Dialogue: Answer to Example Number One's Question

Lo and behold, Obama does not want to reduce the number of abortions. He just wants to increase the use of contraceptives. Oh yeah, there's a common ground for him to work with the "Spirit of Vatican II" Catholics: they both reject Humanae Vitae. Guess where the rest of us are left?

Key Obama aide: "It is not our goal to reduce the number of abortions.”:

The goal, as reportedly stated by Melody Barnes, who is the President’s Domestic Policy Adviser and the Director of the Domestic Policy Council, is to "reduce the need for abortions."

And what has been Obama's preferred method of "reducing the need for abortions" in the past?


Each of these prominently features the use of contraceptives as an essential means of reducing abortions.

Read the whole thing.

(Via Insight Scoop | The Ignatius Press Blog.)

Dialogue, Part Four

Here's a link to some analysis about what dialogue should be:

stages in dialogue:

Father Robert Barron of Word on Fire has written a thoughtful article on dialogue, in wake of the speeches given at Notre Dame's commencement cermonies last Sunday. A snip:

It comes down to that slippery little word “dialogue.” I realize that to say that one is against dialogue is akin to saying that one is impatient with motherhood, patriotism, and sunny days. But the point is this: one should,

Read the whole thing.

(Via The Weight of Glory.)

Dialogue: Example Number One

Does the President want to reduce abortions? Or just the need for them? Is he ok with unneeded abortions? (Which pro-lifers will happily identify as all abortions currently being performed.) Enquiring minds want to know:

...and we're off:

Wendy Wright of Concerned Women of America writes in Human Events of the specific nature of the conversations that have taken place in the Obama - administration-sponsored meetings about abortion, seeking to find common ground:This meeting took place two days...

Read the whole thing.

(Via Via Media.)

Dialogue, Part Three

It's not an endearing trait, but some things I approach with an air of deep suspicion. Calls to "dialogue" on abortion is one of those things. What does "dialogue" mean to the speaker? What does he want to change about the present state of the controversy? Is the possibility of reaching an agreement on a moral truth even exist for this person?

To get a possible answer to some of these questions start with the link below to Professor Beckwith's CRI article "Deconstructing Liberal Tolerance":

I’ll be on Hugh Hewitt and the Bible Answer Man next week, May 26 and May 28:

 I will be a guest on the Hugh Hewitt and Bible Answer Man programs on May 26 and 28. On the former I will be talking about my new book, Return to Rome: Confessions of An Evangelical Catholic (Brazos Press, 2009). On the latter I will be discussing a chapter I contributed to the new book published by Christian Research Institute, What is Truth?: The Best of the Christian Research Journal (CRI, 2009). The chapter, “Deconstructing Liberal Tolerance” was originally published in 2000 in the Christian Research Journal.

(Cross posted on Return to Rome and What’s Wrong with the World)

(Via Southern Appeal.)

Of Course, It's Only Anecdotal

but it sure seems to confirm my intuition:

'Mancow' Waterboarded - Lasts 5 Seconds Before Deciding 'It's Torture':

Ranting “conservative” talk show host Erich “Mancow” Muller decided he would prove that waterboarding isn’t torture by undergoing the interrogation method himself.

Read the whole thing.

(Via Little Green Footballs.)

Are There Any Pro-Abortion People Here?

Let's start the conversation here:

Twisted abortion logic:

A commenter here at SA (and many thousands of people before him) recently wrote:

Perhaps with a bit of reflection, Joe, you may realize that support for abortion rights is quite a different thing from support for abortion.

Does this type of statement make sense in any other case?  If not, why do people think it makes sense in the case of abortion?   Let’s try substituting some other practices, and see how it holds up.

Perhaps with a bit of reflection, you may realize that support for the right to rape is quite a different thing from support for rape.

Read the whole thing.

(Via Southern Appeal.)

Notre Dame: Another Perspective

Lest we be guilty of focussing exclusively on the negative and sensational here is another point of view:

DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HEAR MORE ABOUT ND?

[Robert Gotcher]




5/22/2009





Greg, close your ears.



Last night I ran into Matt Alderman, of Holy Whapping blog, at the Extraordinary Form celebration of the Mass of the Feast of the Ascension at St. Stan's parish in Milwaukee. He had a great post recently about the ND situation--one which I almost agree with completely, especially these comments:

The same students and the same student culture (both pious and less so) is still there on campus[I know this is true, because my son is there and my other son is beginning in August.], and indeed, I'd say the caliber of the Catholic student population has improved since my time there. This one incident has not changed any of this. I agree something should be done--but I also think this event ought not to be exploited by those with some sort of beef against this place, or are unaware of how the territory has changed in recent years.

Read the rest.

Courtesy of Heart, Mind & Strength.

The Vatican Has Spoken

and said that President Obama is not "pro-abortion". So that provokes a couple of questions:

What or who exactly is the "Vatican"?

And what does it mean to say that someone or some group is "pro-abortion"? Can we agree with the President that no one is "pro-abortion"?

Let's start with the first question:

Wiegel on L’Osservatore Romano’s “fideist credulity”:

My friends – smart people – are angrily scratching their heads over the latest squishy musings in L’Osservatore Romano.



I have posted about this here and here.  In the second case, the editor, who is a fine fellow and doing a pretty good job making the paper into something other than fishwrap, really blew it. 



Here is a piece by George Weigel in National Review online with my emphases and comments.

Parsing the Vatican Newspaper

It doesn’t always speak for the pope.



May 21, 2009, 4:00 a.m.

By George Weigel



[snip]
2. In the normal course of events, L’Osservatore Romano does not speak authoritatively for the Church in matters of faith, morals, or public-policy judgment. The exceptions are when a senior churchman offers a commentary on a recent papal document (an encyclical, for instance), or on those exceedingly rare occasions when an editorial in the paper is followed by three dots, or periods, a traditional convention signaling that the opinion being expressed is from “high authority.” No knowledgeable or responsible analyst of Vatican affairs would regard commissioned essays in L’Osservatore Romano, even if they appear on page one, as somehow reflecting an authoritative view from the Holy See or the Pope. The same is true for statements by the paper’s editors or editorials without the dots. [True.  As I have pointed out in the past, unsigned editorials usually have more weight.  And there are some which have clues that they are even more weighty.]

Read the whole thing.

(Via What Does The Prayer Really Say?.)

Dialogue, Part Two

I'm consciously rejecting the "debate is bad, dialogue is good" idea right off the bat. Debate is a form of dialogue and arguably it's purest form. If dialogue is a search for truth by two or more parties, then debate is the potentially the best structure for that search.

But then I don't mean simply arguing to "win". Rather I mean supporting a position contrary to your interlocutor's with the conviction that it is true. And this with the fallibility principle: the recognition that no matter how convinced we are we may still turn out to be wrong. Properly understood as a search for truth in an adversarial fashion, debate in this sense aims to bring the opponents together in a better understanding of the truth.

I'm concerned that "dialogue" is for some a code word for talking pleasantly with no intention of pursuing the truth or even a conviction that we can know the truth. When the President announces the abortion positions are irreconcilable I'm concerned he means something like the above: "Let's talk, but don't expect me to engage what you have to say as if it really meant something to me." Or, as Foghorn Leghorn used to say, "Don't bother me with the facts, son, I've already made up my mind."

Enough already: here's another source for discussing "dialogue":

the dialogue about abortion:

Over at Via Media, Amy's started a discussion about dialogue.1) Who are the parties in the dialogue?2) Where is this dialogue situated?Should be an interesting conversation.To take things a step further, what are the necessary ingredients/principles in dialogue? What does dialogue look like in practice? I've made some efforts in the past to grapple with the concept of dialogue on my blog.I know

Read the whole thing.

(Via The Weight of Glory.)

Dialogue

is a popular word. But what does the speaker mean by that? The two Presidents' possibly facile invocation to dialogue provokes questions. Some among the so-called Pro-choice movement has declared debate off limits for years now. When the President says the positions are irreconcilable he may have this idea in mind.

Amy Welborn has challenged both ideas: that debate is counter-productive and that only "dialogue", whatever is meant by that, is appropriate between the two camps. She is challenging those imagining they are champions of dialogue to begin doing so. It will be interesting to see what, if anything, comes of this.

But if words are only instruments we use to extend our will, then dialogue is an attempt to at least prevent another from imposing their will on me and at most an attempt to impose my will on my "partner". If people take this attitude then dialogue is not an attempt to arrive at the truth, but an attempt to project one's one will, truth notwithstanding. Beware entering that kind of "dialogue".

So here are some more eloquent words about this issue:

Some things to consider when it comes to the "D" word:

Christ said that He would send His disciples among men as "sheep among wolves." This suggests that they would not find their activities only in debating forums, academic chairs, or gentle dialogues. Indeed, they were told that they would be persecuted. They would be told how to answer magistrates, almost as if it was not their words that were being rejected. This realization brings up the limits of dialogue. Argument can be rejected not merely because it is illogical or inconsistent, but also because it is true. Of course, it will be rejected in the name of some other truth, or apparent truth. But the fact is that much modern thought, in its intellectual inconsistencies, is ultimately not rooted in reason but in will.

[snip]

...Chesterton remarks that the purpose of argument or dialogue is not ultimately to disagree but to agree. The purpose of disagreement is in the end to agree. That is to say, dialogue is intended to achieve something beyond itself. It is well that we do not agree before we understand why we should agree. On the other hand, it is also true that we refuse to argue or agree to philosophic positions because we are afraid of where the argument leads, if it leads to a coherence in the universe between reason and revelation.

The world is not divided merely by intellect and its understandings of things. It is more fundamentally divided by will, by the thesis that, as Benedict XVI said, "we want unlimited possession of the world and of ourselves." To accomplish this latter ambition, we have to lie to ourselves about ourselves and about the coherence of the world. To protect our self-generated view of ourselves, we have to develop a theory that justifies what we do according to our own wills. This is why, however useful, dialogue runs up against our wills that enable us to choose another view of the world but the one that is.

Read the entire essay.

Read the whole thing.

(Via Insight Scoop | The Ignatius Press Blog.)

Notre Dame: the Highlights

There is an immense amount of verbiage flying through Catholic cyberspace about the President's appearance and award. So why not add my two cents worth?

The great bifurcation in American Catholicism has been going on for some decades now. It became visible with the public dissent over Humanae Vitae in 1968. With Bishops and the occasional Cardinal or two in the next three decades the "Spirit of Vatican II" Catholics grew apart from the rest while assuming many of the levers of power in chanceries across North America.

But Archbishop Hunthausen is gone, except to make an appearance to testify to his criminal incompetence. Cardinal Mahoney is busy fighting off attempts to force him to do the same. And from a tiny handful of bishops in 2004 who raised the issue of Senator Kerry's fitness to receive Communion, we now have almost 80 bishops publicly rebuking the Notre Dame administration for honouring the most pro-abortion President ever.

The John Paul II priests are becoming Benedict bishops. And so the "Spirit of Vatican II" Catholics are gradually losing their grip on power in the Church and have less and less to tie them to the Church as it exists. In the end they will have to decide just what it means to call themselves Catholic.

In the meantime here are couple of links that I found enlightening. There are many more in the post cited.

Pres. Obama's ND appearance: Links, commentary, analysis:

• The American Papist has a quick post noting that "a Catholic liberal, a feminist liberal, and a Catholic conservative ... all unsatisfied" with Obama's speech. The conservative is Notre Dame legend Ralph McInerny, who writes, in a piece posted today on The Catholic Thing:

This
division among Catholics has been widening for more than forty years.
How did it come about that so many Catholics have such a mushy notion
of what it means to be a Catholic? The teaching of the faith since the
close of Vatican II in 1965 has been scandalously inadequate. In many
cases it has been the deliberate substituting of stones for bread. It
began with waffling on contraception when theologians, real or
self-proclaimed, impudently rejected Humanae Vitae, one of the
great encyclicals of modern times. The scandal of the encyclical was
that it placed Catholics on one side of a line and the zeitgeist
on the other. Yet dissent from it was allowed to flourish. Moral
theology went into steep decline and the official body of Catholic
theologians issued Human Sexual Morality in which doubt was
cast on the long tradition of teaching on pre-marital and extra-marital
sex, abortion, masturbation, homosexuality, divorce – a systematic
dismantling of Catholic moral teaching.
[snip]
• George Weigel, writing about "Obama and the 'Real Catholics'", makes some excellent points about the strategy employed by President Obama at Notre Dame:

What was surprising, and ought to be disturbing to anyone who cares about religious freedom in these United States, was the president’s decision to insert himself into the ongoing Catholic debate over the boundaries of Catholic identity and the applicability of settled Catholic conviction in the public square. Obama did this by suggesting, not altogether subtly, who the real Catholics in America are. The real Catholics, you see, are those like the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, who are “congenial and gentle” in persuasion, men and women who are “always trying to bring people together,” Catholics who are “always trying to find the common ground.” The fact that Cardinal Bernardin’s undoubted geniality and gentility in bringing people together to find the common ground invariably ended with a “consensus” that matched the liberal or progressive position of the moment went unremarked — because, for a good postmodern liberal like President Obama, that progressive “consensus” is so self-evidently true that one can afford to be generous in acknowledging that others, less enlightened but arguably sincere, have different views.  <snip>

Whether or not President Obama knew precisely what he was doing — and I’m inclined to think that this politically savvy White House and its allies among Catholic progressive intellectuals knew exactly what they were doing — is irrelevant. In order to secure the political advantage Obama had gained among Catholic voters last November, the president of the United States decided that he would define what it means to be a real Catholic in 21st-century America — not the bishop of Fort Wayne–South Bend, who in sorrow declined to attend Notre Dame’s commencement; not the 80-some bishops who publicly criticized Notre Dame’s decision to invite the president to receive an honorary degree; not the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which explicitly and unambiguously instructed Catholic institutions not to do what Notre Dame did. He, President Obama, would settle the decades-long intra-Catholic culture war in favor of one faction — the faction that had supported his candidacy and that had spent the first months of his administration defending his policies.

Read the whole thing.

(Via Insight Scoop | The Ignatius Press Blog.)

Who's Digesting Your News For You?

If it's the MSM it's being abbreviated in very interesting ways:

The MSM strikes again:

Courtesy of a loyal SA reader and ND alum:

I’m not sure how the media missed it but yesterday we had an open-air mass and rally (the latter of which Bishop D’Arcy attended) and estimates put the crowd at least around 2000

Read the whole thing.

(Via Southern Appeal.)

More Torture

I've tried wading into some of the discussion about Torture, primarily in Catholic Blogs where the argument has raged. There are questions to be answered: Does the Church teach that torture is intrinsically evil? Seemingly yes, from Veritatis Splendor, which, in turn, cites Gaudiam et Spes.

What does the Church mean by torture (or torments)? Is there a reasonably clear line that helps us decide what treatments to condemn and which to tolerate? The answer seems to be no.

My intuition remains that water-boarding is a form of torture and therefore to be rejected. But how the relatively recent movement of the Magisterium to reject torture helps in specific cases isn't at all clear to me. So in the process of trying to digest the various arguments here is another take on the problem:

Disproportionate infliction of pain:

In a discussion on a Catholic and Enjoying It! post on the ongoing defense of the Bush Administration's policy of torturing prisoners, I was invited to address the position staked out by Jimmy Akin in a series of posts back in 2006.

Read the whole thing.

(Via Disputations.)

Just To Muddy the Waters a Bit

Here is a more specifically theological look at the nature of intrinsic evil and how that might apply to torture:

JIMMY AKIN.ORG: Intrinsic Evil:

According to CCC 1755, "A morally good act requires the goodness of the object, of the end, and of the circumstances together." If any of these three is lacking, the act will be evil.

Read the whole thing.

(Via JImmy Akin.org.)

Torture Discussion

continues:

“Is Torture One of the Church’s Non-Negotiables?”:

That is the question posed by my friend Deal Hudson.

Read the whole thing.

(Via Southern Appeal.)

Torture

First off, torture is something evil, which we must not do nor condone:

Torture which uses physical or moral violence to extract confessions, punish the guilty, frighten opponents, or satisfy hatred is contrary to respect for the person and for human dignity.

Catechism of the Catholic Church, #2297

So now the question is: how do we recognize torture? Are there some things that are torture under some circumstances but not under others? Specifically, are there circumstances under which water-boarding is not torture?

Keep in mind that a fundamental principle of Catholic theology (and classical philosophy) is that you may not do evil in order to achieve some good end. The good ends do not justify the evil means. So arguing that water-boarding has been effective and saved potentially thousands of lives does not justify it. If it's evil, it's evil.

So is water-boarding torture? Intuitively that seems obvious. It is using physical and moral violence to wrench information from an unwilling prisoner.

Is it always torture? Are there circumstances under which its moral? Say, you only do it once. Or there's a million lives at stake (a al 24). To which I respond, how many times do you have to use a thumb-screw for it to be torture? If it's just as effective as water-boarding and cheaper, why not use thumbscrews?

These are just my tentative thoughts on the subject. Here are some more erudite sources for your consideration:

A Word on Torture:

For now, go read Philip Zelikow at Foreign Policy’s Shadow Government blog, and Conor at The American Scene. For later, further comment from me. I suppose I can mention here that since I’m on record as saying that one dunk at the waterboard is not torture, whereas three dunks is, I judge 130+ dunks clearly to be torture, regardless of whether the issue is whether we ought to torture or not.

Read the whole thing.

(Via Postmodern Conservative.)

Easter Week

has been a time of convalescence for me, so far. I started sneezing a week ago Monday in the Quirinale Gardens (the greyed in pathways between Via 20 Settembre and Via Piacenza). No, not the fabulous ones, open to the public rarely, if ever. Rather, a small public park, just a couple of blocks away from the Quatro Fontane.

The cold (I assumed it was an allergy, given the Spring blossoms that were everywhere around me) settled in my chest after the marathon flight home, but didn't seem so bad. So as of Easter I believed I would be back at work on Tuesday as per my schedule. But Monday it turned into a low-grade fever and general weakness. So today will be sick-day number two and decision day.

Either I go to work tomorrow morning and tough it out, which is my preference. Or I go see the doctor and see if this is something to be concerned about. I don't remember seeing this frailty being written up in the brochure about old age. I've been sold a bill of goods. Who do I sue?

We Have to Shout "The Sky is Falling"

or no one will listen to us. Oh dear, my what is this really about flag just flipped up, big time:

More Evidence That Global Warming “Science” is Politics:

The New York Times Magazine ran a story a few weeks ago on a global warming skeptic named Freemon Dyson, entitled “The Civil Heretic.” The current edition’s letters to the editor on the story are all opposed to Dyson’s views, ...[b]ut one letter stood out in its clear admission that the “science” of global warming is not science as much as politics. From the letter by Monika Kopacz, a Ph.D. candidate in applied mathematics and atmospheric sciences, Harvard University:

...The problem is, only sensational exaggeration makes the kind of story that will get politicians’—and readers’—attention. So, yes, climate scientists might exaggerate, but in today’s world, this is the only way to assure any political action and thus more federal financing to reduce the scientific uncertainty. [emphasis added]

Read the whole thing.

(Via First Things.)

The Truth Is What We Say It Is

What a prescription for unhappiness and frustration. So we turn to George Orwell for the quote of the day:

We Choose to Side With the Pope:

“In a time of universal deceit,” wrote George Orwell, “telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.” That was confirmed by Pope Benedict’s recent comment about controlling AIDS in Africa—namely, that condom distribution worsens the epidemic.

Read the whole thing.

(Via Catholic Exchange.)

Never Complain

unless you've got a solution ready. The annual influx of poorly catechized candidates and catechumens results in a significant loss as the weeks and months roll by after Easter. Many of these wonderful people stop practising the Faith after entering the Church. So, what are the problems and what are the solutions?

5 Reasons People Don’t Stick | The Blog That's All About R.C.I.A.:

Here, we’ll highlight 5 reasons new Catholics stop practicing the Faith soon after they’re received into the Church through the RCIA process. It’s a sad reality, but it happens more often than we would like to think it does. But have no fear! There are solutions to these 5 reasons and these fixes are given under each reason.

Read the whole thing.

(Via Via Media.)

Catholic Lectures Pope

LCD Catechesis is undoubtedly the method used to bring this man into the Faith. Whoever was in charge of his RCIA process should be in sackcloth and ashes right now.

A Pastoral Approach to Dissent

Sighs are one of my characteristic signs: opportunities missed, misunderstandings, difficulties unresolved. The memory of my three-year experience with RCIA process still brings me to sighs from time to time. The earnest, decent members of the team were scandalized by my repeated requests for a more complete exposition of the Catholic Faith, in particular both the sex and gender issues that are so controversial and of the Church's own self-understanding as to her role and authority as the Teacher anointed by Christ Himself.

Some of the issues that many Candidates and Catechumens, as well as the Team Members themselves, did not want to discuss: abortion, contraception, homosexuality, authority, infallibility, catechism, dissent and obedience. One rationale offered, when push came to shove, was that many, if not most, "Catholics"disagreed with the Church on these issues. My only retort was: Is there anything in any Church Document to indicate that one or more of these teachings is optional? The other argument was 'We are not catechists'. I would then point out that the Archdiocese encouraged to us to take their course, upon completion of which we received an "RCIA Catechist" certificate. Our discussions didn't progress much beyond this.

So this document (I've added an updated version) is a lovely example of a rational and pastoral approach to the see-no-evil, teach-the-minimum approach to faith formation.

Thanks to Catholic Culture for the link.

Arrivederci, Roma

Sorry for the lack of posting. We have been travelling busily each and every day, here and there, in Rome. Tomorrow we return to the real world. The wife is more than ready, but I'm a little blue about leaving Roma behind.

The unexpected whiff of Wisteria in bloom; little fountains and piazzas around every corner; so much History the Romans don't bother to label most of it; But all good things must come to an end.

We saw the reliquary of Saint Peter under the main altar of Saint Peter's after touring the ruins of the necropolis beneath that. We celebrated Mass with Pope Benedict twice; once on the anniversary of John Paul II's death and again on Palm Sunday. We saw all the churches on my "must" list, including Santa Maria in Trestevere, Santa Maria della Vittoria (with Bernini's "Ecstasy of Saint Teresa"), the Gesu, Santa Croce in Gerusaleme, and many others. We prayed up a storm for all concerned.

Spring in Rome: it doesn't get much better than this. Wish you were here. Wish I didn't have to leave. Ciao!

As I Was Saying

It's not impossible to come by fact-based opinions in the Pope-condoms-AIDS controversy. But they might not say what you expect them to.

Mistral Winds

are notorious amongst sailors in the Western Meditteranean. So as we were departing Barcelona the captain interrupted our dinner to announce that we would be travelling through gale-force winds in the night and should expect a bumpy ride, stabilizers or no. I must be acclimatizing to the sea-travel, because I slept through the whole thing.

It was cool and blustery in Monte Carlo when we docked this morning. We did a bit of walking around, though slower and more purposeful than my preferred style. The wife was investigating perfumes for the girls at home. But nothing satisfied, so we'll keep looking for ideas in Rome. At least the sun came out and shone beautifully on the gardens by the palace.

We have one more cruise day tomorrow, then it's off to Rome for six days. That's the portion of the trip I'm looking forward to. We're hoping to attend the anniversary mass for the death of John Paul II on Thursday evening. We arrived in Rome for our first visit a month and a half after that (2005).

There's plenty of time left on my ship-board account, so I'll blog again tomorrow. We hope to see Pisa and Lucca. The bus driver in Palma correctly pointed out that these single-day visits aren't really adequate. You need to stay at least a week someplace to get a good feel for it. I'm afraid only Rome get's anything like that attention this time around. Quello che sarà.

Sun and Fun

I was laughing yesterday (inside) at the natives of Palma and some tourists as they huddled against the "cold". It got all the way down to 15 C. And I´m sweating from the exertion of walking around. My favourite activity is getting lost. As in, wandering around aimlessly until I can´t figure out where I am. I succeeded fabulously yesterday. There are little mini-boulevards tucked away in various neighbourhoods.

I did find an internet cafe there, but siesta, especially on Saturday, starts no later than 2 p.m. So I only had time to write one email and was politely evicted.

Today in Barcelona is more Vancouver weather, though: Cool and wet. We went to Montserrat this morning. We were taken up the winding road to the monastery and basilica. We went up and touched the Madonna (9th century?). The wife is resting on the ship. I caught a shuttle bus back to the Placa Colon.

I wandered into the Gothic Quarter and eventually was, as desired, quite disoriented. By luck, I looked up and saw a couple of maniquins with hard-hats posed on an iron-grated balcony. At that point I was completing a circle and about the re-trace my steps.

Duly re-oriented I headed back to the ship and was seduced by a sign on La Rambla, the central pedestrian boulevard, offering 0.99 Euro beer (I can´t get the Euro symbol on this keyboard, even though I can see it). That´s when I saw that this place also has an Internet Cafe on La Rambla, the central pedestrian boulevard. So that´s where this is being composed, as the time counts down. I´ll probably have to skip the beer since Mass is at 5, just an hour and a half away. Oh well.

There´s nothing to say about Lisbon and Cadiz, alas. I was under the weather and stayed onboard. The wife had a great time, tours to Fatima and Sevilla. But she´s not much for blogging.

"Don't Bother Me With the Facts, Son...

I've already made up my mind." That was a saying of Foghorn Leghorn, one of my favourite cartoon characters from another millenium. Maybe the tempest in a teapot over the Pope and the effectiveness of condoms in preventing AIDS falls into this category.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

But no pictures today, alas. We landed this morning at Funchal, Madeira. Every letter of every word that I type tends to be done twice or more, since I`m not used to the Portuguese keyboard.

A week ago Sunday we stopped at Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas. We´re not beach people, so we enjoyed the barbeque, attended by the free range chickens. I watched the little black chicks wandering under the tables as the happy people ate, blissfully unaware. More than once a chick stopped and looked thoughtfully at some well shaped toe, exposed through sandals. But there were no incidents, happily.

Seven days at sea go by remarkably fast. Especially for the wife, who is up early (well early by cruising standards, anyway) and tries to close down the Piano Bar every night with a busy schedule in between. I gave that up after a couple of nights. Getting old, I guess.

I did find a chess partner, though. We use the large set by the pool. I recommended FICS to him. If I manage to not drop a piece early I´m usually winning. But we take an hour or more to play, so they´re fairly serious games.

Today we´ll just wander around the Old City and maybe take the cable car ride. There are beautiful orange blossoms in the trees above me as I write. Across the road pink and red geraniums fills an iron grill balcony, the length of the street. The clouds rolling in just highlight the intensity of the colours.

After a day at sea tomorrow, we plan to make a pilgrimage to Fatima on Wednesday. That will be the feast of the Annuniciation, solemn feast of Our Lady. We have had a special devotion to her since she aided us during a crisis fifteen years ago. But that´s a story for another day. The point is, I may not have time to blog from there. If not, I´ll try to do it from the ship (far more expensive).

Time to move on. See you all later.

Sunrise, Sunset

This is my second attempt at posting about the first full day of our trip. The previous attempt was on the hotel tv screen and seems to have disappeared into the ether.

Our day (Friday) began with watching the sun rise over the Atlantic as a van drove us away from our hotel and towards the Everglades. Once the van was full (14 passengers and the driver) we proceeded South and West into Sawgrass country. We stopped at an Indian airboat place. (You see one on the opening credits of CSI: Miami). That was a bit of a thrill and quite noisy; cottonballs really help.

As we drove West we slowed down frequently to admire the American Alligator. The females travel together, so it's no exaggeration to say that we saw dozens, if not hundreds of them. The birds were also plentiful and varied. For example, there were cormorants, egrets, cranes and ospreys. The turkey vultures having a committee meeting over an alligator carcass had a certain morbid interest. They were trying to figure out how to turn the body over so they could get to the soft under-belly.

A manattee was resting in a canal not far from the coast. And a young mother alligator was watching over her prodigious, striped brood by the roadside.

The climax of the "eco-tour" was a boatride into the national park, Ten Thousand Islands. Dolphins dutifully leapt alongside us a we navigated the mangrove islands right up to the Gulf of Mexico.

By then jet lag had caught up with us and we slept on the ride back across Florida. When dropped off at our hotel we strolled north and had dinner at a restaurant specializing in fish, Coconuts. We had a table with a view over the inland waterway, facing West. A pelican was perched on a pile nearby. He periodically dove into the water for his dinner. As the meal was winding up, with the obligatory Key Lime Pie, the sun set in front of us.

Not bad for a spare day in Fort Lauderdale.

If this post is successful I'll try to update our trip. We're currently in the Atlantic, having just visiting Half Moon Cay. We just caught the trail of the Discovery Space Shuttle taking off from Cape Canaveral. Maybe we'll have pictures when we get to Madeira (a week from tomorrow).

Hasta la vista!

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

was supposed to Mao's strategy. Is this more of the same from the new orthodoxy?

BREAKING: Conn. Bill Proposing to Restructure Catholic Church Pulled, Hearing Postponed:

By Kathleen Gilbert
HARTFORD, Connecticut, March 10, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Following widespread outrage from the Catholic community, a Connecticut bill seeking unprecedented regulation of the Catholic Church has been temporarily pulled and its public hearing postponed while legislators...

Read the whole thing.

(Via LifeSiteNews.com Headlines.)

Liberal Fascism

I had occasion to write about competing orthodoxies. There are a number of disturbing things going on that indicate that the intolerance of the new orthodoxy is be ratcheted up:

Proposition 8 Thuggery:

When eerily convenient Prop-8 directories and Google maps were released earlier this winter, accounts of threats and thuggery began accumulating. But how much of this was real intimidation from the left, and how much was the pretense of doom from the right?

Read the whole thing.

(Via First Things.)

Human Knowledge

marches on. In this particular instance our knowledge of news media:

General Theory of Media Incompetence:

For a very long time I have held what might be termed the Special Theory of Media Incompetence, which is: The mainstream newsmedia is spectacularly incompetent when reporting stories concerning religion, morality, etc.

Read the whole thing.

(Via JIMMY AKIN.ORG.)

Public Debate

on serious moral issues is very rare. Here is something could be the beginning of such a dialogue:

Father Reese and the Fallacy of the Mean:

The Jesuit errs.

Read the whole thing.

(Via Insight Scoop | The Ignatius Press Blog.)

If His Most Plausible Claim

to be competent to be President was his running of his campaign for that office, how is that working out so far? Given the snafu's so far, one might begin to think that actual executive experience at a fairly high level might be a pre-requisite for future candidates. Certainly nothing less than being, say, governor of a small state, anyway; Alaska,for example.

Obama Botches Meeting with British PM:

Our new President ran for office on a promise to use the power of diplomacy much more effectively than George Bush; indeed, he seems to believe diplomacy alone can solve almost any problem, from the Taliban to Iran’s nuclear program.

Read the whole thing.

(Via Little Green Footballs.)

This looks interesting

Though I'm not sure where in Philosophy it lands exactly:

Why Minds Are Not Like Computers:

Most of us instinctively agree that the human brain and the computer are qualitatively different—that the difference between human and computer intelligence is one, not of degree, but of kind. If you were wondering, however, why this is true, Ari N. Schulman at the New Atlantis has a wonderful new article illustrating the proverbial nuts and bolts that make up both human and artificial intelligence:

Read the whole thing.

(Via First Things.)

Science Marches On

And is ignored by the ignorant, the ideological and the avaricious. All the supposed promise of embryo-destructive research is beginning to be realized by other stem cell research (usually captioned "adult stem-cell research"). But this progress is studiously ignored..

<Rant Mode>

There is a great deal of money to be made in ESCR, witness governments stampeding to throw millions at researchers. The disproportionate amount of money being directed at AIDS research is another example of this marriage of ignorant and ideological politicians being led by the nose by greedy scientists and their coterie.

</Rant Mode>
So let's review the state of Adult Stem Cell Research:

Another Stem Cell Advance:

The announcement in November of 2006 that researchers in the United States and Japan had succeeded in turning skin cells into what appeared to be the equivalent of embryonic stem cells transformed the landscape of stem cell science, and the related ethical debate. If Democrats in Washington ever notice it, it might even transform the political debate.

Read the whole thing.

(Via First Things.)

Comparisons

are odious, or so someone said. Still it's interesting to see how vigourously the Vatican chastises a schismatic bishop. He has only a remote chance of ever getting into full communion with the Pope. Yet powerful leaders proclaim their faux Catholicism by promoting legal abortion and expect to receive communion publicly. Still I think the times are changing.

Father Z covers the SSPX side of the issue:

What’s sauce for the goose-step…:

Will Catholic pro-abortion politicians be required to issue apologies, as unambiguous as that which they require from Williamson… heck any apology at all…. for voting for abortion rights?



I’m just askin’

Read the whole thing.

(Via What Does The Prayer Really Say?.)

Darn

I missed the deciding game of the match. Thanks to Dennis Monokroussos we can look at it at our leisure:

Topalov Wins Game 7, Wins Match 4.5-2.5:

The final game of the Topalov-Kamsky Candidates Match wasn't pretty, but it was very exciting.

Read the whole thing.

(Via The Chess Mind.)

Something to Worry About

So it isn't just me that perceives a slow slide into servitude:

How Democracies Become Tyrannies:

The American Thinker asks, "Can a free people willingly choose servitude?"

The prophet Chesterton replies that it is usually a free people who choose tyranny, something we see from the Roman Republic to Weimar. Against Wells' notion that primitive man was a tyrant who ruled by force and fear and that democracy is a late development in our onward and upward march of Progress, he writes in The Everlasting Man:

Read the whole thing.

(Via Catholic and Enjoying It!.)

Speak of Self-Indulgence

I've been thinking about buying a portable computer for the trip (Sorry!), so I could compose blog entries and e-mails off-line. Since the desktop (an iMac DV) is overdue for replacement, I decided to endure the expensive computer time on-board and wait for the hoped-for quad-core iMac.

Then the wife's cousin shows me his netbook and touts this as a compromise solution; a small, less expensive portable. And while I'm cruising the Internet considering the possibilities, a new netbook is released that just might do the job. The question is, will it be here in time for me?

Ash Wednesday

So today begins our Lenten observance. Given my corpulent figure, fasting of some sort seems a logical course. Then I remember that half of my Lent will be spent cruising. (Oh, didn't I mention that?) Well, if we get a priest for the cruise, I'll go to daily mass on board. I'm too much of a Scotsman to push prematurely away from the table I paid for.

On a less selfish note here is a nice piece on Lent and fasting:

Lent: Why the Christian Must Deny Himself:

An "oldie but goodie" from the vaults:




Lent: Why the Christian Must Deny Himself | Brother Austin G. Murphy, O.S.B. | IgnatiusInsight.com



We still ask ourselves as Ash Wednesday approaches, "What am I doing
for Lent? What am I giving up for Lent?" We can be grateful that the customs
of giving up something for Lent and abstaining from meat on Fridays during
Lent have survived in our secular society. But, unfortunately, it is doubtful
that many practice them with understanding. Many perform them in good faith
and with a vague sense of their value, and this is commendable. But if these
acts of self-denial were better understood, they could be practiced with
greater profit. Otherwise, they run the risk of falling out of use.



A greater understanding of the practice of self-denial would naturally benefit
those who customarily exercise it during Lent. Better comprehension of self-denial
would also positively affect the way Christians live throughout the
year. The importance of self-denial can be seen if we look specifically
at fasting and use it as an example of self-denial in general. Indeed, fasting,
for those who can practice it, is a crucial part of voluntary self-denial.




But since we live in a consumerist society, where self-indulgence rather
than self-denial is the rule, any suggestion to fast will sound strange
to many ears. It is bound to arouse the questions: Why is fasting important?
Why must a Christian practice it? Using these questions as a framework,
we can construct one explanation, among many possible ones, of the importance
of self-denial.



To answer the question "Why must the Christian fast?" we should first note
that fasting, in itself, is neither good nor bad, but is morally neutral.
But fasting is good insofar as it achieves a good end. Its value lies in
it being an effective means for attaining greater virtue. And because it
is a means for gaining virtue– and every Christian ought to be striving
to grow in virtue–there is good reason to fast.



Some people point out that fasting is not the most important thing and,
therefore, they do not need to worry about it. Such reasoning displays a
misunderstanding of our situation. But, since the excuse is common enough,
some comments to refute it are worthwhile.

Read the entire article...

(Via Insight Scoop | The Ignatius Press Blog.)

Economics 100

One of my many deficits is in Economics. The basic courses were always on my Gee-If-Only-I-Could list, never quite making it into whatever working plan I had at the time. Indeed, my oldest is taking the Microeconomics introductory course now. So are the ten propositions almost all Economists agree on prepared for in these intro courses?

RealClearMarkets - 10 Things Economists Believe:

10 Things Economists Believe

Read the whole thing.

(Via Campaign Standard.)

World's Most Effective Speed Bump

World's Most Effective Speed Bump:

World's most effective speed bump. Made in Germany, of course! 

 
Translation: Voice: What are you doing Gisela? The camera is already running. Come here. I will show it to this guy! He won't drive through here any more. Gisela, don't film the flowers, come here! He's coming. Let me hold the camera. Boy oh boy!!!! Great !!!

(Via Catholic & Enjoying It.)

Unions

(You just know I'm supposed to be doing something right now, thus all the posts.) I've been a Union member for over thirty-five years now. I was a Shop Steward for twenty and held a couple of Local Offices. I'm no right-to-work type. But the politicization of the Unions and their focus on left wing causes, regardless of the dues-paying memberships beliefs and sensitivities is self-destructive:

BIG BLUE WAVE: Lefty vs. lefty:

In response to CUPE's decision to boycott Israeli universities, Warren Kinsella writes:


First, actively seek to decertify the union, as it has arguably violated its own charter and organized labour charters to which it is a signatory.

Read the whole thing.

(Via .)

NYT, Part Two

Here's another nail in the coffin:

Ever Heard of Dhimmitude?:

The New York Times sends an ambassador to visit a Potemkin synagogue in Esfahan and, surprise, he finds some Jews willing to say they are as appalled by Israel as he is. Does he stop to wonder whether it could be their dhimmitude speaking? Nah. That's not a language Times columnists are required to know, even the Jewish ones.

(Via Campaign Standard.)

The Oscars

I ignored them yesterday, by and large. We were at a friend's house admired his net book. He's advising me to consider this for travel blogging. (Oh, did I mention the trip to Rome? Again?). Oscar night used to be a big deal way back in the day. But two things have lessened the lustre: the endless multiplication of awards shows and the preaching. I'll put up with the pastor and his assistant on Sundays (and the occasional weekday), But Sean Penn, yech!

But for those who are interested here are some thoughts and an invitation to dialogue:

Some Random Thoughts on the Oscars:

Last night much, some, a few Americans stayed up for three hours to watch the Oscars. I confess the Oscars mean something to me because movies mean much to me, but movies mean much to me because it’s point of commonality with friends of rather uncommon characteristics. So, each year a buddy throws a rather big party, we play some movie-trivia games and watch the Oscars. So, here are my thoughts:

Read the whole thing.

(Via Southern Appeal.)

The New York Times

Many people still rely on The Grey Lady for their news. I have a login and password for seeing their articles, but never go there directly. One of Father Neuhaus's last writings was about how he had finally dropped his subscription to the NYT. (It was he who said 'For the New York Times, "the only good Catholic is a bad Catholic."') He was making comments about the Times' falling standards over the last few years.

Here's more evidence of the limitations of the paper that claims to print all the news that fit to read:

The New York Times on Archbishop Dolan:

I generally have low expectations whenever the New York Times reports on religion and, more specifically, Catholicism.  But this article on Archbishop Timothy Dolan—the current archbishop of Milwaukee and the newly-appointed archbishop of New York—is bad by any measure.

The article soberly warns us that, “[o]n matters of doctrine, the archbishop 59, adheres to the line laid down by Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict, including firm opposition to abortion, birth control, divorce, gay marriage and any crack in the wall of priestly celibacy.”  You see, opposition to abortion, birth control, etc. are merely the personal preferences of two old men in Rome; they have nothing to do with the 2,000 year old teaching tradition of the Church.

Read the whole thing.

(Via Southern Appeal.)

Faux Catholics

I've been following with some interest the goings on of politicians down south who simultaneously claim a "Catholic" identity for the purpose of helping potential voters decide to vote for them, while simultaneously embracing the culture of death, especially abortion. So the Speaker of the House provides interesting moments every so often in this regard, as does George, Neiderauer, her archbishop .

His grace corrected Madame Speaker publicly during last year's campaign, after several other bishops had already done so. And he asked her for a meeting to discuss her erroneous and unacceptable views. Now there's some confusion as to whether or not they have, in fact, met. She's says yes "privately". His Spokesman says no. More fun and games in San Francisco.

At least we can be clear on what should have happened at that meeting, whether or not it happened. She should have had basic Moral Philosophy and Church History explained to her. Then she should have been advised to cease receiving Communion until she reforms her words and actions. The good news is that the Holy Father has started the project for the archbishop:

Team Nancy and the Vicar of Christ:

Earlier this week at NRO, George Weigel offered some commonsense commentary on Nancy Pelosi’s Wednesday meeting with Pope Benedict XVI. Commonsense commentary about what should be commonsense morality:

. . . Whatever the source of her confusion, Pelosi has now been informed, and by a world-class intellectual who happens to be the universal pastor of the Catholic Church, that she is, in fact, confused, and that both her spiritual life and her public service are in jeopardy because of that.

Read the whole thing.

(Via First Things.)

Difficult Times Ahead

First Things is running a retrospective series of The Public Square in memory of Father Neuhaus. The current one has a lovely, Chestertonian quote:

I’ll presume to call it Neuhaus’ Law, or at least one of his several laws: Where orthodoxy is optional, orthodoxy will sooner or later be proscribed.

Read the whole thing, if you can.

My simpler and less eloquent explanation is that there is only orthodoxy and the periods between orthodoxies. When toleration for orthodoxy is the policy it means that the new orthodoxy is preparing to turn and seek the eradication of the old.

The new orthodoxies in politics and religion are seeking to suppress the old. Pro-lifers are arrested for peacefully protesting abortion or seeking to talk to women going into abortuaries. A new orthodoxy seeks to intimidate adherents of the old into silence. A new "orthodoxy" is fighting a rear-guard action against a re-surgent old orthodoxy. There are troubles ahead. Batten down the hatches.

It's Not Really Good

to have your negative opinions repeatedly confirmed. The utter inability of the MSM to even simulate objectivity is depressing all by itself. But at least you get the occasional dress-down that's worth reading:

What I learned today from The NY and LA Times:

Of course, having the L.A. Times say the Pope's actions "border on arrogance" is like having a Victoria Secret model chastise the Holy Father for wearing immodest vestments. The editors of the L.A. Times and Victoria Secret models, in fact, have very similar ways of peddling their wares: lots of pouting and posing, combined with large doses of self-absorption.

Read the whole thing.

(Via Insight Scoop | The Ignatius Press Blog.)

Confirmation

I stopped supporting AI a few years ago because of their strong ideological stands. This is just more evidence that they're unwilling to support human rights if it conflicts with the zeitgeist:

Amnesty International - Off The Deep End:

In case you've been reserving judgement, waiting for further proof that Amnesty International has joined the ranks of the 'Culture of Death Squad', here they are demanding that doctors in Mexico be FORCED to perform abortions! LifeSiteNews: Amnesty International, a "human rights" organization that opposes the right to life of unborn children, is now demanding that Mexico force doctors to do

Read the whole thing.

(Via island breezes.)

Eternal Rome

I recently told my daughters, in a brief mood of maudlin sentimentality, that my idea of heaven would be to wander around Rome with my wife. Our nine-day stay there in 2005 left quite an impression obviously. And now we're going again, this time for only six days.

The eighteen day cruise preceding it is what's exciting her. I'm a little cruised out, though. But planning the stay in Rome is helping me get over my usual pre-vacation jitters. We got a Scavi tour booked early on. That will take us to the burial place of St. Peter far beneath the main altar. Now, thanks to Joan Lewis, we're also requesting a tour of the Vatican Gardens. Wish us luck on that.

Other must-sees include the Santa Croce, Santa Maria in Trastevere, the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa by Bernini, San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane by Boromini, and a return to the Borghese Gallery. And then there's the high point of the stay: celebrating Palm Sunday with the Pope.

We deliberately cut the trip there so we could celebrate the Triduum at home with our family. Now I have to get ready for work. This pilgrimage has to be paid for...

The Wisdom of GKC

continues to impress me. He correctly identifies the erroneous thinking that was only beginning to disturb the world a hundred years ago:

The Not-So-New Scientist:

In the latest issue of New Scientist, Michael Brooks tries to explain religious belief away with evolutionary theory:

While many institutions collapsed during the Great Depression that began in 1929, one kind did rather well. During this leanest of times, the strictest, most authoritarian churches saw a surge in attendance.

Read the whole thing.

(Via First Things.)

Everybody Supports Choice

on Abortion is the mantra we pro-lifers have encountered often enough over the last three and a half decades. But the reality is that most people don't oppose the current legal situation on abortion because they don't actually know what it is. The slow build-up of opposition to Roe v. Wade south of the border exactly parallels the slow dawning on the electorate that Roe v. Wade legalizes all abortions, the legal smokescreen about semesters notwithstanding. The same ignorance is still holding up here though:

So if Canada is without an abortion law....doesn't that mean that all abortions are permitted?:

Stand Your Ground:

Apart from the "court has spoken" mantra, Ms. Arthur is clearly running out of arguments. She refers to the recent poll findings that 92% of the respondents are simply unaware...

Read the whole thing.

(Via BIG BLUE WAVE.)

The Ad They Don't Want You To See

is here:

“This is the best pro-life ad I’ve ever seen”:

Kudos, once again, to my peeps at Fidelis.

(LvJay)

Read the whole thing.

(Via Southern Appeal.)

Are the People Who Got Us Into This Recession

giving advice on how to get back out? If so, should we be really trusting them all that much?

You'd Think We'd Learn from Japan...:

...but it appears we haven't:

The Japanese tried every trick in the Keynesian playbook. Zero interest rates, public works projects tax rebates and tax decreases.

Read the whole thing.

(Via Video meliora, proboque; Deteriora sequor.)

Lepanto

is a ballad by G.K. Chesterton. Dale Ahlquist edited a small book
with this, some notes and several related essays. This would be most profitably read on the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, whose feast day is set on the anniversary of the battle in 1571.

This is a rousing, humorous and heroic poem and shows GKC's talent off well.

Saint Thomas Aquinas

Saint Thomas Aquinas:

Thomas Aquinas was born at the family castle near Aquino, Italy, in 1225. He was the son of Count Landulf of Aquino. When he was only five years old he was sent to Benedictine Monte Cassino Monastery to be educated. When he was 14 he went to Naples to complete his education and while there joined the Dominicans.

Read the whole thing.

(Via Catholic Exchange.)

Incomprehension

is what we sometimes encounter in others. This example is particularly well answered:

Spanning the Globe to Bring You the Constant Variety of Posts:

While reading blog comments this week, I've noticed that the same question comes up over and over from the other side: "Why does the right refuse to shut up about abortion?" Ooooooh, pick me! Pick me! For the same reason that the Jews refuse to shut up about the Holocaust. - Karen of "Some Have Hats"

Read the whole thing.

(Via Video meliora, proboque; Deteriora sequor.)

Book Review

Well, nothing quite that exalted. Rather, an opportunity to celebrate completing my first new book of the year: Natural Rights and the Right to Choose
by Hadley Arkes. It's an extended meditation on the state of the politics and law in the US regarding access to abortion. Dr. Arkes makes the case the the Born-Alive Infant Protection laws are the necessary first step to force the public to engage the issue of abortion. The abortion proponents can't oppose it and it forces the public into an awareness of just how draconian the abortion laws really are.

It's not a heavy read, but you do have to keep your thinking cap on. Only time will tell if Dr. Arkes hopefulness is justified. I do recommend it for those interested in the intersection of law and politics.

So I'm Not Completely Crazy

The new fear-mongering craze is likely to be the Coming Ice Age:

Are We Entering Era of Global Cooling Alarmism?

this cooling trend is becoming so noticeable that we may soon face a new problem: global cooling alarmism. Yes, the alarm bells already are beginning to shift in the direction of global cooling as you can see in this article in The Australian:

Read the rest.

Via LIfeSiteNews.

Get Your Mukluks

While they're still cheap. The Global Warming Chicken Littles are about to be replaced by the Coming Ice Age Chicken LIttles:

It's time to pray for global warming, says Flint Journal columnist John Tomlinson - Flint, Michigan Columns, Letters & Opinion - The Flint Journal – MLive.com:

"For how many years must the planet cool before we begin to understand that the planet is not warming?"

Read the whole thing.

(Via Catholic and Enjoying It!.)

Things I Didn't Need to Know

There are some things that appeal to the romantic instinct, and Scotsmen proudly wearing plaid kilts is one of them. But this definitely ruins that image for me:

Do Scots Need Kilts?:

Yet it is worth remembering that the kilt was a skirt invented by an Englishman in the 1720s.

Read the whole thing.

(Via OUPblog.)

Timing is Everything

Looks like we may not be the only bargain-hunting pilgrims in Rome:

Rome Journal: All Roads May Lead Here, but They Aren’t Bringing Big Spenders:

The strong euro and worsening economic crisis have taken their toll on tourism in Rome, making la vita decidedly less dolce these days.

Read the whole thing.

(Via New Advent World Watch.)

Never Say Never Again

That was Sean Connery's choice for the name of his last Bond flim, a remake of Thunderball. You might think that with that very public example, I might have avoided that mistake. Alas, no.

Wanderlust is a part of my make-up. But I have settled down a bit in the last few decades. It's not that I don't like travelling, it's just that I like sleeping in my own bed more. So, when I took the wife to Europe in 2005, I assured her we wouldn't do anything like this again (16-day cruise, Galveston to Rome, and two weeks in Italy).

Still feeling that the poor thing deserved to see some of the places she had dreamed about in her youth, I relented in 2007 and took her on an 18-day cruise (Tampa Bay to Venice, a follow-up cruise through and Adriatic and Aegean Seas and a two-day layover in London). This was designated as her Farewell Cruise to Europe. Are you seeing a pattern, yet?

So it was our thirtieth anniversary last year and her ability to walk for extended periods is disappearing. She's mooning for another last cruise. And the drop in fuel prices, the looming recession, and largely empty ships have led to some bargain prices for some cruises.

Behold, an 18-day cruise, Fort Lauderdale to Rome, and a six-day stay in Rome. I'd have my head examined, but I'm pretty sure there's nothing there.

There will, at least, be a pilgrimage aspect to this. We are scheduled for the Scavi Tour. We plan to visit Santa Croce. And maybe this time I'll climb the Santa Scala on my knees in penance for my sins. Ok, now I don't feel quite so bad.

Thought of the Day

Spanning the Globe to Bring You the Constant Variety of Posts:

It is strange that some theologians have difficulty accepting the precise and limited doctrine of papal infallibility, but see no problem in granting de facto infallibility to everyone who has a conscience. - Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict, via Bill Luse who got it from Zippy

Read the whole thing.

(Via Video meliora, proboque; Deteriora sequor.)

Obituaries

There are a plethora of reactions to the death of Father Neuhaus, which you can link to in the article below. But the sub-quote below caught my attention particularly:

Obituaries:

“To the living, we owe respect; to the dead, only truth,” Voltaire once opined. It’s a good line: high-minded, confident, sententious in the way only enlightened French philosophes could manage with any aplomb. But it also feels exactly backward, particularly about those we knew and loved.

.

Read the whole thing.

(Via First Things.)

RJN R.I.P.

I was saddened to hear of Father Neuhaus's passing yesterday morning. When such important people pass on, it seems as if we are orphaned. Yet, they themselves were saddened by the passing of the great men of the generation they looked up to. So it remains for us to stand tall for those who look up to us. Here's a poem for the occasion:

RJN R.I.P.:

Death
like forest canopies
cathedrals and Roman columns
makes us feel small
makes us recall
that God alone perdures.

(Via Video meliora, proboque; Deteriora sequor.)

Just War

Assuming that the title is not an oxymoron, it is worth investigating what the rights and wrongs, legally and ethically, are in the current Gaza conflict. Here is one thoughtful contribution. (I regret to say I can't figure out which blog pointed me to this--sorry!):

Commentary » Blog Archive » Gaza and the Law of Armed Conflict:

While much of the world engages in hand-wringing, placard-waving, teeth-gnashing, and rocket-launching over Israel’s “disproportionate” response to Hamas attacks from Gaza, it’s worth looking at what the doctrines of “proportionality” actually say.

Read the whole thing.

(Via .)

Remembering Paul Keres

It was 1975, the Vancouver Open Chess Tournament. One of the biggest names to attend was Paul Keres. It was at Totem Park in UBC. Just writing that brings up emotional memories of the cafeteria we played in. The Fischer boom in chess was about to go bust. There were 209 players that year. The subsequent annual Paul Keres Memorial Tournaments would rarely break 100.

Anyway, he won the tournament and died within a couple of weeks, on his way home to Estonia. It's all in half-remembered pictures stored in a rarely visited part of my memory. A decent, gentle man so far as I could tell. And a marvel as a chess player. Requiescat in Pacem.

This Week's ChessBase Show: Remembering Paul Keres:

Estonian legend Paul Keres was born 93 years ago today, and although he passed away in 1975, his games are likely to be remembered as long as there are chess fans.

Read the whole thing.

(Via The Chess Mind.)

Homiletic & Pastoral Review | The U.S. religious landscape survey | By Joseph A. Sirba

Further grist for my mill:

Homiletic & Pastoral Review | The U.S. religious landscape survey | By Joseph A. Sirba:

From May 8 to August 13, 2007, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life surveyed over 35,000 adults in an effort to learn more about current religious beliefs and practices within the United States. The first report on survey findings, entitled U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, was released on February 25, 2008. This one hundred and forty page report (including appendices) contains numerous tables and comments on the current state of religious beliefs and practices in the United States. It also contains interesting figures on how the religious landscape in the United States has been changing in recent years and how various denominations are either growing or shrinking.

Read the whole thing.

(Via Insight Scoop.)

Happy New Year

Many Blessings to you and yours in this New Year. I'm not much for the staying up until midnight thing. I was working yesterday evening and returned to a dark and empty house. The family had scattered to various locations to ring in the New Year. I would have preferred to go straight to bed, but the obligatory midnight phone calls kept me up.

On the other hand, New Year's Resolutions are a big thing with me. I have quite a list, all aimed at personal improvement: spiritual, intellectual and physical. My Chess-related resolutions will have to be reviewed in light of Dennis Monokroussos' advice:

The Chess Mind New Year's Resolutions:

The rest of the world may be different, but here in the U.S. of A. it's very popular to make resolutions for the new year.

Read the whole thing.

(Via The Chess Mind.)

Mary, Mother of God

We end the Octave of Christmas with this feast today. so here is a meditation on the BVM:

The Blessed Virgin in the History of Christianity:

The Blessed Virgin in the History of Christianity | John A. Hardon, S.J.





Christianity would be meaningless without the Blessed
Virgin. Her quiet presence opened Christian history at the Incarnation and will
continue to pervade the Church's history until the end of time.





Our purpose in this meditation is to glance over the past
two thousand years to answer one question: What are the highlights of our
Marian faith as found in the Bible and the teaching of the Catholic Church?

Read the whole thing.

(Via Insight Scoop | The Ignatius Press Blog.)