Trayvon Martin Protest – Sanford (Photo credit: werthmedia)
Up until now I have not posted about the Trayvon Martin case. I was waiting on facts to come out and hoping for civility. But it seems civility is lost and facts are slow to come. The murder of Trayvon is sad, the murder of any young life is sad, but that does not mean the life of George Zimmerman’s is fair game. We have a nation of laws, and we must follow the laws and allow the laws to work. We cannot and must not allow vigilantly style justice prevail in the case. The American justice system, all-be-it imperfect, is the best system there is. And the death of Trayvon will have its day.
But the rhetoric of many of the left has to stop! We cannot allow the media to create a polarizing political social situation out of Trayvon. MSNBC knowingly edited the 911 tape to make Zimmerman sound racist:
What MSNBC reported:
“This guy looks like he’s up to no good … he looks black,” Zimmerman told a police dispatcher from his car.
What Zimmerman said:
ZIMMERMAN: This guy looks like he’s up to no good, [begin ellipsis] or he’s on drugs or something. It’s raining and he’s just walking around, looking about.
911 DISPATCHER: Okay, is this guy, is he white, black, or Hispanic? [end ellipsis]
ZIMMERMAN: He looks black.
Big difference, don’t you think. Look, I don’t know if Zimmerman is a racist or not, but what I do know is that MSNBC went out of there way to portray him as such. And that is wrong! The news is suppose to deliver factual reporting, not make it up to fit there narrative.
We have the New Black Panthers offering a bounty on Zimmerman’s head, dead or alive, we have Spike Lee tweeting an address to what he thought was Zimmerman’s house and others with in the black community adding there own fuel to the fire. How can any of this be helpful? How can any of this be in any way, shape or form, a good thing? We had students ransacking a Walgreens drug store, to show there support and solidarity with Trayvon, really, that’s how we want to keep his memory alive? That is how we want to honor this young mans life, by offering bounty and ransacking drug stores.
To me, a simple white man, I would have to argue that no, that is not the way to honor Trayvon, to me the best way to honor him, let justice prevail, and as a nation, let us look at how we can better understand violence. Let us set up the Trayvon center for understanding. Let us look into how we can help youth let us research ways to stop the youth on youth violence, Let us use Trayvon as a lesson in understanding.
I am not, in anyway suggesting that Trayvon was doing anything wrong on that night, nor am I suggesting that Trayvon was an angel. He was a 17 year old youth who, as it seems, was involved in drugs and as it seems, had issues in school. Does this mean he was a gangster no, but it does me he was not the angel either. Trayvon was a teenager, and like most he was discovering himself, but to show him as this pure and innocent youth is just wrong. Show him as he was, who he was.
Trayvon was 12 in this photo
Trayvon is 16 or 17 in this photo
In both photos he is Trayvon, he is a young man who’s life was cut short, and it is sad and I pray for him and his family. But to show the 12 year old Trayvon is miss leading, and it was used to make the narrative stronger. In the day and age of internet searches, it was only a matter of time before other photos of Trayvon show up.
This case will either divide America or unite her. We will either be a black vs. white America or we will be America. I hope and pray that Trayvon will heal America, bring us together and allow his memory to be used as a unifier and not a divider. But I fear it is already to late, I fear that the media and the activist have already created an atmosphere of hatred and revenge. I fear the nation will become more divided as this case moves along, that the eyes and ears of the people have already been tainted and our hearts and souls have been assaulted.
But this is America, and we can learn from this, we can grow and become a better nation, a better people, if we allow it. But the rhetoric, speculation and hatred has to stop! We cannot achieve justice if we close our eyes to facts, what ever they may be.
This is a defining moment in American history, will we move forward or will we move backwards? Will American justice be allowed to work, or will vigilant justice prevail?
One comment I heard that really struck me was this:
“You tell our justice department and Eric Holder and our President Obama to get off up their ass and do the work and the rest is done!” Muhammad went on to say. When pressed by Cooper on the legality, he responded that he could make a citizen’s arrest of Zimmerman, who has not yet been charged for anything, because the New Black Panther Party member doesn’t “obey the white man’s law,” but rather the “street people’s law.” (source)
White mans law? Street people’s law? What is this, I only know of American Law. This kind of statement is made for one reason only, to create hate to make people see red and to insight violence. This has to stop!
I will state here and now, if George Zimmerman is guilty of murder or hate crimes, than he should pay the price, but if not, than he should be left along. Time will tell, and we have to allow the system to work, we can not arrest Zimmerman just because Trayvon happen to be a young black boy, and Zimmerman white. By the way, when did the term white-Hispanic come it to our vocabulary? Oh ya, when it fit the narrative. If the politically correct term for black Americans is African-American, then should it not be Hispanic-Americans for Hispanics, and not white-Hispanic? See how silly and dangerous this all is. We all allowing the media to create a new group of Americans, the dreaded white-Hispanics, who of course, because they are white first, must hate all blacks, and must be racist. SICK! Just Sick!
I, as a white male, do not hate anyone because of there skin color, in fact I really don’t think I hate at all. I do very strongly,dislike some people, but not because they are black or yellow but because the are ass’s, they are evil and hateful. Nothing to do with skin color, everything to do with character.
We need to stop this hatred now, we need to grow up and move on. All the hate talk going on concerning Trayvon is a disgrace to Americans, all Americans regardless of skin color. God willing it will soon end and justice will prevail.
Last night I watched the South Carolina debates on Fox News. What stuck me was the fact that the questions were not designed as “sound bites” and that they were fair. What a concept… It was refreshing to hear, for the most part, intelligent questions from the media. No “So if states want to ban birth control” type questions. In truth they all sounded good, except Ron Paul, for some reason he always sounds like he is disorganized and scattered. Newt, as always was right on and put the media in there place. His little spat with Juan Williams, who was trying to bring up the race card.
It seems to me that the race card is going to be the mode of operation this election season. If you state the truth, and dislike Obama, you must be a raciest. How sad is that, how low is that, I for one, am insulted! I dislike Obama because he is, in my opinion, the worst president EVER, He makes Carter look good, and that’s pretty bad. I would have thought that the fact that the current president won by a land slide would have dispelled the notion that America is raciest. But I guess that something are just to easy to fall back on.
It’s a no brainer to say it must be race, not policy, it makes good head lines to say White America is racist. By the way, as a side note, I hate when we Americans are described as:
White Americans
Black Americans
African Americans
Are we not all just Americans? Is that not part of the issue, we keep a divide between us when we do that. And to me it is simply stupid and counter productive. Yes I know there are still some whites that dislike blacks, just like there are some blacks that dislike some whites. It will, sadly, always be that way. There will always be ignorant people in this world. There is not much we can do about that. But there is much we can do about the divided we create when we refer to each other by our race. How about just American? What’s wrong with that?
Well back to the topic at hand…
Newt has a way of responding that just makes the questioner take a step back, his simple “No” to Juan was brilliant, the follow up from Newt with the why, in simple terms and no concerned about political correctness, what a beautiful thing to see and hear from a politician!
With Newt as our President we would always know were we stand, what he thinks and how he is going to deal with any issue. What a refreshing thought….
As for Dr. Ron Paul… Not sure why, but I just get an uneasy feeling about him, the feeling that one night he is just going to wake up and decide to run nude through the White House, just a feeling that he is just a tad bit off center. Not nuts, just a one or two cards short of a full deck. Don’t know why I get that feeling, but I do…
Romney, well what can I say about him, I would vote for him if he was the republican, but that’s about it. I just am not drawn to him.
Perry, he looks like he is always stiff, almost like a Ken doll…
Santorum, I like him, he is my second in line, if not Newt, than Santorum. Why not my first, I just like Newt, always have.
This election year promises to be exciting and revealing. I think we will see what America is made of this election. The American fabric will be stretched to its limits, and we will see what she can stand. If we fail, if the fabric rips we will be headed down a long, steep and slippery road to socialism. A road we are currently on, a road that not just liberals have put us on, but, sad to say, so have many conservatives. It is time, this election is the election to decide what road we want, socialism or the road the Founding Fathers forged for us, the road carved out of the wilderness with the blood of our sons. The road of Liberty and freedom, the road of personal responsibility and sacrifice. The process will not be easy, and we will have a hard climb back up to the top of this current hill, a lot of back tracking to do, freedoms to restore and liberties to reinstate. But we are Americans, we can do it, if only we try and work hard. Something our history as a nation has show we are not afraid to do, hard work was what this nation was built on, and hard work is what will restore this nation.
God willing, we will do just that, we will restore this great nation back to is former glory!
If we want America not to be black or white, but just Americans, how can we achieve this if we keep referring to such things as “Black Unemployment” or “Black America” or the “Black Republicans” Black Democrats” … Kind of hard not to see color when all we have is color coding.
To me, am American, it’s all the same, one person out of a job is one American with out work, black or white, what difference does it make? Really, tell me what difference dose it make. So is a black man or woman out of a job trump a white person out of a job? Does a poor black person suffer more than a poor white?
I don’t get it, I really don’t… Maybe I’m just stupid, maybe my simple mind just cant understand the difference between black and white. I’m my simple ways I see people as people, I don’t really care about color. Personally I get offended when I am asked my race on forms, I use to enter silly things such as 50 yard dash, I just don’t understand why it matters. But once again I am a simple minded person, so I am sure all the politicians and social engineers (what ever the hell that is) must know better than I.
What it comes down to is this, we all are Americans, if you were born here, your American, no matter the color of your skin. We have to stop creating false walls between us, we have to learn that we are all in this together. We are Americans, plane and simple.
I have never heard the expression “Black German” or “Black English” so why “Black American”? I just don’t get it. So should I call myself a “White, Catholic, Irish, Italian, French, English American” just to make sure I get it all in? I think not! Me, I’m just an American, and happy to be.
I always get upset when I hear news reports that use color… “A black man was killed” but they never saw “A white man was killed” or “Black unemployment is 19%” I never hear White numbers… They never say “White unemployment is…” Why we are at it, lets break it all down, Whites with blond hair and blue eyes unemployment is… We can get very silly with this, and is some ways I think they have.
I understand the need for the break downs. They are very helpful in science research and even the make up of America. But all to often they are used as a wedge placed between Americans, they are used to keep the race card in play. Why? for what end? We will never out grow racism if we keep playing into it.
As the old saying goes, “Can’t we all just get along?” I know we can, if we only make the effort to stop bringing color into it. White, Black, Yellow or Brown, I really don’t care, if you’re a good person, that’s all that really matters. We will always have fools who see color as important, but that is there issue. The majority of Americans try hard not to see color, but to see people. Now if we would only let them…
With Lent here, it’s a good time to ask the question, “Are you ready for it?” or an even better question, “Do you understand it?”
Lent is a complex time in the Church year, we are depriving ourselves, we are reminded of our mortality yet we are to be preparing for the Death and Resurrection of our Lord, a time of celebration….
Talk about emotions running the gamete… The high and lows of life are all put into the 40 days of Lent… We as Catholic/Christians are called to use this time as a time of renewal, a time to prepare for the new life, the new life in Christ.
It’s a time of sacrifice, a time to offer up to God. But many look at it as a time to stop eating candy or drinking pop. Yes they are sacrifice for many, but is that all we need to do?
Take 30 minutes to pray, ask the Holy Spirit’s guidance, look over this activities list for the Season of Lent, and make a few practical Lenten resolutions. Be careful. If you try to do too much, you may not succeed in anything. If you need to get up early or stay up late to get the 30 minutes of quiet, do it. Turn off your phone and computer. Don’t put it off and don’t allow interruptions.
During the Season of Lent, Get up earlier than anyone else in your house and spend your first 15 minutes of the day thanking God for the gift of life and offering your day to Him.
If you can’t do Mass daily, go to Mass on Fridays in addition to Sunday and thank Him for laying his life down for you. Maybe you can go another time or two as well.
Spend at least 30 minutes in Eucharistic adoration at least one time during the week.
Recover the Catholic tradition of making frequent visits to the Blessed sacrament throughout the week, even if it is only for 5 minutes.
Get to confession at least once during the Season of Lent after making a good examination of conscience. If you are not sure why confession is important, get my CD “Who Needs Confession.”
In addition to the penance assigned by the priest, fulfill the conditions necessary for a plenary indulgence. You can learn about plenary indulgences from the official Handbook of Indulgences.
Even if you can’t get to daily Mass during the Lenten Season, get a Daily Roman Missal or go visit the Crossroads Homepage for a link to the Daily Mass readings, and read these readings daily. During special seasons such as Lent, the Mass readings are thematically coordinated and make for a fantastic Bible study!
Pray the Liturgy of the Hours. You can buy a one volume edition or a full four volume edition. Or you can get it day by day online for free at www.universalis.com. Or you can subscribe to a monthly publication called the Magnificat that provides a few things from the liturgy of the hours together with the Mass readings of the day. The Magnificat is a great way to start learning the Liturgy of the Hours.
Make the Stations of the Cross each Friday of the Season of Lent either with a group or by yourself. If you have kids, bring them.
Pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary often during Lent, especially on Friday and Wednesday. The glorious mysteries are especially appropriate on Sundays. Joyful and Luminous mysteries are great on other days.
If you’ve never done a family rosary, begin doing it. If starting with once a week, try Friday or Sunday. If it’s tough to start with a full five decades, try starting with one. Use the Scriptural Rosary and have a different person read each of the Scriptures between the Hail Mary’s. This gets everyone more involved.
Make it a habit to stop at least five times a day, raise your heart and mind to God, and say a short prayer such as “Jesus, I love you,” or “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner,” or “Lord, I offer it up for you.”
Pray each day for the intentions and health of the Holy Father.
Pray each day for your bishop and all the bishops of the Catholic Church.
Pray for your priests and deacons and for all priests and deacons.
Pray for the millions of Christians suffering under persecution in various Muslim and Communist countries around the world such as the Sudan, Pakistan, Indonesia, China, Viet Nam, and North Korea.
Pray for Christian unity, that there would be one flock and one shepherd.
Pray for the evangelization of all those who have not yet heard and accepted the Good News about Jesus.
Pray for your enemies. In fact, think of the person who has most hurt you or who most annoys you and spend several minutes each day thanking God for that person and asking God to bless him or her.
Pray for an end to abortion on demand in the United States. Pray for pregnant women contemplating abortion.
Pray for a just peace in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Holy Land and elsewhere. Pray for our troops and for others in harm’s way.
Pray for an end to capital punishment. Pray for those on death row, and for the families of murder victims.
Find a form of fasting that is appropriate for you, given your age, state of health, and state of life. Some fast on bread and water on Wednesdays and Fridays. Some fast from sweets or alcohol throughout Lent. Some fast on one or more days per week from breakfast all the way to dinner, spending lunch hour in prayer or at noon Mass. Some cut out all snacks between meals. The money saved from not buying various things should be given to an apostolate or ministry serving the physically or spiritually poor.
Prayer is like breathing – you have to do it continually. But sometimes you need to pause and take a very deep breath. That’s what a retreat is. Plan a retreat this Lent. It could be simply a half day, out in nature, or in a Church. Or it could be a full day. Or an overnight. You can certainly read lots of things during your retreat or listen to lots of talks. But try sticking to Scripture, the liturgy, and quiet as much as you can. During or at the end of the retreat, write down what the Holy Spirit seems to be saying.
Find a written biography of a Saint that particularly appeals to you, and read it during the Season of Lent.
Instead of secular videos for weekend entertainment, try some videos that will enrich your spiritual life. Suggestions: Jesus of Nazareth, by Franco Zeffirelli, The Scarlet and the Black, the Assisi Underground.
While driving, turn off the secular radio for awhile and use commute time to listen to some teaching on audiocassette or CD. Some great resources can be purchased through this site or from other Catholic apostolates and publishers that you can find on our links page.
Find a local homeless shelter, soup kitchen, or crisis pregnancy center, and volunteer some time there throughout Lent. Serve the people there with the understanding that in so doing, you are serving Jesus. Try to see Jesus in each person there.
Visit someone at a nursing home or in the hospital or sick at home. Again, love Jesus in and through the suffering person.
Is there a widow or divorced person living in your neighborhood? If so, invite that person to your home for dinner, coffee, etc.
View Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion of the Christ during Lent on VHS or DVD, if you feel you can handle the violence. Get a copy of The Guide to the Passionto help you get the most out of the movie.
Invite folks to view The Passion of the Christ with you, especially people whose faith is rather nominal, or who do not practice their faith, or who do not profess Christian faith at all. Give them a copy of The Guide to the Passion.
Spend some focused time with your spouse, strengthening your marriage. Start praying together, or make praying together a more frequent occurrence.
Spend some focused time together with each of your children. Listen. Pray. Maybe even have fun.
When Easter comes, don’t drop the new practice you’ve begun during the Season Lent! Make a permanent feature of a deeper Christian life!
It has been 25 years since the space shuttle Challenger exploded upon lift-off, and our space program has never truly recovered. After the tragic explosion President Reagan comforted the American public but also pledged to continue with space exploration. With the second space shuttle tragedy President Bush began the process of grounding the shuttles altogether. With only three more flights scheduled, Americas domination in space is set to end. And along with it our investment in our future is also set to end.
Our vision of one day traveling space, the final frontier, like Captain Kirk of the USS Enterprise is becoming a pipe dream. The reality of it ever happening is becoming less and less. America needs NASA and all her innovation, the space program has saved lives made our day-to-day living more pleasurable and is a source of pride for all Americans.
One of President Obama’s fist acts as President was to reshape and refocus NASA, with the directive to become a quasar diplomatic are of the US government.
“Bolden: I am here in the region – its sort of the first anniversary of President Barack Obama’s visit to Cairo – and his speech there when he gave what has now become known as Obama’s “Cairo Initiative” where he announced that he wanted this to become a new beginning of the relationship between the United States and the Muslim world. When I became the NASA Administrator – before I became the NASA Administrator – he charged me with three things: One was that he wanted me to re-inspire children to want to get into science and math, that he wanted me to expand our international relationships, and third, and perhaps foremost, he wanted me to find a way to reach out to the Muslim world and engage much more with predominantly Muslim nations to help them feel good about their historic contribution to science, math, and engineering.” (source)
NASA as an outreach to the Muslim world, really, that’s our space program. Yes President Obama also had some ambition that also included space, but the simple fact that NASA is not in public relations with the Muslim world sets a new tone for our space program. One that is not space oriented, but rather one that is diplomatic in nature.
This is a new tone for NASA, one that is as far as you can get from the tone that JFK set for America:
“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth.” (Kennedy’s Speech: + HTML Excerpt, + PDF Excerpt, + Full Text) (source)
The American space program is part and parcel to American exceptionalism, we must continue to spend time, talent and money in this endeavor. American needs NASA now more than ever, we need something to place our dreams in and we need to see achievements that we once thought were impossible. The Space Program has given us many modern technologies, such as:
1. SATELLITE TELEVISION: Our world would not be the same without the satellites now in orbit around the Earth – all thanks to the space program. They not only give us satellite broadcast television and radio but also power telecommunications including mobile phones and terrestrial TV networks.
2. SAT NAV: The global positioning system on which our in-car navigation systems are based was developed by the US Department of Defense. They would not exist without the space satellites.
3. GOOGLE EARTH: Mapping was never as accurate as the images we can now get thanks to satellites which from space can even see a dog in your back garden.
4. VIRTUAL REALITY: NASA-developed research and advanced technology devices allow users to project themselves into a computer-generated environment. When coupled with a stereo-viewing device and appropriate software, it creates a feeling of actually being there.
5. ARTIFICIAL LIMBS: Prosthetic limbs are not new but advancements in space robotics are being adapted to create more lifelike, functioning limbs.
6. DIALYSIS: Modern machines to do the work of the kidneys – for patients waiting for or unable to have transplants – were developed as a result of a NASA-developed chemical process.
7. MRI AND CAT SCANS: NASA did not invent magnetic resonance imaging but it has contributed to major advances thanks to research into computer enhancement of pictures sent from the moon. Digital image processing has led to enhanced images of human organs.
8. BREAST CANCER SCREENING: A silicon chip originally developed for NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope makes the testing process less painful, less scarring and less expensive than traditional biopsy methods.
Heroes … Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin
9. ULTRASOUND TO ASSESS SKIN DAMAGE: An advanced instrument uses ultrasound technology to assess the depth of burn damage immediately, improving patient treatment and saving lives in serious burn cases.
10. EAR THERMOMETER: Removing the need to use intrusive, mercury-based thermometers on newborn babies and critically ill patients, the ear thermometer uses infrared astronomy technology to measure the amount of energy emitted by the eardrum. This is how NASA measures the temperature of stars and planets.
11. ATTENTION GETTER: Techniques used to measure brain activity in NASA pilots are being used to improve attention spans for children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
12. ROAD SAFETY: The cutting of grooves in concrete to increase traction was developed to reduce space shuttle accidents on runways. It is now applied to roads and has cut US traffic accidents by 85 per cent.
13. IMPROVED RADIAL TYRES: Goodyear developed a fibrous material five times stronger than steel for NASA to use in parachutes to land the Viking explorers on Mars. They expanded the technology to produce a harder-wearing radial car tire.
14. LANDMINE REMOVAL: Surplus rocket fuel is used for a flare that can burn a hole in the case of a mine and burn away its explosive content.
15. STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS: NASA software engineers have created thousands of computer programs to find imperfections in aerospace structures and components which has proved invaluable in air safety.
16. WATER FILTERS: Water-cleaning technology has existed since the early Fifties but NASA came up with ways to filter it in more extreme situations. The activated charcoal with silver ions used in commercial filter systems cleans the water and kills bacteria.
17. FREEZE-DRIED FOOD: NASA carried out extensive research to reduce the weight of food to be carried on missions. The result was a method for cooking food, freezing it quickly, then slowly heating it in a vacuum chamber to remove the ice crystals. The end product weighs one fifth of the original, while retaining 98 per cent of its nutrition.
18. TEMPER FOAM: NASA developed a soft, high-energy-absorbent padding to improve crash protection in aircraft. Now ?memory foam? is used in mattresses, pillows, military and civilian vehicles, sports safety equipment, amusement park rides, furniture and artificial limbs.
19. SCRATCH-RESISTANT LENSES: A modified version of a process developed by NASA involves coating the lenses with a film of carbon that helps avoid scratches and decreases friction and reduces water spots.
20. RIBBED SWIMSUITS: The swimsuit worn by Olympic sensation Michael Phelps was developed with NASA technology. Aerodynamic research came up with material which give 15 per cent faster speeds than any other swimsuit thanks to small, barely visible grooves that reduce friction and drag.
21. AERODYNAMIC GOLF BALLS: Technology is behind the design of golf balls with 500 dimples in a pattern of 60 triangles which allows the ball to maintain its initial speed longer and produce a more stable flight for better accuracy and distance.
22. ATHLETIC SHOES: Moon-boot material has been incorporated into running shoe midsoles to improve shock absorption and provide better stability and motion control.
23. PERSONAL ALARM SYSTEMS: A pen-sized ultrasonic transmitter used by prison guards, teachers, the elderly and disabled to call for help is based on space technology.
24. SPACE PENS: Most pens depend on gravity to make the ink flow to the ballpoint. The space pen was developed for the gravity-free space environment so that the ink cartridge contains pressurized gas to push the ink towards the ballpoint, so you can write upside down.
25. CORDLESS POWER TOOLS: The household and DIY products firm Black & Decker came up with a portable drill capable of extracting core samples from below the lunar surface during the Apollo missions. The same technology has been used on cordless miniature vacuum cleaners. (source)
Think cell phone, microwaved dinners and the computer I am using to post this blog. NASA may not have invented all of them, but it is because of NASA and the innovations created for our space program that I am able to post to the net at all.
So instead of looking to high-speed trains as an investment into America, look to NASA. I would consider that to be a nobler investment, and one that would have a far greater impact on American than a train that can get me from Detroit to DC in 1 hour. With NASA fully funded and achievable goals the sky truly is the limit for the American Dream.
This morning when I was deciding to blog, I was not to sure what to blog about, so like I will often do I turned to the internet looking for inspiration. I went to all my normal sites, www.catholic.net, www.usatoday.com, and other news outlets on the web. I have set up several feeds on my home page that allows me to read headlines from several sources, but nothing was jumping out at me. So I turned to Bing. Not the singer, but the search engine and typed in the key words “Odd News”. You never know what you will find…
Ok, the title grabbed me… A school official jokes about birth control… Hmmm, can birth control even be funny? So I clicked the link…
A spokeswoman says New York City Schools Chancellor Cathie Black was making a joke when she suggested overcrowded schools could be solved with birth control.
The article, short but to the point, makes a very interesting read. And to me it states a lot about what the liberal elites really think. The basic problem the school board was discussing was over crowding and the need to address the need for more desk in the future. The solution, according the Black, birth control. The reaction from the people, well they did not find it funny and some even stated it was a racists remark…
Well I don’t know Miss. Black, so I can not comment on that, but I can comment on the over-all idea of Birth Control and ethnic community…
Planned Parenthood, the international baby killing company, basic premise is racists. The founder herself, Margaret Sanger spoke of sterilizing those she designated as “unfit,” a plan she said would be the “salvation of American civilization. (read more here)
Some more interesting reading from the same website (more to read)
Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in America. 78% of their clinics are in minority communities. Blacks make up 12% of the population, but 35% of the abortions in America. Are we being targeted? Isn’t that genocide? We are the only minority in America that is on the decline in population. If the current trend continues, by 2038 the black vote will be insignificant. Did you know that the founder of Planned Parenthood, Margaret Sanger, was a devout racist who created the Negro Project designed to sterilize unknowing black women and others she deemed as undesirables of society? The founder of Planned Parenthood said, “Colored people are like human weeds and are to be exterminated.” Is her vision being fulfilled today?
I am a sinner in need of a conversion. A deep spiritual conversion. I need to feel the spirit of God racing through my vein’s, I need to hear the soft whisper of the Holy Spirit within my being and I need to experience the crucifixion of our Lord daily.
This is how I have been feeling as of late, I know I am a sinner, as we all are, and I know I need to go to confession, and soon, it has been like 6 months. And I know and understand I need a conversion, not to a new faith, nope, I am a Catholic, proud to be one and will be one for life. I believe in the One True Faith, established by Jesus Christ himself. And I have no desire to go “church shopping”, nope the Catholic faith is the right faith. But I am still in-need of a conversion.
What kind of conversion, is it from being a conservative Catholic to a liberal Catholic or how about to a charismatic Catholic. Nope, I am happy being a conservative Catholic, the conversion I am seeking is one of the heart, one that moves the soul and transforms me into the person that God created me to be.
Like I said, I know I am a sinner, and God did not create me to be a sinner, but rather a saint. Well lets just say I fall short, way short. And a good old fashion conversion is just what I need. So Come Holy Spirit and renew my soul, make within me a dwelling place for the Lord, make within me a holy of holies and reside in me for eternity.
I need a conversion of my being, of who and what I am, of what I think and what I do, I need a conversion of life. My life is not what it should be, it is one of shame and disgrace, I have sinned in action and words, my thoughts have betrayed me and I have betrayed God. I am an unworthy servant, one that lacks in character and sufficient grace.
Oh, I know God has provided for me all the grace I need, and then some, but I still lack, not because God has not provided, but because I have neglected to receive it. For I am a sinner, and sinners block the grace God bestows upon them, for they are foreign to them, they are like a virus to a sinner, grace attacks the sin and to a sinner that is unacceptable.
And I am a sinner. Sure my life is filled with grace, for anyone who reads my blog will know this. I am blessed, but I also know I am not fulfilling my calling that I am lacking in grace to be what God truly wishes me to be. I am in need of a conversion, one that leads me to my Lord upon the Cross, one that fills my heart with sorrow for humanity but love for Gods creation, a conversion that fills me up, and over flows my being with the grace of God. I am a sinner, a sinner in all that I am, a sinner who is searching for the light upon the hill but can only see the shadows of that hill.
The blessings that have been bestowed upon me are numerous and I am grateful, I know that God is with me and that I have to do is ask, and I shall receive. But there in lies the problem, how shall I ask, for what shall I ask and what shall I receive? Gods ways are not ours, Gods responses do not always make sense to us, His yes sometimes seems like a no, and His response can seem like to response at all. And my ideas of what I need may not be truly what I need. But this is due to the fact that I am a sinner, my connection to God is corroded, covered in the black gunk of sin.
The Saints, all of them, were sinners, we all are, with the exception of Mary, the mother of Jesus. They all had to deal with the corrosion of sin, they all have had faulty connections at one time or another. St. Francis of Assisi miss understood Gods wishes to “fix His Church”, Francis took it literally and set about rebuilding a few church buildings, God’s meaning, fix the humanity of the Church, not the buildings of the Church. … But Francis got it right in the end. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, a modern-day saint to look to and admire and bouts of what is called the “black night”, times of deep and painful spiritual warfare, but she found Gods grace even in that.
I have been all things unholy. If God can work through me, he can work through anyone. Francis of Assisi
For I am a sinner, in need of a conversion, a conversion of my being.
Updated: Monday, 30 Aug 2010, 7:02 PM CDT Published : Monday, 30 Aug 2010, 7:02 PM CDT
(FOXnews.com) – As President Barack Obama prepares to tie a bow on U.S. combat operations in Iraq, Congressional Budget Office numbers show that the total cost of the eight-year war was less than the stimulus bill passed by the Democratic-led Congress in 2009, FOXNews.com reported Monday.
According to CBO numbers in its Budget and Economic Outlook published this month, the cost of Operation Iraqi Freedom was $709 billion for military and related activities, including training of Iraqi forces and diplomatic operations.
The projected cost of the stimulus, which passed in February 2009, and is expected to have a shelf life of two years, was $862 billion.
The U.S. deficit for fiscal year 2010 is expected to be $1.3 trillion, according to CBO. That compares to a 2007 deficit of $160.7 billion and a 2008 deficit of $458.6 billion, according to data provided by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.
In 2007 and 2008, the deficit as a percentage of gross domestic product was 1.2 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively.
"Relative to the size of the economy, this year’s deficit is expected to be the second largest shortfall in the past 65 years; 9.1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), exceeded only by last year’s deficit of 9.9 percent of GDP," CBO wrote.
The CBO figures show that the most expensive year of the Iraq war was in 2008, the year when the surge proposed by Gen. David Petraeus and approved by President George W. Bush was in full swing and the turning point in the war.
The total cost of Iraq operations in 2008 was $140 billion. In 2007, the cost of Iraq operations was $124 billion.
The more I read, the more I learn, the more I distrust this current administration. They are masters of deception, propaganda is there game and they know how to play it well. We have been sold a line of crap on the cost of the war, Obama and his spending like there is no tomorrow democrats are creating a crises that will bankrupt our nation.
President Bush was criticized for his over spending, and yes I agree that he spent like a democrat over his last two years, and I was not happy about that, but Obama makes him look like a tight wad, like he never spent a dime for anything. Ah the good old days…
The above Fox News article shows the reckless spending of the current administration and the democratic house. It is sickening to watch and November 2, 2010 can not come fast enough for me.
How any sane person can think they can spend there way out of debt is beyond me. Think about it, can you do that? Can any fortune 500 company do that, how about the local ma and pop owned business, can they? History has proven time-and-again that government is not the answer, that higher taxes (due in January of 2011, thanks to the no vote of congress) and more regulations don’t do it. But History has shown us the way, look at the Reagan years, lower taxies, less regulations, and more jobs, more prosperity, less people depending on the government for a living. I know, this is all anti-Obama talk, and to the left I must be a racist. Say what you like, think as you will, but history will prove me right. That is, if we get a chance to prove it.
This November 2 is a history maker, one way or another. And in some ways this election is more important than the last one. Sure in 2008 we voted in the first Black as president of the United States, and yes that is history. But we also voted in the first socialistic government in the history of the great nation, so now, in 2010we have the chance to make history again, and to vote out the socialist agenda by removing the congress and the senate and restoring the power of the government back to the people from whom they stole it from.
America is at a cross road, we will either return to the republic that we are or continue down the path to a socialistic government that will run our lives from the offices in DC. Our vote, our voice must be heard, loud and clear this November 2nd, we must stand tall and fight for what is ours. The founding fathers of this great nation did not intend for the federal government to be a nanny state, in-fact they wrote the constitution to just the opposite, it was written to protect the citizens of this great land, not to empower the federal government. The current political power players seem to have forgotten this, the supreme court has decided they know better and the American people have become lethargic to it all.
But no more! We are fired up, we are ready for the November revolution, we are ready to fight and protect the American way, we are ready to take back what is ours!
November 2, 2010 will be, one way or another historic, I just pray it is a return to common sense, a return to smaller government, sanity and power back to whom they stole it, the people!
This blog really has nothing to do with the Catholic faith directly, but indirectly it should make a lot of Catholics uneasy and make them question their views.
This information is taken from an article in the March 2010 edition of Townhall magazine, page 72-73.
Title: The real Party of Civil Rights
…Democrats claim to be champions of civil. In fact, they have been among black Americas’ harshest foes.
It is hard to overstate the consistency and ferocity with which Democrats through U.S. history have opposed civil rights legislation for black Americans. The Republican Party has been responsible for ensuring the passage of virtually every major civil rights initiative in U.S. history, including winning passage of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments, the Civil Rights Act of 1957, and authoring, introducing and seeing to passage the 1960 Civil Rights Act. But it would be a speech by Everett McKinley Dirksen, the Republican Senate minority leader from Illinois, leading his small band of Senate Republicans, that would pave the way for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
On June 10, 1964, at exactly 9:51 am, former KKK member Sen. Robert C. Byrd, the Democrat from West Virginia, spoke the last word of what had been a 14-hour and 13-minute speech in opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In the House, of the 420 voting members at the time, the bill had passed on a 290-130 vote. House Republicans supported the ill by a 138-34 margin. Democrats, however, had been more divided, voting for he bill 152-96….
The above is only part of the article, the rest of the article is Sen. Everett’s speech.
Common perception is the Republicans are anti Civil Right and Democrats are pro-civil rights. Well as the history and votes show, that simple is not the case. Once again the American people have been lied to and duped! And many in the Catholic faith have walked blindly in to the lie.
Like I said it is not directly related to the faith, but indirectly it is. I hope this makes you stop and think, maybe do a little research on your own and find out the truth of the Democratic and Republican Parties.
Dark days are always a part of our life, but having said that so are light day. There is an opposite for everything. For good there is bad, for up there is down, you get the idea.
But for many there is no opposite, they choose to see only one side of all things, for them there is no good but only bad, or there is no down only up. Their world is an all or nothing world. Their world is full of light or full of darkness. They only move up or down, but not both.
Both cases are bad, we need change, we need flexibility, and we need the darkness and the light. We are not created to be constant; we are created to be change. Always evolving, growing and becoming a new creation. It is the contrasts of life that allow us to do so.
If we only see the world as all good, why bother changing, it is perfect the way it is. If we see everything as down, then what’s the use of even trying to change, it will only end in a downward motion.
It is the ebb and flow that create the need to grow, the need to see things in a new light.
We need balance, we need to be dark and light up and down… We need to allow ourselves the privilege of contrast. The black and white lights are what give the world its colors. If we have no black, we would have no color, no variations to what we see or experience.
So allow yourself the experience to live the black and white of life, to see the ups and downs and to know the colors of the world.
As for Dr. Ron Paul… Not sure why, but I just get an uneasy feeling about him, the feeling that one night he is just going to wake up and decide to run nude through the White House, just a feeling that he is just a tad bit off center. Not nuts, just a one or two cards short of a full deck. Don’t know why I get that feeling, but I do…
Take 30 minutes to pray, ask the Holy Spirit’s guidance, look over this activities list for the Season of Lent, and make a few practical Lenten resolutions. Be careful. If you try to do too much, you may not succeed in anything. If you need to get up early or stay up late to get the 30 minutes of quiet, do it. Turn off your phone and computer. Don’t put it off and don’t allow interruptions. 
View Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion of the Christ during Lent on VHS or DVD, if you feel you can handle the violence. Get a copy of 
Planned Parenthood, the international baby killing company, basic premise is racists. The founder herself, Margaret Sanger spoke of sterilizing those she designated as “unfit,” a plan she said would be the “salvation of American civilization. 
Dark days are always a part of our life, but having said that so are light day. There is an opposite for everything. For good there is bad, for up there is down, you get the idea. 
motion.
