It never ceases to amaze me how those who embrace liberalism as a political, philosophical, and religious ideology continue to fawn over one another, congratulating themselves on how "enlightened" they are. Well, for those who never tire of pointing out that Obama won the college-educated vote and like to imply that McCain won the inbred country-bumpkin vote, here's a sobering look at twelve randomly chosen Obama voters and their knowledge of the issues and stories of this last election. And lest anyone think that this is a selective sampling, you can read about the similarly disturbing results of a more comprehensive poll conducted by John Zogby here.
I leave the reader/viewer to draw his own conclusions, but I will say that this is what happens when the liberal arts education curriculum is hijacked by liberal con artists...
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
A Great Post-Election Reflection
Hello brothers and sisters,
This reflection comes from Dr. (and Deacon) Mark Miravalle, one of my favorite professors at Franciscan University of Steubenville. If you have never heard this man speak in person, I highly encourage you to do so if and when the opportunity presents itself. This reflection is great food for thought. Continue to pray for America and for the conversion of those whose votes have wrought an imminent national tragedy upon us. God bless!
In Jesus and Mary
Gerald
"STEUBENVILLE, OH (NOVEMBER 6, 2008) - On the day following the election, Dr. Mark Miravalle, Professor of Theology and Mariology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, offered the following statement on the election of Sen. Barack Obama.
It is Wednesday, November 5, 2008 , the day after the election of the United States President.
I believe that for Catholics, for Christians, for people of sincerely good will, that whether it be in a few days, a few weeks, a few months, or in the not too distant future, those who cast a vote for the pro-abortion candidate, our President-elect, are going to wake up at some point with the shocking question and the realization, "What have I done?" I say that without judgment of heart, but I say it with objectivity of mind, in light of the President-elect that now will be guiding the United States of America and a ll its worldwide outreaches, in terms of both public policy and moral policy.
Evidently, based on exit polls, more than half of the Catholics in the United States voted for a candidate who has voiced the following positions:
1. The immediate putting forth and ratifying into law the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). This is an act which removes all bans on any form of abortion, including partial-birth abortion. Since that is now public policy, it is important that you know precisely what that is. That means giving partial birth to a human being, and getting the head out of the womb, and then literally sucking the brain out of his or her tiny human head.
2. This president elect, and the policies that he will advance, do not protect a child who survives an abortion. Based on legislation in Illinois previously backed by the President-elect, if a child does survive an abortion, the child has no rights, and therefore the child could be strangled or drowned, as has bee n the grisly case in some of these particular instances.
3. This country has elected a president elect, who has said that children a young as 13 years old can have an abortion without parental consent. This means a new undermining of the basic authority of father and mother in the family.
4. This president elect has expressed his intention to revoke the Defense of Marriage Act, which translates into the removal of any limitations of marriage in terms of being exclusively between a man and a woman. This was a policy given in an open letter in February 2008 to a gay, lesbian, and transsexual organization. There every reason to believe that this will also be enacted.
Sadly, the list goes on and on and on, as the president-elect will be promulgating a policy of moral degeneration which puts at risk most every foundational Judeo-Christian moral code or basic principle of the natural law.
My friends, if you feel a certain sense of violation in the coming days and weeks, it is understandable. The dignity, the goodness, the history of America in some real sense has been violated through the election of an individual who is so clearly against the dignity of the human person and so against the culture of life.
Many U.S. Catholics fatally decided to vote economy over morals. Now, tragically, we shall be losing both. Where do we go from here?
There is a new call for Catholics who still put their faith first and foremost in Jesus Christ, in the Immaculate Heart of Mary, in the Holy Father, in the Magisterium, for people who understand what the President-elect's policy stands for. It is a call to spiritual action. Now is not a time of despair. It is a time to come forward like never before with the deepest conviction of the human heart that our faith does not lie first in our government or in any government. It lies first in the power of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in the mercy that comes to us through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and in the eternal and inestimable graces that come to us through the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church of Jesus Christ under the appropriate leadership by the power of the Holy Spirit through the leadership of Pope Benedict (who is not elected by man, but by God).
While it is justified to feel the great loss of what we have done as a country in the United States , there's no time to lose in terms of responding in a way that disciples of Jesus Christ should respond. What precisely is that? More courage, more hope, more prayer.
I would invite each of you, if you are not already in the practice, to consider adding to the end of each Rosary three Hail Marys for the end of the horrific scourge of abortion (we must never grow accustomed to its horrific face), and also in reparation for culture of death policies which our new administration will soon be implementing.. We are called to a new level of prayer and dedication. The Rosary is an indescriba bly powerful pro-life prayer.
Greater Eucharistic Adoration, where possible, is, along with the Mass, of the greatest possible spiritual benefits and spiritual weapons for these upcoming times. We can also exponentially add to the power of our prayers for life and family but adding some form of fasting to our prayers, typically offered on Wednesdays and Fridays as traditional Christian days of penance. Spiritually, we must increase are generosity, our efficacy, and our protection in light of the serious new challenges we will be facing in our country.
Secondly, we keep our joy. Why joy? Because joy is a sign that the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts. Joy is a sign that Jesus Christ will be the ultimate victor and in the full Catholic understanding through the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Our Lady of America, who wants to return this land to a land of purity, even though now it will be an even greater uphill battle. Ultimately, the Immaculate Heart w ill triumph and we indeed will be the country we are called to be.
In these difficult times, we must convey the light of Christ and the hope that only can come through Him by being living icons of his joy. Bl. Teresa of Calcutta put it very clearly and succinctly when she said to her sisters that if they could not leave the convent with joy, with smiles on their faces, then they should not go out at all.
Joy during the great trials ahead is more important now than ever. Ten people will be standing in a row in some public forum. Nine of those ten people will show the difficulties and despair of these times in their faces, their attitudes, their demeanor. Then they will see you, and you will have joy. They will see you with a smile on your face and peace of heart, and realize that in spite of all these grave crises inflicting our country, you can still smile. Then they will say, "I want what that person has." And they are going to come to you, and you will let them k now, by actions or by words, that it is Jesus Christ who gives you this supernatural Christian joy, regardless what happens in this world and in this country. This joy comes only through the Holy Spirit.
Thirdly, we must take as our platform "no moral compromise." No moral compromise on a personal level, in an environment where I'm afraid we will be soon be ubiquitously surrounded by moral compromise on a national level.
Yes, in a true sense, our country has compromised by electing an individual whose policies are so antithetical to the moral teachings of Jesus Christ and Judeo-Christian tradition. At the same time, we are going to be called upon to be witnesses of no moral compromise, a position which will call for sacrifice on an ever-increasing level. We can do it because of Jesus and Mary. We can do it because of the graces of the sacraments. We can do it because we can see our brothers and sisters in places like China and India who are uncompromisingly loyal to Christ and the Church in the midst of the greatest persecutions and sacrifices, including, for some, their lives.
We are called to be people of prayer, especially through the Rosary. We are called to have joy. We are called to be people who will not morally compromise based on faith in Christ and the conviction of hope that one day this country will ultimately return to its Judeo-Christian roots.
Have hope. Have peace. The Immaculate Heart will triumph. Our country will be transformed to its original greatness and much more."
- Dr. Mark Miravalle
Professor of Theology and Mariology
Franciscan University of Steubenville
This reflection comes from Dr. (and Deacon) Mark Miravalle, one of my favorite professors at Franciscan University of Steubenville. If you have never heard this man speak in person, I highly encourage you to do so if and when the opportunity presents itself. This reflection is great food for thought. Continue to pray for America and for the conversion of those whose votes have wrought an imminent national tragedy upon us. God bless!
In Jesus and Mary
Gerald
"STEUBENVILLE, OH (NOVEMBER 6, 2008) - On the day following the election, Dr. Mark Miravalle, Professor of Theology and Mariology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, offered the following statement on the election of Sen. Barack Obama.
It is Wednesday, November 5, 2008 , the day after the election of the United States President.
I believe that for Catholics, for Christians, for people of sincerely good will, that whether it be in a few days, a few weeks, a few months, or in the not too distant future, those who cast a vote for the pro-abortion candidate, our President-elect, are going to wake up at some point with the shocking question and the realization, "What have I done?" I say that without judgment of heart, but I say it with objectivity of mind, in light of the President-elect that now will be guiding the United States of America and a ll its worldwide outreaches, in terms of both public policy and moral policy.
Evidently, based on exit polls, more than half of the Catholics in the United States voted for a candidate who has voiced the following positions:
1. The immediate putting forth and ratifying into law the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). This is an act which removes all bans on any form of abortion, including partial-birth abortion. Since that is now public policy, it is important that you know precisely what that is. That means giving partial birth to a human being, and getting the head out of the womb, and then literally sucking the brain out of his or her tiny human head.
2. This president elect, and the policies that he will advance, do not protect a child who survives an abortion. Based on legislation in Illinois previously backed by the President-elect, if a child does survive an abortion, the child has no rights, and therefore the child could be strangled or drowned, as has bee n the grisly case in some of these particular instances.
3. This country has elected a president elect, who has said that children a young as 13 years old can have an abortion without parental consent. This means a new undermining of the basic authority of father and mother in the family.
4. This president elect has expressed his intention to revoke the Defense of Marriage Act, which translates into the removal of any limitations of marriage in terms of being exclusively between a man and a woman. This was a policy given in an open letter in February 2008 to a gay, lesbian, and transsexual organization. There every reason to believe that this will also be enacted.
Sadly, the list goes on and on and on, as the president-elect will be promulgating a policy of moral degeneration which puts at risk most every foundational Judeo-Christian moral code or basic principle of the natural law.
My friends, if you feel a certain sense of violation in the coming days and weeks, it is understandable. The dignity, the goodness, the history of America in some real sense has been violated through the election of an individual who is so clearly against the dignity of the human person and so against the culture of life.
Many U.S. Catholics fatally decided to vote economy over morals. Now, tragically, we shall be losing both. Where do we go from here?
There is a new call for Catholics who still put their faith first and foremost in Jesus Christ, in the Immaculate Heart of Mary, in the Holy Father, in the Magisterium, for people who understand what the President-elect's policy stands for. It is a call to spiritual action. Now is not a time of despair. It is a time to come forward like never before with the deepest conviction of the human heart that our faith does not lie first in our government or in any government. It lies first in the power of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in the mercy that comes to us through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and in the eternal and inestimable graces that come to us through the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church of Jesus Christ under the appropriate leadership by the power of the Holy Spirit through the leadership of Pope Benedict (who is not elected by man, but by God).
While it is justified to feel the great loss of what we have done as a country in the United States , there's no time to lose in terms of responding in a way that disciples of Jesus Christ should respond. What precisely is that? More courage, more hope, more prayer.
I would invite each of you, if you are not already in the practice, to consider adding to the end of each Rosary three Hail Marys for the end of the horrific scourge of abortion (we must never grow accustomed to its horrific face), and also in reparation for culture of death policies which our new administration will soon be implementing.. We are called to a new level of prayer and dedication. The Rosary is an indescriba bly powerful pro-life prayer.
Greater Eucharistic Adoration, where possible, is, along with the Mass, of the greatest possible spiritual benefits and spiritual weapons for these upcoming times. We can also exponentially add to the power of our prayers for life and family but adding some form of fasting to our prayers, typically offered on Wednesdays and Fridays as traditional Christian days of penance. Spiritually, we must increase are generosity, our efficacy, and our protection in light of the serious new challenges we will be facing in our country.
Secondly, we keep our joy. Why joy? Because joy is a sign that the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts. Joy is a sign that Jesus Christ will be the ultimate victor and in the full Catholic understanding through the intercession of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Our Lady of America, who wants to return this land to a land of purity, even though now it will be an even greater uphill battle. Ultimately, the Immaculate Heart w ill triumph and we indeed will be the country we are called to be.
In these difficult times, we must convey the light of Christ and the hope that only can come through Him by being living icons of his joy. Bl. Teresa of Calcutta put it very clearly and succinctly when she said to her sisters that if they could not leave the convent with joy, with smiles on their faces, then they should not go out at all.
Joy during the great trials ahead is more important now than ever. Ten people will be standing in a row in some public forum. Nine of those ten people will show the difficulties and despair of these times in their faces, their attitudes, their demeanor. Then they will see you, and you will have joy. They will see you with a smile on your face and peace of heart, and realize that in spite of all these grave crises inflicting our country, you can still smile. Then they will say, "I want what that person has." And they are going to come to you, and you will let them k now, by actions or by words, that it is Jesus Christ who gives you this supernatural Christian joy, regardless what happens in this world and in this country. This joy comes only through the Holy Spirit.
Thirdly, we must take as our platform "no moral compromise." No moral compromise on a personal level, in an environment where I'm afraid we will be soon be ubiquitously surrounded by moral compromise on a national level.
Yes, in a true sense, our country has compromised by electing an individual whose policies are so antithetical to the moral teachings of Jesus Christ and Judeo-Christian tradition. At the same time, we are going to be called upon to be witnesses of no moral compromise, a position which will call for sacrifice on an ever-increasing level. We can do it because of Jesus and Mary. We can do it because of the graces of the sacraments. We can do it because we can see our brothers and sisters in places like China and India who are uncompromisingly loyal to Christ and the Church in the midst of the greatest persecutions and sacrifices, including, for some, their lives.
We are called to be people of prayer, especially through the Rosary. We are called to have joy. We are called to be people who will not morally compromise based on faith in Christ and the conviction of hope that one day this country will ultimately return to its Judeo-Christian roots.
Have hope. Have peace. The Immaculate Heart will triumph. Our country will be transformed to its original greatness and much more."
- Dr. Mark Miravalle
Professor of Theology and Mariology
Franciscan University of Steubenville
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
It's Official: The Culture Of Death Has Carried The Day
The pro-life movement has the fight of its life on his hands.
The devil looks to America with an unquenchable, ravenous lust. There are many, many souls for him to feed upon.
Let us continue to do what we have always been called to do: denying the evil one souls one at a time, and letting God deal with the obstacles that no human can overcome.
It is somewhat ironic that today is the feast of St. Charles Borromeo, whose name is often associated with reform. St. Charles, ora pro nobis!
The devil looks to America with an unquenchable, ravenous lust. There are many, many souls for him to feed upon.
Let us continue to do what we have always been called to do: denying the evil one souls one at a time, and letting God deal with the obstacles that no human can overcome.
It is somewhat ironic that today is the feast of St. Charles Borromeo, whose name is often associated with reform. St. Charles, ora pro nobis!
The Storm Unleashed
A few moments before this post, FOX News officially called the state of Ohio for Barack Obama. Barring a highly unlikely McCain pickup of a state that went for Kerry in 2004, we have just elected to the office of President of the United States the first true socialist. What has long been the single greatest political bastion against Communism has just become the latest coup for that accursed ideology.
This should serve as a sobering reminder to us that Jesus only promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against His Church. He said nothing of benevolent democracies. Do not expect Barack Hussein Obama to a friend to the Bride of Christ.
One silver lining from the evening is that the odds of a filibuster-proof Senate for the Democrats has shrunk considerably. Hopefully it will be enough to block passage of the so-called Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA).
One news story to follow in the coming months is that there is likely to be a rising clamor for Barack Obama to produce proof that he is a United States citizen. I have not really given much credence to this story, although I have heard that Obama's Kenyan grandmother has attested to the fact that he was born in Kenya rather than in Hawaii as has been widely reported. Under our laws this would mean he is not a natural-born U.S. Citizen (since both his parents would have to have been citizens, and only his mother was so)). If there is any truth to this, then Obama would be Constitutionally barred from taking office, and you can rest assured that all political hell would break loose if this came to pass. The only thing that gives me reason to think that there is any truth to this is the fact that the Obama campaign has blocked all attempts to access his birth records. Clearly, they have something to hide, though whether it is something of such a devastating magnitude is another question entirely.
Be that as it may, I believe that Christians in general and Catholics in particular are in for a very difficult few years. And it has the potential to get much, much worse.
Let us now, as we always should, look for guidance from the One who has consistently led us out of far more dire straits, and who has already won the ultimate victory through the shedding of His blood.
This should serve as a sobering reminder to us that Jesus only promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against His Church. He said nothing of benevolent democracies. Do not expect Barack Hussein Obama to a friend to the Bride of Christ.
One silver lining from the evening is that the odds of a filibuster-proof Senate for the Democrats has shrunk considerably. Hopefully it will be enough to block passage of the so-called Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA).
One news story to follow in the coming months is that there is likely to be a rising clamor for Barack Obama to produce proof that he is a United States citizen. I have not really given much credence to this story, although I have heard that Obama's Kenyan grandmother has attested to the fact that he was born in Kenya rather than in Hawaii as has been widely reported. Under our laws this would mean he is not a natural-born U.S. Citizen (since both his parents would have to have been citizens, and only his mother was so)). If there is any truth to this, then Obama would be Constitutionally barred from taking office, and you can rest assured that all political hell would break loose if this came to pass. The only thing that gives me reason to think that there is any truth to this is the fact that the Obama campaign has blocked all attempts to access his birth records. Clearly, they have something to hide, though whether it is something of such a devastating magnitude is another question entirely.
Be that as it may, I believe that Christians in general and Catholics in particular are in for a very difficult few years. And it has the potential to get much, much worse.
Let us now, as we always should, look for guidance from the One who has consistently led us out of far more dire straits, and who has already won the ultimate victory through the shedding of His blood.
Monday, November 3, 2008
One Last Reminder of What's At Stake on Election Day
Tomorrow is judgment day. And, depending on how the election turns out, it could also be a harbinger of Judgment Day.
Tomorrow, we will elect the next President of the United States. All signs indicate that John McCain - and America - is in for a very rough night. If by some miracle (keep the prayers coming!) McCain pulls this thing out, you can expect America to be a very dangerous place on November 5, 2008, because Obama loyalists will not take the loss well; and it will continue to be so until our law enforcement authorities can bring things under control (a trick Obama will no doubt borrow from the playbook of his Kenyan tribesman, Raila Odinga, who seized power in Kenya by instigating widespread rioting and genocide among his supporters when the Presidential election failed to go his way). We will then be faced on January 20, 2009 with the inauguration of a man who will inherit an unusually vitriolic Congress, a Congress that he will inexplicably bend over backwards to please. The talk of a "stolen" Presidency will haunt the McCain administration from the outset. McCain will be ineffective while he deals with this heavily Democratic Congress, and any disaster that befalls America during his first two years will be placed squarely on his shoulders by an antagonistic media, who will laughably attempt to paint McCain as the new standard of right-wing extremism, even as this newly-branded "extremist" will, like clockwork, find a way to irritate the conservative base every few weeks. The negative press will be used by the Democrats to gain even more seats in Congress in the 2010 midterm elections, possibly even pushing for 60 seats in Congress if they fail to reach that mark tomorrow (though I suspect that the 2010 elections may not be as kind to Democrats as the 2006 election was and the 2008 election is likely to be).
On the other hand, the so-called "Freedom of Choice Act" will not find its way to a willing signer in the Oval Office, and Ruth Ginsburg and John Paul Stevens will have to decay on the bench a little longer if they want a partisan Democrat to name their replacements. This fact alone - and the liberal hysteria it is likely to cause - will make a McCain victory a marvelously entertaining spectacle.
If Obama wins, the question will quickly become just how much damage he, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid can cause in two years' time. I mentioned some of the dire consequences in a previous post. The degree to which they can succeed in pushing their agenda will rest largely on two things: a) whether or not they can succeed in reaching a 60 seat supermajority in the Senate to override any Republican filibusters (or get near enough to it for Arlen Specter, Susan Collins, and/or Olympia Snowe to serve as enablers to their cause); and b) the quality and tenacity of the new Republican leadership that is sure to arise from the ashes of the 2008 debacle.
About the only silver lining in the latter scenario is that the Democrats are sure to make an even bigger mess of things, and they (along with their media accomplices) will be unable to focus the frustrations of the American voters on a Republican scapegoat for the third consecutive election. The liberal media will only be able to do so much to stem the tide against the Democrats in 2010, and this is sure to bode poorly for the Democrats, if the Republican leadership in Congress grows a spine and provides solid resistance to the Democrat agenda (otherwise the media may succeed in branding them as part of the problem and as being no better than the Democratic majority, which would severely blunt an otherwise promising political climate).
While it would be nice to see a voter backlash against two years of bungled Democrat control of the government, I don't know that two years of bungling under these particular Democrat leaders is something that we can afford. It is certainly not something that the millions of unborn victims between now and the mid-term elections will be able to afford. Keep that in mind while casting your vote tomorrow. Millions of lives are literally in the balance, as is the prospect of putting a Marxist radical like Obama in charge of a system of government whose collapse has long been desired by every single mentor Obama has ever chosen for himself. God bless you, and God bless America!
In Jesus and Mary,
Gerald
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