Archive for the ‘opinion/news’ Category

…it’s because he agrees with me about “Lady” Gaga:

Lady Gaga is immensely talented. She’s a fantastic pianist, a gifted singer and an engaging performer. But that’s not why the mainstream media gives her so much attention. If she weren’t acting like a dime-store floozie, the alphabet networks would pay her little attention, relegating her to a life of smoky bars and indie record labels instead of sold-out arenas and platinum albums. When it comes to capturing the attention of mainstream media and liberal publications, there is but one simple truth: Perversion Sells.

Let’s emphasize his point with a picture from CPAC:

Like Lady Gaga the young lady in this photo (Jenny Erickson) from smart girl politics is talented at what she does. She manages to juggle interviews, her blog at the candid conservative and a husband and children. Unlike Lady Gaga she manages to be physically attractive just sitting there in this picture without debasing herself.

Lady Gaga will make incredible money from what she does, I presume Jenny and her husband get by. I don’t know her well but I suspect that given the choice between trading bank accounts and lifestyles Jenny will happily stay where she is.

If MSNBC wanted to overtake Cartoon Network in the ratings they would be well advised to offer Jenny a contract. Shana, the nice young lady who paid me one of the greatest complements I’ve ever received should suggest this to Joe Scarborough, maybe have her as a reoccurring guest on Morning Joe. I suspect they likely will not.

The fact is that if Lady Gaga however offered to be an occasional commentator on the show I’m sure the brass would jump at it. There is no question it would draw attention and ratings, particularly if she dresses the part. This is simple truth.

The fact that our culture and our media value a woman like Gaga over a woman like Jenny Erickson says something sad about us.

…and I recommend his impromptus column in the same way as Hemingway recommended C. S. Forester…”to every literate I know“.

Today I have a bone to pick with him. He says something very true about the obamacare bill going through congress:

I am not a liberal Democrat, and you may not be, either. But if we were: Don’t you think we’d be embarrassed at the way Pelosi et al. are going about getting “Obamacare” through? The parliamentary maneuvering, the skullduggery? Especially after Obama and the party at large promised openness, transparency, orderliness, and so on? The Democrats’ legislation would mark a major change in the way we operate in this country. Don’t you think the legislation should be handled with honesty and dignity? Don’t you think that most of the country, or at least a good deal of it, should have a feeling of pride and satisfaction about the process?

Very true and well put but then he hits a pet peeve of mine…

Yes, yes, I know all about “sausage and legislation”

As I wrote to Jay today:

If more laws were made like his (Romano’s) sausages the country would be in fine shape.

When I see that quote in the future I’ll be dropping a small line along with the link to my post on the subject. I hope I have better luck than Tim Blair and the plastic Turkey stuff.

Update: Jay acknowledges Romano.

It’s stuff like this.

Some 60 leaders of religious orders representing 59,000 Catholic nuns Wednesday sent lawmakers a letter urging them to pass the Senate health care bill. It contains restrictions on abortion funding that the bishops say don’t go far enough.

Of Course that fine Catholic Norah O’Donnell who I’m sure as a good catholic is opposed publicly to the intrinsic evil of abortion celebrates this stuff. Maybe the St. Patrick’s day people might want to consider who they have lead parades celebrating saints in the future.

I’m told that Joe Scarborough reads this blog, before he talks about the split between the bishops and nuns and beclowns himself doing so I suggest he read a few people who are actually in the know such as, oh I don’t know the Anchoress:

The sisters (not nuns) who signed this endorsement are part of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR). While they do represent some 59,000 sisters in the US, that should not be taken representative of the feelings of all those sisters. Just as the Firefighters Unions regularly endorse Democrats while the firefighters themselves tend to vote more conservatively, not all of the sisters whose leadership belongs to the LCWR will endorse or agree with this December/March statement.

I wrote a little about the LCWR here, from which I invite you to draw your own conclusions.

These religious are basically what is left of the leftist sisters – the mostly boomer sisters who have issues with the authority of the hierarchy and have come to rather delight in sticking their fingers into the eyes of Catholic orthodoxy. I would never recommend anyone casually passing judgment on their overall faithfulness; that would probably be unwise and uncharitable, too. But I do not think it is inaccurate or uncharitable to suggest that some of these sisters “self-actualized” in 1972, and have decided to stay right there, in that heady chapter, as the narrative has moved on.

Most of the orders these women are attached to are dying out because young Catholics are not attracted to their way.

And of course big Journalism notes (via the Jammiewearingfool) that the going rate of 30 pieces of silver has increased with inflation:

You see, the Catholic Health Association is a for-profit company that works for some Catholic hospitals as a sort of trade association. It isn’t part of the Church nor does it represent any official group of religious Catholics, nor does it serve as a source of Catholic teachings.

The truth is that CHA chief Carol Keehan, a Daughter of Charity nun, is paid around $800,000 a year to advocate for this trade association, not the Catholic Church. She is not an altruist like nearly every other member of the actual Church that serves in an official capacity.

As I said there is a reason why the Vatican has spent a year investigating religious orders in the US.

Lets remind my fellow Catholics (such as Norah O’Donnell) and inform non Catholics (such as Joe Scarborough) about the rules concerning Mortal Sin:

1857 For a sin to be mortal, three conditions must together be met: “Mortal sin is sin whose object is grave matter and which is also committed with full knowledge and deliberate consent.”

1858 Grave matter is specified by the Ten Commandments, corresponding to the answer of Jesus to the rich young man: “Do not kill, Do not commit adultery, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Do not defraud, Honor your father and your mother.”132 The gravity of sins is more or less great: murder is graver than theft. One must also take into account who is wronged: violence against parents is in itself graver than violence against a stranger.

1859 Mortal sin requires full knowledge and complete consent. It presupposes knowledge of the sinful character of the act, of its opposition to God’s law. It also implies a consent sufficiently deliberate to be a personal choice. Feigned ignorance and hardness of heart do not diminish, but rather increase, the voluntary character of a sin.

Ironically Little Miss Attila had a post yesterday quoting a slew of different bibles all using different wording but all of the same quote:

NIV: It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied round his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin…I hope and trust that the message is coming through.

It isn’t an easy thing at times to resist membership in the millstone club, there can be incredible incentives to lead others to sin. $800k is a pretty incredible incentive.

I have the same thing to say about “Sister” Keehan as I did about another nun Donna Quinn, and her public and active support of abortion:

As I’ve said before Catholicism is a voluntary activity. If sister Quinn wants to push Abortion and aid at abortion clinics, it’s a free country, she just shouldn’t do it as a Catholic nun. If she insists on doing it as a Catholic Nun and her superiors do nothing then they ought not to be whining about the Vatican investigating them. It’s a variation of the murder your parents cry as an orphan business.

Sr. Keehan will do what she wants and the left, the White House and the media will fawn on her as we saw today on Morning Joe and she will be celebrated for the rest of their lives…

…after that they’re on their own.

Your choice ladies. I’m include you in my prayers today.

…that people know him because of his daughter.

There is a bit of ego in play but every parent loves to see their children succeed and even more so if they surpass them.

However much I think he is bollocks on the issues I really get a kick on seeing him on Morning Joe, you can see very much how proud both he is of his daughter and vice versa.

Politics come and go, arguments wax and wane, policies become stale, but in the end the it is that bond between a father and daughter. That is something that really matters in life.

If that sounds like sentimental pap to you…well I like sentimental pap.
Even more fun is the In fact the Miley Cyrus emphasizes it. Cyrus hit Mika for suggesting that pole dancing on an ice cream truck might not have been the best choice for a program that is being sold to pre-teen girls. Her defiant answer concluded thusly:

It’s funny. I don’t know if a lot of parents remember what they were like as kids. But I’m like, ‘Dude, as if you were an angel!

Zbigniew answered that she wasn’t always an angel and the look on her face was priceless.

BTW Miley you have certainly grown up. You are old enough to make a fool out of yourself. 50 million parents are shaking their heads and saying “You’ll see”.

Update put the block quote where it belonged