Thursday, June 30, 2005

Spanish bishops urge civil disobedience against same-sex marriage law

Spain OKs Same-Sex Marriage, and "Express Divorce"

Bishops' Conference Calls for Opposition

MADRID, Spain, JUNE 30, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The Spanish bishops' conference appealed to citizens to oppose with all legitimate means a new measure legalizing same-sex "marriage."

The call came after the country's Congress of Deputies today approved, by a vote of 187-147, a measure giving homosexual couples the same legal rights as heterosexual ones, including the right to adopt children.

The law, which will come into force the day after its publication in the state's Official Bulletin, is similar to statutes adopted by Belgium and the Netherlands.

The Canadian Senate is moving toward approval of a similar law next month.

"Today the words 'husband' and 'wife' have been systematically eliminated from the Code, in such a way that marriage, insofar as union of a man and a woman, is no longer contemplated by our laws," affirmed a press note published by the Spanish bishops' conference.

On Wednesday the Congress of Deputies approved a change in the civil code, allowing direct access to divorce without the need for a prior separation and cause.

Henceforth, it will be enough for one of the spouses not to want to continue the marriage, in order to be able to ask for a divorce. This can happen anytime three months after the celebration of the marriage. "Express divorce" is how the media dubbed it.

Radically unjust

The bishops' note states that with the new measure, the institution of marriage has lost "its own note of legal stability" and is "reduced to a shallow contract that either of the parties may rescind in virtue of his or her mere will, three months after stipulating it."

"In this way, the Spanish laws that regulate marriage have become radically unjust," the episcopal note said.

"They do not recognize the anthropological and social reality of the union of a man and a woman in its specificity and in its irreplaceable value for the common good, concretely, for the personal fulfillment of the spouses and for the procreation and education of the children," the prelates clarified.

"Our laws have ceased, therefore, to adequately protect the rights of parents, of children and of educators," the bishops continued. "Moreover, by leaving in practice the continuity of the conjugal pact to the discretion of individual liberty, they also leave the marriage bond unprotected and open the legal path to the violation of the rights of the other spouse and of the children."

It is necessary to oppose these unjust laws through all the legitimate means that the state of law places at the disposition of the citizens." ZE05063006

In an anti-Catholic juggernaut Spanish Socialist Party legalizes same-sex marriage

Reuters via Yahoo! News

Spain defies Church to legalise gay marriage

By Emma Ross-Thomas

Thu Jun 30, 9:27 AM ET

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain legalised same-sex marriages on Thursday, becoming only the fourth country to do so after Belgium, Canada and the Netherlands and dealing a blow to the Catholic Church in a traditional stronghold.

"Today Spanish society is giving an answer to a group of people who for years have been humiliated, whose rights have been ignored, whose dignity has been offended...," Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero told parliament.

Supporters jumped to their feet to celebrate in a crowded public gallery when the lower house of parliament passed the law, overriding a rejection in the upper house or Senate.

more...

Civil disobedience urged over passage of Canadian same-sex marriage bill

Canadian leaders are already urging civil disobedience over passage of Bill C-38 in the House of Commons. Two articles from LifeSiteNews.com show some initial reactions to the bill's passage:

Professor Urges Canadians Not to Recognize Gay 'Marriage' even if it is 'Law'

MONTREAL, June 28, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A McGill professor is encouraging Canadians to reject the new same-sex "marriage" legislation.

Douglas Farrow, associate professor of Christian thought at McGill University in Montreal, proposes that Bill C-38 is "illicit legislation, the binding nature of which must be contested."

The change to the legal definition of marriage assumes a "positivist view" of law – one that "admits few givens, and no firm limits, for political or juridical authority." The positivist view contrasts with the classical tradition, which, like the preamble to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, links belief in the rule of law to belief in the supremacy of God.

more...

Canadian Bill C-38 Final Passage Eerily Coincides With Sodom and Gomorrah Readings at Catholic Masses

TORONTO, June 28, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The likely final passage this evening of Canada’s same-sex marriage bill C-38 was eerily highlighted by today’s daily Mass readings, encountered by Catholics who attended Mass across the nation. Today’s scripture readings, which are established years ahead according to an international liturgical calendar, contained passages that astonished many by their direct relevance to the disturbing culmination of the same-sex marriage legislation battle.

The first reading, from the book of Genesis Chapter 19, relates the infamous story of the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah as a result of its sexual and especially homosexual immorality. The second reading from the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 8:23-27, in the New Testament, relates the story of the apostles’ terror while in a boat in the midst of a violent storm. When they ask Jesus to save them he responds "Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?"

more...

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Same-sex marriage, Bill C-38, passes Canadian House of Commons; awaits Senate approval

Sad to say, same-sex marriage legislation just passed the Canadian House of Commons. Even though expected to easily pass the Senate, we need to pray all the harder that God's intervention ultimately derails the bill before it becomes federal law. Intercessors around the world need to pray against the approval of Bill C-38 in the Senate.

Columbia Daily Tribune

Lawmakers in Canada pass gay-marriage bill
Legislation granting legal rights awaits approval from Senate

Published Wednesday, June 29, 2005

TORONTO (AP) - Canada would become only the third country in the world to legalize gay marriage under landmark legislation passed in the House of Commons in spite of fierce opposition from Conservatives and religious leaders.

The bill would grant same-sex couples legal rights equal to those in a traditional union between a man and a woman, something already legal in a majority of Canadian provinces. The legislation drafted by Prime Minister Paul Martin’s minority Liberal Party government was expected to easily pass the Senate and become federal law by the end of July.

more...

TIME Magazine: Interview with an Iraqi "Suicide Bomber in Waiting"

From TIME comes this "behind enemy lines and in the trenches" story of yet another casualty to the tragically misguided ideology of militant Islam: a jihadist worldview that promotes the vision of a global Islamic state. He is just another Martyr in Waiting--a human sacrifice to be carried out against "the infidels" and made in submission to "the will of Allah." In a list of impatient eager-to-die volunteers, he waits for the right opportunity to strike and bring down as many Americans as possible.

On orders from his commander in the Abu Mousab al-Zarqawi's terrorist group, al-Qaeda in Iraq, the suicide bomber, a Sunni Muslim from Fallujah who uses the pseudonym Marwan Abu Ubeida, spoke to TIME in Baghdad:

TIME.com

Inside the Mind of an Iraqi Suicide Bomber

IN A RARE INTERVIEW, A TERRORIST IN TRAINING REVEALS CHILLING SECRETS ABOUT THE INSURGENCY'S DEADLIEST WEAPONS

By APARISIM GHOSH / BAGHDAD

Posted Sunday, Jun. 26, 2005

One day soon, this somber young man plans to offer up a final prayer and then blow himself up along with as many U.S. or Iraqi soldiers as he can reach. Marwan Abu Ubeida says he has been training for months to carry out a suicide mission. He doesn't know when or where he will be ordered to climb into a bomb-laden vehicle or strap on an explosives-filled vest but says he is eager for the moment to come. While he waits, he spends much of his time rehearsing that last prayer. "First I will ask Allah to bless my mission with a high rate of casualties among the Americans," he says, speaking softly in a matter-of-fact monotone, as if dictating a shopping list. "Then I will ask him to purify my soul so I am fit to see him, and I will ask to see my mujahedin brothers who are already with him." He pauses to run the list through his mind again, then resumes: "The most important thing is that he should let me kill many Americans."

more...

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

New Catechism Compendium put in question-and-answer format for easy understanding

Reuters via Yahoo News

Reuters - Tue Jun 28,11:25 AM ET

Pope Benedict XVI (R) presents a new catechism book to an unidentified couple at the Vatican June 28, 2005. Pope Benedict presented a new summary of the Roman Catholic Catechism on Tuesday, with a question-and-answer format aimed at making the doctrine 'accessible to all.' The 205-page 'Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church' lays down Church teaching on everything from the creation of man to the protection of embryos in a book that has already caused some controversy in Italy. REUTERS/Osservatore Romano/Pool

Monday, June 27, 2005

Pope hopes to give Catechism summary to all young attending World Youth Day

AFP via Yahoo! News:

Pope to present summary of Catholic dogma

Mon Jun 27, 1:22 PM ET

VATICAN CITY (AFP) - Pope Benedict XVI will present the summary of the Catholic Church's catechism, which sums up the religion's doctrine and lists activities prohibited for observant Catholics, Vatican officials said.

Homosexuality, sex outside marriage, masturbation, fornication, adultery, paedophilia and prostitution remain forbidden to the faithful, according to the catechism drawn up by the pope's predecessor John Paul II.

Pope Benedict is hoping that each of the several hundred thousand young people expected to attend the Church's World Youth Day to be held in Germany in August can be given a copy of the catechism's summary.

more...

Sunday, June 26, 2005

Spiritual crisis in Canada: Liberal political forces wreaking havoc on Christian heritage

What is happening to Canada! As I noted in a previous post of June 11, "Same-sex marriage in Canada?: God help us," Canadians are being stripped systematically of their Christian heritage through the unbridled and hostile assault of liberal legislation upon Christian legal institutions.

So far secular forces have gained enough momentum to attack the bedrock and underpinning of any society: the institution of marriage. In a move to legalize same-sex marriage, Bill C-38, is being pushed through by the liberal government of Prime Minister Paul Martin, homosexual activist groups, and other radical secular forces. Concurrent with that, clergy and citizens of faith--Christians, Jews or Muslims--who protest such legislation are labeled "homophobes" and threatened with prosecution for "hate crimes" as detailed by Abbott in his article, "
Canada persecutes Christian activist." Through such methods, Canadians standing up for moral values are being effectively silenced.

At the close of his article,
O CANADA! WHILE WORLD LOOKS AT U.S., BIG TROUBLE BREWS IN ITS NORTHERN NEIGHBOR, Michael H. Brown asks us all to pray for Canadians during this time of crisis. I heartily second that motion.

We need God's help! We need to pray that spiritual forces of the Lord within and without Canada be mobilized to overcome this demonic attack against God's law.

Please help Canadians to mobilize, oh Lord,
To mobilize in prayer for You, my God.

Jesus Christ, help us all to fight iniquity,
Wherever it is!

Help us to pray that the Truth be proclaimed,
Help us to pray for the lost.

I pray that Canada once again be a nation--under You,
A nation that lives boldly--for You.

In the name above every other name,
In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Saturday, June 25, 2005

Egyptian professor in video: claims 9/11 a U.S.-Vatican plot to discredit Islam

Claims of nefarious intrigue conducted by a clandestine cabal of highly placed conspirators within "the Vatican" has been a staple of anti-Catholic rhetoric for centuries. Insane lies and distortions such as these can be astounding and appear laughable if they weren't used to incite such "oh so deadly" violence.

Direct from MemriTV via "The People's Truth Forum--Terror Update" comes one such breathtaking example of anti-Catholic and anti-U.S. propaganda. In this interview an Egyptian professor (of history, no less!) consistently spouts Islamic jihadist vitriol disguised as truth. Just as Holocaust deniers do she deflects judgement away from the Islamic perpetrators of 9/11 by blaming its victims. Her claim? That the Vatican sanctioned the United States to stage "the show" of 9/11!


"Vatican Told the US to Carry Out 9-11"

Friday, June 24, 2005

Pope's new book warns that Europeans face a crisis of conscience: to live with or without God

Europe needs all the help it can get--to stem the tide of a further takeover by secularists and religious elements hostile to its Christian roots. Hopefully, the Popes's words will help reawaken Europeans as to their present moral crisis. And, I pray, that they would encourage those who are straddling a fence of moral relativism--to get off that fence and choose God and moral values over a convenient secularism with its attendant moral neutrality.

New book by Pope explains Christian roots of European Union

Rome, Jun. 23, 2005 (CNA) - During a press conference in which he introduced the new book by Pope Benedict XVI, “The Europe of Benedict: In the Crisis of Cultures,” Cardinal Camillo Ruini, Vicar of Rome, explained that the new work analyizes the two alternatives facing today’s Europeans: “to live as if God did not exist, or to live as if God does exists and therefore influences our lives.”

The cardinal said the book contains major speeches delivered by the Pope prior to his election and that therefore “it is the last book of the cardinal” but at the same time the first book of the Pope as it deals with “the Europe of Benedict, the name he chose for himself.”

more...

And in a similar vein, the Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II, urges Catholic-Orthodox cooperation to stem anti-Christian bias now prevalent in Europe.

Alexy II Calls for Catholic-Orthodox Cooperation

Zenit News

MOSCOW, JUNE 8, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Russian Orthodox Patriarch Alexy II appealed to Catholics and Orthodox to address together the "negative anti-Christian tendencies" present in Europe.

The patriarch made his plea Tuesday when meeting with Pier Ferdinando Casini, president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies.

In his exhortation, reported by Vatican Radio, the patriarch of Moscow and All Russia presented one of the "crucial" challenges that Catholics and Orthodox must address together: to bring Christian values back to Europe.

Alexy II criticized the "absurd tolerance" that in a secular Europe virtually "impedes Christian from making public profession of their own values."

more...

Thursday, June 23, 2005

Freedom of speech in Europe under attack: Journalists come to Oriana Fallaci's defense

Now, along with the demise of Europe due to population decline as outlined in Patrick Buchanan's book, "The Death of the West," we can look forward to the persecution of any journalist in Italy who dares to oppose the religious tyranny of Islam over Christianity. What an irony: threatening to jail the renowned journalist who has always been a great proponent of freedom--within the heart of Christendom, her native Italy--for daring to criticize the excesses of the puritanical practitioners of Islam.

The treatment of Fallaci by an Italian court is ominous and bodes ill for freedom of speech in Italy. Numerous journalists around the world have taken up the banner in her defense.

T. Varadarajan in today's Wall Street Journal editorial, "
Prophet of Decline: An interview with Oriana Fallaci," points out her plight:

Oriana Fallaci faces jail. In her mid-70s, stricken with a cancer that, for the moment, permits only the consumption of liquids--so yes, we drank champagne in the course of a three-hour interview--one of the most renowned journalists of the modern era has been indicted by a judge in her native Italy under provisions of the Italian Penal Code which proscribe the "vilipendio," or "vilification," of "any religion admitted by the state."

In her case, the religion deemed vilified is Islam, and the vilification was perpetrated, apparently, in a book she wrote last year--and which has sold many more than a million copies all over Europe--called "The Force of Reason." Its astringent thesis is that the Old Continent is on the verge of becoming a dominion of Islam, and that the people of the West have surrendered themselves fecklessly to the "sons of Allah." So in a nutshell, Oriana Fallaci faces up to two years' imprisonment for her beliefs--which is one reason why she has chosen to stay put in New York. Let us give thanks for the First Amendment.
more...

And, in a May 31, 2005 Daily Press commentary, "Silence is not freedom's way," Kathleen Parker declares her ironical "outrage" at the charges against Fallaci:

Let's hear it for outrage to religion. So goes my prayerful response to news that Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci will be prosecuted on charges of "outrage to religion." Apparently, the outspoken Fallaci, now in her 70s, has offended some disciples of Islam with her book, "The Force of Reason," and, by Allah, they intend to see she pays for it.

At least they didn't shoot her.

Yet.

more...

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Pope to travel to Cologne, Germany, August 18-21, for World Youth Day

For more information about World Youth Day go to:

Official notification of the Pope's itinerary on World Youth Day is as follows:

Agenzia Fides

June 21, 2005

VATICAN - Holy See press office announces that Pope Benedict XVI will travel to Köln (Germany) for the 20th World Youth Day

Vatican City (Fides Service) - It has been officially announced today that the Holy Father, Benedict XVI will travel to Cologne, Germany from August 18 to 21 on the occasion of the 20th World Youth Day. The Pope will depart Rome on Thursday August 18 at 10 a.m. from Ciampino Airport arriving Cologne after 2 hours of flight. The following day he will travel by car to Bonn where he will spend the day returning to Cologne in the late afternoon. On Sunday August 21 he will depart Cologne for Rome at 7:15 p.m., arriving at Ciampino two hours later. Further details of the visit will follow. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 21/6/2005, righe 9, parole 119)

Monday, June 20, 2005

Cardinal Rigali explains Church position on stem cell research: adult, "yes"; embryonic, "no"

Philadelphia Inquirer

Posted on Sun, Jun. 19, 2005

For Catholics, dignity of life prohibits the use of embryos
There is no justification for destroying an embryo, even if the purpose is to potentially benefit the sick.

Cardinal Justin Rigali
is archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

Representatives of the biotechnology industry from throughout the world are seeing the Philadelphia region as a potential center for advanced research as they gather in our city this week for the international convention of the Biotechnology Industry Organization. This gathering presents an opportune time to examine an issue that will be discussed intensely by the attendees and considered carefully by us all: stem-cell research.

Let this be understood clearly: The Catholic Church supports adult-stem cell research and opposes embryonic stem-cell research. The church can never condone destroying the unborn to develop a potential benefit for the sick. The deliberate destruction of human life is contrary to God's loving plan for all his creatures.

The goal of stem-cell research is noble: to treat debilitating illnesses and injuries. Certain stem cells give rise to other types of cells in the body. For this reason, researchers wish to understand and perhaps develop this ability into treatment of a sick or injured person by creating new cells to replace damaged ones, leading to a person's recovery to full health.

The Catholic Church's rich heritage of ethical teaching in the medical-moral area and her duty to transmit moral guidance provide a framework for decision-making and the understanding of stem-cell research. The church encourages the development of human understanding in this area in a manner that respects the sanctity of human life at every stage.

To understand stem-cell research, it is first important to recognize that there is more than one source of stem cells: human embryos and living human adults.

Stem cells from embryos, whether produced in-vitro or through cloning, are extracted by a process that results in the destruction of the embryo.

In the case of cloning, whether one "uses" (as if it were one's right to use one person for the benefit of another) an embryo produced through reproductive cloning or so-called therapeutic cloning, the result is the same: An innocent life, recognized as human from the moment sperm fertilizes ovum at conception, is destroyed.

Adult stem-cell research, however, presents none of the ethical dilemmas as when human embryos are killed to obtain stem cells. Adult stem-cell research presents hope for eventual treatments and has already been developed into treatments for more than 90 medical conditions. Embryonic stem cell research, however, has produced none.

Sources of adult stem cells include bone marrow, umbilical cord, skin and other tissues. They present no risk of rejection because they are derived from one's own body. Tissues grown from embryonic stem cells, however, have a high possibility of being rejected by the body.

Biotechnology firms are pursuing research in this field, and the church encourages such research with one caution. All research must be undertaken within a moral framework that respects human dignity at every stage of development. I urge researchers, entrepreneurs in biotechnology, and civic officials to conduct their activities from a perspective that views the human person with an innate dignity that cannot be violated. Life must never be destroyed for any potential good, even cures for the sick and injured. The end does not justify the means.

People of good will - many of them Catholic - have and will continue to speak out against attempts to attack human life, no matter how noble the goal.

The attendees of the biotechnology convention and all those in our region should see the advantage of Philadelphia as a global leader in adult stem-cell research. They should recognize the proven success of research on adult stem cells at producing treatments for medical conditions and its non-violation of human life.

Scientific, business and political leaders can help Pennsylvania prosper and develop treatments that return people to good health by pursuing research that does not sacrifice human life. Adult stem-cell research holds that promise, which visitors attending the biotechnology convention in Philadelphia - and all of us - should consider.

Sunday, June 19, 2005

Unified secularization of Europe stalled for now; Pope warns about European anti-Christian bias

From Michael H. Brown of SpiritDaily comes this interesting article:

Is John Paul II interceding?

E.U. MYSTERIOUSLY STUMBLES BUT EFFORTS AT GLOBALIZATION, WORLD RELIGION REMAIN

There is a lot of talk about the intercession of the late Pope John Paul II since his death more than two months ago and we are beginning to wonder if that intercession has occurred on more than a personal scale.

Specifically, we are alluding here to the European Union: It was John Paul II who was so upset with the way the European Union was forming -- ignoring the Christian roots of Europe in a proposed new constitution. Now, and suddenly, shockingly, that constitution has stumbled. It seems like the juggernaut it once was overnight has evaporated.

Is the E.U. dead? Hardly. And the Church believes there are good aspects to it. In fact, bishops have offered the hope that it can be a vehicle for stabilization and peace.

But the constitution has been dealt a serious blow, and Pope John Paul II railed against it nonstop for two years as one of his highest priorities, right unto his death; his last statement was issued just weeks before his funeral. Under John Paul the Holy See said the draft of the European Constitution had two key flaws: It recognized neither the continent's Christian heritage nor the proper role of churches.

more...

Saturday, June 18, 2005

Terri's death a moral shame: Interview with Schindler attorney David Gibbs III

Are the disabled going to be killed in this country because they no longer have what others consider any "quality of life"? A dangerous legal precedent has been established with Terri Schiavo's forced dehydration and starvation. In the aftermath of her horrific death, Schindler attorney David Gibbs III asks the nation a question, "Terri Schiavo: Where do we go from here?".

A hat tip to Cindy Swanson for this interview:

Thursday, June 16, 2005

My interview with Schindler family attorney David Gibbs III

David Gibbs III "Will America learn its lesson from this case? Has this become the Roe v Wade for mercy killing, for assisted suicide? Can senior citizens be warehoused and killed? can disabled people have their life ended?... has Terri's case now opened it up in America where life will be that disposable? Or will it be the shocking wake-up call that I believe it should be, where once again as a nation innocent life will be properly protected."--David Gibbs III

David Gibbs III of the Christian Law Association has represented the family of Terri Schindler Schiavo since 2003. I was able to interview David for my radio show, "Weekend Rockford." Following is a transcript of our interview.

[NOTE: David Gibbs III will be speaking this coming Sunday morning, June 19th, at 11 AM Berean Baptist Church, 5626 Safford Road in Rockford.]

CINDY: For several weeks this past winter and early spring, the nation was captivated by the story of Terri Schindler Schiavo. No matter where one stood on this young woman's fate, most people had a strong opinion one way or ther other on the case. Terri Schiavo died on March 31st after her feeding tube was removed, and after prolonged efforts by her family to intervene on her behalf. My guest today is the attorney who represents Terri's family in this case--he is attorney David Gibbs the third. David, welcome to Weekend Rockford--I'm privileged to have you as my guest.

DAVID: Cindy, I'm honored to be with you, and it was my privilege to stand for the life of Terri Schiavo as her family so diligently and so boldly stood for for her right to live.

CINDY: David, you've once again been in the news in recent days, as Terri Schiavo's autopsy results have been released. And I understand that the Schindlers have released a statement to the media concerning those results...can you share that with us?

more...

Friday, June 17, 2005

Terri Shiavo had no eating disorder or heart attack: What happened in 70-min. time gap between collapse and 911 call?

Autopsy findings show that Terri Schiavo had no eating disorder or heart attack prior to her collapse. The question now is: What happened within the 70-minute time frame between 4:30 a.m. when Michael Schiavo said Terri collapsed and his 911 call logged in at 5:40 a.m? By the time Emergency Services arrived at 5:52 a.m. Terri had been without treatment for 82 minutes. As Governor Bush says he intends to ask prosecutors to investigate whether Michael waited too long to call for help, hopefully, during their probe some basic questions about Terri's collapse might finally be answered.

BlogsforTerri.com

June 17, 2005

Gov. Bush calls for Schiavo probe

Gov. Jeb Bush, who unsuccessfully tried to keep Terri Schiavo alive, now says that an investigation is needed into what happened the night in 1990 that she collapsed and her heart stopped beating. - Miami Herald

The first piece of information Bush appears to be acting on is the Pinellas county medical examiner Dr. Jon Thogmartin’s conclusion that Terri Schiavo most likely did not suffer from an eating disorder and did not collapse due to a heart attack. His autopsy report includes the following two statements related to these issues:

Thus, the main piece of evidence supporting a diagnosis of Bulimia Nervosa is suspect or, at least, can be explained by her clinical condition at the time of the blood draw.

The common term "heart attack" is generally reserved to describe the medical condition of myocardial infarction. Mrs. Schiavo’s heart was anatomically normal without any area of recent or remote myocardial infarction.Secondly, the Miami Herald reports that Thogmartin told Bush he had gained access to information suggesting that there was a 70-minute delay between when Michael Schiavo first heard a 'bump' in the early morning hours of Feb. 25, 1990 and when he eventually called 911.

The basis for the 70-minute gap is the difference between the time Michael Schiavo's 911 call was logged and public statements he has made regarding the time of Terri's collapse. George Felos, Michael Schiavo's attorney, called Bush's comments "disgusting" and claimed his client dialed 911 immediately.

more...

Thursday, June 16, 2005

Terri Schiavo's autopsy results can never diminish her humanity nor justify her murder

Pro-euthanasia activists are working diligently to impose their vision of personhood upon our country---to remake it so that an individual's life and death is judged as worthwhile only within the radical context of a severe utilitarianism.

God's vision of personhood is different however. We as human beings are made in the image of God, and thus our dignity as persons is intrinsically rooted in that humanity. It is not abridged if we might be less than perfect physically or mentally. It is not diminished if we might be dependent upon others for our sustenance. In God's eyes we reflect Him. Our intrinsic dignity as persons can never be taken away from us. God Himself bestows our rights and liberties upon us. As the Declaration of Independence so eloquently states,

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

We must fight the pro-euthanasia agenda in our country. We as Christians must work actively to honor God and to uphold the intrinsic dignity and worth of those who are the helpless and the weak among us.

The following are some commentaries from Fr. Frank Pavone and Deacon Keith Fournier concerning the recent autopsy results of Terri Schiavo.

From Fr. Pavone, National Director of the Priests for Life, comes today's article:

"Atrophy of Compassion"

The autopsy of Terri Schiavo has been released to the public, bringing attention once again to this sad and tragic case, and reigniting so many of the debates surrounding her life and death. Does the autopsy shed any light on this tragedy? Does it change anything?

The autopsy, of course, is a medical document about Terri’s physical condition. It is filled with complicated medical terms and statistics. In and of itself, it tells us simply the details found upon examining Terri’s body. An autopsy is not a crystal ball either into the past or the future. Nor is it a moral evaluation of the worth of a human life.

more...

And, from Deacon Fournier comes this commentary:

Killing Terri All Over Again

6/16/2005 - 5:51 AM PST
By: Deacon Keith Fournier
© Third Millennium, LLC
Catholic Online

I was sickened by all the news reports concerning the autopsy of dear Terri Schiavo. I was repulsed by most of the “commentators”who attempted, in a smug and condescending manner, to try to use these results to not only justify but somehow commend her brutal murder. Terri was killed by dehydration with the full protection of the State, operating through a Judge who was committed to her death.

This autopsy changes nothing.

Let’s take a moment and strip away all the nonsense. Terri’s autopsy appears to have revealed (make no mistake, more “experts” will soon come out of the woodwork) that she was a severely brain injured woman who may have had visual impairment. Further, that she died by the dehydration caused by the intentional denial of water. Apparently, that also added to the shrinkage of her brain.

This is now being used to attempt to now support the indefensible -- her husband’s denial of a cup of water to his thirsty wife to save her life. It is also being used in an attempt to vilify all those who tried to save Terri’s life. Let’s be brutally and painfully honest, Terri was killed. She was dehydrated and starved intentionally because someone else, backed by the unrestrained power of a willing “Caesar” behind their nefarious decision, decided that she was too much of a burden. Those who truly loved her had offered to care for her and to pay for that care. They were denied the right.

more...

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Answers elusive on cause of Terri Schiavo's collapse

Terri Schiavo Autopsy Results Inconclusive on Cause of Collapse

LifeNews.com
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor

June 15, 2005

Clearwater, FL (LifeNews.com) -- A local county medical examiner released the result of the autopsy on Terri Schiavo's death on Wednesday. Pinellas-Pasco Medical Examiner Jon Thogmartin said that Terri was clinically brain dead and he ruled out physical abuse being the cause of her collapse in 1990.

Much of Thogmartin's analysis was skeptical as he said too much time had elapsed to positively determine the cause of Terri's 1990 collapse. He indicated he did not think that bulimia played a part, but Terri's diet -- she drank considerable amounts of tea -- may have played a role.

more...

The autopsy of Terri performed by Medical Examiner Thogmartin is available online as a PDF file.

And, following are some comments made today concerning Terri's autopsy and the moral implications of her death from Fr. Frank Pavone:

Blogs4Terri.com

June 15, 2005

Autopsy Does Not Change Moral Aspects of Terri Schiavo’s Murder says Priest Who Was With Terri Moments Before Her Death

Fr. Frank Pavone, who was with Terri Schiavo in the final hours and moments of her life and has called her death a murder, issued the following statement upon today’s release of her autopsy report:

“No details of this autopsy change the moral evaluation of what happened to Terri. Her physical injuries and disabilities never made her less of a person. No amount of brain injury ever justifies denying a person proper humane care. That includes food and water.

“A person with a 'profoundly atrophied' brain needs profound care and love. Terri did not die from an atrophied brain. She died from an atrophy of compassion on the part of her estranged husband and those who helped him to have her deliberately killed.”

Tuesday, June 14, 2005

National Right to Life Committee urges state legislation to protect disabled against forced starvation and dehydration

Being a witness for the helpless disabled is part of fighting the "culture of death". Disabled persons in America are in grave jeopardy as the law now stands. And as a whole generation of baby boomers reach retirement and old age the effects of such callous disregard for life would be felt in thousands upon thousands of unnecessary deaths.

The Empire Journal

June 11, 2005

Schiavo Case Spurs Model State Law

In response to the denial of food and fluids to Terri Schindler-Schiavo, the National Right to Life Committee is calling on state legislatures throughout the nation to move to protect people with disabilities from being denied food and fluids. The organization is issuing a “Model Starvation and Dehydration of Persons with Disabilities Prevention Act.”

“Far from being an isolated instance, the attempted starvation and dehydration of Terri Schindler-Schiavo is typical of the denial of food and fluids in less publicized cases taking place daily in nursing homes and hospitals across America,” said Burke J. Balch, J.D., director of the Robert Powell Center for Medical Ethics, affiliated with the National Right to Life Committee.

“For years, people who never asked to die have been quietly starved without much public attention, based on state laws and court opinions that permit third parties to make deadly decisions with little or no scrutiny or accountability,” Balch said. “The outcry over the Schindler-Schiavo case has awakened millions of Americans to the inhumanity of this practice. Now we must act to reverse this trend, and restore a presumption against starvation and dehydration.”

The proposed model law, drafted to be easily adaptable for each state, is written to be constitutional under the governing precedents of the United States Supreme Court. It would create a presumption that those incapable of making health care decisions would wish to get food and fluids so long as their provision is medically possible, would not itself hasten death, and can be digested or absorbed so as to sustain life.

more...

Monday, June 13, 2005

A video of Nick Cannon's powerful pro-life song "Can I Live?" is available online

Rapper Nick Cannon has made the emotionally powerful video of his pro-life song "Can I Live?" available for download free of charge at his website NickCannonMusic.com. Based on his own life, Nick, speaking in the song as the "child who was" in his mother's womb, pleads with her to let him live. He asks her the plaintive question: "Can I live?".

Some of the lyrics can be viewed below and are also referenced in my previous post of June 4, 2005:

"Can I Live"
(feat. Anthony Hamilton)

Talking]
Talking Ma
I know the Situation is Personal
But it something that has to be told
As I was making this beat
You was all I could think about you heard my voice

[Verse 1]
Yeah Just think Just Think
What if you could Just
Just blink your self away..
Just Just wait just pause for a second
Let me plead my case
It's the late 70's Huh
You Seventeen huh
And having me that will ruin everything huh
It's alot of angels waiting for their wings
You see me in your sleep so you cant kill your dreams
300 Dollars thats the price of living what?
Mommy I dont like this clinic
Hopefully you'll make the right decision
And dont go through with the Knife Decision
But it's hard to make the right move
When you in high school
How you have to work all day and take night school
Hopping off da bus when the rain is pouring
What you want morning sickness or the sickness of mourning

[Chorus]

I Will Always Be apart of you
Trust Your Soul Know it's always true
If I Could Talk I Would Say To You
CAN I LIVE
CAN I LIVE
I Will Always Be apart of you
Trust Your Soul Know it's always true
If I Could Talk I Would Say To You
CAN I LIVE
CAN I LIVE

more lyrics...

This song could be very influential in delivering the pro-life message to young people. It can also be easily passed on to others in the form of a
Video E-card.

For those who might want to know, the June 10, 2005 news article Movie/Television/Rap Star Nick Cannon Shoots Pro-Life Music Video at the pro-life website "LifeSiteNews.com" provides more information.


Sunday, June 12, 2005

Italy to vote on referendum whether to overturn Church ban on assisted fertility

Due to contraception and abortion, Italy has one of the lowest birth rates in Europe. Now radical groups in Italy want to reverse the trend and increase births through a referendum that overturns laws restricting assisted fertility through illicit means banned by the Church.

Hopefully, today and Monday the electorate will vote its conscience and recognize that a good end never justifies an evil means.

BBC News UK Edition

Last Updated: Sunday, 12 June, 2005, 03:45 GMT 04:45 UK

Italians vote on fertility laws

Italians are going to the polls on Sunday and Monday in a referendum that the Roman Catholic Church has asked them to boycott on moral grounds.

They are voting on proposals to ease controversial rules restricting assisted fertility. A 50% turnout is needed for the law to be changed.

Feelings are running high over the Church's right to influence people's political as well as moral choices.

The current law is among the most restrictive in Europe.

It was passed by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's centre-right government last year.

Women's groups and Italy's Radical Party have collected four million signatures to force the referendum on whether to ease the rules.

more...

Saturday, June 11, 2005

Same-sex marriage in Canada?: God help us

The same-sex marriage crusade is being promoted throughout Canada by the efforts of a liberal government and through the work of activist groups:

Gay and Same Sex Marriage--Canadian Immigration Laws
Equal Marriage for Same-Sex Couples

To add insult to injury, the Church witness in Canada has been relatively silent.

How sad!

Catholic Insight

Editorials

Canada’s last chance: Bishops are letting us down
By Fr. Alphonse de Valk, c.s.b.
Issue: July/August 2005

The bishops of Canada are letting the Catholic community and all of Canada down. The issue is the same-sex legislation, Bill C-38, now being pushed through by the Liberal (Martin-Cotler) government.

At the time of this writing, June 7, the media are telling us that the special legislative committee will produce its foregone conclusion approving the abolition of the traditional definition of marriage between husband and wife in favour of (any) two persons, by June 14-16. Third reading will follow immediately; the Bill will be sent forthwith to a compliant Liberal-dominated Senate for approval within one or two days, and then go to the Governor-General for her signature and enactment as the law of the country. That is the plan of Justice Minister Irwin Cotler and that is what the media expect to happen.

Member of Parliament Patrick O’Brien has resigned from the Liberal Party to sit as an Independent in protest against both the process and substance of this legislation, which will destroy the recognition and needed protection of the family and marriage. His was a courageous act. What we need now is more Catholic MPs to follow him in his determination to fight this bill which, as O’Brien points out, “far supersedes any personal or partisan political consideration.”

Pope Benedict is quoted in all the June 7th Toronto newspapers (Post, Globe, Star, Sun, Metro) under the headline: “Gay marriage fake: Pope.” He is also quoted on radio and TV. So it is not as if MPs have not heard what the Church has had to say. Moreover, Canada’s bishops from coast to coast have issued pastoral letters rejecting the legislation, and defending the traditional family as the building block of society.

more...

Friday, June 10, 2005

Racial and Religious Hatred Bill passed in UK: will it stifle free speech?

How can Christians in the United Kingdom now proselytize people of other faiths without risk of being charged with a hate crime? This is a red letter day for religious pluralism. And for those who disguise their actual intolerance of free speech--especially religious speech--by restricting it, all in the name of "tolerance".

In the marketplace of ideas, hopefully, Pope Benedict's mandate to re-evangelize one of those little parts of Europe--Britain--hasn't been fatally compromised.

telegraph.co.uk
Friday 10 June 2005

Now you face jail for being nasty to Satanists

By Joshua Rozenberg, Legal Editor
(Filed: 10/06/2005)

Extremist religious groups that advocate child abuse will be given protection under a Bill published by the Government yesterday.

The Racial and Religious Hatred Bill would outlaw remarks considered likely to stir up hatred against all religious groups, including those whose followers believe in beating children to drive out demons.

The Bill contains no definition of "religious belief" and ministers confirmed it would cover members of the African religion whose adherents were convicted last week of cruelty to a girl of eight they regarded as a witch.

Satanists, pagans and atheists would be protected.

Having good reason for making insulting comments that could provoke hatred of a particular religious doctrine would be no defence, nor would the fact that they were true.

Opponents said the Bill would seriously undermine freedom of speech.
In line with the existing offence of stirring up racial hatred, the new religious hatred legislation would apply to threatening, abusive or insulting words, behaviour or written material. It would cover authors, publishers, theatre directors, film distributors and broadcasters.

more...

BBC News-World Edition

Thursday, 9 June, 2005, 20:00 GMT 21:00 UK

New effort to ban religious hate

Controversial plans to make incitement to religious hatred illegal have been unveiled by the government.

The new offence gives equal protection to all faiths. Jews and Sikhs are already covered by race hate laws.

Critics say the reintroduced plans - which cover words or behaviour intended or likely to stir up religious hatred - will stifle free speech.

Ministers insist the new law would not affect "criticism, commentary or ridicule of faiths".

'Preserve tolerance'

The Racial and Religious Hated Bill would create a new offence of incitement to religious hatred and would apply to comments made in public or in the media, as well as through written material.

more...

Thursday, June 09, 2005

Pope to continue work of John Paul II and Paul VI to improve relations with Jewish people

Benedict XVI vows to pursue dialogue with Jews

June 9, 2005

VATICAN CITY (AFP) - Pope Benedict XVI has vowed to pursue better relations with Jews, following a path set by popes Paul VI and John Paul II.

"My predecessors Pope Paul VI and, in a particular way, Pope John Paul II, took significant steps towards improving relations with the Jewish people," Pope Benedict said in a meeting with a high-level Jewish delegation.

"It is my intention to continue on this path," the pontiff said, according to a copy of his remarks released by the Vatican.

The German-born pope said "remembrance of the past remains for both communities a moral imperative."

"This imperative must include a continued reflection on the profound historical, moral and theological questions presented by the experience of the Shoah," he said.

more...

Pope and World Jewish Congress pledge to continue inter-faith dialogue

Press Release

Source: World Jewish Congress

Pope Benedict and WJC Leaders Pledge to Continue Dialogue

Thursday June 9, 8:39 am ET

First Jewish Delegation to Meet Pope Hails Successful Talks

VATICAN CITY, June 9 /PRNewswire/ -- "After this meeting, we are confident that under the leadership of Pope Benedict XVI, the Catholic Church will continue to build upon its growing relations with the Jewish community," said Edgar M. Bronfman, President of the World Jewish Congress, who led a Jewish delegation for its first meeting with the head of the Catholic Church at the Vatican today.

"For many years, then Cardinal Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI provided the theological framework for the changes that took place between the Church and the Jewish people during the reign of Pope John Paul II," said Rabbi Israel Singer, Chairman of the World Jewish Congress. "Together, we have provided aid to the destitute in Argentina, cared for Holocaust-era mass graves in Eastern Europe, and now we pledge to work together to bring much needed relief and education to Africa, a continent suffering from the plague of AIDS," he said speaking of the joint humanitarian initiatives undertaken by the Church and the Jewish community.

The meeting with the Pope was held with the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC), an umbrella group for inter-faith dialogue. Participants included representatives from the Jewish Orthodox, Conservative and Reform movements; leaders from Israel, North America, Europe and Latin America; the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, and Bnai Brith International.

Wednesday, June 08, 2005

Islamic Thinkers Society, a group tied to British jihadist organization Al-Muhajiroun, produces inflammatory Anti-American video

Muslim jihadist groups in America must be monitored and watched very carefully. They must not be allowed to sow seeds of hatred and dissension here in our own country. Out of such acts come more and more violence as demonstrated time and again around the world.

WorldNetDaily

GLOBAL JIHAD

U.S. Muslims desecrate American flag
Video shows group on street corner declaring Islamic dominance

Posted: June 8, 2005
3:38 p.m. Eastern

© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

A group of American Muslims produced a video that shows its members on a New York City street corner declaring Islam's dominance over America as they tread on a U.S. flag and then rip it apart.

In the video, released by the New York-based Islamic Thinkers Society, one of the Muslims is shown placing a sign on the flag that says, "Oh Muslims! Do you know your enemy? Isn't it obvious?"

The group, tied to the British jihadist organization Al-Muhajiroun, said the demonstration was "in response to the desecration of the holy Quran by the Crusaders & Zionists at Guantanamo Bay," an allegation based on a retracted Newsweek story.

more...

Video of American Muslims preaching hatred and desecrating American flag

We as concerned citizens and committed Christians must fight against this Islamist inspired contempt of our country and that for which it stands. The only way to counteract such vitriolic propaganda is to be an activist for truth.

By way of an e-mail sent June 7, 2005 from the American Congress for Truth comes a link to a video showing:

Public Desecration of the American Flag in US - While Preaching Hatred.

Please e-mail, call or write letters to the President, the Vice-President and other elected officials with your comments and with a link to the video,

http://www.thehaq.com/multimedia/videos/053%20desecrate_flag.wmv.

Contact List:

The White House
President George W. Bush: president@whitehouse.gov
Vice President Richard Cheney: vice.president@whitehouse.gov

Capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121

U.S. Senate
U.S House of Representative

As the American Congress for Truth notes, "Please call the White House and your elected officials and voice your opinion and your concern. They consider every phone call as a representative of 1000 votes. They consider if someone took the time to call he/she represents 1000 voters. Remember you put them in office and you are paying their salaries."

Liberal German reaction to Pope's stance on same-sex marriage predictably negative

Deutsche Welle
DW-WORLD.DE

June 8, 2005

Germans Criticize Pope's Views on Gays

The German Green Party and a major gay rights group have criticized a speech by Pope Benedict XVI in which he said gay marriage was “based on a trivialization of the human body.”

The Green Party and Lesbian and Gay Federation have broken the silence in Germany among groups that disagree with the Pope’s stance on social issues. Green parliamentarian Volker Beck said that Pope Benedict XVI’s attitude toward homosexuality was “marked by theological mercilessness and the haughtiness of the Pharisees.”

Manfred Burns, spokesperson for the Lesbian and Gay Federation, called Benedict’s remarks on Monday an “insulting sermon of hate.”

Benedict had told Italian Catholics that gay marriage involved a “trivialization of the human body.”

“Gay marriage is an expression of an anarchic freedom, which falsely tries to pass itself off as the true liberation of man... man is not just his body, and that which is biological, is not just biological, but an expression and fulfillment of his humanity,” the Pope said.

Continuing John Paul II's mission

Benedict’s position is not radically different from his predecessor’s, Pope John Paul II: although gay marriage is theologically unfounded, discrimination against gays is also sinful. John Paul was the heavy target of criticism by the Lesbian and Gay Federation. It called on German bishops to distance themselves from the John Paul’s ideas on homosexuality in his last book, Memory and Identity, which the gay advocacy organization called “inhuman writings.”

more...

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

President Vicente Fox wary of radical Islamic influence as Muslim converts increase in Mexico

Islam on march south of border
Mexico agrees to monitor foreign groups as Muslim recruitment rate skyrockets

Posted: June 7, 2005
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Joseph Farah
© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

WASHINGTON – Islam is on the move in Mexico and throughout Latin America, making dramatic gains in converting the native population, increasing immigration, establishing businesses and charities and attracting attention from U.S. government officials who have asked their neighbors to the south to keep an eye on foreign Muslim groups.

The monitoring of foreign groups is intended to "avoid problems in Mexico that have an impact in the United States," said the head of the Attorney General Office's special terrorism investigation unit, Gen. Jorge Serrano.

"The ones who ... are being watched by migration (authorities) are foreigners," Serrano said, without revealing the number of people being monitored or their countries of origin.

Serrano said no Muslim terrorists have been found living in Mexico, though the office is investigating alleged terrorist activities being carried out by Mexicans.

The recruitment of new followers is especially active in southern Mexico and among the indigenous Mayans who are converting by the hundreds, according to a report in Der Spiegel. The Mexican government, the report says, is concerned about a culture clash in its own back yard.

more...

Monday, June 06, 2005

"Same-sex unions" are pseudo-matrimonies that threaten family, says Pope

Pope condemns gay marriages as fake and anarchic

Reuters
Mon Jun 6, 2005 3:52 PM ET

By Philip Pullella

ROME (Reuters) - Pope Benedict, in his first clear pronouncement on gay marriages since his election, on Monday condemned same-sex unions as fake and expressions of "anarchic freedom" that threatened the future of the family.

The Pope, who was elected in April, also condemned divorce, artificial birth control, trial marriages and free-style unions, saying all of these practices were dangerous for the family.

"Today's various forms of dissolution of marriage, free unions, trial marriages as well as the pseudo-matrimonies between people of the same sex are instead expressions of anarchic freedom which falsely tries to pass itself off as the true liberation of man," he said.

more...

Sunday, June 05, 2005

Applications Requested for Study at Pontifical Missionary Union (PMU) in Rome

Fides News
June 6, 2005

VATICAN - Mission Study Courses offered by the Pontifical Missionary Union at the beginning of the third millennium: “The Catholic School on Mission” and “Medicine and Mission”

Vatican City (Fides Service) - The Pontifical Missionary Union PMU in its activity of missionary formation and animation of clergy, religious and laity and the entire people of God, offered at the beginning of the new millennium two particularly important study courses: “The Catholic School on Mission” 2002/2003 and “Medicine and Mission” 2004/2005. The courses in four languages, English, French, Italian and Spanish, consist of a series of lessons prepared by experts and a questionnaire useful for research and group discussion.

Course one 2002 illustrates the important educational contribution offered by the Church through its monastery, convent and cathedral schools, mediaeval universities in Europe, networks of schools opened by missionaries on every continent. This commitment on the part of the Church is a response to Christ’s command: “Go and teach…” (Mt 28,19). The lessons present the principles, nature and organisation of Catholic schools, objectives and finalities emphasising the contribution offered by Catholic education in view of the civilisation and elevation of all cultures.

Course two 2003 focuses on Catholics schools in specific situations in the different cultures of the world and relations with the other great world religions: from Europe to America, from Islam to Buddhism, to Hinduism, Confucianism and natural Religions of African culture.

Course three (2004) underlines the importance of “medical care” for the wellbeing of the individual and for compassionate and harmonious social development in obedience to Christ’s other command: “heal the sick” (Lk 10,9). These lessons highlight the close connection between body and psyche, religion and medicine, offering a global vision of the vast commitment of the Church in the medical field on every continent: from village dispensaries to hospitals in main provincial towns, to medical clinics in great cities in many different countries.

Course four (2005) deals with Christian education to health and medical pastoral care of the person at every stage of life. Subjects include Christian psychotherapy, bio-ethics, modern plagues and giving meaning to death with the announcement of the Resurrection.

To enroll in one or several Courses please apply to Pontifical Missionary Union, International Secretariat, Via di Propaganda 1c, 00187 Roma. Tel. (+39) 06.6988.0132 - Fax (+39) 06.6988.0124. E-mail pum@org.va (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 3/6/2005; righe 28, parole 376)

Saturday, June 04, 2005

Help Promote the Pro-Life Message to Young People: Vote for a Pro-Life Video to air on MTV

This post is from Edward Lee, a young man who believes he has a vocation as a priest and who is now discerning whether to join the Legionaries of Christ or to be a diocesan priest. He indicates in his blog, "Hail, Thou Star of Ocean," that there is an opportunity to influence young people for life by having them watch a video with a pro-life message on Total Request Live. We as pro-life people can have an impact with young people by voting to have this video aired.

Hail, Thou Star of Ocean

Tuesday, May 31, 2005
Life Video on MTV

Here's an incredible opportunity to get the pro-life message on MTV. Even if you don't watch it, millions of young people do and you have the chance to get a video on Total Request Live that shows strongly the pro-life message. It's already been shown on BET.

It's called Can I Live by rapper Nick Cannon. The lyrics are down below. It's a true story about how his mother wanted to abort him, but chose life. The video shows his mother lying in the abortion clinic, next to all the instruments, and Nick pleading (sort of like he's a spirit) for her not to kill him, saying "that's a life inside you, look at your tummy/what is becoming Ma, I am Oprah bound/ you can tell he's a star from the Ultrasound." In the end, she jumps off the table and runs out of the clinic, with Nick thanking her for the gift of life.

HERE'S WHAT YOU DO! GO TO VOTE AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE (YOU CAN VOTE AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WANT), AND PASS THIS ALONG; WE NEED THOUSANDS OF VOTES TO GET IT IN THE TOP TEN, AND IF WE DO, IT WILL BE AWESOME!

Here are the lyrics:

NICK CANNON (f/ Anthony Hamilton)LYRICS

Can I Live

[Talking]
Talking Ma
I know the situation is personal,
but it something that has to be told
as I was making this beat
you was all I could think about;
you heard my voice

[Verse 1]
Yeah Just think Just Think
what if you could Just
Just blink your self away..
Just Just wait just pause for a second
Let me plead my case
Its the late 70's Huh
You seventeen huh
and having me that will ruin everything huh
its alot of angels waiting for their wings
you see me in your sleep, so you can't kill your dreams
300 dollars that's the price of living, what?

Mommy, I dont like this clinic
hopefully you'll make the right decision
and don't go though with the Knife Decision
but it hard to make the right movewhen you in high school
how you have to work all day and take night school
hopping off da bus when the rain is pouring
What you want morning sickness or the sickness of mourning?

more...

Friday, June 03, 2005

Implication of 1997 report of cloned primates successfully brought to birth: birth of human clones clearly possible

The Church's stance against human cloning is clear. Human beings become human beings at conception: "No ifs, ands, or buts". In other words, even if the human embryo is only at its primary level--the fertilized ovum--it always remains a human being. It is not "potentially" a human being, but ontologically a human being. Any tampering with or cloning of human embryos for "therapeutic reasons" is therefore verboten.

In order to overcome a natural built-in abhorrence to such meddling with the God-given "stuff" which makes us all human, scientists in hot pursuit of human cloning for "therapeutic reasons" must obscure the actual science of cloning. They try to avoid the grievious moral implications of their work by changing the language that describes the scientific procedures involved. They use phrases that denigrate the humanity of the cloned embryo. Cloned embryos become just "products of nuclear transfer," lacking in basic human potential and are not, therefore, real human life.

And, so the rationale goes: If the "product of nuclear transfer" is not human life, why would there be any moral or ethical reason to oppose its usefulness for "therapy"? The same convenient and specious logic has been used since
Roe v. Wade to describe babies as "fetuses" who are not human, but only "potentially" human until birth.

It Didn't Start With Dolly - Human Cloning is Close at Hand

by Wesley J. Smith
May 1, 2005

LifeNews.com Note: Award winning author Wesley J. Smith is a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute and a special consultant to the Center for Bioethics and Culture. An attorney, Smith's new book Consumer's Guide to a Brave New World was published in the fall.

HERE'S AN EASY POP QUIZ: What's the name of the first cloned mammal? If you answered, "Dolly," that would be . . . wrong.

Wrong? But wasn't Dolly the sheep touted by the media as the first mammal ever made "asexually" through the cell nuclear transfer cloning process? Yes, but there are a lot of things you hear from the scientific/media establishment that are not exactly accurate.

The first cloned mammals to be brought into being "asexually" via cell nuclear transfer cloning and gestated through birth were lambs born nearly two years before Dolly. As reported by Ian Wilmut and his team in the March 7, 1996, Nature, they took the cell nuclei out of sheep embryo cells, placed each into a sheep egg that had had its own nucleus removed, fused them, and thereby generated cloned sheep embryos.

Wilmut's team then implanted their embryos into ewes, resulting in five live births. Two lambs survived. The scientists announced this breakthrough as follows: "Here we provide the first report . . . of live mammalian offspring following nuclear transfer from an established cell line." Wilmut explicitly identified the lambs as "cloned."

more...

Thursday, June 02, 2005

St.Malachy's prophecies too highly represented in Benedict XVI's papacy to be easily dismissed

In this interesting article, the author asserts that since the prophecies of St. Malachy have been so strongly represented as "coincidences" within the lives of former popes, careful attention should be paid to the prophecies of St. Malachy as surrounding the life and papacy of the present Pope.

PROPHECIES OF ST. MALACHY EXHIBIT TOO MANY 'COINCIDENCES' TO DISCOUNT AS MYTH

Spirit Daily

The intrigue over the alleged predictions of St. Malachy continues to grow, despite attempts to dismiss them. For those just tuning in: Malachy O'Morgair, born in Armagh, was the first Irishman to be canonized in the formal process of the Church, and died in 1148 -- but not before setting down in Latin 112 brief descriptions said to be symbolic titles for each pope to come after the prophecy, until the end of time or at least the conclusion of an entire Church era.

The predictions go on for all the subsequent popes (as well as some anti-popes, which caused confusion) and are each summarized in a book called The Prophecies of St. Malachy. They do not arrive without controversy. There are those who wonder why it took 400 years, until the 16th century, for the predictions to come to light, and those who suspect they were the forgery of a man who was trying to sway a papal election in favor of the Bishop of Orvieto in 1590.

more...

Wednesday, June 01, 2005

If you ever wanted an answer to the question: What does the Pope really mean by a smaller Church?

Hats off to the Curt Jester! Kudos for educating me on things big (and small)...

The Curt Jester
May 30, 2005

A smaller Church

ROME--Joseph Ratzinger, as a theologian and cardinal, returned to the question often over the years. And now that he is Pope Benedict XVI, his paper trail on the issue provokes skepticism about him among more liberal Roman Catholics. The question, in his own words: "Is the church really going to get smaller?"

At another point, in an interview published in 1997 in "Salt of the Earth," he explained it this way: "Maybe we are facing a new and different kind of epoch in the church's history, where Christianity will again be characterized more by the mustard seed, where it will exist in small, seemingly insignificant groups that nonetheless live an intense struggle against evil and bring good into the world - that let God in."

The standard argument is that Benedict "wants a more fervent, orthodox, evangelical church - even if it drives people away," as a New Yorker headline put it recently.



Today Pope Benedict XVI revealed what he really meant and that he is ready for and committed to a smaller church as he presented a prototype smaller church. The large crowd at St. Peters square was stunned into silence as they pondered the meaning of a smaller church and that the idea will get some getting use to. Though some commented that it would sure cut down on maintenance and A/C and heating costs.

more...