DO DON'T Know Much About History (Standards).

     Good news about education in Alabama is hard to find, what with the continued cuts in education funding. But a study by researchers at Fordham University ranked Alabama second in the nation--an A-minus-- when it comes to state standards for teaching History. Mississippi got an F. Georgia a B.

     Alabama's grade is especially good when you see how poorly the rest of the country did:

"A majority of states’ standards are mediocre-to-awful. The average grade across all states is barely a D. In twenty-eight jurisdictions — a majority of states — the history standards earn Ds or below. Eighteen earn Fs."

     The grade was reported first by the A-Plus education organization.

     I went searching in Google News for some History Test results to see how well the state stacks up when it comes to actually knowing history, but no matter what series of words I used---Alabama history exam scores---etc etc, the vast majority of stories that turned up were sports stories. Go figure.

Day 17 - Finding God in Narnia

‘When he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him. He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”’ Matthew 5:1-11

For Reverend Mills, Jesus’ teachings on the kingdom make him think of the magical land of Narnia created by C. S. Lewis, especially as it is discovered and explored by Lucy and the other Pevensie children.

Parallel worlds are in fact one of the best ways to understand many of Our Lord’s teachings.

Sometimes daily life offers similar glimpses which we can share.

This past week I agreed to speak to a group of seniors from our parish on the topic of Adoration—the History of Adoration in the Catholic Church in 8 minutes or less was actually my assignment—if you can believe it.

I agreed to do it because I love Adoration, full stop. Trying to imagine doing justice to such an important topic in only 8 minutes—much less anything less—I never took seriously even before I started my research. I mean really? We’re talking two thousand years of Catholic Church history here. It simply can’t be done.

Throughout the week I made sure I spent at least an hour with Jesus every day in our Blessed Sacrament Room talking to Him about what He wanted me to say about Him.

Without a doubt it’s been the best week of my life. I worked ten hour days, fourteen on Wednesday but somehow everything came together. The talk went well. I know I went over my 8 minutes but no one complained. I’ve never been less nervous in front of a group of people in my life. Never. And I would say that usually I prefer dental visits to public speaking.

However, last evening I was thrilled to speak. It was the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart, a feast closely associated with the Holy Eucharist.

Just the day before, I had received a lovely gift from a dear blogging friend, Julie Cameron, two autographed books which she picked up for me. The one book she’d told me about, the second was an extra surprise. I look forward to reading and reviewing both books for her. God bless you Julie!

Seek the Kingdom of God, the Pearl of Great Price. He is worth it!

He is waiting there for you and He is Everything!

Priestblock 25487: A Memoir of Dachau

"This was but a prelude; where books are burnt human-beings will be burnt in the end." ~~the German poet Heinrich Heine in 1820

Although I visited Dachau years ago¹ and I've read many books--both fiction² and non-fiction³--dealing with life in concentration camps, I don't recall ever reading any individual accounts specifically about this particular camp, until I encountered this poignant diary by Father Jean Bernard from Luxembourg. Nor do I recall reading about the internment tortures reserved for priests and other Christian ministers.

As I was reading Priestblock 25487: A Memoir of Dachau it was hard not to recall the eerie silence of Dachau's vast empty spaces marking off where derelict huts had once housed skeletons. But for the Grace of God, Father Bernard, too, would have joined the many souls who died there. His memoir is unique in several respects and worth reading, no matter how many books you may have read about the Holocaust.

First, it is about what happened to Christian, both Catholic and Protestant, clergy at the hands of the Nazis. For those who may have thought the Jewish nation alone suffered during those terrible times, they need look no further. In fact, there were punishments vindictive guards delighted in reserving just for priests on special feasts and other holy days.

And yet the strength of the story comes from the author’s intelligence, compassion for his fellows, and lack of self-pity or belaboring the horrors. The suffering endured by these men is beyond imagining; that is sufficient.

However, for me, it was Father Bernard’s unwavering faith in Christ through it all which speaks louder than anything and is the most important reason to read this book.

Worth reading and rereading—a reminder of how blessed we all are...perhaps most especially in our priests!

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¹ 1985 to be precise, just after my husband and I were married. We went together; it was a trip we never forgot!

² The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, I am Bonhoeffer, The Book Thief, The Valley of Light and Angel Girl being some of the fiction I've reviewed here on my blog and on Goodreads.

³ Night, Man's Search for Meaning and Concentration camp Dachau, 1933-1945 are a few of the many non-fiction books on the Third Reich which I've read and reviewed; most of rest I've not gotten around to reviewing yet.

Medieval Technical Support

I knew there had to be someone who helped them out -- back then -- when they encountered informational technical difficulties, I just didn't know their IT support was so responsive, thorough and friendly as ours is today. ☺

Margaret Sanger and the Birth Control Movement in America

While I’m no author, I would think a really good biography¹—one that does justice to the life of its subject—would be one of the hardest of books to write. If such is the case, then a biography about someone who’s devoted his or her life to a controversial cause, such as Margaret Sanger did with birth control must be the toughest nut to crack. In Woman of Valor: Margaret Sanger and the Birth Control Movement in America, Ellen Chesler undertook a difficult task and executed it well. She managed to walk the camera of her author’s eye all the way around the complex character of the poor Irish-American girl baptized Catholic who grew up to hate that same church so much she threatened to leave the country if John F. Kennedy were elected President, nevertheless a hallow threat from a dying old woman. While Chesler’s portrayal is no doubt sympathic, it is not unduly so; she is willing to look at the world from Sanger’s perspective—who would trust a biographer unwilling to do at least that much—yet she also feels no compunction about pointing out Sanger’s character flaws, contradictions, and many detractors.

As a biographer, Chesler covers the main events of Sanger’s life from birth to death without going into tabloid details, a point which I appreciated very much. Perhaps this could be ascribed as an effort to improve the image of her subject; I prefer to believe it is an indication of the author’s tact, class and integrity. Regardless of what one thinks of another person’s politics or religious views, it still isn’t necessary to drag up endless details of dead affairs. Sanger was no saint, which goes without saying; more than that isn’t relevant.

In fact, it often seemed this biography was as much about the history of birth control in America as it was the story of a woman’s life. Before Sanger took on ‘the cause’ which came to be associated with her name almost as Freud’s is with Psychoanalysis, ‘The Comstock Law of 1873 made it a crime to sell or distribute materials that could be used for contraception’.

‘Birth control’ or ‘family planning’, as it later came to be called much to Sanger’s horror² is an incredibly complex topic. I read this book to gain a greater understanding of the history behind it. Taken in conjunction with abortion, it is probably the most multi-faceted issue facing our country today—and the least understood. Besides the obvious male—female aspect, there are also the following polar perspectives: married—single; law—justice; wealthy—poor; truth—lie; society—individual; freedom—responsibility; young—old; life—death; government—taxpayer; government—citizen; government—family; religious believer—non-believer; God—human. These are not in any particular order, nor is the list complete. In various ways throughout the book, Chesler shows how Sanger encountered and dealt with the factional partisan nature of her chosen vocation.

While not comprehensive by any means, I do recommend this biography as an introduction to the person and the topic. It does not include any of Sanger’s writings, yet I do believe anyone just reading what the crusader wrote without knowing the background context of her life would do themselves as much a disservice as they would Sanger; she was often battling specific individuals, groups, political parties and governments. Whether or not you agree with her position—and I obviously don’t—it becomes all the more critical in a situation such as this, not to come into the middle of a conversation you don’t understand. I have already forgotten more than I ever dreamed I didn’t know about the history of the birth control movement in our country early last century—and I finished the book just a few weeks ago. Anyone reading this review in a few months, or more, shouldn't bother to ask me any questions of detail. The book is chock full of facts and figures, whereas my head is sieve for that type of information.

But if you want to learn about Margaret Sanger and her role in the birth control cause, read Chesler’s book and . . . don’t stop there!

That concludes my 'official' review of this book which I was planning to post today, the Feast of Pentecost, birthday of the Church and conclusion of the Easter Season. It seemed auspicious to remind those who profess to believe in the One, True God that our work here on earth is far from over. However, as I have just learned of this morning's murder of George Tiller, late-term abortionist, it also seems especially telling that issues Sanger battled all her life are as relevant today as they ever were...and just as controversial.


¹ This book is at least three times as thick as The Margaret Sanger Story: and the Fight for Birth Control so I thought I'd just skim this, but after reading the Introduction, I came to believe this was the more accurate of the two available biographies. In her Introduction, Chesler lists, compares and contrasts all of the biographies written about Sanger, including two autobiographies from the 30s. Although writing for a series called "Woman of Valor" Chesler does not seem bound to paint some idealized picture of Sanger; she is willing to show her subject's strengths and weaknesses. Interestingly, Margaret doesn't always compare favorably, even with her lesser known siblings. However, I believe this biography still falls far short of Margaret Sanger's Eugenic Legacy which I hope to read very soon.

² If I understood her correctly, M.S. envisioned the movement in the hands of idealistic and strong-minded women (such as herself) dedicating their lives to teaching other women how to control their fertility. In the 1950’s when the leadership passed into the hands of men who reorganized and renamed the Birth Control Federation of America, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Margaret saw this as a failure of nerve, a step backward. In fact it was a savvy political decision based on the times made by those who were actually trying to help her ‘cause’.


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Innocent Traitor

Lady Jane Grey, the grand niece of Henry VIII, and queen of England for just over a week in 1553 is the subject of Innocent Traitor, Alison Weir’s first work of historical fiction. With over ten works of history to her credit, Weir is one of my favorite British Renaissance and Reformation historians mostly because she presents the Catholic and Protestant theological differences of the era in an impartial manner without resorting to inflammatory or stereotypical rhetoric.

Innocent Traitor is a very ‘good read’. It presents the story of the young Jane’s life from the perspectives of those closest to her, through the major, known events of her all too short life. The few historical ‘facts’ I’ve checked out all did—as if I had any doubt. I really knew they would, mostly I was just curious on one or two points. If Innocent Traitor has any weakness, it would be in the beginning where it seemed/sounded like all the characters spoke with the same voice. I didn’t notice this as much later on in the story, so I don’t know if I got to know the different characters, if I just became so engrossed in the story I stopped paying attention or if in fact the characterizations did get better. In the beginning, it especially bothered me that Jane sounded like an adult at three and five.

That criticism aside it’s a very absorbing read. Why anyone would have wanted to be a monarch back in those days is beyond me. And yet so many did—and paid the ultimate price for their ambition. Poor Jane only wanted a quiet life with her books and look what she got?! After the Reformation equivalent to a Dickensian childhood, she became the pawn of her parents and the Duke of Northumberland, was given in marriage to an abusive husband, maneuvered into a crown she didn’t want, lost it, abandoned by everyone, thrown into prison and finally—thanks to her father’s second treachery against the Crown—Jane received the verdict of treason and was executed.

There were some speculative additions to fill in parts of history which remain unknown, and yet Weir's choices are still probable. Recommended.

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Lemonade Stand Award

Thank you Harvee Lau, of Book Bird Dog, bookblogs and goodreads friend for this award! It's only my second blogging award and I never even officially published my first. This time, however, I'm not passing up the fun or the honor!


Here are the rules:

1) Put the Lemonade Award logo on your blog or post.

2) Nominate at least 10 blogs that show great attitude or gratitude.

3) Link to your nominees within your post.

4) Let the nominees know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5) Share the love and link to the person from whom you received your award.


I'm passing on the award to:

My niece, Joanna, at Ready, Fire, Aim, Apologize.

Kay at Read, Scrap, Live.

Gary at Ballad in Plain D.

Teachinmom at Peace and Quiet.

David on A Roman Catholic Convert.

Clare on On Gold and Glass.

Pete on The Food Which Endures.

Enbrethiliel on Sancta Sanctis.

Amanda on Bless The Holy Name.

Jennifer on Let the Little Ones Come.

Denise on Catholic By Grace.

Mike on Reach Paradise.

Ruth on This That and the Other Thing.

These are not listed in order of preference. How could I show favoritism among so many incredible blogs?! But please do check them out! They are each unique, like the incredible people who have created them.

God bless you all today on the Divine Mercy Sunday, fourteenth anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing and the fourth year since Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was elected as the 265th Successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome, a very momentous day.

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P.S. Even though the rules say to nominate ten other blogs in your post, when Harvee Lau sent the award on to me, she only nominated four other blogs besides mine, so hey friends, do what you can.

A Severe Mercy

The true value of many things can only be seen in retrospect. Indeed, Sheldon Vanauken probably would not have called what he went through 'a severe mercy' at the time. As it was, he didn't write this book until many, many years after it occurred. The autobiographical story covers the years in Van's life from 1937 to 1955; A Severe Mercy wasn't published until 1977.

In fact, A Severe Mercy can almost be called a foreshadowing of A Grief Observed,* the Christian apologist C. S. Lewis's famous tribute to his own wife, Joy's death or how he discovered and dealt with the silence of God. But of course that is only from our perspective looking back on the four lives involved.

Sheldon Vanauken wrote A Severe Mercy about the love of his life, Jean "Davy" Palmer Davis. It's a beautiful love story, one of the most idyllic I've ever read, perhaps too idyllic, but poignant and breathtaking all the same. The book traces their relationship from courtship through the early pagan (the author's term) years of marriage to the meeting and eventual friendship with C. S. Lewis who was instrumental in their eventual conversion to Christianity. It is therefore no small irony that Vanauken and Lewis became friends, were both college dons, converted to Protestantism and lost their beloved spouses, first the former and then the latter, both eventually writing best-selling books on the subject.

While I enjoyed A Severe Mercy very much, as a woman and a mother, I did constantly wonder—as I read it—at their decision not to have children. The author announces this fact early on in their pagan years which the couple dubbed, "The Shining Barrier", presumably a barrier of love which they erected around themselves to protect themselves from the outside world. Later, however, when they converted to Christianity, there was no mention they ever revisited this decision. Davy was still young enough at the time to bear children. I couldn't help thinking and wondering if – as time went by – the desire to become a mother didn't occasionally tug at her heart. Vanauken never mentions it and at the end of the book he describes burning her diaries.

In an interesting aside however, Lewis does chastize his friend, and very severely too, for the couple's decision to exclude children from their marriage, but only some time after Davy's death.

Two of the many delights in this book are numerous beautiful poems the author wrote to his beloved bride and a large collection of letters from C.S. Lewis.

An excellent autobiography of Love. Beautifully written tribute to Davy as well; I only wish I heard more of her voice.

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* I regret not having a more current review of this book to offer, but I plan to reread it soon and update this.

Genius of medieval church builders rediscovered with a crucifix that is only illuminated twice a year | World Of Mysteries

Genius of medieval church builders rediscovered with a crucifix that is only illuminated twice a year | World Of Mysteries

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God's Smuggler

Sometimes the troubles of the present day can seem bigger than anything seen before. That's why it's good to balance out one's reading with a healthy dose of history. Although I've been unable to track it down, I read (or heard) once that history is best understood one biography at a time.

All that said, it's easy to see why God's Smuggler has been in print since 1967 and sold over ten million copies. It is the riveting story of a young Dutchman's conversion and subsequent life as a missionary during the early years of the Warsaw Pact when an 'Iron Curtain' divided what had once been the whole continent of Europe. 'Brother' Andrew -- as he is commonly called by friends and colleagues alike -- began his unusual ministry with a trip to Poland where he learned the importance of being there for his brothers and sisters in Christ who were reassured to discover that their fellow Christians in the West hadn't forgotten them.

Andrew was told (and never forgot) that 'being there' for another is better than any sermon. From that trip in 1955, Andrew went on to visit all the other countries behind the Iron Curtain -- including Russia -- and learned many lessons about Christ, Christianity, control and his fellow human beings which he shares in God's Smuggler. Political persecution isn't the enemy of faith; indifference is. Andrew witnessed the latter on an unprecedented trip to Communist China, a trip he was told would be impossible.

But like the legendary hydra, for every enemy of Christianity vanquished, two new and/or bigger one(s) emerge(s). Brother Andrew's motto remains the same: I'm not anti-this or that; I'm pro-Jesus.

Fantastic book! Read it!

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Time for a Tea Party

There's a storm a brewin'!

What happens when good, responsible people keep quiet????

Washington has forgotten they work for us. We don't work for them. Throwing good money after bad is NOT the answer. I am sick of the midnight, closed door sessions to come up with a plan. I am sick of Congress raking CEO's over the coals while they, themselves, have defaulted on their taxes, and now have given themselves another raise. I am sick of the bailed out companies having lavish vacations and retreats on my dollar.

We are sick of being told it is OUR responsibility to rescue people that, knowingly, bought more house than they could afford. We are sick of being made to feel it is our patriotic duty to pay MORE taxes. We are responsible citizens. We pay taxes. We live on a budget and we don't ask someone else to carry the burden for poor decisions we may make.

We have emailed our congressmen and senators asking them to NOT vote for the stimulus package as it was written without reading it first. They don't listen. No one listened.

They voted for it, pork and all. O.K. folks, here it is. You may think you are just one voice and what you think won't make a difference. Well, yes, it will and YES, WE CAN!! If you are disgusted and angry with the way Washington is handling our taxes. If you are fearful of the fallout from the wreckless spending of BILLIONS to bailout and "stimulate" without accountability and responsibility then we need to become ONE, LOUD VOICE THAT CAN BE HEARD FROM EVERY CITY, TOWN, SUBURB AND HOME IN AMERICA.

There is a growing protest to demand that Congress, the President and his cabinet LISTEN to us, the American Citizens. What is being done in Washington is NOT the way to handle the economic free fall. So, here's the plan.

On April 1, 2009, all Americans are asked to send a TEABAG to Washington, D.C. You do not have to enclose a note or any other information unless you so desire. Just a TEABAG. Many cities are organizing protests.

If you simply search, New American Tea Party, several sites will come up.

If you aren't the 'protester' type, simply make your one voice heard with a TEABAG. Your one voice will become a roar when joined with millions of others that feel the same way. Yes, something needs to be done but the lack of confidence as shown by the steady decline in the stock market speaks volumes.

This was not my idea. The 'New American Tea Party' online survey showed over 90% of thousands said they would send the teabag on April 1.

Why, April 1??? We want them to reach Washington by April 15.

Send it to:

1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Washington , D.C. 20500

Thanks Alice and Patti for this great info!

Things Fall Apart

"Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold” is from Yeats's poem "The Second Coming". Fifty years after Chinua Achebe wrote this deceptively simple Nigerian tragedy, Things Fall Apart has never been out of print. It's hailed as Africa's best known work of literature and I can easily see why.

At the heart of the story is a strong man, Okonkwo, with an overwhelming need to prove himself--to himself and his tribe; he must overcome the bad reputation of his drunkard ne'er-do-well father. Although Okonkwo can easily defeat enemies he can wrestle, chop or kill; his stubborn pride and anger collide with and fail to overcome those aspects of life which he cannot so readily tackle: providence, family and tribal laws.

So much of the appeal of Things -- for me at least -- is watching Okonkwo encounter a traditional village. I was fascinated (and repulsed) by its customs, mores, and overall precarious harmony. The appropriateness of the title is in the extreme delicacy of that tribal balance which is rocked to the core by the arrival of the English missionaries. All that was as Okonkwo understood the world to be, changes with the introduction of Christianity and Western civilization. It is both a clash of one individual against his own society and a foreign power, as well as the collision of two diametrically opposed cultures. You don't often find so much carefully-contained conflict in a book of this size. Truly incredible!

Chinua Achebe wrote this masterpiece before most of the African nations had declared their independence. Since that time, the Dark Continent has been washed in rivers of blood. One wonders when, and prays for an end to, all the suffering. Such a sacred place and beautiful people; in many ways so like the Garden of Eden. Long live Africa!

Thanks to Ginnie from Goodreads for this link from The Economist about A Golden Jubilee of Things Fall Apart.

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I Am Bonhoeffer

The truth is I read everything these days with a view to gaining insight about him. I'm on a personal quest to learn all I can about our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, even to the extent of plugging the many holes in my German History education.

I found I Am Bonhoeffer: A Credible Life two days after Christmas and purchased it with my Christmas gift card. Interestingly (since I don't believe in co-incidents) I picked the book up the same day our family went to see the new movie, Valkyrie. Interesting as the movie is about the plot to kill Hitler which is the same reason Bonhoeffer was eventually arrested and executed.

Although this is a fictionalized biography, it is excellent. The writing is first class and the author's background as a journalist-historian tells in his tight, credible construction of plot, dialogue and character. Barz also demonstrates an exceptional ability to develop and describe the evolution of Bonhoeffer's theological thoughts and beliefs which is precisely what I was looking for in this work.

‘I am Bonhoeffer. Fine. But who is that?’ On page 222 of Paul Barz’s retrospective novel about the martyred German pastor we finally learn the significance of the title. Raised as a privileged prince, the youngest son in a large, loving, upper-class family, it may have taken imprisonment for Dietrich Bonhoeffer to really come to know himself. In any event, I am really looking forward to reading his Letters and Papers from Prison to see if such proves to be the case.

I am Bonhoeffer specifically refers to Dietrich’s climactic realization that – like everyone else – he, too, can be stripped of wealth, title, position, family, love, freedom and yet something still remains. This novel begins in two places: at his arrival in Nazi prison in 1945 and his idyllic childhood. It continues to progress along the two rails of his journey through his life behind bars and his life of freedom growing up in the first half of the 20th Century. The two separate ‘worlds’ are eerily juxtaposed as the final months of the Second World War drag to a close and Germany propels itself inevitably into cataclysmic ruin--all the while the young Dietrich is discerning his vocation, even at times his faith. Not his denomination necessarily, but his ability to believe, which according to those who knew him best, didn’t always come easy; depending on your viewpoint a comforting or a disconcerting thing in one’s pastor.

He traveled to and lived in Italy, Spain, America, England and Switzerland. Each country and its people left a mark on him and his understanding of God, religion and worship. Italy was omnipotent grandeur, sound, smells and blue, blue skies. Spain was where he learned pastors are a kind of matador. America was Uncle Tom, Gospel music, and simple, emotional faith. England and Switzerland were places to help Jews to escape to, but not for him. Germany always drew him home. I am Bonhoeffer tells more than just the story of one man’s developing maturity and ultimately heroic struggle against tyranny. It also gives some of the history of German Protestant Christian politics in the late 1920’s and through the 30’s and early 40’s. It’s easy to forget it’s a work of fiction; it reads like a well-written biography. Later when the Nazis came to power, it’s possible to trace the decline of the Church as a moral influence as well. Although far from a complete record of the time, as one witness to the era, IaB is telling.

Though Bonhoeffer couldn’t lie; his baby face and honest countenance weren’t made for espionage, the conspirators to kill Hitler still found use for his very innocence.

If the book has a weakness, it’s that it fails to relate or even speculate how Bonhoeffer reconciled his Christian ethics with his own participation in treason and murder, even if the victim of the murder was Hitler. Many other peripheral issues were discussed such as: would/should he defend himself when the authorities came for him; was his head already on the same deathbed at the Scholls, members of the “White Rose” resistance group executed while he was in prison; should he marry, did he deserve to, was he still of use in the normal world, etc. So perhaps he did not reconcile his own decision to kill the monster, Hitler, and yet felt it expedient and/or necessary for the greater good of mankind. This and other questions are left unanswered, as is the case whenever someone dies, but especially during wartime, and especially when the Nazis kangaroo try and execute the person in haste, in secret and burn the body.

Incredible book!


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We're going to miss him . . .

He was classy.

Magnanimous.

A gentleman.

Ripped for being out of touch, he chose just the right touch.

A man who critics say only mangled his words.

Conjured just the right ones.

I'm not talking about John McCain yesterday...

I'm talking about President Bush today.

McCain gave a classy speech.

The president made a classy gesture.

Offering only good words for the man who repudiated his run of the White House.

But going one better -- inviting Barack and Michelle Obama to the White House.

To see the place, and talk about the place, and the pressures of the place, in private.

These were not empty words.

The president took care months ago to put a transition team in place, so that a smooth transfer of power could take place.

President Bush wasn't so lucky when he was coming in.

Maybe things were different then.

A lot of ill will then.

Lots of hurtful words since then.

He wasn't even running this year but it seemed everyone, including his own party's nominee, was running against him all year.

If he minded, he didn't show it.

I remember even talking to the president on the White House south lawn about it.

"Does it all bug you?," I asked.

"Nah," he said, shrugging his shoulders and adding simply, "I understand."

A man at peace with a nation seemingly at war… with him.

Some for good reason, others apparently lacking reason.

He took nothing personally, always handling himself with dignity.

Not by what he said, but precisely what he did not.

I've read that the president is as kind to the elevator operator at the White House as he is a visiting head of state to the White House.

I've seen it myself.

Every time I've interviewed him, he sticks around and personally shakes the hands of each member of my crew, and then hangs out for pictures.

Lots of pictures.

I know, little things.

But to me, big things.

That bespeaks of a man far bigger than the petty things I see in the press.

Or hear in a harsh campaign year.

That ended today, with a quiet gesture today.

From a president who'd be in his right to wag a finger.

But instead, simply offered his hand.

by Neil Cavuto, Fox news


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Obama/McCain Girl

8th Grader Learns Lesson About Intolerance

by Marcia Segelstein

Catherine Vogt is an 8th grader in Oak Park, Illinois. Just before the election, Catherine, with the approval of her history teacher, decided to conduct an experiment about tolerance at her school.

As John Kass wrote in the Chicago Tribune, “She noticed that fellow students…overwhelmingly supported Barack Obama for president. His campaign kept preaching ‘inclusion,’ and she decided to see how included she could be.” So one day she wore a T-shirt to school on which she’d written “McCain Girl.” She carried a journal with her to record the reactions she got. And what was the response? She was called stupid, very stupid, and told that she shouldn’t be wearing it. Then fellow students told her to “go die.” In fact, she reports that she was told many times she should be killed. One student told her she should be “crucifixed” for wearing the shirt. Catherine found it almost funny that he didn’t even know the word “crucified.” One teacher also remarked on the shirt, telling Catherine that she wouldn’t judge her for her choice, but “she was surprised that I supported McCain.”

Catherine got very few even remotely positive comments. One girl privately told her that she liked the shirt. The next day, Catherine wore a T-shirt on which she’d written “Obama Girl.” The response to that? “People liked my shirt. They said things like my brain had come back, and I had put the right shirt on today.” After the experiment was revealed, her history teacher engaged her class in a debate. “I said, here you are, promoting this person [Obama] that believes we are all equal and included, and look what you’ve done? The students were kind of like, ‘Oh, yeah.’ I think they got it.”

And the teacher who had expressed “surprise” when Catherine wore the McCain shirt? When she found out about the experiment “she was embarrassed because she knew I was writing down what she said.”

Catherine turned the experiment into a report for her history class and got extra credit. (booklady note: well we are sheep afterall, right?)

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Message from a Patriot

Blessings on the Feast of Christ the king! Long may He reign! A friend sent the following e-mail to me recently.

The message below is from Russ Bentz, to a string of correspondents discussing the election results.

You don’t know Russ, or even whether Russ is his real name. But Russ is a real person; he grew up overseas (graduated from an American high school in Lebanon) went into the United States military, and then into our clandestine service. Russ was one of the men who serve out there on the ramparts of the real world, keeping the killers with guns, bombs, radiation, and just plain old razor-sharp knives, from coming for you and your children while you’re asleep.

And if you think that the killers with guns, bombs, radiation, and just plain old sharp knives are going to go to sleep because Obama won the election and Democrats are singing their siren song in Washington, you’re delusional.

This strong stuff, from a man who has seen death and evil up close. Read it and weep, boys and girls. Read it and weep.

From: Russell Bentz Sent: Saturday, November 8, 2008 9:56 AM Subject: Hi all: Russ Bentz here.

I wrote this email Wednesday morning and decided to sit on it for a day or two, reread it and make any changes required. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Here goes.

Have been reading with great interest comments on both sides of the McCain/Obama issue and in all likelihood, you are not interested in my comments but I thought I would add them anyway

Not many of you know much about me except I graduated from high school with you. Following graduation, I served my country for 12 years. Four years were spent in the United States Navy and I might add aboard a ship similar to the one John McCain flew from. I served aboard the USS Independence. Then eight years working in covert operations for the Central Intelligence Agency, in Southeast Asia, South America, Europe, etc.

My Navy time was uneventful, but it prepared me for the work I did with the CIA. Yes, there is a place called ‘The Farm', written about in spy novels; I was trained there. I escaped near-death four times - once in an airplane over the North Sea, with an emergency landing in Newfoundland, once in Southeast Asia, once again on a flight from Honolulu to Tokyo, and once in Brazil.

Eventually I decided not to give Fate another shot at me, and resigned my work with the Fed.

During my time serving in covert operations our goal was to thwart the efforts of Socialist/Communist countries: Russia and China, as well as developing Communist efforts in South America. In short, I spent eight years of my life fighting to preserve Democracy, the way my father and grandfathers wanted me to. In those eight years I served in 42 countries, Third World, and some so poor it would make you sick if I described in detail what I witnessed.

While some of you were enjoying the life style of the Sixties, smoking pot and God knows what else, I was wandering around the jungles in Southeast Asia in God-forsaken places: Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Burma and Viet Nam.

My grandfather on my mother’s side came to America because there was a bounty on his head from a regime that considered him a threat - a regime that was part of the USSR. Why, I do not know; but I exist today because my grandfather chose to come to America and escape death.

My mother was born in the United States to an illegal immigrant.

While serving abroad, I witnessed first hand what Socialism meant to the average person.

I walked the streets in Eastern Germany, now unified with West Germany as a result of the Berlin Wall coming down.

I was in Prague in 1968 when the Russians invaded Czechoslovakia and I saw the looks on the people’s faces following a military takeover of the country.

In 1991 I was in Slovakia and saw the aftermath of what Socialism did to a beautiful people. I wish you could have heard my friend 'Flado' tell you his story of being sent to prison and tortured for two years. His crime? He refused to renounce his faith as a Christian.

A dear, close friend of mine from the Ukraine is an internationally-known and published scientist; I broke bread with him and his family and saw the pathetic result of his ‘success’ in a Socialistic nation where the wealth was 'shared by all', and where health care was provided by the State. I visited him and his wife just last year in the Ukraine and little has changed, thanks to the bungling of a Socialist society that now claims to be 'Democratic'.

Obama represents 'Change' that goes against everything I believe Democracy should be founded on. The American people don't understand it, but a curse has just been released on the United States. We already are seeing the results of his election. A few examples: the very wealthy are transferring their wealth out of the United States as fast as they can. Why is that? There is a dramatic surge in the purchase of weapons from Maine to California, and not for shotguns to hunt rabbits. The media isn’t reporting it, but sales of semi-automatic weapons are drastically up: AK-47’s and others, that are the choices of combat soldiers in the Communist world. Why is that? In my adult life I never heard an American talk about ‘revolution’ except when referring to other countries or to our fight to break away from England two hundred and more years ago. But sadly I’ve heard it discussed here in America, while getting my tires rotated last week. I heard it again today, while sitting at a counter in a restaurant having a cup of coffee. Why is that?

I have never seen our country as fragmented as it is today.

Laying all that aside, an experience in Southeast Asia put me on track to becoming a born-again believer in Jesus Christ. I saw Protestant and Catholic missionaries being hunted down by a Socialist junta in a country I will leave unnamed, and I asked myself the question: why would these men and women, hunted like rabbits, be willing to lay down their lives for their faith? I saw French Catholic nuns literally thrown into the street from their maternity hospital and beaten with rifle butts, because the junta wanted to purge the country of any Western influence. I was exempt because I was in that country under ‘diplomatic immunity’. I was willing to lay down my life for my country, but my reason was patriotic. Their reason was faith in a far higher Power. In the years since, I have been a follower of Jesus Christ, and I take my faith very, very seriously.

You might think, what does this have to do with the election? and why is Russ telling us his life's history? The answer is quite simple: God is in control. I firmly believe that after forty million murdered babies (I hate the word ‘abortion’ - lets call it what it is: murder), that God has lifted His hand from our country. God says murder a sin. Forty million babies murdered in the US alone has God weeping. The Democrat party calls murder “choice', and there are many Republicans who do the same.

God says homosexuality is a sin, too. The Democrat party calls it ‘a lifestyle’.

Do you realize that the United States of America is the only country in the world that is currently referred to as a ‘Christian’ country? But believe me; calling America ‘Christian’ is as far from the truth as the Earth is from Jupiter.

This nation was founded on Christian principals. No, the founding fathers were not all Christian, but the country was founded on Christian principals. I believe God for a long time kept His hand over our country and protected it, but for years I have felt that He has removed his hand of protection. Like Sodom and Gomorrah, God will allow America to be destroyed.

If you look at history, every nation that was once great has imploded from within. They were not defeated militarily; they died a slow, agonizing death resulting from their moral decay. How we deceive ourselves, in thinking the United States is any
different.

Most certainly, we will reap what we have sown. God is in control, and it will be interesting to see what happens to the rights our forefathers placed their lives on the line for.

My advice to Tony and other Democrat voters who fell for the seduction of Obama: watch the laws that come out of Washington. First they will silence the Christian and conservative radio talk shows. In the Democrat-controlled Congress they are calling this the 'Fairness Doctrine'. They tried it in 2007 and failed, but now with a Democrat leadership the handwriting is on the wall. It will happen. It happened in the USSR. The government-controlled media in Russia was called 'Pravda'. I expect Obama to sign the paperwork as one of first acts as President of the United Socialist States of America. That’s the new abbreviation for America: ‘USSA’ - get used to it.

Then they will require gun registration. Then they will require that guns be turned over to the authorities. And that is probably when the bullets will start flying.

Oh, and yes, let us not forget euthanasia. If you think they will protect your rights as senior citizens with rising health care costs and Medicare, you are sadly mistaken. Look what has happened in the Netherlands. A real demonstration of the term "slippery slope". Already the State of Oregon has assisted suicide and euthanasia laws on the books. New York has tried unsuccessfully to pass euthanasia law numerous times. To date most efforts have failed, but national euthanasia laws are currently being discussed behind closed doors in Washington DC by a Democrat caucus.

For years I have clamored that the Democrat party should be renamed to the Socialist party. Everything they stand for represents Marxism and is something I spent a good portion of my life fighting against. For those of you who have not experienced it, you won’t recognize it until it’s too late.

Sadly, people voted for Obama because he was eloquent, or black, or because he was attractive looking. Many voted for 'Change'. And Change is what they will get. Unfortunately, if Obama delivers all that he has promised, it will near impossible to turn the clock back, just as has been experienced with Roe vs. Wade.

"WE RISE OR FALL AS ONE". That is a direct quote from Obama. And that quote is prophetic. This country will not survive taking us down a Socialist path. One of our founding fathers, John Adams, said "it might be good to have a revolution every other generation". Maybe that might turn the clock back.

However, if I am right, and God has lifted His protecting hand from the United States, sit back and watch what Man will reap. You’d better pray for your children and your grandchildren. The United States will not be the same country in which we have been able to enjoy the results of the blood, sweat, tears and sacrifices of our forefathers. It will be sad to watch.

Obama has won the Presidency but not by an overwhelming margin in the popular vote. For every one vote for Obama, there was one against him. The sad thing is that the majority of votes for Obama came from people who don't have a clue what they’ve done. They’ve never witnessed, first hand, the aftermath of a Socialist takeover of a society.

Ladies and gentlemen - just read a little bit of history. It’s happened twice in the 20th century. One regime was the Communist-controlled USSR, and the other was Hitler’s Third Reich. Between them, it is estimated they killed over one hundred million people in seventy years. That’s one within a single adult lifetime: One hundred million people. Killed by Socialists and Communists.

As for me, I will not give up any of my rights afforded me by the Constitution of the United States.

To Tony and other Democratic voters: congratulations. I think you can feel very proud of your vote. You well may have helped usher in the demise of the United States of America.

Have a good day in the Lord, and may God bless you all.

Russ Bentz

P. S. - Tony - I understand your frustration and I agree that the Republicans have had ample opportunity to turn the clock back on the murder of unborn children. Adolf Hitler's Third Reich pales, when comparing the murder of six million Jews to forty million babies murdered in America.

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RealCatholicTV.com

Yes that's right, we Catholics have another option now in addition to Eternal Word Network or EWTN. We can also watch The Vortex. Of course I'm the booklady and I do advocate books over television, but sometimes a little TV, of the spiritually educational sort, is acceptable.

(In this place I had the video clip but it was making an annoying static sound everytime I ckicked on my blog. I don't know if anyone else could hear it but I couldn't figure out how to make it go away so I removed the screen feature and have just left the link below. But do click on it and register!)

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God's Choice

by George Weigel

If you are looking for a book which is all biography on Pope Benedict XVI -- as I was -- you won't find it in George Weigel's God's Choice. If on the other hand you've read Weigel's masterly Witness To Hope: The Biography of Pope John Paul II, it's possible to see this book as its conclusion and transition to the new pontiff. At first, I confess I was a tad disappointed--not that I don't love JPII (I do!) but I bought and was reading this book looking for insight into his successor. But as I read and listened to the last debilitating days our Polish Pope spent on this earth in humble suffering, I was gently chastised, and the stage was set for the book's overriding theme, which is, come what may, the Eternal King will have His Way, thanks be to Him. And gradually I came to see the wisdom, ne the necessity of such a beginning. Weigel is seeking to show through God's Choice how indeed -- strange and unexpected though it may have seemed to the world at large -- the selection of the Bavarian Cardinal as Pope was indeed Divine, and to do so he needed to set the stage.

Roughly the book can be divided into thirds.

The first third deals with JPII's last days, his death, funeral and the conclave. Gradually Cardinal Ratzinger is introduced by Weigel and event-by-event, he is shown to be the inevitable, the only, if the somewhat reluctant choice of his church to be their leader-the reluctance being mostly on his side. As a scholarly, quiet, professorial sort of priest, Cardinal Ratzinger tried to retire home to his library in Germany several times during JPII's pontificate and was not allowed to do so.

The middle third of the book provides a brief and rather unsatisfying biography of Pope Benedict. There are some amusing anecdotes, helpful spiritual insights and facts about the man himself. On the whole it is fascinating reading, but it only whets your appetite. My guess is Weigel plans a comprehensive biography of the reigning pontiff sometime down the road to complete the trilogy begun with Witness to Hope and continued here. But the little that I did learn about the man was so enlightening, inspiring and surprising, it left me wanting to know and read him more!

The book concludes with a discussion of managerial, liturgical and inter-religious initiatives PBXVI will probably undertake during his years as pope, some of which have already been proven prophetic.

Below I have included some of my favorite anecdotal selections about Pope Benedict XVI:

In 1974, 'Josef Pieper, the German philosopher who Cardinal Ratzinger had admired during his student days urged him to get in touch with Cardinal Wojtyla who had made such a deep impression on Pieper. Ratzinger and Wojtyla began exchanging books!' ☺ (p. 178) A very propitious beginning to one of the most important friendships of the last century, don't you think?

In the post-WWII years when our current Holy Father was in seminary, he was a great lover of novels especially those by: Dostoevsky, Claudel, Bernanos and Mauriac. In fact, the book says, he "devoured" them"! ☺ (p. 164)

When his Pontificate was announced, 'amid the veritable hurricane of commentary, analysis, celebration, and toy- making*, an intriguing analysis came from what some might regard as an unexpected source: Professor Timothy George, a prominent American evangelical theologian and dean of the interdenominational Beeson Divinity School at Samford University, a Baptist institution in Alabama. Dr. George suggested to his fellow Protestants that Benedict XVI could be the "harbinger of a new reformation" and that, in any event, "his pontificate will be one of great moment for the Christian Church, not least for the evangelicals." Why?' Dr. George gave five reasons: 'because Benedict "takes truth seriously"; because his theology is Bible-focused"; because "his message is Christocentric"; because he is Augustinian in perspective"; and because "he champions the culture of life."' (p. 154) *there was a hand-made toy teddy bear made named Benedict XVI

Our current pope's 'parent's name's were Joseph and Mary (which provoked innumerable jokes in later life), and he was their third child, following his sister, Maria, born in 1921, and his brother, Georg, born in 1924.' (p. 159)

Pope John Paul's selection of Cardinal Ratzinger 'as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) disclosed several things about (his) thinking on the state of Catholic theology and its importance in the Church. The first was that John Paul II took theology very seriously indeed. Rather than appointing an experienced Church bureaucrat to head the congregation, John Paul chose a man whom everyone, including his critics, regarded as a scholar of the first rank, one of the finest Catholic theological minds of the 20th century. The appointment also suggested that the Pope, far from wanting to drive theology back into the lecture hall, wanted it to engage the world--but in a distinctively theological way. Thus he chose Ratzinger who had come to embody an updating of the Church based on a return to the sources of Catholic spiritual and intellectual vitality. And in the third place, the appointment underscored John Paul's commitment to a legitimate pluralism of methods in theology. Joseph Ratzinger was the first head of the Vatican's doctrinal office in centuries who did not take Thomas Aquinas as his theological lodestar. Both the Pope and his new prefect respected Thomas and Thomists. They also wanted a wide-ranging theological conversation to shape papal teaching.' (p. 181)

My favorite of all the stories Weigel has told about the Holy Father is this one. It concerns his choice of one of the symbols Pope Benedict chose to include in his episcopal coat of arms when he was 'appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising: a bear with a pack strapped to its back. The image came from the legend of St. Corbinian, the first bishop of Freising, who, as the legend goes, was on his way to Rome when a bear attack his horse and killed it. Corbinian scolded the bear and made it haul the pack the horse was carrying all the way to Rome. The story reminded Ratzinger of Augustine's reflections on several psalms in which the great patristic theologian speaks of having become a draft animal--a "good sturdy ox to pull God's cart in this world," as Ratzinger puts it. The paradox is that that was how the scholar, Augustine, who might have preferred not to be the bishop charged with pulling God's cart through history, came closer to God. "Just as the draft animal is closest to the farmer, doing his work for him, so is Augustine closest to God precisely through such humble service, completely within God's hand, completely His instrument." That was how Ratzinger understood his own translation from scholar to bishop: "The laden bear that took the place of Saint Corbinian's horse, or rather donkey--the bear that became his donkey against his will. Is this not an image of what I should do and of what I am?" As St. Augustine had put it, "A beast of burden have I become for you, and this is just the way for me to remain wholly yours and always abide with you." And that, in the end, was how Joseph Ratzinger had come to understand himself and his service to John Paul II.' (pp. 204-205)

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Freedom of Choice Act

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It only takes a second. Please forward it to all Pro-Life people in your email list.

http://www.fightfoca.com/

"The first thing Iʼd do as President is sign the Freedom of Choice Act," ~~Senator Barack Obama. Watch the video on this site and hear it for yourself.

With a single stroke of the pen, the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) would establish the right to abortion as a fundamental right (like the right to free speech) and wipe away every restriction on abortion nationwide.

FOCA Would Wipe Away Every Restriction on Abortion Nationwide.

This would eradicate state and federal laws that the majority of Americans support, such as:

• Bans on Partial Birth Abortion


• Requirements that women be given information about the risks of getting an abortion


• Only licensed physicians can perform abortions


• Parents must be informed and give consent to their minor daughter's abortion

FOCA would erase these laws and prevent states from enacting similar protective measures in the future.

Acceptance Speeches

Did you watch the Presidential Acceptance Speech last night?

Did you find it as eerie as I did? Did you watch the women in the audience carefully? They look at him with love-sick eyes. Their eyes look glazed over, almost like they are in a drug-induced trance. Either that or they are crying or swooning as if Christ had come. And then there is the rhythmic chanting of "Yes, we can!" Huh? What gives? Are we hearing a Presidential Acceptance Speech or is this a high school pep rally? I thought about posting it from YOUTUBE but after several aborted attempts (bad pun I'm sorry) decided I didn't want that clip on my blog anyway. If you do watch it, look for the close-up pans of Oprah and Jesse Jackson.

He wasn't kidding: Change Has Come!

But as a friend reminded me when we were discussing the bleak prospect of four years of this, really we should rejoice! Rejoice? Yes, rejoice! Let us offer up prayers of thanksgiving for all the Lord does and is doing for us. It may not seem like it today but remember He has overcome the world. It's a great day to be a Christian. Let us rejoice and be glad in the Lord.

Now if you want to hear a real Acceptance Speech, try listening to this!