to persuade western leftists, academics, politicians, and the media that America and Israel are waging a war on Islam. It’s what Osama bin Laden thinks.

Brainwashed People believe that the attacker is really the victim

The jihadist is always the victim. Men have been forced into becoming terrorists, forced to hijack planes and fly them into the World Trade Center, forced to shoot down soldiers at Ft. Hood or blow up civilians, both Muslims and infidels, in Israel and all across the Middle East because the jihadist’s land was being “occupied” by infidels or because they were being forced to fight an American war against other Muslims. (By the way, Muslim-on-Muslim crime, including terrorist crime, is the real, hidden story here). Finally, the jihadist is always the victim because, poor guy, he is “mentally ill” and needs our help and understanding.

Ms. Chesler makes the point, time and again, on separating Islam from Islamists, the Muslim faith from the faith practiced by Jihadists... and it's a point I believe to be flawed, a topic for another day perhaps... but her points excerpted here are pointed and true and should be read and passed on.

It truly is a life and death issue.

Crossposted(*).

Thanks (UPDATED)

On this Veterans Day, I give thanks for the service of those in my family (my Dad, my youngest brother Mike, my brother-in-law Tim, my Uncle Ed, Uncle Les and to those who've passed, my Uncle Clarence and cousin Rick) and to all who've served or continue to do so.

With deepest appreciation and gratitude.  We are all in your debt.

UPDATE: The Anchoress is on hand to chronicle an honorary dinner dedicated to a well lived life:

This past weekend, my family and I attended a dinner honoring a firefighter and former scoutmaster who has spent his entire life serving his community. A little bio background:

For 40 years, FDNY Firefighter Richard Gimbl served as a volunteer fireman in every community in which he has livedh he is currently serving his second term as Fire Chief in his Long Island community. In 2007 he was named Firefighter of the year from his county, Southern New York, New York State and the International Chief’s Eastern Division. With the NYFD he earned numerous commendations. For his actions in the rescue and recovery effort for Flight 800, he earned the Mayor Giuliani Medal. He served for 10 years on the FEMA NY Urban Search and Rescue Team, which responded to the Oklahoma City bombing, hurricanes in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands…his bio goes on and on, and as a Scoutmaster and BSA Commissioner, the bio continues. He’s retired from FDNY, but he is still involved with Emergency Management. All of his focus is on helping people cope and survive, and on helping boys grow into the sorts of men who care about others.

This is a life well-lived, a life of service. My understanding is that the people honoring Gimbl pestered him for two years before he allowed them to do so; he kept saying, “no, not necessary, please don’t.”

If you read anything in its entirety today, read the rest of this piece.

Remember

Posted by guest blogger Locutisprime.

The Moving Wall

By guest blogger, BroKen

Last week I took my family to The Moving Wall. That’s the half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C. The name “Moving Wall” plays on the word “moving”. Yes, it is mobile so it can travel from town to town. But it also evokes the emotions. It is a wall that moves your heart. The Moving Wall was set up across the outfield of a baseball diamond at Moreland Park in Owensboro.

I confess that I didn’t prepare my children for the experience. My youngest daughter was amazed at her first glance. “I could never read all those names!” she exclaimed. “Yes, Andrea.” I replied. “That’s the point. There are far too many.”

Just like at the original, there were flowers, notes and pictures placed at the foot of the wall under some names. The pictures were often obviously from high school year books. These were very young men.

Just like at the original, there was a silent, somber atmosphere as we walked down the wall and back. I told you that I didn’t prepare my children so, as we were walking back I felt the youngest ones were beginning to lose their sense of reverence at the wall. The wall was no longer moving them. So I asked them to look again at the names. Consider that each one of those names represents a young man (actually there are eight women, all nurses, who are on the wall) who died. Think of their families; the grief and sorrow they feel. Those families still feel it, forty years later. That’s why the flowers and pictures are here.

I think they got the point but it was clear that they didn’t want to feel that grief. They didn’t want to experience the enormity of the sorrow that wall represents. I can’t say that I blame them. It isn’t pleasant to connect emotionally with others who weep for lost family and friends. But it is important to empathize. It is especially important when their pain is directly tied to your comfort and pleasure.

It was fitting that the wall was set up in a baseball diamond where American kids play America’s pastime. In that game, as in life, sometimes a batter will hit the ball well but not quite hard enough to make it out of the park. The batter is out but since the ball flew deep into the outfield by the wall, one of the batter’s friends on base advances. The friend might even make it home to score a run for the team. Baseball players call it a sacrifice fly. One is out so that another makes it home.

The Moving Wall displays nearly 60,000 sacrifices made on our behalf. You can add to that those who were wounded physically, emotionally or mentally. Remember that your freedom and prosperity are directly tied to the sacrifices made by Veterans and their families. Remember and be moved.

Obama believes Fort Hood shooter may have cracked... under stress

Our Commander-in-Chief, he who leads our armed forces in the world wide war against terrorism (though no longer called that by this Administration and in a second you'll understand why that might be), has beyond doubt been apprised of the following facts as to the Fort Hood shooter:

• his ties to a radical imam 
• his attempts to contact Al Qaeda 
• his repeating Allahu Akbar ('God is great') as he mowed down his victims
• his citing the Koran at a professional medical conference specifically as to what to do with infidels (burn, behead, etc)
• his attending the same mosque as a number of the 9/11 hijackers
• his being investigated by the FBI and the Army for being a potential terrorist threat

You know he knows these things and you know he knew them before he was interviewed by Jake Tapper this week.  So why... why in hell... would he say something this incredibly myopic:

"... in a country of 300 million people, there are going to be acts of violence that are inexplicable. Even within the extraordinary military that we have -- and I think everybody understands how outstanding the young men and women in uniform are under the most severe stress -- there are going to be instances in which an individual cracks. I think the questions that we're asking now and we don't have yet complete answers to is, is this an individual who's acting in this way or is it some larger set of actors? You know, what are the motivations? Those are all questions that I think we have to ask ourselves. Until we have these answers buttoned down, I'd rather not comment on it."

He'd rather not comment on it despite all that is known... yet he didn't hold back, and had zero facts comparatively, when Cambridge police officer James Crowley arrested his buddy Henry Louis Gates some months ago.

Ponder these words today... and his words on the Cambridge case... and understand the repercussions.

This man is enraged more by a police officer doing his duty than he is a military officer murderously neglecting his.  This man finds an alleged (and unfounded) case of racial profiling more troublesome and worthy of his anger than that of a clear act of terrorism.  This man will hold his tongue as to the actions of an incontestably radical Islamist but will cut it loose as to the actions of a policeman doing his job.

This man, and what he stands for more particularly and specifically, sickens me.

Crossposted(*).

"the long-dreaded backlash has already begun"

Reverend Sensing reports on the aftermath of the Fort Hood shootings and the Muslims being victimized by upset Americans:

US Army Chieff of Staff, Gen. George Casey, appeared on ABC’s “This Week” with host George Stephanopoulos.

Casey, when asked about the role Hasan’s Muslim faith may have played in the shooting, said the issue was something "we need to be very careful about."

"The speculation could potentially heighten backlash against some of our Muslim soldiers,” Casey said. “What happened at Fort Hood was a tragedy, but I believe it would be an even greater tragedy if our diversity becomes a casualty here."

Sadly, I have learned that the long-dreaded backlash has already begun. However, these incidents are not being reported by the media, not even the fanatically rightwing FoxNews Channel, which breathes Islamophobia with every host.

DES MOINES, IA--Upset by killings at Ft Hood, Texas, by a suspect believed to have been motivated by his Islamic faith, a Methodist minister pulled his car next to the car of a Muslim woman attempting to change a flat tire. The minister changed the tire while the Muslim woman made sure her first-grade Muslim child did not stray out into traffic.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations, CAIR, immediately demanded that the woman's husband beat her severely with a rod no thicker than his thumb for spending time in the company of a man to whom she was neither married nor related by blood. It is not known whether the husband has yet complied.

MONTGOMERY, ALA.--Southern Baptists of this deep South city, enraged that a Muslim had apparently shot more than three dozen people at Ft Hood, gathered boxes of Gideons New Testaments and walked through Muslim neighborhoods passing them out and inviting the Muslims to Christian worship this Sunday.

The imam of Montgomery's largest mosque has filed a complaint with state authorities demanding that the Baptist churches' tax-exempt status be revoked for engaging in political activities.

"It is takfir for Muslims even to touch infidel books," he said, "so their gesture was extremely offensive to us. This incident just illustrates how hard Muslims have it in America."

HOPE, ARK.--After three known white supremacists were arrested while trying to set fire to the only mosque in the same town where Bill Clinton grew up, men of a local African Methodist Episcopal Church began patrolling the mosque's perimeter 24 hours per day.

The men are equipped with cell phones to call police and two-way radios to contact one another. AME Pastor Andrew Thomas said that no one would permit anything to happened to the mosque like happened to a few black churches in the 1950s.

"We don't know how long we'll walk these patrols," he said. "We have several men who served in the Army and Marines since Nine-Eleven who say that this is nothing compared to what they had to patrol in Iraq or Afghanistan."

Other local churches volunteered to bring hot food and drink to the AME men. "The Church of Christ has been very helpful," said Pastor Thomas.

"The only thing we have to be careful about is not to set foot on the mosque's actual campus," he continued. "The congregants here told us that would defile their mosque."

[Satire off]

Oh the humanity... oh the horror.

Nailed

Via Matteo:

Made all the more poignant by her focus, in the aftermath of Fort Hood, while in the United Arab Emirates:

The killing of 13 people by a Muslim psychiatrist at an American army base must not lead to the victimisation of Muslim Americans, the US secretary of homeland security has said.

On a visit to the capital, Janet Napolitano said grassroots efforts were vital to preserving relations between Muslim Americans and the wider community after Friday’s shootings at Fort Hood in Texas.

“We object to, and do not believe, that anti-Muslim sentiment should emanate from this,” she said. “This was an individual who does not represent the Muslim faith.”

Describing the killings as “a terrible tragedy”, Ms Napolitano said a civil rights and civil liberties directorate in her department aimed to “prevent everybody being painted with a broad brush”.

“That work is ongoing and is part and parcel of how we view security,” she said. “One of the things we’ll do is make sure that we’re reaching out to the state and local authorities within the US, because they often have better outreach to members of the Muslim community than we do.” Ms Napolitano was speaking to female students at Zayed University, and took part in a private question-and-answer session with them.

She said her visit to the UAE was part of the “outreach” programme to the Muslim community by the US administration, one that included the June speech in Cairo by the US president, Barack Obama. 

One would think that the Secretary of Homeland Defense would be in the homeland working to defend Americans from radical Muslims who represent, quite obviously, a clear and present danger... instead, she's abroad and defending Muslims from radical Americans, a clear and present manufactured danger.

But this is the Obama Administration.  What in hell should we expect. 

Oh yea.

Hope and change.

"to those who despair of life's end, seeing nothing beyond"

Posted by guest blogger Reluctant Scribe.

I was touched, and somewhat distressed, to read about a dear friend's recent conversation with her mother about faith.  Her mother is in her eighties, knows that she's near the end, and that, despite her good health, death can find her any minute.  This distresses her terribly.  She lives in daily fear of dying.  What really grabbed me, though, was her observation (about her mother) "that she has no faith."  For her, death isn't a transition or a door opening, it's the end.  She went on to observe that she feels the same way herself.

This is not a topic on which I would normally engage.  It's intensely personal and, as an exercise in boundaries, it can be something of a minefield.  Nonetheless I felt some address of this was in order, and I did what I could to marshal my thoughts.  Here is my reply to her, and to those who despair of life's end, seeing nothing beyond:

My Dearest Friend,

I should start with a disclaimer, but I can't think of one that's adequate.

(With apologies to actual history...)

Newton, in the falling apple, was able to derive a rule that was true for the apple and, on satisfying himself that it was true for the apple, knew that a truth that is true for a single apple can be true for other apples; and a truth that can be true for any apple is true for them all, there being no way for a truth to be true in a single instance in a single moment:  either it is true for all the apples or not for any.  And such a truth becomes a rule, and such a rule becomes a law.  And being true for the apples, it is true for all fruit, and true for all objects, all things.

What is discovered to be true once is simply true, and true for all cases.

Some years ago I was privileged to find a truth, a truth for the individual case that I am.  In knowing it, I knew that it was true beyond my own case and true for others, for all, even though others knew it not.

I cannot tell you what is true for you, that is something only you can know.

I can, however, tell you what I know to be true of people, of humanity, because it is true of my individual case.  I am the falling apple, the smallest unit of a truth I know.

What I know is that I -- the thing that I am -- the thinking, dreaming, imagining, feeling person that sees my world, I live beyond the bounds of this lifetime, that for better or worse, I am immortal and cannot die, and do not perish with this body I call my own today.

Now, what other stuff is implied by that, and what comes next and what has gone before, all that is really not important in relation to the simple fact of knowing that what is the essential "me" will persist beyond corporeal death.

Understand that there isn't any smugness in that knowledge.  The duties attendant on being the custodian of that knowledge don't leave a lot of room for smug.

I am touched with sadness when I find people who are convinced it all ends when their body stops working, but I typically don't have the courage to say to them, "it's an illusion; it's not over; you don't die; you go on."  Funny, really, that fear of social rejection keeps me from offering what little I know, what little I know that's of any actual value.

Sometimes I amuse myself with the knowledge that such people are in for something of a surprise when "it ends" and yet it doesn't.  Amusement is cut short by the realization that the "surprise" later isn't going to help the anxiety of now.

So allow me to offer an observation.  There is no combination of chemicals randomly assembled and energized with microvolts and millivolts and stewed in swamps and cooked with radiation over eons that evolves into a being capable of thinking the delicate and nuanced abstractions that dance through your thoughts.  There's no chemical formula for dreams.  There's no "digital signature" for grief and sympathy, fear and anger, joy and enthusiasm.

There's somebody home, and the somebody that's home is who does the thinking, dreaming, abstracting, wanting, hurting, deciding, and striving.  There is a real you.

I can only hope that one day you can know that for yourself.

Where that leads is entirely another question.

And you actually get to answer that question yourself.

I'm not worried about your mom or about you, but it is my fondest hope that you and she can know, for yourselves, that you're real, and that death is the fraud.

With greatest sincerity,

~~ Your Reluctant Scribe
 

It's official: Political Correctness led to the deaths at Fort Hood

Via The Blotter:

U.S. intelligence agencies were aware months ago that Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan was attempting to make contact with people associated with al Qaeda, two American officials briefed on classified material in the case told ABC News.

Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan tried to make contact with people linked to al Qaeda.It is not known whether the intelligence agencies informed the Army that one of its officers was seeking to connect with suspected al Qaeda figures, the officials said.

Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-MI), the ranking Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, said that he requested the CIA and other intelligence agencies brief the committee on what was known, if anything, about Hasan by the U.S. intelligence community, only to be refused.

In response, Hoekstra issued a document preservation request to four intelligence agencies. The letter, dated November 7th, was sent to directors Dennis Blair (DNI), Robert Mueller (FBI), Lt. Gen Keith Alexander (NSA) and Leon Panetta (CIA).

Hoekstra said he is "absolutely furious" that the house intel committee has been refused an intelligence briefing by the DNI or CIA on Hasan's attempt to reach out to al Qaeda, as first reported by ABC News.

"This is a law enforcement investigation, in which other agencies—not the CIA—have the lead," CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano said in a response to ABC News. " Any suggestion that the CIA refused to brief Congress is incorrect."

PC kills... and we have an Administration that puts PC-ness on the top of their agenda.

More deaths to follow.

Guaran-freakin-teed.

Crossposted(*).

"marvel at how well the Creator attends to his creation, providing the perfect teacher at the perfect time"

Those words are from The Anchoress, as she helps herself and her readers cope not just with all that has taken place of late but what might take place in the near future.  It's a must read, one that should be read in its entirety, but I want to steal a portion of it to lead into an experience I had this weekend:

If you are feeling undone by recent events -and that is not unreasonable- do yourself a favor and read the whole message, which is not long, and then marvel at how well the Creator attends to his creation, providing the perfect teacher at the perfect time.

Sound advice filled with wisdom that does not come solely from The Anchoress.  The "whole message" link takes us to Pope Benedict's words and these in particular:

We are always searching for the Word of God. It is not merely present in us. Just reading it does not mean necessarily that we have truly understood the Word of God. The danger is that we only see the human words and do not find the true actor within, the Holy Spirit. We do not find the Word in the words.

The Anchoress’ words, and those especially from Pope Benedict, provide the perfect introduction to an experience Mrs. BH and I had yesterday at a ‘new’ (for us) Catholic church.

Since my Eucharistic post that garnered The Anchoress' attention some three months ago now, my wife and I have visited numerous nearby Catholic churches (we’re blessed to have 5 within a 10 mile radius).  Yesterday, unbeknownst to us initially, we worshipped in a Church led by a blind priest. 

Fr. Mike Joly (Jo-lee), who happened to have been officially named pastor of the Church at a special service this morning, presided over the Saturday evening service and I tell ya, we may have found the Church we want to stick with.   And not just because of Joly, though his presence (and presentation) was pretty powerful.

Liturgy to some can become rote, especially when read in the most rote of ways… but think of a blind priest… he can’t read it… and yes, I’m aware that after awhile, it’s all memorized anyway but this guy… he lived the liturgy… by that I mean he brought it to life… it was quite an experience… blind since he was 5 (not sure yet how he became that way), he’s been ordained since his late 20’s (he was even featured in this New York Times piece some 15 years or so ago) and so there’s no doubt that he’d done this countless times, but it was as if he was doing it for the first time that evening and I was sincerely moved by the man, by his faith, by his passion, by his love for what he was doing.

Think about it for just a second, here’s a guy who’s a blind priest… ponder the faith that this takes… I mean… the dude’s blind… but clearly, to me and I'm sure to others, he sees... and based on that particular service, he sees so much more than the rest of us.  He supplied some much needed nourishment to me yesterday, some solace and assurance that Someone is indeed in charge and in control. 

The Anchoress' post was a timely reminder that in truth "the Creator, while attending his creation, provides the perfect teacher at the perfect time" and this teacher, and his blindness, very much helped me to see and "find The Word in the words".

It was genuinely cool.

What's in a name?

Posted by guest blogger Locutisprime.

Petition Calls for NFL Running Back to Be Sacked After Gay Slurs

In today's NFL, there isn't much that seems to phase the fan base, unless it is name calling. Stomp another player in the head like Albert Haynesworth did in a game against Dallas in 2006 and the fans don't seem to care.

Get caught hosting dog fights and torturing dogs for sport like Michael Vick did and many fans don't seem to have a problem with that either. And apparently neither does the league, as they have allowed him to return to the NFL after serving his prison sentence.

Incidents and transgressions by NFL players over the past few years is quite lengthy and the more thuggish the behavior, the more the fans seem to support them.

Enter one Larry Johnson, a stand out running back for the Kansas City Chiefs. It seems that Larry has finally stumbled upon the single most unforgivable transgression that an NFL player could possibly commit. He has used slurs against homosexuals.

And from the looks of it, he may very well have experienced a self inflicted career ending injury that is non recoverable.

"This country is suffering from intentional amnesia about what happened on 9/11."

I had missed this story until my Dad passed it along... I think it garners your attention... so in case you missed it too:

Jamie Gadiel was 23 years old when he died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York.

The handsome young man with the brownish hair worked on the 23rd floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. Jamie loved his job as an assistant trader for Cantor Fitzgerald as much as he loved the New York Mets.

Every single day, Peter Gadiel misses his wonderful son, the boy who grew up in the Litchfield County enclave of Kent. Gadiel resents the lost holidays, the wedding that will never be, the grandchildren who will never run up and hug his leg.

And no one can blame him.

"Under ordinary circumstances -- or as ordinary as somebody murdering your son can be -- I would not want to have any reference to my son's murderer," Gadiel said Friday.

"But these aren't ordinary circumstances. This country is suffering from intentional amnesia about what happened on 9/11. It's deplorable."

As much as Gadiel wants his son to be remembered as one of the 2,973 victims who were killed that day, he wants the 9/11 co-conspirators -- the "Muslim extremists," he calls them -- to be remembered as murderers.

This fall, Gadiel and the Kent Board of Selectmen have been at odds over the best way to pay tribute to Jamie, a true favorite son.

Both sides believe a memorial at Town Hall is appropriate. It's the wording that is keeping this wound raw.

Gadiel wants six lines inscribed on a plaque that will be set in a stone on the Town Hall's front lawn:

James Gadiel

Born February 3, 1978

A gentleman and a gentle man

A lifelong resident of Kent

Murdered by Muslim extremists

September 11, 2001

It is the fifth line -- "murdered by Muslim extremists" -- that has struck a nerve in this quaint New England town and all across America on network TV, national talk radio, blogs and other forums primed for debate.

Kent First Selectman Ruth Epstein and the Board of Selectmen have asked Gadiel to strike the "murdered by Muslim extremists" line from his son's planned memorial.

Town officials say the wording isn't supported by residents, whose money would be used to pay for a memorial plaque.

Gadiel, a 30-year Kent resident, refuses to delete the "murdered by Muslim extremists" line.

Two days ago, political correctness led to the deaths of 13 of this country's military members at Fort Hood, Texas.  In this story, we have political correctness restraining a father's attempt to honor and memorialize his son properly and truthfully.

At what point will this kind of madness be seen for what it is... total and absolute inanity and idiocy.

God bless this grieving father. 

God curse those who stand and protect evil while calling it good.

 

"I love Osama more than I love myself"

From CNN... yes... CNN:

Crossposted(*).

Keep Thy Household The Church In Continual Godliness

Posted by guest blogger Fr. D.

Trinity 22

Philippians 1:3–11
St. Matthew 18:21–35

+ In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

We continue this morning regarding the matter of  the development of the Christian life, with personal sanctification, holiness. You will recall that this is the on–going theme of the second half of the Trinity season, for which we are rapidly drawing near the end now.

The Epistle lesson for the day is taken from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians, a letter written while Paul was under house arrest in Rome awaiting execution. The whole theme of the Letter to the Philippians is sanctity, the development of holiness, so it is particularly appropriate for our consideration at this time. Paul is looking back over his ministry, and this letter to the Philippians is not a letter of scolding, correction, or even to answer questions. It is simply a warm, personal, pastoral letter to his old friends in Philippi, written with great affection and joy. This is evident in St. Paul’s beginning: Philippians 1:3–5 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, 4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, 5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; I would call your attention to the sense of closeness that Paul expresses here, even though he is far removed from these people in physical distance. This is an important characteristic of the Church, the unity of the Church. We often tend to lose sight of this in our modern world, but it should be so with us today as well.

Paul has a particular word of encouragement of parents, God–parents, pastors, and anyone else who is charged with the care of souls when he says, Philippians 1:6   6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: Paul is saying that the good work which Christ has begun in each of us will be enabled to be continued until the end, until the Judgment. This is only possible through the work of the Holy Ghost; it is far more than any of us can do by ourselves, but St. Paul is telling us that he is confident that it will indeed happen. The Holy Ghost does not drop the ball! It is true that some will turn away, will reject salvation, but that is not a failure of the Holy Ghost but rather the work of the devil. The Holy Ghost is there at all times, supporting and leading each soul to Jesus at the end, by working sanctification in the life of the believer.

Skipping ahead a few verses, we read, Philippians 1:9-11   9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;   10 That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;    11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. Paul is expressing here some of the key concepts that we need for the development of holiness, for the sanctification of our lives. He uses good words, but words that have become so badly abused in our modern language that they have almost lost their meaning, in some cases even becoming trite. Let us therefore seek to examine what St. Paul has said here with real care.   

The first part of St. Paul’s prayer is, “that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment.” We are constantly warned today against being judgmental, and even knowledge is considered suspect these days, so just what is Paul praying for the Philippians, and for us as well? Consider first the word “judgment.” This means the ability to make proper distinctions, to correctly evaluate what is right versus what is wrong, what is good against what is evil. This is closely associated with another word that has become forbidden these days, the word “discriminate” which means to be able to tell differences, pick out shades of distinction, to notice where things are unequal. If we cannot make these distinctions, if we cannot tell the difference between what is right against what is wrong, then we are easy prey for the devil. How do we discriminate and make proper judgments? We must open our eyes to observe, and we must apply the knowledge that God has given us, knowledge of His Law, of His Son Jesus Christ, and of His universe. God does not want us to stumble through life as blind men; that is why we have been given eyes to see and brains to think. We are expected to use both, to employ all the gifts that God has given us as we seek to live more holy lives. We must be discerning people, constantly studying that which is around us, evaluating it as to whether it is good or evil and how we should respond to it in such a way as to please God. We cannot simply say, (1) nothing really matters, and I can do whatever I want to do, nor (2) can we say I have no way to know the difference between right and wrong, so I am free to just stumble along blindly, doing whatever I want.

And what are we to do with this ability to be discerning and make right judgments? St. Paul says, ... that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ And just what are things that are excellent? We hear the word “excellent” batted around so often today that it has become somewhat trite, but we should think about what this word really means if we want to understand what Paul is saying here. To be excellent means to be that which excels, that which is above all else, that is which is far above the ordinary. So in our ability to make discerning judgments, that is to observe distinctions and make an informed choice based on knowledge of God’s will, we are not to choose the ordinary, but rather to choose only those things that are far above the ordinary, those things that truly excel. It is perfectly clear that this cannot be done without the knowledge to make an informed judgment, nor can it be done if we are unwilling to actually make the judgment, the act of choosing.

Why do we choose those things that are excellent? They are chosen so that we may be sincere — let us pause right there. What does it mean to be sincere as it is used here? This comes from the Latin sinceritas, which is compounded of sine, without, and cera, wax, and is a metaphor taken from clarified honey. The idea is that this is the pure honey, without the corrupting wax material of the comb. This could be verified by holding it up to the strong sun light, to verify that the honey was indeed clear. This is the basis for the translation of the original Greek words used at this point. The whole idea is that of purity, of being without corruption. The person that is pure does not give offense, either to God or to other men, neither stumbling himself nor causing others to stumble. Thus we are called to exercise judgment in knowledge until the day of Christ, in order that we might be made pure and acceptable to both God and our fellow men.

The result of doing this is Philippians 1:11   11 Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. The result of holy living will be evident in the lives of those who practice it. The results are honesty, truth, kindness, meekness, goodness. St. Paul is wishing that this will be fully evident in the lives of the Philippians. He says that this comes by Jesus Christ, which is to say that it comes by the actions of the Holy Ghost in our hearts, by our efforts to follow Christ, and is a natural result of being a part of the Christian fellowship. The holy lives of Christians are lived to the honor and glory of God. They are more effective praise than words, more than all manner of the talk about giving glory to God. God is truly glorified in the holy lives of His saints, and therefore we must not make light of this matter of sanctification of our lives.

Of course, one of the places where God is most often not glorified is the way in which we deal with each other. Our Lord Jesus takes this matter up in today’s Gospel lesson, first in regard to a question from Peter about how many times Peter must forgive his brother. The answer, of course, is the familiar seventy times seven times. This leads Jesus into the parable of the servant who owed his lord a large debt, 10,000 talents, which he could not pay. When the servant humbly petitioned the lord and he was forgiven the entire debt, free and clear, an amazing act of generosity. A short time later, that same servant came upon a fellow servant who owed the first servant a small debt, 100 pence. He demanded payment, and would not yield to any request for mercy but rather had the second servant cast into debtor’s prison. When the lord heard about this, he was angry and pointed out the great inequity in the way the servant had dealt with his fellow compared with the way the lord had dealt with the servant himself. Then the lord had the servant punished for his hardheartedness.

Look at the numbers involved: 10,000 talents versus 100 pence. The Jewish talent was 125 pounds (Troy), so presuming this to be 10,000 talents of silver, this is 1,250,000 pounds (Troy) of silver. There are 240 silver pennies to a pound, so this second servant’s debt is something less than a half pound (Troy) of silver. The immensity of the debt of the first servant compared to that of the second servant is quite evident! We are not to concern ourselves with the question of how could a servant ever get into debt to the extent of 1,250,000 pounds of silver. Instead, realize that what this parable is really about is our position before God. The debt of sin that we owe to God is like the 1,250,000 pounds of silver owed by the first servant, an incredibly large debt, beyond the ability of any human to pay off. When we petition our Lord God through His Son Jesus Christ, He fully and freely forgives us all our sins, just like that! This is what the lord did for the first servant, and that is what God the Father does for us, because He has sent His Son to die for our sins. If we then turn around and deal harshly with our fellows, even as the first servant did with the second, this is seen by our Father in Heaven. Who are we to be dealing with other people in such an unloving way when we have been given so very much so freely? Did we earn our own salvation? Did our good works save us? Of course not! We are only saved by the blood of Christ Jesus. Therefore we must remember that when we deal with other people and treat them accordingly.

In this way we build up the Church, the Body of Christ, by sanctifying the lives of the members of the Church.

+ In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
.

A medical plea for cousin's heart condition

Jose Louis Merino Mendez is his name.  We call him Cheguy.  He's my Uncle's son on my mother's side.  He's a Spanish citizen looking for medical help, help he's apparently unable to find in his home country.

In our hope of finding him help, I'm publishing what we've received stateside from him to date, which sadly isn't much, but it's what we have and can be found in its entirety, in both Spanish and broken English, here.

The family's taken what steps we can for him, including contacting Duke University's International Patient Services, in the hopes of finding someone in the medical field who might be willing to take on his case and perhaps offer assistance.

What we know, copied from the PDF'd document he sent us, follows and again, it's translated from Spanish and so not easily read:

• Cheguy is 39 years old and was diagnosed with this condition in November of 2007
• He was told that his condition is rare and that he's one of forty documented cases
• The condition, as best we can tell, centers on having a "single ventricle with transposition of grand vessels".  I confess I have no clue what that means however this link to AmericanHeart.Org may shed light.

The bottom line is that we're being told he cannot get adequate treatment in Spain but hopes that some enterprising surgeon here in the States would be willing to take on his case to both help him and perhaps those who suffer with the same condition based on knowledge gained from Cheguy's treatment.

My hope, our family's hope, is that in addition to what we're already doing in attempting to find him help, someone may stumble across this piece, get it in the hands of someone who can help, and contact us via my email address.

We admit to and acknowledge that this is an unorthodox way of seeking help and that this post provides few details... however... we're willing to be unorthodox as we look to pull alongside, as best we can, a family member and hope that this might be an additional step toward finding him some much needed assistance.

Thanks.

The way we get by

Posted by guest blogger Locutisprime.

As we approach Veteran's Day this week, I hope that we all will remember what these men and women have sacrificed for us. And take a moment to reflect on what some folks like those in Bangor Maine have been doing to let our warriors know that they care and that there are those of us who are thankful.

Semper Fi.

Where is the love? (UPDATED)

Regular readers will know that I frequently, some might believe too frequently, link to Mike at Waving or Drowning as someone who most consistently exemplifies for me that liberal mindset, particularly that religious leftist mindset, I find to be so hypocritical and wrong-headed.

Before I do so again, let's keep in mind that Mike and I go back a number of years... and that there was a time when we actually engaged in friendly banter, whether on our respective blogs or by e-mail... in fact, at one point, we had a standing invitation to meet for coffee should that opportunity avail itself.  My invitation to him to do so still stands.  I don't think the feeling is mutual any longer however. 

It's in that vein that I'd like to challenge Mike. 

His latest piece is promoting the idea that we should love our enemies... an ideal I sruggle with for sure, openly and honestly... and one that Mike is touching on once again:

In my last couple of talks I've been working through some thoughts on love, so I figured I'd throw them out here and benefit from your thoughts on the subject.

First there's the obvious.

Jesus said the two commands "love God and love your neighbour" tied together everything the Jews had been living for and under for thousands of years. (Matthew 22:34-40, etc.) He then raised the ante. Love your neighbours? Ha! I'm telling you that you should love your enemies! (Matthew 5:43,44, etc.)

It seems to me there's a location, or a positioning element to this:

Love your neighbour --- Love those closest to you.
Love your enemies --- Love those furthest from you.

I don't think it's a stretch to tie these two together, and arrive at the conclusion that we are simply to love everybody. That certainly makes it simple--in theory--and relieves us of the awesome task of figuring out who we should love and who we shouldn't. Love everybody.

You'll need to read his entire piece for context, especially given where I'm going next.

Now on to my challenge.

Mike has publicized on my site that I'm banned from his... for crimes committed that he won't go into but that must be serious in that, as he states, I'm the only person in the entire plant that he's ever banned.

So let's go along with the notion that my crime is heinous.  Let's go along with the notion that I've committed an egregious sin against him.  And allow me to then state openly and publicly, that I'm sorry. 

I'm sorry Mike for causing you to make an exception to your rule.   I'm sorry for whatever crime I've committed.  I apologize for causing you to go against that which you preach.  And I'm now willing to allow you to go back to putting meat on the bones of your teaching. 

I am, clearly in your eyes, your enemy.

How might you, in keeping with the mainstay of your religious beliefs as outlined in this latest piece of yours, show me the love.

Where is the love Mike?  Where is the love?

Now I address some of you who are reading this.  Mike may ignore my challenge.  And we can't let him do that because clearly he would then be, once again, ignoring his own teaching and preaching.  So I may need some of you to gently go remind Mike of the challenge.  Not an order by any stretch of the imagination but simply a suggestion.

I look forward to Mike's reply... or to his admitting that there are exceptions to what he's teaching.

One... or the other...  and ignoring this challenge is admitting that there are exceptions.

Seems logical to me.

UPDATE: A clarification, if you will, on the notion of Christ's commandment to love our enemies.  It's brief, relevant and pointed.  When the choice comes to loving your enemy OR your neighbor when one is threatening the other, whom do you choose to love (and no, I don't believe an answer of both is appropriate)?  Carry on.

Best headline I've seen yet on last night's House vote passing ObamaCare

By way of Don Surber:

Politburo passes health plan, 220-215

Without bothering to get any input from Republicans;

Too ashamed to read the bill out loud in public;

Breaking an oath to write the bill on C-Span;

Breaking a pledge to have bipartisan support;

Breaking a promise to post it online for 72 hours before the vote;

Sight unseen;

Democrats passed 220-215 another budget-busting bill that no one has read and that no one in their right mind would support.

The railroad went through — again.

Don’t worry. This will cover abortions. This will cover illegal aliens. This will cover sex-change operations. This will hacve 111 bureaucratic agencies decide who lives and who dies.

This is the opposite of what voters were promised a year ago. It is closed and hyper-partisan government of the lobbyist, for the insiders and by the tax cheats.

They will do it in conference committee.

It is the Cult of Personality. The Won.

America's demise and decline has accelerated.

Hope and change.

I'm sorry... so sorry...

Hey, this ought to make apologies a little easier:

Click on the image for a bigger version.

I know some folks who could use something like this.

H/T to Route 5:9 via Ponder This.
 

Homeostasis

Posted by guest blogger Mommynator. 

Life just sometimes flies by, doesn't it? My last post was supposed to deal with some of the ethical issues of modern medical technology and then school started, and a few family doings and . . . squirrel!!!! (Make sure you see the movie coming out on DVD soon, UP! and you'll get that if you don't already.)

So one of the major chapters we studied this semester is homeostasis. Homeostasis is a collection of organs, glands and interconnected systems that allow the body to keep itself alive by keeping everything it does and produces within certain narrow ranges. For example, blood's normal pH is between 7.35 and 7.45. Anything below, and you become acidotic, anything above and you become alkalinic. If that happens, your body has various mechanisms to bring itself back to the correct pH range. Your stomach acid is between 1 and 3 on the pH scale. Your mouth and esophagus is about 7.4. If your stomach acid erupts into your esophagus, not only do you have a nasty taste, but your esophagus is not equipped with massive mucous membranes to protect itself, sometimes leading to erosive esophagitis which can lead to cancer. The first part of the small intestine coming off the stomach is the duodenum, and there are bicarbonates shoved into that to deal with the acidity of the bolus after the stomach is done churning your food. Any disruption of that system, and you get duodenal ulcers. Blood glucose levels need to be below 150 to be within normal range. You need a certain percentage of red and white blood cells to make sure that your body gets oxygen and nutrition and fights off invaders.

Most of medicine deals with trying to restore these balances when the body can't quite do it. Over the millenia, people have used herbals and other remedies to restore homeostasis. And that's why people take most medications these days (some derived and refined from the herbals) - hypertension medications, insulin and other diabetic medications, things to block various chemicals the heart uses to stimulate the heartbeat that get out of line. Surgeries, chemotherapies and radiation for cancers. Go down the list of people you know with various and sundry ailments, diseases, conditions and syndromes, and think about what their prescribed therapies are attempting to accomplish.

And this is just in the course of normal life and aging. You can eat right, exercise modestly and be moderate in all your other habits, and still have stuff happen that needs outside interference from the medical world. That's part of this world having fallen from is Edenic state. Our genetic code has deteriorated, our systems are out of whack, our environment not pristine. But our bodies still do an amazing job of keeping things going within certain narrow ranges.

Now imagine all the things seen in ambulances, ERs and clinics from what people do to themselves when they abuse things and forget that their bodies can only take so much and correct so much. Alcoholism. Drug abuse. Certain sexual practices never intended to be normal. Starving/vomiting. Cutting. Not eating right or getting enough rest. You name it, and eventually it ends up in the hospital where dozens of doctors, nurses and others will try to restore . . . homeostasis - as close to the normal state of the body as possible after damage.

What we tend to lie to ourselves about is that the moral world has its own homeostasis. People don't want to hear about it. They want to do what they want, whenever they want, and not have to deal with any consequences. Why should moral homeostasis be any different from physical homeostasis?

I've always believed that God gave us His laws to keep us morally within certain limits both to benefit ourselves and those around us. Thus all my appetites and emotions need to be kept within certain bounds in order for true enjoyment to occur without hurting myself or others. It's why God instituted marriage, feasting/fasting, mourning/celebrating as boundaries to keep our normal day-to-day lives balanced and working about as right as they can in this fallen world.

People who abuse all the good things available to us in this life unfortunately end up with broken bodies, broken minds, warped spirits and destruction. Eventually. When the limits are surpassed enough.

When bad things happen to good people, it is the fact that they have chosen the boundaries God set that helps them get through this. People who abuse the boundaries either learn their value or are lost to themselves, their families and friends and sometimes (and unfortunately) to God.

Look up homeostasis some time and do the reading. It is amazing and fascinating and awe inspiring. The more I know, the more I realize how God loves us and His creation, and why He wants to reconcile this world and us to Him through Christ's death.

Hasan worshipped with 9-11 hijackers

This is pretty damning for those who continue to brush aside the Fort Hood shooter's Islamofascism:

Hasan, the sole suspect in the massacre of 13 fellow US soldiers in Texas, attended the controversial Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Great Falls, Virginia, in 2001 at the same time as two of the September 11 terrorists, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt. His mother's funeral was held there in May that year.

The preacher at the time was Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born Yemeni scholar who was banned from addressing a meeting in London by video link in August because he is accused of supporting attacks on British troops and backing terrorist organisations.

Hasan's eyes "lit up" when he mentioned his deep respect for al-Awlaki's teachings, according to a fellow Muslim officer at the Fort Hood base in Texas, the scene of Thursday's horrific shooting spree.

As investigators look at Hasan's motives and mindset, his attendance at the mosque could be an important piece of the jigsaw. Al-Awlaki moved to Dar al-Hijrah as imam in January, 2001, from the west coast, and three months later the September 11 hijackers Nawaf al-Hamzi and Hani Hanjour began attending his services. A third hijacker attended his services in California.

Hasan was praying at Dar al-Hijrah at about the same time, and the FBI will now want to investigate whether he met the two terrorists.

Charles Allen, a former under-secretary for intelligence at the Department of Homeland Security, has described al-Awlaki, who now lives in Yemen, as an "al-Qaeda supporter, and former spiritual leader to three of the September 11 hijackers... who targets US Muslims with radical online lectures encouraging terrorist attacks from his new home in Yemen".

And in an added twist, there's this titillating tid-bit of news we should all, I'm sure, downplay or dismiss:

Or perhaps, he’s [Obama] having to try to figure out how to keep people from finding out that the terrorist who attacked our Soldiers at Ft. Hood was a member of Obama’s transition team. He was a member of the Homeland Security Policy Institute. It’s on page 32 of the Obama Transition Team documents.

That last link to a PDF titled "Thinking Anew - Security Priorities for the Next Administration".

Poignantly incredible.

H/T Larwyn by email.

Crossposted(*).

Because like the missing link, the answer's out there somewhere

Thanks Gerard

Might someone find Obama commentary that speaks as well of American culture?

Anyone?

It would be an undertaking I can imagine, but if someone is willing to splice together 10 minutes of Obama praising the United States of America as he does here with Islamic culture, I'd post it... and revel in it.

I'm sure some Obamanaut can answer the call.

"Am I killing, yes I am, I know that"

A brutally honest moment, if there ever was one, from an abortionist, a late-term abortionist:

Somewhere in the Constitution are words that allow this man to kill tiny babies... for profit no less...

Somewhere.

H/T to The Deacon's Bench.

Crossposted(*).

A teachable moment

We will miss this man more and more:

Former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, visited wounded soldiers and their families near the site of the worst mass shooting on an Army post in the United States.

The Bushes made their private visit to Fort Hood's Darnall Army Medical Center on Friday night. Bush spokesman David Sherzer said in an e-mail that the couple thanked Fort Hood's military leaders and hospital staff for the "amazing care they are providing."

I'm sure President Obama will do the same... right?

Crossposted(*).

MSM disconnectedness

Those who seriously follow journalism today, or what passes for it, will not be surprised by what follows but it's something that needs to be discussed and passed on nevertheless. 

Despite reports of Major Nidal Malik Hasan's Muslim devoutness, videos of him in traditional martyr's garb the morning of the shooting, eyewitness reports of his screaming "Allahu Akbar" before murdering and injuring his victims, claims by those present at a professional conference detailing his references to unbelievers needing to be beheaded, burned, etc. according to the Koran, despite all these tell-tale items, members of the media are hell-bent on reporting on anything but the truth, and I do mean anything.

Let's first briefly excerpt this Tim McGirk piece up at Time:

As an army psychiatrist treating soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, Major Nidal Malik Hasan had a front row seat on the brutal toll of war. It is too early to know exactly what may have triggered his murderous shooting rampage Thursday at Fort Hood — Hasan is accused of killing 12 people and wounding 32 others before he was wounded by a police officer — but it is not uncommon for therapists treating soldiers with Post Trumatic Stress Disorder (P.T.S.D.) to be swept up in a patient's displays of war-related paranoia, helplessness and fury.

In medical parlance it is known as "secondary trauma", and it can afflict the families of soldiers suffering from P.T.S.D. along with the health workers who are trying to cure them.

Fascinating.  Hasan's murderous rampage not in any way related to Islamofascism but instead to P.T.S.D.

And it's not just therapists that are on the brink of similar behavior... according to Andrew Bast at Newsweek, the entire military may be on the brink:

What if Thursday's atrocious slaughter at Fort Hood only signals that the worst is yet to come? The murder scene Thursday afternoon at the Killeen, Texas, military base, the largest in the country, was heart-wrenching. Details remained murky, but at least 13 are dead and 30 wounded in a killing spree that may momentarily remind us of a reality that most Americans can readily forget: soldiers and their families are living, and bending, under a harrowing and unrelenting stress that will not let up any time soon. And the U.S. military could well be reaching a breaking point as the president decides to send more troops into Afghanistan.

Read these pieces (if you can stomach the deed) and be convinced that what passes for reporting today is anything but.  Instead, be persuaded that what we are witnessing is a study in denying reality to further an ideology, an ideology that enables and will hurry Western demise, an ideology that emboldens and strengthens Islamic hegemony.

Crossposted(*).