Obscure Music Friday

This blog will be on hiatus while the Digidaughter and I take off to visit Big Muddy. An obvious - but not so obscure - choice would have been Marc Cohn's Walking in Memphis. But I feel something grittier is needed.

Song: Tennessee

Artist: Arrested Development

Why I Like It: Just like Screech's hair, it's down to earth. And I like the line, "Lord, I know you're supposed to be my steering wheel . . . and not just my spare tire."

Don't Be a Hater

The DigiHusband and I have agreed - I am coming out of the closet to announce that I am a gay man, and Mark would like all to know that he is a proud lesbian. We can't help ourselves, we were born that way. And now, given the fact that we live in the great State of California, any attempt to discriminate against us will be met with the strictest of scrutiny, according to the California Supreme Court.

Besides, we're in a committed relationship, and that is all that counts . . .

Now, if I could only get the DigiSpouse to stop looking at women's breasts - but hey, he is simply embracing his Sapphic orientation . . . and that's a beautiful thing.

White Lines

Ticket to ride, white line highway
Tell all your friends, they can go my way
Pay your toll, sell your soul
Pound for pound costs more than gold

Feds Seize Cocaine Jesus Statue on Texas Border

Federal agents have arrested a man on charges of drug trafficking after finding a statue of Jesus made of cocaine at a Texas border crossing.

The Houston Chronicle reports that the statue was likely to have been broken apart in water, sifted through a strainer and dried before being bagged and sold. It had a street value of $30,000, the paper said.

No, not filled with cocaine, but made of cocaine. Dang.

Celebrity Bore of the Day

Thus sayeth Susan Sarandon:

Talking with Susan Sarandon is like an exhilarating roller-coaster ride through a variety of topics, all of which elicit candid responses so rare in celebrities who are usually so cautious about causing controversy. We meet in New York on the day the Pope is due to arrive in the US, which inevitably draws strong opinions from the five-times Oscar-nominated actress.

Raised a Catholic, she won an Oscar for portraying Sister Helen Prejean in Robbins's Dead Man Walking, but she has very little time for the Church or its spiritual leader.

"This particular Pope is not one of my favourites," she says.

"I am pretty suspicious of him and my only message to him is that he should become more compassionate and more involved in what the world needs now instead of his archaic kind of outdated, misogynist infrastructure the Church has going now."

Alrighty then! But wait - there's good news!

Always busy, Sarandon is about to start work on the romantic period drama The Colossus, but with the presidential election campaign being heatedly contested, she also has bigger things to consider.

"If McCain gets in, it's going to be very, very dangerous," she says.

"It's a critical time, but I have faith in the American people. If they prove me wrong, I'll be checking out a move to Italy. Maybe Canada, I don't know. We're at an abyss."

Oh, you're just messing with us, Susan - just like all those celebrities who said they were going to move to France if Bush got re-elected. Tease.

Yee Ha!

As if the endorsement by Fidel Castro was not enough, it is nice to know that James Yee is going to the DNC as a candidate for Barack!

Oh sure, you remember ol' Jimbo.

Forgive me if it just doesn't rally my support for Obama.

Many thanks to Knowledge is Power for that news item.

All You Need is Love (And You Get Strict Scrutiny)

Oh, to be a caterer right now in Palm Springs!

Gay rights advocates score wins in NY, Calif.

California will start issuing marriage licenses to homosexual couples on June 17th. And New York's governor has issued a directive to "state agencies — including those governing insurance and health care — to immediately change policies and regulations to recognize gay marriages."

And you thought judicial activism was tough love!

BTW, will someone please tell Bishop Tod Brown that it just causes undue snickering when he continues to host the annual retreat for the Diocese of Orange priests in Palm Springs[1]. All I can hear is Connie Francis singing, "Where the boys aaaaaaaaaaare . . ." C'mon, the Lawrence Welk Resort in Escondido has some lovely rooms.

[1] Um, in case you didn't know, Palm Springs is recognized as one of the West Coast's gay meccas. You live in West Hollywood, but you play in Palm Springs. On the plus side, it does allow easy access to the Morongo Indian casino . . . hit me!

Love is in the Air

More from the New York Times' "Wedding and Celebrations" section, which I suppose is its substitute for comic strips.

Did you know you have 20 tons of carbon waste per gold ring? Isn't it romantic . . .

Lisa Rainwater and Andy Mele

TRUST an environmentalist to talk about love like it’s a natural resource. “It can’t be burned through like a flame,” Andy Mele said. “You need the flame, but there’s also sober, reflective and collaborative times. You can’t live on just fire or just water.”

Though Mr. Mele seems drawn to water.

Mr. Mele, 59, had worked 10 years for Clearwater, the organization based in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., devoted to protecting the Hudson River. He was executive director for his last six years there, until June 2005.

His path crossed frequently with Lisa Rainwater (a fortuitous surname), who is the policy director for Riverkeeper — another group whose aim is to protect the Hudson River and the New York City watershed.

Their mutual work made the couple nodding acquaintances, but her talents were not lost on Mr. Mele. Besides being “the best environmentalist I have ever seen, she is a natural leader — and a brilliant writer,” said Mr. Mele, author of “Polluting for Pleasure” (W. W. Norton, 1993), about recreational boating’s effects on the environment. (In the last three years, he has taken a semi-break from environmentalism to write a novel.)

In April 2006, Mr. Mele needed to use Riverkeeper materials, some of which were in Ms. Rainwater’s office, to research an alternative energy policy project. When he walked into her office, she was on the phone. He started thumbing through the books on her shelves. “I was curious to see what she had,” he said. He grabbed a Simone de Beauvoir and a Nietzsche.

Ms. Rainwater, 39, who had just recently separated from her husband, felt her office grow warmer as she watched him.

“He looked at me with his piercing blue eyes,” Ms. Rainwater said. “He had this kind of smirk and he said: ‘You can tell a lot about someone based on their books.’ ”

She said her reaction was intense: “My face was flushed, I was like sweating. I didn’t even know why my body was responding.”

It was a fleeting moment and she didn’t dwell on it.

In March 2007, after her divorce was final, she went on a yoga retreat in Puerto Rico that left her “so at peace with myself that I was resolved that if I had to, I could spend the rest of my life happily single,” she said.

A few days later, still tanned and relaxed, she was in a Poughkeepsie Starbucks waiting to meet Mr. Mele, who had asked her to be a guest lecturer for a course he was teaching at Marist College. Mr. Mele, who had been legally separated from his wife since 1998, said he was “blown away” when he saw her.

“I just thought she was impossibly attractive,” he said. He asked her to dinner.

Their first date included a walk in a park near Ms. Rainwater’s Manhattan apartment, where they discovered a hidden goldfish pond. As if on cue, Mr. Mele gave her a silver pin of a shad to “thank her for all the good she was doing in the world.”

Soon after that date, Mr. Mele had to travel to Florida to help his mother, Jean Wexler, who was ill.

The couple kept in “nearly constant contact,” Mr. Mele said, through long, poetic e-mail messages, jump-starting an intimate dialogue “that has basically never ended — she gave me a sense of belonging, a sense of place and a sense of home.”

A few weeks later, he invited her to Florida for a long weekend. She flew down to join him at a waterfront condo he had rented.

When he picked her up at the airport, “He said, do you prefer diamonds, or not?” Ms. Rainwater said.

“I wanted to marry him,” she said, but she did not prefer diamonds. And, if it was a gold ring, she said it must be recycled gold.

“You have 20 tons of carbon waste per gold ring,” she said.

His divorce had become final and over the next six months they split time between his Woodstock, N.Y., home, her apartment and a rented house in Florida near his mother.
During one trip to Florida, Mr. Mele had to help his mother remove a ring from her swollen finger. He took her to a jeweler, who had a tool for the job, and while he stood at the counter, he said, “there in the case, right beneath my mother’s hand,” was an engagement ring that matched the ring he had been fruitlessly hunting for for months. It had “subtle interlapping wave forms, unmistakedly a water motif,” he said. And it was made of recycled gold. He bought it and gave it to her that night.

She loved it.

Their green-as-possible wedding on May 10 was at Opus 40, Harvey Fite’s six-acre hand-crafted sculptured bluestone environment in Saugerties, N.Y. Ms. Rainwater wore a creamy gown of douppioni silk, which she had bought at a Manhattan charity thrift store. The couple stood on a monolith before a vista of purple mountains as the Rev. Patricia Ackerman, an Episcopal priest, led the ceremony.

Rain had threatened all day, but the clouds parted and the sun briefly burnished the faces of the bride and bridegroom. He lifted her veil and kissed her six times to the applause of the 130 guests.

“They’re both so down to earth and yet so sophisticated,” said one of the couple’s closest friends, Billiam van Roestenberg, who runs Liberty View Farm in Highland, N.Y. “Great Gatsby meets Woodstock.”

Who's Looking for Danger?

Faster, Faster!

My Beloved Husband has to put up with my annoying habit of turning any movie watched at home in an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, where I play Joel Robinson and all of the puppets. Maybe this is why my husband rarely sees movies with me in actual theaters, for fear of reprisal from the rest of the audience.

Anyway, last night the DigiSpouse was watching The Painted Veil with Ed Norton doing wrteched dialogue with a fake British accent - when I married you, I knew you were not the cleverest girl . . .

Ed Norton (speaking about some far flung Chinese village): They are in desperate dire need of a doctor.

Naomi Watts: But you're not a doctor . . . you're a bacteriologist!

Me: Didn't you hear? Desperate dire need? Dang, chica, they'll take you with a styptic pencil!

DigiSpouse: Shhhhhh . . .

Ed Norton: It shall be hard. One can travel by train to Tengze, then it will be ten days by sedan chair . . .

That's when I got excited. What if we cut back on gas consumption by reinstating the use of sedan chairs? Sure, it's a bit slow going, but if I had my chair, I could simply pop down to the local Home Depot and hire my carriers cheaply. C'mon, it's honest work and I reduce my carbon footprint. Win-win-win!!

Indy!

Of course this weekend I went and saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Not as good as the three previous movies but still worth the price of ticket and popcorn. More importantly, I am pleased to see that Lucas is setting the stage for more Indiana Jones movies.

What I would like to see Lucas do, eventually, is go back in time (heck, he did it with Star Wars) and give us episodes featuring "Dad" - Professor Henry Jones, Sr. - as a young man. I even thought of a great scenario: some mystery set in Victorian times involving Cleopatra's Needle or some other ancient Egyptian artifact at the British Museum that has a young Jones - perhaps doing his doctorate at Oxford - cross paths with Jack the Ripper.

For now, though, I will do with Indy battling it out with a bunch of Russky Commies in the Amazon jungle. I will give this spoiler - no Indiana Jones film is complete without the "particularly gruesome way of dying" that befalls some poor extra and let's just say, if you happen to be from the Southwest and occasionally get plagued by fire ants, you will sympathize . . .

Remember the Fallen

Today, it won't take much. Fly the flag. Go to a service, if you would like. If you see someone in uniform, make the gesture of placing your hand over your heart and say, "Thank you." And today, at 3:00 pm your local time, stop and silently pray during our national Moment of Remembrance.

God Bless America, land that we love.

Who's Up For a Road Trip?

Russian Communists Not Happy With Harrison Ford's New 'Indiana Jones' Movie

Leaders of the Communist Party of St. Petersburg have accused the actors Harrison Ford and Cate Blanchett of being "capitalist puppets" and promoting crude, anti-Soviet propaganda in their new film, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."

They have urged Russian moviegoers to boycott the film and told Ford, 65, not to visit the country.

The letter said Russians are fond of many of Ford's other roles, but not this time. “You have no future in Russia any more. Speaking plainly, it is better for you not to come here. You will be beaten and despised.”

Really? I say, let's call Harrison and a group of us go over. I'll go get my Doc Martens on. I was in the Army in the early '80's when Ivan was still the enemy and never had the opportunity to stick it to Tovarisch Misha and any of the other Commie русские свиньи that tried offing my Grandfather and killed his family.

Anyone with me?

Security

Pray for Us Sinners

. . . now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

May Crowning

Today at St. Joseph the school had its annual May Crowning, which also included a recitation of the Rosary with school kids as sort of living "beads" around the perimeters of the church.

I took this photo of one wee child and decided I liked it better in black and white than color. Looking at it, because of her Peter Pan collar and the stained glass window behind her, this little girl looks like she could be right out of the 1950's. What do you think?

Obscure Music Friday

It's the Memorial Day weekend, which has become the unofficial start of summer. In years past, this would be the time of year people would think, "Road trip!" and set out. Now with gas astronomically high, I read in my paper this morning that people are not taking long trips . . . but are still hitting the roads for summer vacations. So, consider this Obscure Music Friday offering to be The Digital Hairshirt's public service announcement - be safe out there, people, and have a great holiday weekend!

Song: Don't Crash the Car Tonight

Artist: Mary's Danish

Why I Like It: Great guitar riffs and a very obvious message - don't crash the car tonight, it doesn't suit you anymore. It was this group, along with another, to cause my sister to muse, while looking through my CDs, "Mary's Danish, Jane's Addiction . . . Stephanie's problem."

Truly a Star In His Own Right

Here in Orange County, the city of Anaheim figured Hollywood does not have all the rights to stars and developed their own Walk of Fame on Harbor Boulevard. Of course, given its location, the first star was given to the man who changed Anaheim from a sleepy farm town into what it is today, Walt Disney. Other stars went to the Karchers (founders of Carl's Jr. restaurants), the Samuelis (owners of the Ducks), and the Yorbas( early settlers).

But I read today that Monsignor John Sammon, the late chaplain to Orange County firefighters, will be thus honored! Outstanding!

And it occurs to me - with him, the Karchers, and the Yorbas, the Catholics lead so far in the number of Anaheim stars!

Oh Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy!

Indiana Jones Ventures To Disneyland Parks For A Summer of Hidden Mysteries

Among the highlights of the INDIANA JONES SUMMER OF HIDDEN MYSTERIES, created by Disneyland Entertainment in partnership with Lucasfilm Ltd.:

Random Acts of Indy - In the crowded streets of exotic Adventureland, guests never know when Indiana Jones might make an appearance. It could be in their midst, perhaps it will be high overhead, or even right next to them as Indy dashes by. But look fast, because Indy's never in one place for long, especially when he's being pursued by sinister villains!

Indiana Jones and the Secret of the Stone Tiger - In this intimate storytelling adventure presented multiple times each day at The Oasis, young Disneyland Park guests will uncover clues, decipher codes and embark on an archeological journey that culminates in an appearance by Indy himself!

Indiana Jones Adventure Map - Disneyland Park guests will explore just like Indy does when they pick up a collectible map filled with mysterious clues. Artifacts and symbols are hidden throughout Adventureland and once they are revealed guests will find a special code, which they can take home to claim exclusive Indiana Jones digital content courtesy of Lucasfilm Ltd. It's all at www.disneyland.com/indy starting May 22.

Indiana Jones Meets the Jungle Cruise - One of the all-time classic Disneyland attractions takes on a distinctly Indiana Jones flavor this summer as guests are invited to find unexpected Indy-themed surprises along some of the most mysterious rivers of the world.

New Indy Photo Location - Guests can boast to their friends back home that they outran a giant rolling boulder just like Indy himself - and then they can prove it with photographic evidence.

Bombs Away!

I read this over at Knowledge is Power this morning. I have always felt a ping of annoyance whenever I would see the bumpersticker, "Who Would Jesus Bomb?" This article puts my feeling into words.

What's the lesson here? "Jesus is Coming . . . Look Busy!"

Those who won’t repent are ill-equipped to lead

A bumper sticker in Olympia asked me, "Who would Jesus bomb?" The drive-by sound bite was successful in making this Christian feel momentarily guilty for supporting national policy of bombing certain people, but then I realized the bumper had its theology wrong. Jesus would bomb a lot of people; some right here in Olympia. He and others are planning on it.

Jews, Christians, and Muslims expect to see Messiah return relatively soon and do some serious hurt. They don't agree on who Messiah will bomb but they agree damage to some of us is overdue. The Jews don't recognize Jesus as Messiah, but Muslims give Him a prominent place in the end times and Christians see Him conquering those who would conquer the Jews.

In any case, most agree the Prince of Peace will one day set aside His Peace Platform to clean up this world again. The question is, "Who will He bomb?"

If precedence is any gauge, He will bomb the self-righteous unrepentant folks: Those who think, like Lenin, that the ends justify the means. They believe their causes are so right they can do or say anything to achieve some higher goal. Pharaoh wanted slaves, Sodom wanted sex on demand, and the priests of Baal wanted children sacrificed to their gods. They had hard unrepentant hearts and God "bombed" them all.

Like the ancients, today's self- righteous unrepentant folks don't care what the rest of us think or what our rights to a safe and orderly community might be. Their ends justify their means, and they don't care about us. They're like that country song: "We ain't wrong, we ain't sorry, and we're probably gonna do it again."

--- Rick Taylor, a member of The Olympian's Board of Contributors, retired from the U.S. Army/Oregon Army National Guard after 27 years of service. He recently completed 14 years in the classroom teaching English, social studies and economicsRick Taylor, a member of The Olympian's Board of Contributors, retired from the U.S. Army/Oregon Army National Guard after 27 years of service. He recently completed 14 years in the classroom teaching English, social studies and economics

Love is in the Air

What the hell, the wild parrots of Floral Park are entering their mating seasons, the jacaranda is in bloom, and George Takei (oh my . . .) is facing the "delicious dilemma" of where to marry his life partner . . . so for now until the end of June, I think I will look for love stories!

And where better to start than the wedding announcements in The New York Times! This is a good example of why the mother-of-the-bride needs to have some editorial supervision - how many references to the bride's mother can you spot versus anyone in the groom's family?

Elena Wechsler and John Simpson

IT came as no surprise to anyone who knew her that Dr. Elena Wechsler would find herself with a man who won her heart with ducks. Her childhood home in Glen Mills, Pa., was often referred to as the zoo by friends. Besides caring for the family’s own menagerie, Dr. Wechsler’s mother, a veterinarian, was known to care for an injured flying squirrel in the bathtub or give dialysis to a dog in the kitchen.

So when John Pierre Simpson, the founder of MacImage of Maine, a software firm, asked Dr. Wechsler, then a Harvard radiology instructor, to meet him at the Make Way for Ducklings sculpture in Boston Public Garden for their first date, it seemed a good sign.

Mr. Simpson, 46, and Dr. Wechsler, 38, found each other online, but only after some coaching from Rachel Greenwald, author of “Find a Husband After 35: Using What I Learned at Harvard Business School.”

Three years ago a review of that book spurred Dr. Wechsler’s parents, now of Little Compton, R.I., to consult with Ms. Greenwald, who charges $2,000 to $5,000 a day, depending on what is needed.

The author recalled being told by David Wechsler that his daughter “had done everything right professionally, but he was worried that she wasn’t making dating a priority.”

“This was marriage 911,” Ms. Greenwald said. Soon, Dr. Wechsler and her mother, Louise, flew to Denver to see the author. Ms. Greenwald was struck by Dr. Wechsler’s personal warmth but learned that in her dating life part of her personality was often hidden behind the professional demeanor she projected. The author suggested that she not approach dating as if it were a job interview, and guided her in preparing an online dating profile and on makeup, jewelry, clothes and accessories. “She needed a coat that made a statement, a coat that said, ‘I’ve got pizzazz,’ ” Ms. Greenwald said.

It took Dr. Wechsler a year to get started, but when she did, she began going on two to three dates a day. Then she found Mr. Simpson’s online profile, which read, Your birthday and Valentine’s Day are likely to be my favorite holidays. “I loved this,” Dr. Wechsler said, “because Valentine’s Day is my birthday.”

After having seen his social life dwindle to six or seven dates over a couple of years, Mr. Simpson also sought to improve his odds by consulting “Double Your Dating” by David DeAngelo and other advice books. “At my age, and living in Maine, my options were getting limited,” Mr. Simpson said. Because going online allows for getting past “the awkward stuff” early, “when you finally do get together, it becomes obvious within a few seconds if you want the date to end quickly.” he said. “I didn’t want my date with Elena to end.”

Like Dr. Wechsler, he was looking for somebody educated and outdoorsy. On that first date last June, they boarded a Boston Duck, an amphibious tour vehicle, and things started to click. But it was later, as they watched the sunset, when Mr. Simpson won her heart. “He told me a story about when he was canoeing and accidentally disrupted a mother duck and her babies,” she said. “One of the ducklings got separated, and John took it home with him. That night, the duckling cried so much that John took it into bed with him and kept it on his chest all night.”

“Successful women are looking for someone to take care of them, too,” she continued. “I thought if he loved that duckling that much, he could love me too.” That night Dr. Wechsler said to herself, “I’m done.”

Friends took notice of this fast-developing relationship. “I have seen Elena through a lot of boyfriends,” said Laura Benoit, a friend. “But I have never seen her float on a cloud like this.”
It did not take long for Mr. Simpson to decide on her, either. “Elena has a certain warmth and a sharp mind that I found very appealing,” he said. “That’s why, by the third date, I knew I didn’t want to lose her.”

In October, barely half a year after they met, he took Dr. Wechsler on a car ride up Mount Washington in New Hampshire. Mr. Simpson imagined the view would make for a perfect proposal. But then he began noticing the gas gauge sinking, a freezing wind picking up, and signs announcing that the mountain was closing for the season that very day. “Elena thinks of me as very calm, so when she took my hand and it was sweaty, she started to worry,” he said.

Moments after the proposal an image of the engagement ring on Dr. Wechsler’s finger was on its way to her mother’s cellphone. “Knights in shining armor appear differently in 2008,” the bride’s mother said at the wedding, “often through Dells and Macs.”

On the evening of May 10 the bride appeared in her mother’s 42-year-old wedding dress and walked down a rose-petal-strewn aisle behind her parents’ home in Little Compton, just as her mother had always dreamed. Mr. Simpson’s father, the Rev. Earle B. Simpson Jr. of Sumner, Me., a retired Lutheran minister (hi, Dad!), officiated, with Rabbi Howard A. Berman participating.

“John’s books all told him that women fall for confident men,” the bride said. “But Rachel told me to always look for a guy with a dorky walk. They make good husbands.”

And when she saw the man she would marry walking toward her for the first time, she recalled thinking: “This guy walks like a duck.” Which to Dr. Wechsler is a very good thing.

Yeah, No Kidding

Piazza Calls It Quits

Yeah, well, you sorta have to when no one wants to hire you.

I Mean, My God, We Invented the Las Vegas All-You-Can-Eat Buffet for a Reason

Sez Obama:

"We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times ... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK," Obama said."That's not leadership. That's not going to happen," he added.

Why do we give a rat's ass about what other countries think? This may sound nutty, but I would expect a presidential candidate to al least pander to Americans rather than foreigners.

This reminds me about how a Swiss with whom I was working - Herbert Gautschi - took America to task because our society was "excessive." His proof? The fact that we have 24-hour supermarkets. I had to explain to him that (a) unlike Switzerland, where to get someone to work past 5 o'clock is like convincing Gerald Augustinus to go green, America has a 24-hour work force and there are people for whom "o'dark-30" is the only time to get the milk and bread, and (b) I like having the opportunity to make that midnight run for Fritos-and-Fresca if I so choose.

God bless America. What time does the next revolution start?

Wasn't "The Island of Dr. Moreau" Scary Enough?

British PM Backs Human-Animal Hybrid Embryo Research Bill

Britain's prime minister says he backs a new law that would allow the creation of animal-human hybrid embryos . . . However the technology disturbs some who believe it could lead to the genetic engineering of human beings. Gordon Brown wrote in The Observer Sunday that he supported the research.

Let me reiterate a phrase I recently said to a friend: as the 20th-century noted philosopher, Whitney Houston, said, "Crack is whack."

And so is this shit.

Deconstructing the Gay Marriage Decision

Let me try to explain how the boneheads on the Supreme Court fouled this one up . . .

Con Law 101: the Cliff Notes

It comes down to the California Supreme Court deciding that sexual orientation is a characteristic of such importance - equal to race, gender, or religion - that those claiming discrimination because of it deserve the highest standard of constitutional protection that can be extended. And the State always loses when that happens. So, now go home and wait for Armageddon.

Con Law 101: A Bit More for Legal Wonks

The Court has declared the classification of sexual orientation to be what is termed a suspect class in constitutional law:

"[W]e conclude that strict scrutiny nonetheless is applicable here because (1) the statutes in question properly must be understood as classifying or discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation, a characteristic that we conclude represents — like gender, race, and religion —a constitutionally suspect basis upon which to impose differential treatment [not at the federal level, but again, any State must meet the federal standard, but can choose to afford greater protection than the feds do], and (2) the differential treatment at issue impinges upon a same-sex couple’s fundamental interest in having their family relationship accorded the same respect and dignity enjoyed by an opposite-sex couple."

Now, for the layperson, this means that a strict scrutiny standard of review must apply. Strict scrutiny is the highest standard to meet, and the State nearly always loses, meaning its law will be found to be unconstitutional. Let's look at the standard:

"Under the strict scrutiny standard, unlike the rational basis standard, in order to demonstrate the constitutional validity of a challenged statutory classification [here, it is the fact that the law calls the state-sanctioned relationship between a man and a woman as marriage, whereas for gays it is a domestic partnership] the state must establish (1) that the state interest intended to be served by the differential treatment not only is a constitutionally legitimate interest, but is a compelling state interest, and (2) that the differential treatment not only is reasonably related to but is necessary to serve that compelling state interest."

Now, this is where the Court just flat out says to the traditional institution of marriage, "We're just not that into you":

"We conclude that the purpose underlying differential treatment of opposite-sex and same-sex couples embodied in California’s current marriage statutes — the interest in retaining the traditional and well-established definition of marriage — cannot properly be viewed as a compelling state interest for purposes of the equal protection clause, or as necessary to serve such an interest [emphasis mine]."

How come?

1. "The exclusion of same-sex couples from the designation of marriage clearly is not necessary in order to afford full protection to all of the rights and benefits that currently are enjoyed by married opposite-sex couples; permitting same-sex couples access to the designation of marriage will not deprive opposite-sex couples of any rights and will not alter the legal framework of the institution of marriage, because same-sex couples who choose to marry will be subject to the same obligations and duties that currently are imposed on married opposite-sex couples." There simply is no room in law for the historical or traditional or moralistic "framework of the institution of marriage." As the Digihusband noted, "They just did away with the definition of marriage."

2. "Retaining the traditional definition of marriage and affording same-sex couples only a separate and differently named family relationship will, as a realistic matter, impose appreciable harm on same-sex couples and their children, because denying such couples access to the familiar and highly favored designation of marriage is likely to cast doubt on whether the official family relationship of same-sex couples enjoys dignity equal to that of opposite-sex couples." Never mind that a Court should not speculate - "likely", not certainly - but what were the data that support that presumption?

3. "[B]ecause of the widespread disparagement that gay individuals historically have faced, it is all the more probable that excluding same-sex couples from the legal institution of marriage is likely to be viewed as reflecting an official view that their committed relationships are of lesser stature than the comparable relationships of opposite-sex couples." But wait, isn't this all about the legal framework of the institution of marriage? If they presently enjoy the legal rights and obligations of married persosn under the state statutes, doesn't that discount this factor in your decision-making?

4. "[R]etaining the designation of marriage exclusively for opposite sex couples and providing only a separate and distinct designation for same-sex couples may well have the effect of perpetuating a more general premise — now emphatically rejected by this state — that gay individuals and same-sex couples are in some respects "second-class citizens" who may, under the law, be treated differently from, and less favorably than, heterosexual individuals or opposite-sex couples." "Second class citizens?" How much does Ellen make?

The right to marry is a fundamental right - like the right to free speech and the parctice of religion - recognized by the California Constitution. Nowadays, the notion that a couple should not be allowed to marry because it would be an interracial union is laughable. The step before the Supreme Court - the California Court of Appeal - "concluded that because marriage in California (and elsewhere) historically has been limited to opposite-sex couples, the constitutional right to marry under the California Constitution properly should be interpreted to afford only a right to marry a person of the opposite sex, and that the constitutional right that plaintiffs actually are asking the court to recognize is a constitutional "right to same-sex marriage." In the absence of any historical or precedential support for such a right in this state, the Court of Appeal determined that plaintiffs’ claim of the denial of a fundamental right under the California Constitution must be rejected."

Not so, sayeth the Supreme Court - it is a broader issue and the "right to marry" must be interpreted in a "more neutral" fashion. Open your minds, people! Of course, then why not allow polygamy and incest? "The opportunity of a couple to establish an officially recognized family of their own not only grants access to an extended family but also permits the couple to join the broader family social structure that is a significant feature of community life." The more the merrier!

But wait - there's more: "Moreover, the opportunity to publicly and officially express one’s love for and long-term commitment to another person by establishing a family together with that person also is an important element of self-expression that can give special meaning to one’s life. Finally, of course, the ability to have children and raise them with a loved one who can share the joys and challenges of that endeavor is without doubt a most valuable component of one’s liberty and personal autonomy. Although persons can have children and raise them outside of marriage, the institution of civil marriage affords official governmental sanction and sanctuary to the family
unit [and trust me, it is happening more now than ever before], granting a parent the ability to afford his or her children the substantial benefits that flow from a stable two-parent family environment, a ready and public means of establishing to others the legal basis of one’s parental relationship to one’s children [citations ommitted], and the additional security that comes from the knowledge that his or her parental relationship with a child will be afforded protection by the government against the adverse actions or claims of others [isn't that what adoption is for? And does this mean that a child born to a married lesbian couple is automatically the legal child of both? How do you handle the guys, unless a child born ro a surrogate at the contract of one or both will be found to be the legal child of both].

Okay, let's boil it down - "We're happy, we're in love, so nothing can be denied us."

God help us all . . .

Boner for 'Bama

Yeah, it's offensive, but it's funnier than hell. And parody that's disturbingly closer to the truth than I would like it to be.

"I want a world that doesn't exist." Heh.

BTW, Knowledge is Power is an outstanding blog and part of my daily read.

Obscure Music Friday

I think it's time to get a drink . . .

Song: It's Martini Time

Artist: The Reverend Horton Heat

Why I Like it: It's got great, loopy rockabilly vibes. The first time I heard this, for some strange and warped reason, I pictured Ren and Stimpy dancing to this. Wearing Turkish fezzes. Guess that means it's martini time . . .

BTW, I looooove stuffed olives with mine. Traditional pimento, garlic cloves, blue cheese . . . it is all good when swimming in a glass of vrey, very chilled vodka or gin, that has been gently kissed by some dry vermouth. And I prefer them "dirty."

And this one is for La Cubana - remember, Mariana, I'm a drunk, not an alcoholic. Alcoholics go to meetings.

You Can't Make This Stuff Up

"Thus sayeth the Lord God, the Almighty . . ." everything you did not know about the Trinity of Hell.

Best line? "Senator Barack Hussein Obama is a long-legged pimp."

Heh.

The California Decision

Random thoughts on reading the decision by the California Supreme Court regarding the bans on gay marriage . . .

Narrowly framed issue - "The question we must address is whether, under these circumstances[that there already exists domestic partnership that affords same-sex couples within the state the same basic rights as responsibilities as married couples], the failure to designate the official relationship of same-sex couples as marriage violates the California Constitution."

"[H]istory alone is not invariably an appropriate guide for determining the meaning and scope of this fundamental constituional guarantee [of the right to marry]." BUT - "[O]ur state now recognizes that an individual's capacity to establish a loving and committed long-term relationship with another person and responsibly to care for a raise children does not depend upon the individual's sexual orientation." How?

Interesting, intreesting, interesting! The California Supreme Court is applying strict scrutiny to sexual orientation. And they can - while on a federal level it remains intermediate scrutiny, a state can "give more" but not "less" than the federal government.

I haven't the time right now to read the rest, but I will.

Compounding the Tragedy

A local radio talk show host raised an interesting and sadly true perspective. As China assesses the damage from its recent earthquake, the deaths of the children in the collapsed schools is made even more tragic by the implementation of China's "one birth" policy. For most of the parents affected, this is the death of their only child, since the government penalizes couples who have more than one child.

I Now Pronounce Thee . . .

UPDATE: The bans against gay marriage in California have been overturned by the state's Supreme Court. Read the opinion here.

As I write this, people are awaiting today's decision from the California Supreme Court as to whether the gay marriages that were allowed - arguably, ordered - by San Francisco's mayor, Gavin Newsome are legitimate. It is a fight that boils down to whether judicial activism will triumph over legislative action and, more importantly, what people have decided.

Some years back, the voters in California passed Proposition 22 that became law by which "marriage" was defined to be a civil contract between a man and a woman only. That is how it reads in California's Family Code. Same sex partners can enter into a registered domestic partnership and, should things not "work out", can petition the Court to dissolve the partnership, at which time the laws governing the dissolution of a marriage generally apply. In short, while we don't yet have gay marriage, California has gay divorce.

The Supreme Court's decision comes out today at 10:00 a.m. PST. I will read it with both a professional interest as well as a personal one. I have been asked, how can a Catholic lawyer "do divorces?" I point out that what I do is to dissolve civil contracts, but the Sacramental marriage stays the same. For this reason, the idea of a gay marriage does not make me run to the hills, looking for the End Times. However, I am quite wary of judicial activism - how does a court overturn the will of the people? But then, I have taken an oath to uphold the Constitution - both state and federal - and if a law is unconstitutional, it must be stricken. And I have never been a proponent of California propositions because it is a system that allows a lot of well-intentioned but misguided or poorly planned laws to come into effect, and I don't cotton to the unwashed masses trying to legislate morality.

I'll keep you posted.

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

For Mother's Day, I posted a photograph that to this day I count as one of the best shots that I ever took as an amateur photographer. It is a photograph that stirs both a joy and a poignancy in me, because of the two people in it. Taken on a hot summer's day by chance in downtown New York City in the late 70's, it depicts an elderly women standing next to a young girl, presumably her granddaughter.

They were waiting for a bus and the protective stance in their body English makes you realize that the older woman instinctively shields her girl from the urban landscape - and as a parent, I know that the safety of my children is always in my mind when I am in public with my kids, so to be traveling in such a vast metropolis as New York would have me on heightened alert, since it would be so easy for my child to take just a few steps away from me and be swallowed up in the crowd. Likewise, the girl holds her grandmother and I caught her looking at the camera with a challenge of sorts on her face, as if to say, no one will hurt this old woman.

It is evident that they are poor. It is evident that it is summer, and New York City is not a comfortable place to be during that time of year, as the heat index is high in midtown Manhattan and is exacerbated by humidity. But what is evident is that they have each other. Think of the girl. Perhaps her parents are gone - dead, in jail, or simply gone - and all she has is her grandmother. Or maybe her grandmother is growing frail and she was told, go downtown shopping with your grandmother, make sure she makes it home. I think they are related - they share the same eyes. As I said, when I look at the two, I see St. Anne and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Have you ever seen the photograph by Getrude Kasebier, Blessed Art Thou Among Women? There she is. Or the young latina in the center of the mural at Union Station in Los Angeles? Everytime I would pass beneath it and think, there she is, at the age when she bore Our Lord.

Well, I guess I am blind as a bat, because offense was taken at my image. An anonymous commentator, calling herself Catholic Woman, wrote:

St Anne and the Blessed Virgin??? Dressed like that?!?!? I hope that wasn't really your mother or grandmother. What a shameful way for a woman to dress, at any age let alone an older woman. And to imagine the Mother of God so scantily dressed like that little girl? Where is your head?! Terrible! And if you don't think so, shame ON you. Was that supposed to be a joke? If it was, it isn't appreciated. At all.

Neither is your comment, lady. Go learn something about the world.

Walking in Memphis

A year after passing the Tennessee bar, I have decided to treat myself by actually showing up for the swearin'-in ceremony (I reckon they do more swearin' than swearing in Tennessee) on June 3rd in Nashville. And I decided to make it a long weekend with the DigiDaughter as my traveling companion.

What to do? Well, the DigiHusband says, "That girl needs to see the Mississippi!" and so I think she and I will head on down to Memphis. Haven't been before. Short drives and the 10-year-old can say she has set foot in both Arkansas and Mississippi.

So . . . anybody been to Memphis? Where did y'all stay? What did y'all see? And where would y'all be going to Mass on Sunday? Yes, we'll have a car and I have to admit, I have been blessed with a great sense of direction. I just want to make sure Dolly Girl and I have a safe place to lay our heads.

We Have Nothing to Fear, But . . .

This past Sunday, the chilluns and I headed over to Disney's California Adventure for a few hours, just because (yes, I finally broke down and bought annual passes, so now I am determined to get my money's worth).

Some anguish - despite bravely waiting in the line, at the last moment, my Dolly Girl broke into tears and simply could not face going on California Screamin', a roller coaster that features a 360-degree loop. The loop got her - despite her scientific mind and all that she knows about centrifugal force, she was just too scared to do it. Mind you, she thought the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror was a blast (and it is, actually) and the last time we went to Dollywood in Tennessee, she and I rode Thunderhead, a HUGE wooden roller coaster, some 8 times in a row . . . but it did not have a loop, you see.

We had a discussion about this. Kate has decided there are three things that frighten her:

1. Roller coasters that, at some point, have you upside down.

2. Small elevators.

3. Dolls.

Does the last one surprise you? I can see that - those baby dolls with the dead eyes staring straight ahead, and the irrationally terrifying thought that it might just suddenly turn its head of its own accord and stare straight at you. And smile. *Shudder!*

This must be genetic, since I have my own irrational fears. My top three are:

1. Dark water.

2. Touching a fish or seeing a dead one.

3. Realistic dinosaurs.

Now, I suspect some of you are looking at that last one, thinking WTF?!?!? The movie Jurraisic Park scares the crapola outta me. In fact, I was quite embarrassed the last time I was at Universal Studios as I was on a boondoggle with business colleagues and fell apart, screaming like a little girl, on the ride based on the movie. The big T. Rex at the end? Didn't see it - eyes were shut too tightly.

Look, we all have rational fears. No one wants to discover the lump on their breast, no one likes driving in very inclement weather, no one wants to hear "that strange noise" downstairs in the middle of the night. But I think life is a little more fun with strange quirks like this. Sure, it means I will never become a certified scuba diver, and Katie hopefully will become the mother of boys some day, but we can live with that. She might even outgrow the upside-down roller coaster phobia some day, or not. But the good thing about these fears? They allow us to laugh at ourselves. And that helps us with the very real ones that we must face in life.

Excuse me now. I think I hear a goldfish coming . . .

To Dorothy Koretzky Martin

To one good lookin' dame, Happy Mothers Day, Ma!

Happy Mothers Day

To all who are either a mother or who have had to step into the role of one - whether as a grandmother, sister, aunt, foster mother, or as someone who has cared - I wish you a blessed and happy Mothers Day!

This was a photograph I took circa 1978 when I was a freshman at New York University. Everytime I see it, I think of St. Anne and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Update on Links

Mariana the Liar (no, I'm not insulting her, it's an inside joke) insisted I include her parish in my church links at right, so for your consideration, SS. Peter & Paul in Alta Loma, CA.

Eres feliz, cubana?

Scholarship Dinner

Well, they asked me to do the invitation for the annual Sr. Michelle Scholarship Dinner. It is a benefit to help Project SUCCESS, which is a non-profit organization determined to make sure that the Catholic schools in Santa Ana, California remain open and functioning, notwithstanding the local Church hierarchy (yeah, sure, go ask someone from St. Boniface how they feel about the Bishop).

The theme is inspired by World War II/1940's - did I hit it? Look, folks, (a) I have no formal training in graphic arts so I make do with whatever royalty-free images I can find, and (b) I work for free.

Say It With Flowers

The Code Pink members showed up today with a cauldron.

Filled with flowers.

And dressed like this.

Yeah, they will be taken as serious . . .

When Does She Sleep?

Ah, the Duggars of Arkansas are expecting now their 18th child, due this New Years.

Good for them! I knew families this large back in New York - heck, one Irish waitress in my neighborhood was one of 22 children by the same set of parents. I have read a lot of crtiticism of the Duggars, but here is how I see it:

• They are not breaking any laws.
• They are not living on welfare.
• They are welcoming of each new addition.
• It's their own damn business.

God bless 'em! I only wish they were Catholic . . .

Update: Okay, I got to say this just for the alliteration . . .

Dem dang Duggars doin' dat dirty deed!

For Kit

Counsel, it is unfair that I do not know how I could get some springtime flowers to you to help you at this time, as you did for me, but I hope this helps to bring you some peace of heart.

I Hear Holy Water Will Burn Them

Code Pink Protesters Try Witchcraft at Anti-Marine Rallies

Okay, now how silly can you be to "to cast spells and do rituals and to impart wisdom to figure out how we're going to end war."

On the other hand, given the demographics of this group, perhaps it is true that Hilary Clinton has given them a call . . . desperate times call for desperate measures.

Say, didn't I see this chick at the latest Call to Action Mass?

UPDATE: I see over at Knowledge is Power that Move America Forward is going to have a counter-demonstration that they are terming a "With-Hunt". Good sport! They are asking people to come by the Berkeley USMC recruiting station with American flags and brooms, the latter used to mock the witches.

Obscure Music Friday

Song: Ready, Steady, Go

Artist: L'Arc -en-Ciel

Why I Like It: Some years back, my daughter and I got hooked on watching this Japanese anime called Full Metal Alchemist. It friggin' rocked. And I loved the opening song to each episode, which was this song. I am glad to find a version here with English subtitles. If anyone knows how I can get the MP3 file for this, drop me a line.

This is America

I Caddied Once for the Dalai Lama Under Sniper Fire

Yesterday, while waiting for a church committee meeting to start, I was listening to local deejays and heard what I thought was the best metaphor for the detriment that Bill Clinton has had on his wife's campaign.

The one deejay referenced the movie Caddyshack, saying Bill was Carl Spackler, the groundskeeper played so wonderfully by Bill Murray, and Hilary was Bishop Pickering.

In the movie, the Bishop is playing golf when it starts to rain. The others in his foursome head back to the clubhouse as it starts to pour, but the Bishop is playing the best game of his life.

The rain becomes a veritable hurricane, and at one point the Bishop says to Carl, "So, what do you think?" Carl tells him, "I'd keep playing. I don't think the heavy stuff will come down for a while. " To which the Bishop replies, "You're right. Anyway, the good Lord would never disrupt the best game of my life."

And then he gets hits by lightning.

Heh.

Problematizing Free Thought

The Digihusband sent me this gem from The Wall Street Journal via email:

Dartmouth's 'Hostile' Environment

By JOSEPH RAGOMay 5, 2008; Page A13

Often it seems as though American higher education exists only to provide gag material for the outside world. The latest spectacle is an Ivy League professor threatening to sue her students because, she claims, their "anti-intellectualism" violated her civil rights.

Priya Venkatesan taught English at Dartmouth College. She maintains that some of her students were so unreceptive of "French narrative theory" that it amounted to a hostile working environment. She is also readying lawsuits against her superiors, who she says papered over the harassment, as well as a confessional exposé, which she promises will "name names."

The trauma was so intense that in March Ms. Venkatesan quit Dartmouth and decamped for Northwestern. She declined to comment for this piece, pointing instead to the multiple interviews she conducted with the campus press.

Ms. Venkatesan lectured in freshman composition, intended to introduce undergraduates to the rigors of expository argument. "My students were very bully-ish, very aggressive, and very disrespectful," she told Tyler Brace of the Dartmouth Review. "They'd argue with your ideas." This caused "subversiveness," a principle English professors usually favor.

Ms. Venkatesan's scholarly specialty is "science studies," which, as she wrote in a journal article last year, "teaches that scientific knowledge has suspect access to truth." She continues: "Scientific facts do not correspond to a natural reality but conform to a social construct."

The agenda of Ms. Venkatesan's seminar, then, was to "problematize" technology and the life sciences. Students told me that most of the "problems" owed to her impenetrable lectures and various eruptions when students indicated skepticism of literary theory. She counters that such skepticism was "intolerant of ideas" and "questioned my knowledge in very inappropriate ways." Ms. Venkatesan, who is of South Asian descent, also alleges that critics were motivated by racism, though it is unclear why.

After a winter of discontent, the snapping point came while Ms. Venkatesan was lecturing on "ecofeminism," which holds, in part, that scientific advancements benefit the patriarchy but leave women out. One student took issue, and reasonably so – actually, empirically so. But "these weren't thoughtful statements," Ms. Venkatesan protests. "They were irrational." The class thought otherwise. Following what she calls the student's "diatribe," several of his classmates applauded.

Ms. Venkatesan informed her pupils that their behavior was "fascist demagoguery." Then, after consulting a physician about "intellectual distress," she cancelled classes for a week. Thus the pending litigation.

Such conduct is hardly representative of the professoriate at Dartmouth, my alma mater. Faculty members tend to be professional. They also tend to be sane.

That said, even at – or especially at – putatively superior schools, students are spoiled for choice when it comes to professors who share ideologies like Ms. Venkatesan's. The main result is to make coursework pathetically easy. Like filling in a Mad Libs, just patch something together about "interrogating heteronormativity," or whatever, and wait for the returns to start rolling in.
I once wrote a term paper for a lit-crit course where I "deconstructed" the MTV program "Pimp My Ride." A typical passage: "Each episode is a text of inescapable complexity . . . Our received notions of what constitutes a ride are constantly subverted and undermined." It received an A.
Where the standards are always minimum, most kids simply float along with the academic drafts, avoid as much work as possible and accept the inflated grade. Why not? It's effortless, and there are better ways to spend time than thinking deeply about ecofeminism.

The remarkable thing about the Venkatesan affair, to me, is that her students cared enough to argue. Normally they would express their boredom with the material by answering emails on their laptops or falling asleep. But here they staged a rebellion, a French Counter-Revolution against Professor Defarge. Maybe, despite the professor's best efforts, there's life in American colleges yet.

Feliz Cinco de Mayo

Today is Cinco de Mayo. It commemorates the time when the Mexicans beat the French in a battle. Back in the 1800's. Please note, I said the French.

How hard could that have been?

Now, go have a drink . . .

Iron Man

With both kids clamoring to see the latest blockbuster, Iron Man, I broke down and we went. I have to admit, I was not looking forward to seeing it, as comic-book heroes are simply not in my radar of interest.

However . . . I enjoyed it. First, if you recall the snappy and snarky character on Ally McBeal from long ago that Robert Downey, Jr. played, he seemingly revises that role in his charcter of Tony Stark. I like Robert Downey, Jr. I enjoy his acting. I very much and sincerely hope that he has conquered his past problems with drugs because the man has talent. And he's nice on the eyes.

Which gives enough distraction for the ladies as this is definitely a "guy flick", but one your woman can enjoy. It has super geeky technology, it has explosives, it has military armaments, it has fast cars, it has babes, it has bald-headed villains with some wearing turbans (and any movie where Afghani Islamofascist camel jockeys get theirs, c'mon, what is not to like?).

It also has a thinly written "good-vs-evil-I-can-see-clearly-now-the-problems-of-my-past-epiphany-you-know-love-is-the-answer" story line but the special effects overcome the deficiencies there. Look, when comic book heroes are translated onto the big screen, are you really expecting Citizen Kane? Oh Lawdy, that last sentence may well garner a few comments from some of the guys I know who read this blog about, such as Stephanie, you can't discount the sturm und drang that is clearly the underlying motive for the Dark Knight and if you consider the angst in that scene where . . . Guys, guys, just as I did not accept in high school that the character of Jim Conklin in The Red Badge of Courage[1] is a metaphor for Jesus Christ, so too will I refuse to read anything further into a super hero on film.

No, I will do as I did with Iron Man. Sit back, munch on popcorn, and enjoy the film as pure escapism, cheering when the bad guys lose, wondering how Terrence Howard got such beautiful eyes, chuckling at the Dude[2] gone bald and bad, and thinking, damn, someone should give that Gwyneth Paltrow a hamburger or sumpin', she's too skinny . . .

Oh, and stay past the credits to see where this franchise is heading.

Update: A comment left questions the PG-13 rating on this movie. I brought my 10-year-old and 7-year-old. To be fair, the 7-year-old went MEGO during parts and really wanted to see fighting, death, destruction, explosions, etc. that can be expected with such a movie. You know, who cares about morality sub-themes and love interests when there are hot cars racing down a street.

I do not recall any profanity, except for really mild stuff like damn! No f-bombs dropped. Sex is in the film: at the beginning, Tony Stark has a one-night stand with a reporter from Vanity Fair[3] and you see a brief shot of the two of them in bed, but the covers are draped such that you don't see any body parts. That's part of the aforementioned morality subtheme - the "before Iron Man" Tony is a stone cold playuh, but changes his ways afterwards. He develops a love interest in his personal assistant, but they do not go jumping into bed and her role is more of the "damsel in distress" to allow the hero a daring rescue, naturally.

Hope that helps!

[1] Still ranks at the top of my list as Worst Drivel They Forced Me to Read in High School.

[2] "You know, that, or his dudeness, or duder, or el duderino, if you're not into the whole brevity thing."

[3] Now you know where slutty Brown University journalism majors wind up working.

World Food Scam

Another reason why I would like to see the United States withdraw from the United Nations and build some lovely condominium units overlooking the East River in New York City:

U.N.'s World Food Program Cried Poverty While Sitting on Cash Stockpile of More Than $1.22 Billion

Can we just all admit that the United Nations is naught but an organization that gives power to and allows the rampant corruption of 3rd world dictators and petty bureaucrats (which, given thought, but be one in the same).

Pray for the Michigan Babies

Ma Beck has this story at her blog, about Mass being said in the Detroit area for the 18 aborted babies found tossed in a dumpster behind the Woman Care abortion clinic on Southfield Road in Lathrup Village, Michigan.

I want to share a story that happened, gosh, maybe about 1998 at my own parish. Our pastor was Fr. Christopher Smith - now Vicar of Priests for the Diocese of Orange - and his associate was Fr. Al Baca - now pastor of St. Cecilia's in Tustin.

A newborn baby boy was abandoned in some bushes near the church and sadly, by the time he was discovered, he had died from exposure. I do not believe the mother was ever identified.

If my memory serves me correctly, after about a year lying unclaimed in the county morgue, the two priests asked that the body be released to St. Joseph's Church. The county agreed. They took the child, "gave" him the name Jose, and told the parishioners to come to his funeral to honor this little soul. A christening gown was purchased and I was told women from the parish washed and dressed his body.

I am tearing up now remembering that service. I can still picture the processional - rather than a casket being wheeled in by the funeral director, Fr. Al came down the aisle, cradling this tiny white coffin in his arms, that held the child. I cannot remember where he was laid to rest, but I think one of the parishioners donated a cemetary plot. While no dignity was given to Jose in his brief, brief life, at least this honor could be given to him in death.

Pray for these Michigan babies. Pray for Jose. Pray for all the children.

Obscure Music Friday

Song: Hurt

Artist: Originally done by Nine Inch Nails, this is a remarkable cover by Johnny Cash

Why I Like It: This song is magically transformed by Mr. Cash, and this is the last video he did before his death. It is a beautifully done piece regarding the folly of mortality, or rather, the folly in believing in immortality. Powerful, powerful . . .

Forget It, Jake, it's Mahoney

Long known as a city of corruption (right, Mr. Mulholland?), now from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles comes this:

Woodland Hills parish donates most of its savings to help the Los Angeles archdiocese pay sexual abuse settlements

To help the Los Angeles archdiocese pay off the “crippling debt” accrued from sexual abuse settlements, St. Bernardine of Siena parish in Woodland Hills will donate most of its savings – about $1.5 million – to the archdiocese, the parish bulletin announced on Sunday.

[The pastor, Fr. Robert McNamara's] decision was in response to an archdiocesan recovery strategy to pay its portion of the sexual abuse settlement as well as ease its financial recovery from the settlements. The strategy includes increasing parish assessments by two percent, reducing archdiocesan administrative costs by 10%, and requesting grants, pledges, and loans from parishes. As a last resort, the archdiocese will consider selling additional properties beyond the 51 it has slated for sale.

And yes, it will also start asking the priests for a month's salary, just as in San Diego, or so I have heard. And I have heard that Mahoney is approaching other parishes, hand held out, to request their savings.

I think if I were a parishioner at St. Bernardine's, I would leave the parish to find another. I could not tolerate a decision like that, since a portion of that money came from my tithing.

Christmas Will Now Be the Third Sunday of December Every Year

I got a chuckle from Fr. Erik proclaiming the new season of Whiningtide, where Catholics like myself wonder where in Hell have the Holy Days gone?

Today used to be Ascension Thursday, but that has been moved to this coming Sunday. Used to be, back when I was naught but a wee Catholic school gurl, this was a Holy Day of Obligation. You remember those? Had to go to Church? Might have been inconvenient for a moment but as there were only a handful in the year, no, it really wasn't.

So I went to Church this morning over at St. Paul the Apostle's in Chino Hills, California. Modern, but delightful nonetheless. The focus was not on the Ascension but instead Father focused on the other feast day that is today, St. Joseph the Worker[1]. I learned in his sermon that this feast was started by Pope Pius XII in 1955 as a counter to the huge May Day celebrations that Communist countries held, to remind people that you cannot have a "worker's paradise" if you deny the dignity of the individual.

[1] It occurred to me, sadly, that my own parish of St. Joseph's missed out on the opportunity to celebrate this feast, especially since this year March 19th was pre-empted by Holy Week. Given our mix of parishioners, I think having a bilingual Mass for May 1st would have been appreciated. But I will let someone else suggest that to Our Beloved Pastor.

I'm Set for the Future

Yesterday, the Future Father Patrick (FFP) told me that when he is a priest and "running St. Joseph's", I can come and work for him at the rectory.

I asked him how much he was going to pay me. Well! FFP told me that I would get "$100 every Friday and $100 every Sunday."

How can you beat that? Especially since he tells me that I will "answer the phones, sometimes, and read at Mass." And I can come and cook for him and the other priests.