TWILIGHT
ZONE
***A pro-life attorney general? Pro-lifers helped elect Jerry Kilgore as Virginia’s attorney general in 2001. His stand wasn’t 100%, but he ran with two solidly pro-life candidates. They lost. Now, those who believed Kilgore was “better than the other guy” aren’t so sure. Recently, his office lined up with rabidly pro-abort Governor Mark Warner and Planned Parenthood to tell college presidents at Virginia’s state schools that giving coeds MAP (the morning after abortion pill) without informed consent is a-okay. It would be a bad legal opinion even for a pro-abort! How does MAP work? David Reardon of The Elliot Institute says “In short, either (1) not at all (in which case it was unnecessary, but women think it worked) or (2) by causing an abortion.”
***What does the Virginia code say? “Before performing any abortion or inducing any miscarriage or terminating a pregnancy as provided in §§ 18.2-72, 18.2-73 or § 18.2-74, the physician shall obtain the informed written consent of the pregnant woman. … ‘Informed written consent’ means the knowing and voluntary written consent to abortion by a pregnant woman … by the physician who is to perform the abortion or his agent.… This basic information shall include: 1. A full, reasonable and comprehensible medical explanation of the nature, benefits, and risks of and alternatives to the proposed procedures or protocols to be followed in her particular case; … 4. A statement of the probable gestational age of the fetus at the time the abortion is to be performed” (VA Code 18.2-76). Pretty clear, right? Women must be counseled by a doctor or his agent (school health department) and given the facts that MAP causes an early abortion and has serious health risks. Right? Wrong!
***Newspeak rules with Kilgore & company In a real-life illustration of George Orwell’s 1984 “newspeak,” Kilgore’s office claims, “the pregnancy of the woman must be proved” (our emphasis) for the law to apply. This convoluted reasoning means as long as you don’t confirm a woman is pregnant you can give her a prescription drug to kill her baby in case she’s pregnant, but without telling her the way it works or her risks. It all revolves around the definition of when pregnancy begins. Planned Parenthood says it’s implantation and claims MAP is contraceptive – a lie! The AG’s opinion mocks VA law and lets schools dispense the drugs as long as they might be useless (i.e. the woman isn’t pregnant). Note, we didn’t say harmless. The morning after pill is the same estrogen/ progesterone combination associated with complications from nausea to blood clots to tumors to a major increase in breast cancer risk. [But, hey... she has no right to know and can get her counseling from the consent form, even if she didn’t read it. Can you hear Twilight Zone music?]
***Sooo…what are kids learning at college? Campuses today are often highly charged sex environments. An April 28th article in JMU’s (James Madison University) paper, The Breeze described “Sexfest 2003.” With the pulsating rhythm of an all day rock concert in the background, the University Health Department promoted so-called “safe sex” and gave out free condoms. [Let’s see… condoms fail to prevent pregnancy up to 30% of the time. They’re 100% useless against many STDs (sexually transmitted diseases) including chlamydia, which is spread by skin contact. It’s the most commonly reported infectious disease in the U.S. infecting millions and often causes PID (pelvic inflammatory disease) in women. Another potential outcome is sterility for both sexes. So… exactly what kind of “health” is JMU promoting for our kids? They sound like pimps and panderers to us!]
***And while we’re on the subject, JMU’s “Sexfest” is kindergarten stuff compared to the depravity being promoted at many schools across the country. In Are Campus Pornography Courses Sexual Abuse? posted on Human Events Online, Judith Reisman and Dennis Jarrard describe “academic” porn courses that require students to watch X-rated films, visit sex shops, and browse the filth on the web. Those passing off garbage as education include Wesleyan, NYU, UMass-Amherst, Penn State, Vanderbilt, Northwestern, San Francisco State, UCLA, UC Berkeley, UC Santa Barbara and Arizona State. Some of the smut profs even bring in porn stars as guest lecturers. [Questions: Are they clothed? Do they give live demonstrations?] How many young adults will succumb to sex addiction because of these panderer professors? It’s time for a tax revolt! Investigate your local college and take action if you find this. [Probably won’t be long before these courses appear at Catholic colleges now featuring the Vagina Monologues. Come to think of it, the panderer profs have nothing on notorious foul-mouthed Paulist Fr. Richard Sparks who scandalizes catechists at Cardinal Mahony’s annual CA conference. A Les Femmes’ founder who now lives in NC told us about a three-day session by the padre scheduled June 15-18 at Rock Hill Oratory in SC. When she protested with documentation, Fr. David Valtierra, C.O. responded saying their founder, St. Phillip Neri, “believed in affirming the positive gifts of the Church and all her children, in hospitality and in nurturing a diverse spectrum of Catholic spirituality.” Yikes! Is this jargon from a Dignity (“Catholic” pro-sodomy group) propaganda manual? Philip Neri fought laxity and corruption in 16th century Rome. He certainly would have condemned Sparks’ lewd comments about Jesus and Mary Magdalen and Mary and Joseph and would NOT have defended it citing “diversity.” Shame on you, Father!]
***Supreme Court Sanctions Sodomy! In a 6 to 3 decision released June 26th the Supreme Court committed an act of judicial activism rivaling Roe v. Wade by overthrowing 3000 years of history and declaring all state laws restricting sodomy unconstitutional. Rehnquist, Scalia, and Thomas dissented. The court ignored the 1986 Bowers v. Hardwick decision in which Chief Justice Warren Burger (concurring) wrote “Decisions of individuals relating to homosexual conduct have been subject to state intervention throughout the history of Western civilization. Condemnation of those practices is firmly rooted in Judeo-Christian moral and ethical standards… [Sir William] Blackstone described ‘the infamous crime against nature’ as an offense of ‘deeper malignity’ than rape, a heinous act ‘the very mention of which is a disgrace to human nature’ and ‘a crime not fit to be named.’ To hold that the act of homosexual sodomy is somehow protected as a fundamental right would be to cast aside millennia of moral teaching.” [Yup, one more U.S. abomination! And we should go after Iraq???]
***Bishop talks; we’re glad (we think): In January Bishop William Weigand of Sacramento reprimanded CA Governor Gray Davis saying “As your bishop, I have to say clearly that anyone – politician or otherwise – who thinks it is acceptable for a Catholic to be pro-abortion is in very great error, puts his or her soul at risk, and is not in good standing with the Church. Such a person should have the integrity to acknowledge this and choose of his own volition to abstain from receiving Holy Communion until he has a change of heart.” Davis continues to receive Communion sacrilegiously. Bishop Weigand has publicly stated there will be no penalties because, “After instructing people, we respect them and strive to treat them as adults.” Chuck Wilson of the St. Joseph’s Foundation called this statement “absurd.” [Teddy Roosevelt said, “Walk softly and carry a big stick.” Bishop Weigand’s philosophy seems to be “Talk loudly and carry a wet noodle.” Sorry, Your Excellency, “actions speak louder than words.” Failing to follow tough talk with action teaches contempt for the word. We parents know sometimes children need “tough love.” Pray for our spiritual fathers to talk tough and act firmly to save souls in danger of hell. We hate to be hard on Bishop Weigand; at least he’s speaking up. Thank you, Your Excellency. Most bishops don’t talk at all and carry a bag of marshmallows.]
***Bishop talks, we’re glad (we know) Bishop Robert Carlson of Sioux Falls sent a personal letter (leaked to the press) to Senate minority leader Tom Daschle telling him he should stop calling himself a Catholic and remove that designation from all his materials. Bishop Carlson and Daschle have had several very public confrontations over the Senator’s evil positions. In an ad released in January ALL (American Life League) identified Daschle as one of the “Deadly Dozen” Catholic politicians who champion abortion. Judy Brown, President of ALL, mailed the ad to the respective bishops of the offending politicos exhorting them to deny Holy Communion. Bishop Carlson, the only cleric to respond, wrote, "[W]hile Senator Thomas Daschle lists himself as a Catholic, it is my understanding that he neither attends church nor receives Holy Communion on the rare occasions when he is in church… I have documented this, and again would be interested if you have information to the contrary." [Les Femmes publicly thanks Bishop Carlson and encourages our readers to fast and pray for both him and Senator Daschle. Prayer can soften the hardest hearts.]
***Three bishops nix commencements: The Newman Society reports that three bishops backed out of commencements honoring pro-abort speakers. Scranton Bishop James Timlin skipped University of Scranton festivities with TV talk-show host Chris Matthews. Worcester Bishop Daniel P. Reilly declined an invite from Holy Cross College, also honoring Matthews. Auxiliary Bishop John Dougherty of Scranton said no to College Misericordia where journalists Steve and Cokie Roberts gave the keynote address. Our thanks to these bishops and may we humbly recommend formal disciplinary action against these colleges for their betrayal of Catholic truth. We beg all bishops to implement Ex Corde Ecclesiae as a first step in restoring faith on campuses that now rival and even surpass some secular institutions in promoting moral relativism and depravity. [An easy call? Remove from the official Catholic Directory any college that allows The Vagina Monologues.]
***Pro-abort congressman Jim Moran more than met his match when he went politicking at Blessed Sacrament in Alexandria May 4th with visiting Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine [Moran and Kaine are both pro-abort Catholics (sick…oops, sic)] Accompanying them was Alexandria city councilman and Democratic mayoral candidate Bill Euille [not Catholic] who was there to glad-hand before the election. Moran asked that Euille be recognized during Mass. [Duh… NO!] Instead the trio got a pro-life sermon from Rev. Bryan Belli including censure of Catholic politicians who support murdering unborn children. After Mass a “red-faced” Moran confronted Rev. Michael Dobbins outside “screaming and pointing his finger at him" according to the Washington Times. Moran’s spokesman said his boss was “calm and cool,” but we’ve experienced Mr. Moran’s “cool.” When riled, he is often uncivil even to ladies. We applaud Fr. Dobbins’ admonition to Mr. Moran, “Congressman, one day you will need me, and I will be there." Bravo to these two priests for reflecting the boldness of St. Paul. May Jim Moran profit from the mostly forgotten spiritual work of mercy, to admonish the sinner. And may God reward two shepherds who are truly leading the flock and trying to bring back those who have wandered into the wasteland.
***After Canada is U.S. next? “Catholic” Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien who bragged in May, "I am a Catholic and for abortion," announced June 17th that a new law allowing same sex marriage will be submitted to the Supreme Court of Canada within a few weeks. His statement followed an Ontario appeals court decision that the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman is unconstitutional. The court changed it to “between two people.” Chretien called the decision an “evolution of society.” [Will the next mutation be marriage between a man and his best friend, Fido?] Canada’s decision has ramifications for the U.S. because we recognize Canadian marriage. Within our own borders Massachusetts is embroiled in a battle over H.3190, a constitutional amendment stating marriage is between one man and one woman. Rev. James F. Keenan, S.J., professor of moral theology at Western Jesuit School of Theology in Cambridge, and three other priests testified AGAINST a ban calling it discriminatory and distorting Catholic doctrine to bolster their arguments. [No, the padres did not quote Romans 1: “men…burned with lust for one another.” God defined marriage and no court in the world or even a Jesuit can change the truth. Sodomy is a sin that cries to heaven for vengeance.] Pray, do penance, and fight!