Archive for May 14, 2009

Listening to the ASU speech I see big trouble…

Posted: May 14, 2009 by datechguy in catholic, opinion/news
Tags: , , ,

…for those of us who think it is a disgrace that he (the President) is invited to Notre Dame to receive a degree and give the commencement speech.

He is likely going to give a very good speech and maybe an uplifting one. We are going to look very foolish when he does…

…however you know what: Let us look foolish!

We don’t dispute that the president can make a good speech or give a good message. Since Fr. Jenkins is not going to retreat I hope that the president does give a good speech and an inspiring one. That is the task that he has been given.

We say and we affirm that we are Catholics. We say and affirm the Nicene Creed every week. We affirm our loyalty to the Holy Roman Catholic Church. We affirm that the foremost Catholic University in the United States has a moral obligation to stand up for those Catholic values that we embrace. We affirm and support the message of the Bishops of the church that we don’t honor those who stand against our deepest beliefs and aid an intrinsic evil.

We take this stand even if it is unpopular, in fact especially if it is unpopular. St. Peter’s greatness didn’t come when he took the popular and safe decision to deny Jesus when he was clearly going down. He built a church by defying the leaders of his own Jewish faith (Don’t forget Jesus and all of the early disciples were Jews.) and the greatest military power in the world. He died defying that power but he died with the keys to heaven in his hands and when those who killed him came to the gates who was standing there with the keys?

I am an American Catholic of Italian/Sicilian stock. My grandparents came to this country over 100 years ago and built a life. I would not trade my worst time in America for the citizenship of any other nation and I thank God and my parents and grandparents that I and my children are Americans, however at best I will live in America for 120 years more likely with my waistline closer to 60-70 years if I’m lucky. Eternity is a whole lot longer. If I have to choose between America and the kingdom of heaven that is no choice at all:

The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the learning of the learned I will set aside.”

Where is the wise one? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made the wisdom of the world foolish? For since in the wisdom of God the world did not come to know God through wisdom, it was the will of God through the foolishness of the proclamation to save those who have faith.

For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.

Consider your own calling, brothers. Not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. Rather, God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God. It is due to him that you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, as well as righteousness, sanctification, and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.” 1 Cor 1:18-31

We will look foolish in the eyes of many but eternity is a long time and when we get to the gates we know who will be holding the keys.

A title means nothing.

Posted: May 14, 2009 by datechguy in opinion/news
Tags: ,

President Obama speech at Arizona State University, had a very important line concerning the difference between a title and an accomplishment.

At the 3:40 mark or so he starts to hit it out of the park with a segment that culminates with the following quote:

“I come to affirm that one’s title, even a title like President of the United States says very little about how well one’s life has been lead.”

The advice he is giving is pretty good and the message strong. It doesn’t seem to be that it is the advice that he has followed himself, but the message itself is right.

If he lives up to those ideas he is speaking then he will turn out to be an excellent president. (remember he has been in only 4 months or 6 1/4% of his terms. He could actually rise to the occasion.) I doubt this will happen but you know I’d love for him to prove me wrong.

Update: Missed the 3rd part.

You can tell Glenn Reynolds will be smiling today…

Posted: May 14, 2009 by datechguy in fun, oddities
Tags: ,

when his first 4 posts of the day contain at least one of his taglines. All we are missing is an “indeed”.

No Photos: its all political

Posted: May 14, 2009 by datechguy in opinion/news
Tags: , , , , ,

I gotta give credit to Willie Geist for coming up with this angle.

This morning on Morning Joe they were interviewing someone from the Politico concerning the photos that the president has decided not to release.

He asked if the idea might have been to protect democratic pols who would have had these photos “hung around their necks”.

You know there are several angles to look at this. It could be considered the president’s “Sister Souljia” moment, turning from the left.

It could be his “Errol Flynn Trial” Errol Flynn Trial: 1943 – “j.b.” And “s.q.q.”, Suggestions For Further Reading on the subjectmoment as Monica Crowley maintained on O’Reilly last night, the theory being now people will imagine the worst.

Most people think that its a question of following the advice of the generals. The thought being that now the war is now owned by him is isn’t going to lose it.

The political angle didn’t occur to me and I’m ashamed of it, particularly with the excellent post by Legal Insurrection:

This presents a problem mostly for Democrats. Republicans who were briefed on the interrogation methods at least will be consistent, for the most part, in maintaining that the methods were lawful and useful. No Republican is going to be harmed politically by the revelations because most Americans support these methods against people like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. If leaks of a Justice Department report are to be believed, there will be no prosecutions. Republicans are safe politically and legally.

For Democrats, however, the damage could be significant. Nancy Pelosi already has lost a great deal of credibility from her changing stories. Dozens of other Democrats, including such senior Senators as Jay Rockefeller, apparently also were briefed on the interrogation methods and either were silent, approved, or encouraged the policy.

The irony is that a full blow investigation and hearings will turn mostly on what the Democrats knew, and when they knew it. The Republicans mostly couldn’t care less if they were “blamed” for keeping the country safe even if it necessitated waterboarding the mastermind of 9/11 to prevent further attacks. When faced with sacrificing a city versus using harsh interrogation methods, most voters would opt for harsh interrogation.

Keith Olberman, Chris Matthews, et/al not withstanding people who live here actually Like America and dislike having to choose between burning to death or jumping 100 stories to become street pizza. The Air force one debacle showed that no matter how they vote people know what the score is as thousands fled for their lives. This is not something you want to be on the wrong side of.

There is a story of Ronald Reagan meeting with European leaders in the 80 hearing them privately urge him to stand up to the soviets and deploy missiles while telling him they would publicly condemn him for political reasons.

Don’t think for one moment that high level people in congress didn’t make that request. The president has the approval ratings to withstand the hit, congress can’t, and believe that he made this move for their sake he WILL collect a chit for it.

I say the right thing is almost always the smart thing in the long run. President Obama did the right thing and it will turn out to be the smart thing in the end.

Update: Et Tu Chris Matthews?

Update 2: added the DUmmie Funnies link above, between them and Andrew Sullivan it looks like they are all learning about feeding the dog and liberal pets.

Update 3: via Jules Crittenden David Ignatious votes Souljia and has a full round up.

Older Entries