Time is short...

It has now been a little over a week since Election Day. Last week, after the election, I blogged about keeping hope in the growing darkness. Keep that blog in mind as I reflect on the events that have occurred since. The purpose of this entry is to help you realize what we are up against in the coming times. I am not really surprised that the events I am about to describe are taking place...but I am surprised that they are happening so fast and so soon. Take a look:

First off, we start in California. Proposition 8, which defined marriage as between one man and one woman, was passed in last week's vote. Gay rights activists have been in an uproar since. Over the weekend, an elderly lady went to one of the protests to show her support of Proposition 8. She carried a cross with her. When a local TV station tried to interview her, this is what happened. The end of the video in particular is disturbing.



One last comment on this story. The news anchor at the end says there was 'a lot of hate on both sides.' What is he talking about?? A little old lady carrying a cross is hate?? If that her actions are on the same level as the actions of her attackers, then America is perhaps in an even darker state that even I realized.

Next, we go to Michigan. Again, the 'tolerant, equality driven' gay agenda lashes out. Instead of me trying to describe the chaos that was created at a Church in Michigan, I will just let you read:

http://www.rightmichigan.com/story/2008/11/10/13335/904

This is not an isolated event either. Churches nationwide have been vandalized for opposing gay marriage.

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Politics/Default.aspx?id=315392
http://spiritdaily.com/whipsawtimes.htm (third paragraph)

No, of course it is not every protester and gay rights activist that is doing this. Of course they are not all full of hate. But, the fact of the matter is, these news stories aren't making headlines in the liberal media. That is just part of how this culture is primed for this kind of persecution. The extreme liberalism that was voted into office and into law last week has only empowered the extreme left and embolden them to act in such ways....and this is just one short week later.

This isn't limited to the gay marriage debate either. High profile Pro-life leaders and priests have begun to receive death threats for their stand against things such as the Freedom of Choice Act, which the US Conference of Catholic Bishops just yesterday said would "deprive the American people in all 50 states of the freedom they now have to enact modest restraints and regulations on the abortion industry.", and "would coerce all Americans into subsidizing and promoting abortion with their tax dollars." Furthermore, they say the FOCA may have a "destructive effect on the freedom of conscience of doctors, nurses and health care workers whose personal convictions do not permit them to cooperate in the private killing of unborn children." They call the Freedom of Choice Act 'evil' and rightly so. Pray hard about this, as well as embryonic stem cell research, an area that is too often overlooked. Obama has indicated that he will overturn restrictions on embryonic stem cell research right away. The Vatican has called ESCR 'worthless' and the simple fact of the matter is a human life is destroyed in the process. Why do we need to have this when there are other stem cells that, unlike embryonic stem cells, actually have yielded results, but do not kill a human in the process? It is an evil practice that should be outlawed...yet our president elect is about to forge full steam ahead with it.

A couple days ago, the phrase 'time is short' jumped out at me and has kinda stuck with me since. The escalation of violence, intolerance and hatred against Christians and the most innocent forms of human life is disturbing and just goes to prove what I was saying last week. War is upon us. Only God knows what the future, both short term, and long term, may hold. But, time may in fact be short before these types of events become much more widespread and dangerous. So prepare yourself for the fight now. Prayer is our best weapon. Pray for this country. Pray for those who are persecuting the Church. Pray for Obama! That is immensely important! And pray that you will have the strength to do God's will. Take a moment and ask yourself, 'What will I give and sacrifice for God'? Will you risk being persecuted as our brothers and sisters already have been? Will you make a stand and fight for the unborn....for the preservation of the family and the sanctity of marriage, knowing full well that it may very well put you at risk as well? How far will you go for your God? We have death threats being made against priests...would you die for your God? After all...He did die for us.

The Dark Night

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Over the past 24 hours or so, our country has set its course for the coming years. As I am sure you are well aware, the results of Election Day 2008 scarcely could be considered anything short of a near-worst case scenario. Our fellow citizens, and perhaps you, who are reading this now, have helped elect a candidate who threatens the very way of Christian life through his ultra-liberal policies to the highest position in the country, if not the world. Congress and the House of Representatives, the law makers of this country, have become even more liberal with the liberals picking up even more seats. I do not like the term 'Democrats', because today's Democratic leaders are a disgrace to what the Democratic Party once was. Furthermore, the fight for the Right to Life was hampered by failed legislation in South Dakota and Colorado that would have protected thousands of innocent lives. Never before has our country turned its back on God so brashly.

My brothers and sisters, I am writing this evening because of the difficulties of the times to come, but more so because of the hardships many of you are already feeling. Last night was a very stressful, pivotal night, and things did not go well...and I dare say America will pay the consequences of her choices. This has caused a great deal of anxiety, hopelessness, and discouragement among us. We face a great uphill battle now, not only for the unborn and Christian values, but, possibly for our freedoms as well. The coming years will not be easy, and now, more than ever, it is important we heed the words of Ephesians 6:10-20:

10

¹ Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power.

11

Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil.

12

For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.

13

Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground.

14

So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate,

15

and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace.

16

In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all (the) flaming arrows of the evil one.

17

And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18

With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the holy ones

19

and also for me, that speech may be given me to open my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel

20

for which I am an ambassador in chains, so that I may have the courage to speak as I must.

My brothers and sisters, it is without doubt that we face a time where we will be tested. Verse 12 above in particular stands out. Our battle is not against Obama, the Senate, Congress or any person. Instead, we are faced with a spiritual war. In fact, we have already been attacked.

The feelings I described many of us having above...hopelessness, despair, even depression, are the beginning of the attack. Satan is using these initial attacks to trick us into surrendering before we even realize we are at war. It is important, therefore, that we first focus on fortifying and strengthening ourselves so that we can face, and survive, this time. How can we do that? First, we must remember two important themes found in Scripture and passed on from age to age: First: be not afraid. We have a God who loves us so much, that He gave us His Son to die for us so that evil will never triumph. In essence, our battle has already been won, and victory is guaranteed. There is nothing that can be done by the enemy to change that if we truly accept this. Secondly, have hope. Again, the victory is ours through the cross and through our God, we can do all things...for "nothing is impossible for God" (Luke 1:37). By holding onto that hope and not being afraid, we can and will see these times pass. Even with all that was evil last night, the sanctity of marriage and the family was upheld in California, Florida and Arizona.

The first step in all of this must occur right now. Not in a couple of days, not in a few hours. This very moment. We have all been tempted by the feelings of despair and distress, myself included. We must let Christ lift us up right now and go about life as if nothing has changed. We must continue to find joy in our Savior and the many blessings He has poured out on us. We must continue to reject feelings of depression and continue our fighting. We must continue to build each other up, strengthening our brothers and sisters where they are weak, and allowing them to do the same for us. We must continue to allow God to do miraculous things for us, because He has blessed us in so many more ways than we can even comprehend. We must, absolutley must, NOT succumb to this. It is tempting to say 'yes...that is all great and right...but not now." But, as much as I tempted by that even as I write this, we can not give into this temptation.

In conclusion, my brothers and sisters, we have a God who loves us more than we can being to imagine. He has not abandoned us, and no matter what happens here on Earth, He never will. We must now humble ourselves and allow Him to lift us up and search for His will in our lives. Time may or may not be very short until great trials like we, young and old alike, have not witnessed before. It is important, then, that you prepare yourself now. Read the Bible. Pray as often as you can. Attend your Church services. Repent for your sins, and resolve to actively strengthen those areas where you are weak. For my Catholic brothers and sisters, this means going to Confession frequently. It can be a daunting thing, yes...but the more you go, the more you find it peaceful and the joy after receiving the Eucharist at Mass right after going to Confession...its simply wonderful...but you must open yourself to God and let Him in.

If you think you do not have time for these things, you do and can make the time. That is something I have been learning this semester, which has been extremely busy for me. It is so amazing what 15 minutes or prayer can do....what reading a couple sections of the Bible can do (there are many reading plans that are very easy to follow)...saying a prayer on the way to class or while driving to work....all of these things can help in ways that may be unforeseen at the moment.

So, my brothers...my sisters...the time is now. Arm yourself and prepare, because like it or not, war is already upon us. Thankfully for us, we have an all powerful Savior fighting with us. The darkest hour is always that right before the dawn.

Be strong. Have hope. And may God bless you always.

Follow the Election Here!

I found this widget on MSNBC.com and thought I would add it for eveyone to see. Enjoy.

My Election Prediction

Just for kicks, here is what I think the election will end up looking like when its all said and done.

Simply a Quote...nothing more

"When the time comes as it surely will, when we face that awesome moment, the final judgment, I’ve often thought, as Fulton Sheen wrote, that it is a terrible moment of loneliness. You have no advocates, you are there alone standing before God - and a terror will rip through your soul like nothing you can imagine. But I really think that those in the pro-life movement will not be alone. I think there will be a chorus of voices that have never been heard in this world but are heard beautifully and clearly in the next world - and they will plead for everyone who has been in this movement. They will say to God, ‘Spare him because he loved us,’ - and God will look at you and say not, ‘Did you succeed?’ but ‘Did you try?’"
~ Illinois Rep. Henry Hyde who passed away in November 2007

Day of Prater and Fasting

I will let this story speak for itself. I hope will join me in this.

http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=79281

Obama's True Colors

Lots of pre-election news swirling about today. Two of these stories have caught my attention. I also ran across a couple of advertisements from an independent group that help show exactly what Obama is made of. One is meant as a spoof, while the other three are serious. First though, the news:


http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/31/obama-lays-plans-kill-expectations-election-victory/

This story really, in all honesty, doesn't surprise me too much. Obama has spent months and months on the campaign trail, first for the primaries, and then the presidential election. All that time, he has used his excellent rhetoric to hype up his plans of 'Change We Can Believe In'. People have gone so far as to compare him to a political savior, all on empty rhetoric. Well, now that we are almost to the election, Obama is beginning to admit that his hyped promises are empty. A typical politician to say the least...no change there. After all his hype, he is now trying to temper people's expectations. So....which of Obama's promises are we to trust in? Any of them? So, for all you obsessive Obama supporters....here it comes....your dreams of an American Mecca are beginning to deflate. If your candidate doesn't even believe in his change, why should you? THINK PEOPLE.

http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/10/31/obama-plane-pitches-reporters-mccain-endorsing-papers/

This one was an interesting and still developing story. Was it coincidence that, to clear space on his campaign plane, Obama kicked off reporters from three McCain supporting newspapers? Let's, once again, think a little, shall we. I am sure both presidential candidates have way more reporters requesting to ride along than there are seats. McCain has had to make some adjustments as well, as the article indicated. However, some of these reporters have been with Obama since the very start...and now, in the last week, they get the boot? I can not claim to know Obama's mind, but he knew very well that the reporters he kicked off were from papers supporting McCain. It could not have not factored in the decision. The question, which is up to you to decide on, is how much of a factor did that play in the choice?

And now, four commercials that may or may not be on TV (depending on if this organization gets enough donations by 8PM EDT TONIGHT).

This one is more of a satire, but it brings up a big concern on Obama's lack of experience in foreign policy. If you and your friends are threatened by a bully, do you go to the bully and say "lets talk, on your terms, when you want, where you want, no strings attached." What will the bully do? Probably laugh and punch you in the face (or whatever that particular bully does.) It isn't practicle, reasonable, or realisitc. Yet...that is what Obama wants to do with the likes of Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, Kim Jong Ill of North Korea, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran. No, they and others like them do not sit around a table and plot. No, they will not all burst out laughing at Obama's offer to 'talk'...but the commercial gets the point across. Obama's 'policy' for foriegn relations is so pathetic and lacking of any experience and knowledge that, if it didn't put billions of people and the stability of the WORLD at risk, it would be a laughing matter.



Next up comes some clips from Hillary Clinton during the battle for the Democratic nomination. The clips focus on Obama's empty campaign (see story 1, above), his connections with people such as an inner-city Chicago slum lord (not to mention William Ayers, an unrepentative terrorist and others). Directly following that are two more attacking Obama's chracter and morals, or lack there of, along with some more ties to anti-America, anti-democracy groups and people.







Really people...why would you vote for this guy? It is becoming increasingly evident that he doesn't care about America, or me, or you, or anyone one else. Certainly not the unborn, who are the most vulnerable human beings in our society today. All he cares about is power and making history. Fame...glory...publicity.

So...really...are we going to just give this guy what he wants while we are blinded by his lies? I guess we will find out Tuesday. Keep checking my blog...I am sure I will have more to say before Election Day comes.

Guest Blogger: Election Thoughts

Tonight I bring you a blog that one of my friends here at school wrote. I thought it was very good and hit a lot of the points I would hit if I were to type up a full fledged attack on Obama. Take a look...his post is in red. I add a couple things at the end.

"I am a recently-turned staunch Republican who feels there are a few things you need to know about who some of you may be voting for, and how news about him has been skewed.

With each passing day, I am more shocked and flabbergasted at the wild-eyed liberal far LEFT leanings of the media in this country. I don't know about you, but I am far more taken aback by Obama's planned $2,000,000+ victory party in Chicago than the $150,000 that the REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE, not even McCain's campaign bought Palin! So, $150,000 of RNC money spent on Palin's clothes is extravagance, but a $2 MILLION victory party in Chicago paid for by Obama's campaign, which still hasn't and hopefully won't happen, isn't? GIVE ME A BREAK! Obama certainly is trying to buy the presidency, spending $600,000,000 dollars on his campaign, more than SIX TIMES that of McCain. What happens if he God forbid, gets into the White House? Well, he's already proven he is VERY good at spending money, but instead of that money being donations, voluntarily given to him from both public and private sources, it will be YOUR tax dollars. The PRESIDENCY is NOT something that should be bought! Vote based on the issues, not on how much money has been spent! Speaking of issues, here are a few important ones, given to you from the other side.

1. Staying with the economy, Obama talks a lot of rhetoric about not taxing or offering tax cuts to those making less than $250,000 per year. Well, hold on! Obama's ad just tonight (10/29/08) changed that to $200,000. Biden in a recent interview lowered it to $150,000 per year, showing not only that they cannot make up their minds, but that they probably aren't going to lower taxes for anybody. That's bold. Why do I say that? Obama's voting record in Congress! How many times has Obama voted to lower taxes? NONE. How many times has Obama voted against lowering taxes or raising them? NINETY-FOUR TIMES. Don't believe me? LOOK IT UP! Actions speak louder than words Obama, and while your words, admittedly, sound really good, your actions spell out a COMPLETELY different story. You aren't fooling this voter. So, what has Obama done in Congress? One of the 94 times he has voted to raise taxes was to RAISE taxes on those making as little as $42,000 per year. Obama is claiming he will lower taxes on those making somewhere between $150,000 and $250,000 per year, but in the past he has voted to raise taxes on those making $42,000. Hmmm...

Obama is a Socialist, by it's dictionary definition. That is " Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods, and the creation of an egalitarian society. Socialists mainly share the belief that capitalism unfairly concentrates power and wealth among a small segment of society that controls capital and creates an unequal society." We all heard what Obama said to Joe the Plumber. He wants to redistribute the wealth. Well, there you go! Last time I checked, the above defnition is redistribution of wealth. What did they say in defense? Biden claimed the redistribution of wealth was lowering taxes on the middle class. Hate to break it to you Biden but if you are lowering taxes, you are keeping hard-earned money in the people's pockets, which is quite a concept! That is not redistribution of wealth, that is allowing people to keep their wealth. Redistribution of wealth by definition is TAKING the wealth of those who EARNED it, and DISTRIBUTING it AGAIN to those who DID NOT earn it! <--- = SOCIALISM.

What about something as simple as human life? Surely Obama supports life! WRONG!!!! Obama is the worst pro-choice person I have seen in a very long time. He has voted time and time again to retain abortion rights. Sorry. ABORTION is NOT a right! You are KILLING off AMERICA'S YOUTH! It does NOT get any LESS American than that. Ok, sure maybe I am an extremist pro-lifer, well, when it comes to basic human rights, I'm fine with that. One of the first official documents of the United States was the Declaration of Independence, which 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." The first RIGHT of all Americans is the RIGHT TO LIFE! Killing off the unborn is denying an American the right to life! Ok. I'll play devil's advocate. I personally could NEVER believe this, but what if I believed that the unborn are not people, and therefore not Americans. GUESS WHAT? OBAMA STILL wants to kill you if you unfortunate enough to be a baby born from a failed abortion. Obama surprised even the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) by voting AGAINST helping care for those babies BORN ALIVE as a result of a failed abortion. Sorry, I definitely COULD NOT make this stuff up.

In this case, National Security follows very closely to the argument for life, loosely. Obama plans on cutting defense spending by at least 25%. In these dangerous times, that is suicide. If there is one thing I know about the international community, it's that there is NO shortage of people who HATE America. Al Qaeda, led by Osama Bin Laden, ATTACKED us in New York City and Washington D.C. just a little over seven years ago, and with insane people like that on the loose and with potential connections to nuclear weapons, he wants to DECREASE defense spending? Is he insane? Don't answer that. Speaking in all seriousness, I will not feel safe living in the Washington D.C. area if Barack Obama is less than 25 miles away in the Oval Office, knowing he wants to decrease defense spending and give insane international leaders such as Amadinijad, leader of Iran, the chance to convince him that they are looking our for our best interests. Iran is a tiny threat? Most certainly not.
What happened when Russia invaded Georgia? Many innocent Georgian lives were lost in that blatent display of military aggression. What did Barack Obama suggest Georgia do? He encouraged them to be reasonable! To take it without fighting back! So what's to say he wont suggest that we Americans also just take it if we are attacked again! DON'T GIVE OBAMA THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE THAT MISTAKE THAT COULD COST THOUSANDS OF AMERICAN LIVES!

Now, I've already blogged a couple of times on abortion...so I won't beat that horse again...let me say something on Obama's redistribution of wealth. Obama and many democrats are under the belief that those on the top of the economic ladder should be brought down by taking their moeny and giving it to those on the bottom of the economic ladder. Perhaps in theory this sounds like a 'nice' thing to do, but lets take a look at just what that is. It sounds very much like a form of communism to me. Guess what....communism doesn't work. Period the end. Furthermore, it really bugs me is when teachers and professors toot their horn about this communism in disguise. If these educators are so gung ho about taking from those at the top and giving to those at the bottom, then why are their classrooms not run like that? Lets say in a class room of 20 students, 5 get and F, 5 get and A, and 10 get a C+. By the theory of redistribution of wealth, those who got A's, whether by hard work, supurior intellect or a better situation, should get a C+. Those extra points that they earned should then be given to those who either tried and struggled, gave up, or simply didn't show up so that they can be given a C+ as well. That is outrageous. Why is the economy any different? I know of people who, for whatever reason, just don't seem to care. They spend money on video game systems and televisions....money they don't have, while they don't even try to go get a job to support their family or get out of debt. Should they be given money that was taken from someone who worked their tail off and rose through a coorporation and worked to get a good salary? No. That is not helping anyone. If that is the case, where is the incentive for anyone to actually work hard? There won't be any incentive! If you think things are bad now with the economy and having nearly everything made in foreign, cheap labor countires....this will only make things so much worse.

Another thing that really upsets me is how Obama can get away being buddy-buddy with racists and terrorists....and no one seems to care. But, this post is already pretty long, so I will leave that for another post tomorrow or this weekend. God bless.

Election Novena

First off, this semester has been too busy for me to post. That doesn't mean I haven't had a lot of thoughts, but just no time to share them.

However, with what we face in just over a week, time needs to be made to post at least something. And so, for my fellow Catholic brothers and sisters, I bring you this, which was passed along to me by a friend.

This is a novena for the election. The link is just one page of text, explaining why this is vital. The priest who initiated this movement does not sugar coat this, and nor should he. Things that have been going on, such as the economy, are NOT coincidence.

Read this...and act how the Holy Spirit directs you.

http://www.fathercorapi.com/PDF/ElectionNovena.pdf

The question of Palin's Experience

First off, I hope you all had a wonderful summer. I had a rather busy one, which is why this never got updated. A lot has happened, though, even just in the last week or so. We've got our presidential nominations, they have both chosen a Vice President, and one party has already had their convention. So, its high time this blog gets cranking again on a regular basis as I hope to help this country avoid the pending catastrophe I call 'Obamination'. ;)

A couple days ago, John McCain picked his running mate, Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska. Now, she is pretty unknown to most people, since she is in Alasaka! In a nut shell, she is the perfect VP pick for McCain to get those conservatives who were rather 'iffy' about McCain to support him strongly. She is fiscally conservative, strongly anti-abortion (she recently gave birth to a son with Downs Syndrome, even though many told her to murder this child...yes abortion is murder.), pro-Second Amendment, and a very strong individual who tells things like it is.

With such a solid running mate, what are the Democrats and liberals to do??? Palin has but one area they have decided to attack: her experience. Just today, in the Dining Hall, I heard a lady exploding about she has no experience. Here is a run down of her political career:

• City Council Member, Wasilla, Alaska: 1992-1996
• Mayor of Wasilla, Alaska: 1996-2002
  
• Chairperson of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: 2003-2004
• Governor of Alaska: 2006-Present

Not a super long career, but it spans 14 years. Apparently, however, 14 years isn't long enough for people like that lady. Now, the way that lady worded her comment showed me quickly she read 1 article, formed her opinion based on that 1 article, and quickly adapted 1 thing she read in that article and made it her entire article. This is the single quote she is using for her strong anti-Palin beliefs:

"Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency," ~Adrianne Marsh, a spokeswoman for Democrat Barack Obama.

A very interesting quote. It is certainly true, that she was a mayor and had little foreign policy experience. However, it seems a bit....hypocritical, not to mention downright, well...stupid. Shall we take a look at Adrianne Marsh and the Dining Hall lady's candidate's political career?

• Member of the Illinois Senate, 13th District: 1997-2004
  
• Illinois Junior Senator: 2005-present

Eleven Years. Only the last 3 have been in big government. His foreign policy experience, zero! He hasn't even held an administrative position...he has been a junior senator. Palin, on the other hand, has run an entire state....at an 80% approval rating at that! How can the Democrats complain about putting a candidate up for vice-president who has no experience when at the same time, their presidential candidate is in the same boat?

Now, if you are a democrat, I already can guess as to your response. "Obama has been in the Federal government, in Washington! Palin hasn't!" Again, Obama has been a junior senator, where as Palin has run an entire state. Tell me, 12 months ago did you know who Obama was? Was he in the news for his work in the Senate? I tend to think I follow politics closely, and I hadn't ever heard of him until the Primaries occured. Fact of the matter is, Obama has no experience at much of anything! And the Democrats want that for President?

I am really curious, and so I ask any Obama-Bidden supports who read this. Leave me a comment and tell my why you support them. What is it that he is saying he will do that you like so much? I printed out his 60+page 'Plan for Change' and looked at some of it...I just don't see what he is running on. He says 'Oh, I will change this, and I will change that. We need to get away from the same-old same old." But I ask, where does he say how he will change thigns? I don't see it anywhere. So....I want to see your comments. Why Obama?????

"Catholic" Democrats?

I just read an article on some comments Catholic League President Bill Donahue made on Obama and his Catholic supporters. It brought up to mind something that has really bothered me over the past few months. I simply do not see how Catholics....or ANY Christians...can support Obama or the democratic party in general! It really gets on my nerves to see articles on how the Democratic nominees are "fighting" for the "Catholic" vote. There shouldn't be ANY Catholic vote for the Democrats!

How can these "Catholic" democrats vote for and support candidates who have such a blatant disregard for human life and basic Christian morals? One of the Democratic Parties staunchest platforms is to allow abortions and stem-cell research. The Catholic Church teaches these as intrinsically evil! Would someone please explain to me then how someone can call themselves Catholic, yet support the Democrats?

I think a lot of it has to do with long standing voting traditions. Back in the day, it was the Democrats who were more closely aligned to Catholic teaching....so many people today just vote Democrat because that is what their parents and grandparents did. If that is the case, these people need to wake up and actually look at the issues. And this isn't just for Catholics either...I don't see how any Christian can support this party.

A vote for the Democrats is a vote for the Culture of Death. Which are you going to support come November?

Bill Donahue Article: http://www.lifenews.com/nat3921.html

Al Gore & The Myanmar Cyclone Disaster

As I am sure you have all heard, the Asian nation of Myanmar (Burma) was recently struck by devastating Cyclone Nargis (same thing as a hurricane, just a different name). The last estimates I heard for a death toll were over 100,000. This is truly a horrendous situation compounded by a military regime that is dragging its feet allowing foreign aid to come in.

The focus of today's blog, however, is Al Gore's claim that this was the effect of Global Warming. Since he uses hurricanes as a tell-tale sign of Global Warming, it is no surprise that he saw this disaster as a perfect opportunity to gain some more steam for his own cause.

I am not going into all the details as to why Global Warming in general is false or why Al Gore should actually practice what he preaches, or the threat to our liberties eco-nuts like Obama (who said he would have Gore in his Cabinet) would enact. Instead, I am just going to focus on this storm and what made it so disastrous. Were I to focus on the other things, I would spend days here and what I would end up posting would be an online-book, not a blog!

First, some geography: Myanmar is located in Southeast Asia along the Bay of Bengal. On the map below, I have highlighted Myanmar in orange and put the approximate track Nargis took with a red arrow. Click on the image to make it bigger.


The track of Nargis is the key factor. First, winds around cyclones, like hurricanes, turn counter-clockwise. That means as Nargis approached land, the winds were blowing from the south, namely directly on shore. The winds at land fall were at or near 120 mph. The winds of hurricanes and cyclones are so strong they effectively push the ocean water on shore. This is called the Storm Surge So, with 120mph winds blowing directly perpendicular to shore, the water had no where to go but on shore.

This particular storm surge was I about 12 feet. That means, the ocean raised about 12 feet above its normal levels. Now, the area effected by this storm surge is a river delta. This means there are many rivers to flood as the larger river splits into numerous channels that empty into the sea.

Furthermore, Southern Myanmar is flat and barely above sea-level. Even nearly 200 miles inland is less than 100 feet above sea-level. This only makes the storm surge worse. Since there is such little change in elevation, there is nothing to prevent the storm surge from plowing further inland.

Even worse is the fact that the most populated part of Myanmar is in the south. The capital city of Yangon (Rangoon) is situated along one of the deltas on the southern coast. Most of the city is below 20 feet in elevation.

The last factor that made this storm such a disaster was the government of Myanmar. They gave their people very little to no warning this storm was coming. The citizens had no time to prepare; their infrastructure was very poor and, living at such a low elevation allowed the ocean to literally come in and engulf their towns and cities.

This has absolutely NOTHING to do with "global warming." To pick out one storm and say it is proof of climate change is folly. One cannot determine the condition of the climate based on one storm, or even one year's worth of storms. Furthermore, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) has even said there is no link between "global warming" and hurricanes.

All Gore is trying to do here is capitalize off of this horrendous tragedy. If he succeeds, in the end it will be his pockets that get lined with the profits of carbon off-sets and the likes. If Gore really cares about helping save people's lives, I had better be reading headlines about how he is donating millions upon millions to help the victims of this catastrophe. Of course, that has about as much a chance of happening as most of his doomsday global warming scenarios.

Links:
Here are some better maps, as well as some chilling satellite pictures from NASA:
Accuweather.com Jesse Ferrell's May 6th Blog Entry

Saudi Arabia...extreme?

Another offering from The Religion of Peace:

http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=228978


And before someone goes and says "but the Bible says to kill those who use God's name in vain!!!" I would suggest you go grab a Christian theology book and look up the difference between the OLD Covenant and the NEW Covenant.

Common Sense

Sorry I haven't had anything to say lately...been busy. Thought I would share this little email-forward I got once though....sad, but true...

My parents told me about Mr. Common Sense early in my life and told me I would do well to call on him when making decisions. It seems he was always around in my early years but less and less as time passed by. Today I read his obituary. Please join me in a moment of silence in remembrance, for Common Sense had served us all so well for so many generations. If I have sent this to you recently, forgive me, but I seem to think it is worth sharing again............take a sec and give it another quick read.........

Obituary:

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long a go lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn't always fair, and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children are in
charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer aspirin, sun lotion or a sticky plaster to a student, but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar can sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot and spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason................
He is survived by three stepbrothers; I Know my Rights, Someone Else is to Blame, and I'm a Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

Author
Unknown

Pope Benedict XVI in America

Just a quick post today. The Pope has begun his visit in America, the first of his papacy. I've included two consecutive videos, the first being Bush welcoming the Pope, the second being the Pope. I had also found a transcript of the Pope's speech. I recommend following along on the transcript as you listen since the Holy Father has a thick German accent ;)

Bush:



The Pope (couldn't embed this one, sorry!)

http://wcbstv.com/video/?id=111364@wcbs.dayport.com

And the transcript:

http://wcbstv.com/papalvisit/pope.benedict.speech.2.701076.html

God bless!

Barack Obama, Iraq, and the United States in the late 1700's

I will start with my aside first today. This morning, I watched Senator Barack Hussein Obama give a campaign speech in Indiana. By the time I got my live stream to work, I only caught the end portion of what he was saying. He started to talk about the War in Iraq and what he said just flabbergasted me! He was going on about how he has a plan to withdraw our troops so that we would have no presence in Iraq within 16 months of his election. He then really showed his ignorance and complete lack of care for the Iraqi people.

Obama said, and since it was a live stream and I couldn't go back and get his exact words, this isn't a quote, he basically said that trying to help the Iraqi people get a government up is a waste of our time! He said that if the Iraqi government hadn't gotten things squared away in 7 years, (the 7 years coming from 2003-2010, when the last of our troops would withdraw on his plan) that the Iraqi government wouldn't get it together in 14 years, or 21 years, or 28 years.

Obama later stated that we need a president who knows our Constitution and was raised on the Constitution. Well...that is not Obama! Here is the thing: The United States of America declared independence from England on July 4, 1776. The leaders of the newly formed nation now had the task of "getting together" a government. The Articles of Confederation were adopted on November 15, 1777.

Here is the thing though...the Articles of Confederation failed and the founding fathers had not yet gotten a workable central government "together." But they eventually did and the American Constitution went into effect on September 17, 1787. Eleven years after our Declaration of Independence. Our own nation took more time to "get it together" than Obama is willing to give the Iraqi government. And we didn't even have half of the problems Iraq has! We didn't have terrorists blowing up our buildings and killing our leaders like what is happening in Iraq. Of course it isn't going to happen over night Obama! Look at your own country's history a little bit!

Religion of Peace Follow Up

Here are the responses I got to my question: 300, 1400, 10000 and 10880. At the time of submission, the 10880 was correct! However, that number has since risen to 10886.

10886. That is a lot of attacks. Now perhaps those verses of the Qur'an have been taken out of context. But they were not taken out of context by me! They are being taken out of context by the leaders of Islam. They are being taken out of context by the Muslims we are talking about here...the ones who directed and carried out those 10886 attacks. So whether those verses are in context or not...it simply does not matter.

Another argument people have been making is that I am being unfair in judging and generalizing all Muslims. Let me point out that I specifically said that a great deal of Muslims are not like this. Islam the religion breeds hate and violence. From the very start, that was the case. Read a bit about Mohammad, their profit and founder. He was a very violent, immoral man. So too is his religion. Again...not all Muslims are like this...many are not. When I say Islam is violent, I am talking about its teachings, its philosophies, etc....not necessary all the people.

If those quotes from the Qur'an are not enough to get you to see that this religion is violent and a threat to Western civilization....if the fact that there have been nearly 11000 attacks in 7 years isn't proof of their violence and hate....if the fact that I, an American going against the 'tyranny of the majority,' am not worthy of being listened to for the simple reason that I am going against the majority...then don't let me do the talking. Let those that embrace the violent qualities of Islam speak for themselves.

Yes, they can be found in the Middle East...on television shows for children, as a mockery of Mickey Mouse, spreading hate and talking of world conquest:



They can be found in the streets of London, calling for the destruction of western nations...calling for blood...because of a cartoon published that poked fun at Mohammad:



They can be found as the heads of state calling for the total inhalation of Israel and all who support them (like America):

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/10/26/news/iran.php

They can even be found in the United States....in New York State, training in fortified camps where gunfire can be heard on a regular basis:

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=48868

People...this is real. These things are real. I am not making this up. My question to you is this: Are you open minded enough to see the dangers that the religion of Islam brings? Or would you rather bury your head in the sand, turn the other way because it doesn't directly effect you right now? These people...these extremists...the ones who have the power...they hate you. They hate you so much they would die so long as they could take you with them. Why? Because their religion promises them a wonderful afterlife if they are martyrs. It is time to wake up folks.

Religion of Peace...

Sorry for the long gap in posting. I had spring break and then school got busy. But I am back now, so I should be posting often again.


My post today is a short one...and more of a question than anything else. It seems like a general thought that Islam is a "religion of peace" that has been hijacked by extremists...or at least so we are told.

And sure...there are plenty of peaceful Muslims. Don't get me wrong, I am well aware that the many Muslims are peaceful. But, are they actually following their religion? How "peaceful" are the teachings of Islam? Well....logically, to find this answer, we should go look at their holy book, the Qur'an. Here are five quotes from the Qur'an:

Sura (8:55) - Surely the vilest of animals in Allah's sight are those who disbelieve

Sura (48:29) - Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And those with him are hard (ruthless) against the disbelievers and merciful among themselves

Sura (9:30) - And the Jews say: Ezra is the son of Allah, and the Christians say: The Messiah is the son of Allah... Allah (Himself) fights against them. How perverse are they!

Sura (8:12) - I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them

Sura (9:123) - O you who believe! Fight those of the unbelievers who are near to you and let them find in you hardness

Sura (5:33) - The punishment of those who wage war against Allah and His messenger and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or their hands and their feet should be cut off on opposite sides or they should be imprisoned; this shall be as a disgrace for them in this world, and in the hereafter they shall have a grievous chastisement

Such a peace loving religion, isn't it?

Now...here is the question part of this blog....and I would REALLY like you to leave a comment with your answer to this question:

How many deadly attacks have been carried out worldwide in the name of Islam since September 11, 2001? Now...this is just the number of attacks...not how many have been killed or injured...just how many attacks have been coordinated and carried out since 9-11? And just for perspective...the War in Iraq has seen just over 4000 of our troops killed (may they never be forgotten).

Again....I would really like to see people answer. I am genuinely curious to see your thoughts. How many deadly attacks have been carried out worldwide in the name of Islam since September 11, 2001?

I will have the answer after I get a few responses.

In Response to "Concerning homosexuality and extremists in the Church.."

This blog entry is in response to a blog that was written Saturday by a fellow member of the Newman Club. First, some background information. The Newman Center is a Catholic College organization that is meant to serve as spiritual center for college students, based on the teachings of the Catholic Church. The Newman Club is simply a student run club associated with the Newman Center.

When I came to college last September, I quickly got heavily involved in the Newman Center, but was distressed by what seemed to be a lack of orthodoxy (faithfulness to Church teaching) in the Center’s attitudes. For example, the Center hosted a talk by a priest who dissented from Catholic teaching on homosexuality, charging the Church with being “homophobic.”

Because this kind of dissenting attitude toward the Catholic Church was not what I was looking for and was not helpful to my spiritual growth, I have been gradually distancing myself, feeling that this was better than a confrontation, which would inevitably lead to a painful and likely unchristian situation.

However, when I was asked last week by another member of the Newman Club why it seemed like I was avoiding them, I simply told him why. I told him that I didn’t agree with a lot of the things they were doing and why I didn’t feel comfortable with them. That was March 11^th and everything was more or less quiet until Saturday, when this blog was written. The link to the blog is http://bernstein09.blogspot.com/ and I would encourage you to read it before going on since I will be addressing the content of the blog itself.

First, a quick word about the tone and word choice of this blog. Ironically, the author of the blog calls for open-mindedness but then calls and/or implies that people who disagree with her on this issue as bigot, terrorist, hateful person, etc. Is this open-minded?

How many people, even among Catholics, actually know what the Church teaches about homosexuality? Here is what the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1997) says:

Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture . . . tradition has always declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.” They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sex act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination . . . constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God’s will in their lives, and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord’s Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition. Homosexual persons are called to chastity.

The Catholic Church’s teaching on this matter is consistent with Biblical condemnations of homosexual behavior (check your Bible, Leviticus 18:22-30, Romans 1:26-27, 1 Corinthians 6:9 and Jude 7). Catholic teaching on this issue is also shared by most religions, including most Protestant Christians, Muslims, and orthodox Jews. All of these faiths teach that sex belongs in marriage and that marriage must be between a man and a woman because the two purposes of sex—the expression of faithful, complementary love and the procreation of children—can be fulfilled only in heterosexual marriage. This is not a “prejudice” but a belief about God’s purposes for sex.

In saying that the Catholic Church is wrong to condemn homosexual behavior, the author of the blog is also saying that the Church is wrong on a matter of faith and morals. According to Catholic belief, this is not possible. Catholics believe that Jesus promised the Church that he would send the Holy Spirit to ensure the truth of its teachings. If you’d like more information about the Biblical backing of this, I would be happy to discuss it with you.

Lastly, the blog states that we must allow homosexual behavior in order to love them. This is not true at all. Jesus loved every person more than we are capable of, but he wasn’t afraid to tell them they were wrong and that they needed to repent and take control of their sinful desires. Being loving does not mean allowing sinful behavior to continue. I by no means support those who abuse homosexuals and discriminate against them. However, to let them do what they want is to stand by while they fall deeper into sin. That is not loving, in fact, I can think of no way to be more unloving. The true Catholic teaching on homosexuals, as shown in the Catechism, is that we are called to love and encourage these people to place God at the center of their lives and take control of their desires. We are to pray for them and help them, not allow them to do whatever they wish.

You might think, “How can you ask people to suppress their natural desires?” Let me give you just one example of a person who is living a chaste lifestyle even though she has homosexual inclinations. She is part of a Catholic support group, Courage, that helps persons experiencing same-sex attraction to lead a chaste life. She says:

A homosexual tendency is not who you are; it’s a tendency in a person. There is a whole deeper reality to who you are. The more you grow internally, the more you can know yourself as you are known by God. The deepest peace you can have is when you are living the way God intended you to live.

Of course, you don’t have to agree with Catholic teaching or any other religious view of this or any other issue. That is your right of conscience, just as it is a right of conscience for other persons to hold the above-quoted beliefs.

Thank you for reading these thoughts with an open mind. I have tried my best to explain my views. I pray that we may all know the truth as God wants us to know it, I don’t wish to debate the issue further, especially not during the holiest week of the year. God bless you all.

Further Reading: Please leave a comment and I will give you some documents that I was not able to upload for furthered reading!

Atlanta Storm Damages CNN, Georgia Dome

A storm, possibly a tornado, ripped through downtown Atlanta last night, damaging the CNN studios and the Georgia Dome during the SEC basketball tournament.

Story: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,338078,00.html
Pictures: http://www.foxnews.com/photoessay/0,4644,3558,00.html

Earlier this week, one of my fellow Christian meteorology majors showed me a passage in the Gospel of Matthew that is probably overlooked by most people. But, the Bible is the Word of God, so every single verse has worth.

He said to them in reply, "In the evening you say, 'Tomorrow will be fair, for the sky is red'

and, in the morning, 'Today will be stormy, for the sky is red and threatening.' You know how to judge the appearance of the sky, but you cannot judge the signs of the times. ~Matthew 16:2-3

If you read the verses around this passage, you can see that the Pharisees were again testing Jesus and you can tell he is slightly annoyed with them becuase while they are asking for a sign, Jesus is telling them they are blind to the signs God has already given them.

When I heard about the storm in Atlanta last night and the two biggest stories surrounding it, this verse came to mind. What might God be trying to say to us through this storm. Maybe nothing, but the fact that a couple things immediately came to mind makes me really wonder. I am not saying this is for certain, but I find it very interesting.

CNN's studios were damaged. Now, I consider CNN to be one of the pillars of the liberal, leftish media in America. Their slanted news most certainly doesn't build up or support the kingdom of God. Could this storm have been a bit of a warning sign?

As for the basketball game, no God isn't upset at the teams that were playing when the storm hit. God isn't condemning sports or anything like that. However, I find the timing of the storm key. This game was part of the SEC College Basketball tournament. If you aren't familiar with "March Madness," let me explain. Basically, every major basketball conference holds a tournament at the end of the year. These tournaments help set the field for a larger, 65 team tournament. Tomorrow is 'Selection Sunday," when the tournament field is set.

Here is my thought linking the storm to the tournament. The NCAA tournament is a HUGE betting event...probably one of, if not the largest of each year. There will be a lot of excess money thrown around once the field is set tomorrow and the betting will continue for the duration of the tournament, which goes into April. Think of all the good that could be done with that money if it was spent on feeding the poor, clothing the naked, building homes, etc etc! Perhaps God is trying to get us to turn back to His word and have us spend our money on better things?

Barack Obama's Pastor

Now I have heard some things in the past about the pastor of the church that Obama goes to. However, it wasn't until this afternoon that some details finally came out.

Now, when you stick with a church for 20 years, get married in that church, have your children baptized in that church, when you are very close to your pastor...chances are pretty high you are satisfied and supportive of this church. From my own personal experience, my family just left one Catholic parish for another because we became very dissatisfied and uncomfortable (to say the least) with the direction of that parish. Likewise, here at my college, it is becoming clear to me that the Catholic chapel on campus is very liberal and does what they want...which I do not support and makes me uncomfortable. So, this semester, I have been to Mass there once and doubt I will be going there often if ever again, favoring the more traditional churches in town.

Now my whole point here is this. You pick your church and you pick your pastor based on what you like and what you are comfortable with. If you don't like it, you find another one. When you stay with the church for 20 years, you must like it.

Now...I have embedded video from Fox News that analyzes some of the sermons given by the Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr that are downright HATEFUL of America! Wait a second...Obama is buddy-buddy with a person who hates America...sits in the pews and listens to this guy spew anti-American lies...and he is running for PRESIDENT? Maybe its just me...but something doesn't seem right.

Take a look for yourself:
WARNING: THIS VIDEO CONTAINS OFFENSIVE MATERIAL AND LANGUAGE!!!


For further reading: http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/03/14/obamas-spiritual-adviser....
Another video: http://www.foxnews.com/video2/launchPage.html?031308/....
Obama's Church Website: http://www.tucc.org/home.htm

UPDATE: Apparently Obama has just released a statement regarding this very issue. That can be found by clicking here. You be the judge...I personally find it hard to believe that Obama never heard these sermons or didn't even know about them until the start of his campaign.

Introduction

Greetings all! I'd like to use this first post to introduce myself and let you know what I am going to be doing here.

First off, my name is Todd. Well...actually it isn't, but that is the name I have been using as my online alias for quite some time now, so when I thought of creating this blog, I thought why not use it here too! Anyways, I am a college freshman at an Upstate New York college majoring in meteorology. I have been interested in the weather as long as I can remember and truly enjoy meteorology, especially the forecasting aspect of it.

I was raised in a strong Roman Catholic family that has shaped my deep sense of faith that has gotten me to where I am today. I love the Catholic faith, but that does not mean I do not enjoy talking and communing with other religions. In fact, my best friends, who are more like brothers and sisters to me than simply friends, are not even Catholic.

I am a republican and conservative, with my main political interests being the Right to Life, preservation of marriage and the family, foreign policy, particularly in dealing with Islamic terrorists, and debunking the Global Warming hoax.

Right now, I am one and a half semesters into college and I see that the college environment is tough place for Christians to be. I also see how being a Christian in today's world is tough. Satan is trying so hard to distract us from what is good and right in this world. I felt that I have been called to share my thoughts and beliefs with anyone who would want to read them, which has lead me to create this blog. Furthermore, I am planning to posting a lot of links to current event stories and saying briefly what I think of them...that will probably make up the majority of my posts since I don't always have a lot of time to go into long articles. Please feel free to comment and debate me if you wish...I only ask you keep it respectful!

Thank you for taking time to read this and I hope you will keep coming back (or even subscribe to this). God bless!