More pirate troubles...

Some countries are having trouble prosecuting pirates, due to lack of evidence or jurisdiction...

Hang'em from the gallows, says I. Yarr..

But seriously, not even country out there has habeus corpus...you'd think they could at least lock these guys up.

But I guess this impunity gives pirates another +1...

"Doing a good job"

Apparently the stimulus package is "doing a good job" stimulating the US economy, according to Mr.  Obama.  I'm not surprised at his claim, but I don't see that he's right.  I don't see that the value of the dollar has changed much, and the stock market is still plummeting.  

As someone pointed out, in the past 50 days of "stimulus" and bailout spending, not even taking the ridiculous new government budgets into account, we're spending about $1 billion an hour, and this is money we don't have.  I know we elected these people to spend (by "we" I mean the majority of the country, not everyone), but come on.  Someone's gotta see reason soon or we're going to sink.

And now we're paying for ESCR

Here's the Catholic Thing's take on it, but you can find articles on many of the major Catholic blogs.

Although Obama apparently respects those of us who disagree with him and find the practice to be unethical, he passed the order anyway. Now we're going to be paying for embryonic stem cell research.

Glad he has time to focus on these divisive social issues, now that the economy is rebounding. Oh, wait...

Yay our system!

I know the little things like pipeline safety fees are aggregately important, but still...

It's sad and funny, simultaneously,  how close this is to reality.

Progressive Catholics

Up until now I've been calling them liberal Catholics, but I know now what they call themselves (thanks, Katherine) - "progressive" Catholics.  "Progressive" as in "progress."  Our out-dated ways - men as priests, marriages between men and women, the sanctity of life and of sex - these things must be stripped away and the Church refurbished with practices and an ideology that is more...with the times.  After all, Church scholars and theologians don't know what they're talking about - they're out of touch with what God wants, with what is proper.  But we know what's best.  We, the progressive lay Catholics of America.  Screw the bishops!  Progress!

I keep coming back to C.S. Lewis, but he really does provide a lot of valuable insights and wisdom, especially on these terms.  In one point in The Problem of Pain, he points out that one of the more dangerous attitudes of Christians of our time is our preoccupation with the virtue of mercy (charity).  Indeed, this can be applied to progressive Catholics.  He points out that there have been other points in history where mercy was not so highly valued, yet at each time, that people believes their own highly-raised virtue(s) to be superior and more pleasing to God than any other - be it courage or temperance or chastity.  Do you remember when chastitity was an important virtue?  Yet today, for our progressives, mercy is the be-all and end-all.  

Furthermore, this, in speaking of how revenge and retribution are not inherently wrong:

Some enlightened people would like to banish all concepts of retribution or desert from their theory of punishment and place its value wholly in the detterence of others or the reform of the criminal himself.  They do not see that by so doing they render all punishment unjust.  What can be more immoral than to inflict suffering on me for the sake of dettering others if I do not deserve it?  And if I do deserve it, you are admitting the claims of 'retribution'.  And what can be more outrageous than to catch me and submit me to a disagreeable process of moral improvement without my consent, unless (once more), I deserve it?  

(The Problem of Pain, 91-92)

Lastly, of forgiveness - and I think this is especially important.  To put this in context, Lewis is asking if a horrible man who has lived a base life and delights in nothing but the suffering of others is deserving of forgiveness (after all, we have a compassionate God):

The demand that God should forgive such a man while he remains what he is, is based on a confusion between condoning and forgiving.  To condone an evil is simply to ignore it, to treat it as if it were good.  But forgiveness needs to be accepted as well as offered if it is to be complete: and a man who admits no guilt can accept no forgiveness.

(The Problem of Pain, 124)

In my mind, and in the minds of many of my fellows, progressive Catholics are guilty of condoning evil.  You cannot forgive a pro-choice politician for his or her actions if he or she is not sorry, for example.  And none of them are sorry, or they would change their ways.  Thus their actions are condoned by many of "our own."  Didn't Jesus dine with sinners?  Didn't he forgive them?  Yes, but they sought forgiveness, and he always told them to go and sin no more.  He didn't say "No problem - see you the next time you cheat your neighbor or go whoring yourself!"

Traditionnnn! Tradition!

I just watched Fiddler on the Roof for the first time - good movie.  I hadn't realized that Topol was in anything aside major from Flash Gordon.  Anyway, it is a compelling story that some probably find very one-sided and easy to judge, while others may have a more conflicted opinion.

Tradition is an important thing, especially in religion.  In the Catholic faith, revelation comes to us through holy scripture and tradition, so its importance cannot be denied.  While it is nothing new, there are many Catholics who wish to disregard or redefine doctrine or teachings that have been passed down for centuries, simply because they happen to disagree.  

It is true that sometimes traditions must change.  Sometimes the new ways are better ways.  However, just as some would argue that just because something is old and accepted, that does not make it right, it is equally true that just because something is new and fashionable, that does not make it right either. 

I was able to relate to Tevye's predicaments.  Tradition is important.  But then, none of the traditions broken (or changed) by Tevye had significant moral implications.  This is a fact we must consider in our own circumstances. 

The truth in comedy

I love the Onion, but it's a shame they have so much material for satire...

Here's one for thought: Are politicians failing our lobbyists?

I like the part at the end, about having a president identified with a logo. Like an O, perhaps?

But seriously, I don't think corporations need to worry about our politicians...they seem to be getting plenty of money from the government now.

And then there's this gem: Congressment offers preemptive apology for extramarital affair.

Don't need to comment on that, really. Our society, ladies and gentlemen.

Obamedia starting to waver..

I'm sure there are those people who will never admit that Obama can do any wrong, or those who will be willing to give him the benefit of the doubt until his term runs out, then assert that although he wasn't perfect, it was mostly due to problems inheritted from Bush.  However, it is starting to dawn on at least some in the media that Mr. Obama isn't exactly the bringer of hope and change that he claimed to be.  In fact, he looks awefully like another run-of-the-mill lying, special-interest-pandering politician.  And he is a radical, not a moderate.

Here's Chris Matthews, of all people, chewing him out for not controlling earmarks as he said he would.  Who's next, Olbermann?  I'm not holding my breath, but it's possible.

And here's Jim Cramer of CNBC's Mad Money.  Cramer is not a conservative guy, and he is calling this "the greatest wealth destruction I've ever seen by a president."

Obama had better get his act together.  Our country got into this mess because people were spending money that they didn't have and borrowing what they couldn't pay back.  So Obama wants to correct the problem by...spending tax money that the government doesn't have?  Oi.

Not enough madness in our schools

I'm not so sure about that, but I do like me a good Onion article.  Man, I gotta read some Lovecraft.

Bishop Martino continues to lay down the law

Senator Bob Casey, Jr. of Pennsylvania is not to receive Holy Communion, according to the bishop. Senator Casey claims to be pro-life, but his voting record doesn't back him up.

You can read his letter to the senator and more about this story at Te Deum Laudamus.

I'm giving the bishops another +1 for his fortitude in defense of the unborn.