First You Lose Your Soul...
Then you lose your strength

Same tune, different lyrics --

Failed Britannia
Britannia ruled the waves
Britannia will voluntarily be enslaved

Yesterday, I posted how the proud Armed Forces of Canada very well may become the North American counterpart to the European Continentals joke of what they call "armies". If you haven't read it, scroll down. The so-called NATO mission in Afghanistan is actually fought only by the Yanks, Brits, Aussies, and Canucks. The rest of our "allies" are glorified night watchmen. It's ashamed they should be.

But anyhow, I read a particularly sad story today from the New York Post telling how Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair is going forward with the gutting of the soon to be once proud Royal Navy.

Here's a few poignant paragraphs;

March 28, 2007 -- It's been a tough month for the British Navy. On March 7, it learned that Tony Blair's Labor government was going ahead with drastic cuts in its budget and number of ships. By this time next year, the once-vaunted Royal Navy will be about the size of the Belgian Navy, while its officers face a five-year moratorium on all promotions.

If that wasn't demoralizing enough, last Friday the Iranian Navy seized a patrol boat containing 15 British sailors and Marines, claiming they'd crossed into Iranian waters. They're now hostages and may well go on trial as spies.

The latest report is that the Britons were ready to fight off their abductors. Certainly their escorting ship, HMS Cornwall, could have blown the Iranian naval vessel out of the water. However, at the last minute the British Ministry of Defense ordered the Cornwall not to fire, and her captain and crew were forced to watch their shipmates led away into captivity.

There was a question whether the Blair government would end up leaving Britain with a navy too small to protect its shores. Now it seems to want a navy that can't even protect its own sailors.

Seventy years ago, another generation of British politicians believed that disarming themselves would help ease world tensions after World War One. Farsighted and progressive planners cut the Royal Navy by nearly two-thirds and ceased the fortification of vital naval bases like Singapore so as not to alarm other powers. In the name of international peace, Britain signed treaties formally limiting the size of its fleet, and as late as 1935 reached an accord with Adolf Hitler allowing him to build the submarine fleet that the Versailles Treaty had denied him.

Six years later, Hitler's U-boats were turned loose to harry British shipping and the Japanese stormed into Singapore, forcing the greatest mass surrender in British history.

Today, British politicians seem determined to make the same mistake. They exude the spirit not of Winston Churchill or Margaret Thatcher but of diplomat and Labor Party stalwart Harold Nicolson, who used to sigh to friends in the dark days after France's surrender in 1940: "All we can do is lie on our backs with our paws in the air and hope that no one will stamp on our tummies."

Don't get me wrong... I'm not saying a damn thing against the rank and file of the RN. It's the gutless politicians who have pissed away Britain's Christian identity. It's the spineless politicians who have surrendered to the fuming imams in London, Glasgow, and Manchester. It's the cowardly politicians who will ensure that the present day United Kingdom will very, very soon become the Caliphate of Britain.

But then again... those politicians wouldn't be in power if the British people didn't put them there in the first place.

And to those Brits who still have a valid, legitimate backbone, don't think I'm Brit-bashing. We Americans aren't that far behind.

Forget About Dr. Cox
Ted is my news Scrubs favorite

Actor Sam Lloyd is hilarious as hospital lawyer Ted Buckland. I found out a couple of interesting things about Lloyd... he's the nephew of actor Christopher Lloyd (of Taxi and Back To The Future fame). And Lloyd really does sing with his group in the show, The Worthless Peons (played by Lloyd's real life band The Blanks).

Enjoy these clips! I'm sure you'll enjoy watching poor, hapless Ted as much as I do.

We Deliver Natural Disaster Relief Supplies In 30 Minutes, Or It's Free
The new motto of the Canadian Armed Forces?

Will they even be considered "Armed Forces" if the brain-dead liberals in Canada have their way?

Here's what's up.... there's an interesting little poll being taken up in Canada. Specifically, it asks the musical question if Canada should even have a war-fighting military.

It's no big shocker that 71% of Quebecers wanting to "scrap any combat role for the Canadian Forces". And I guess the good news is that the down-home country folk of rural Alberta... four in ten that is, want a 'peacekeeping only' military. That's the good news? "Only" four in ten Albertans are opposed to a combat-capable military?

That giant earthquake that just hit The Great White North? All the Canuck WWI, WWII, and Korean War vets rolling over in their graves. But I gotta tell ya, it's the Canadians who have already served their nation honorably are the ones I feel sorry for. To even discuss turning Canada's proud military into nothing more than a global Meals-On-Wheels... that's embarrassing.

I admit, I heartily agree with the author of this story, Mark Steyn, who says;

If this poll is correct, it's fascinating. Fascinating in the sense that a terminal illness is fascinating. First, if it's any consolation to those six out of ten warmongering Albertans, the numbers in most Continental countries would probably be even worse. Afghanistan, for example, is officially a NATO mission to which most NATO members are contributing. But they're not contributing troops, not if by troops you mean fellows with guns who are prepared to fire them at the other side. The Continentals mostly have very circumscribed rules of engagement, which prevent them from participating in combat operations, or going out in the snow, or even after dark. So they're confined to "securing" a handful of selected sites--i.e., they're glorified night watchmen in fancier livery. *When it comes to hunting down and killing the enemy, it's pretty much down to the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia (which isn't even in NATO). So much for multiculturalism. That quartet's about as unicultural as you can get, not to say, given that three of them share the same head of state, uniregal.

* I said the very same thing months ago on this blog.

[note: the Canadian flag I have pictured, flying upside down, is not a sign of disrespect on my part. Any nation's flag flying upside down is the international sign of distress]

Comrade Mahony's At It Again
Mahony's theology is as flawed as his history

Helmet Tip to both Jeff Miller over at The Curt Jester, and Quintero over at LA Catholic

I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.... Mahony's latest dive into the pool of Marxism is something called the "Cesar Chavez Mass". What the hell is that? I guess you're suppose to pick lettuce on your way up to hearty Communion meal of tortillas and tequila. And of course that begs the question, do I take Communion with salt and lemon? Hmmm... I wonder if Mahony is commissioning a committee to formulate a hymn that incorporated the lyrics "lick it, slam it, suck it"?

But I digress, when I start reading the drivel put forth to advertise this little fiesta, I'm just further convinced that Mahony could give a tinkers damn less about the salvation of anyone's soul. He just wants to save society. Example (from the Archdiocese of LA website);

• Recognition of the important contributions of immigrants in our society and their rights as human beings, and for comprehensive immigration reform
• Civic action for real political and social change.
• The plight of all farm workers, especially those affected by the recent citrus freeze.
• The continuous struggle for low-wage workers’ right to organize and healthcare for all.

Face it, this fandango is specifically for the illegal aliens.

But Comrade Mahony, as usual, screwed up. Turns out that César Chávez isn't exactly the Patron Saint of illegals that Cardinal Majoto envisioned.

Take a gander at a bit of an article from reporter Ruben Navarrette Jr. of the San Diego Union, March 30, 2005;

Despite the fact that Chávez is these days revered among Mexican-American activists, the labor leader in his day was no more tolerant of illegal immigration than the Arizona Minutemen are now. Worried that the hiring of illegal immigrants drove down wages, Chávez – according to numerous historical accounts – instructed union members to call the Immigration and Naturalization Service to report the presence of illegal immigrants in the fields and demand that the agency deport them. UFW officials were even known to picket INS offices to demand a crackdown on illegal immigrants.

And in 1973, in one of the most disgraceful chapters in UFW history, the union set up a "wet line" to prevent Mexican immigrants from entering the United States. Under the guidance of Chávez 's cousin, Manuel, UFW members tried at first to convince the immigrants not to cross. When that didn't work, they physically attacked the immigrants and left some bloody in the process. It happened in the same place that the Minutemen are now planning to gather: the Arizona-Mexico border.

At the time, The Village Voice said that the UFW conducted a "campaign of random terror against anyone hapless enough to fall into its net."

And by the way, before anyone starts screaming what a racist I am, please know that my late grandfather was Antonio Diaz Perez (+), and my late grandmother was Estella Pangalinan Perez (+).

So there.

They Don't Need A Reason, Just An Excuse
The latest moslem outrage of the day

Here's some of the gory details as reported by the BBC;

Koran Riot Grips Yemeni Gas Plant

Security forces have been called in to tackle riots at a Yemen gas plant where a copy of the Koran is said to have been desecrated, security sources say.

Unrest began after a French engineer at the terminal in the south-eastern port of Belhaf allegedly "defiled" the book. Hundreds of rioting workers burnt cars and a helicopter at the French-run facility, sources told news agencies.

"After a fight between a French engineer and another who is Yemeni, the Frenchman - to enrage the Yemeni - threw a Koran on the floor in an offensive way," a local official told AFP news agency, requesting anonymity.

If France had any brains (or backbone), they'd notify Yemen that they would dismantle the plant and go home. The local Yemenis who were employed there could now go back to a livelihood of... what exactly IS there in Yemen that they can do without Western brain power? Oh, that's right... nothing.

So now they can go back to smoking camel dung, beating their wives, and sexually violating their goats.

No word yet if France is planning on surrendering to Yemen.

Village People Police Officer Arrested
Kinda ironic, isn't it?

03-24) 15:05 PDT SAN DIEGO -- The man who once sang as the police officer in the Village People band has been arrested. Again. Police in Universal City arrested Victor "Macho Man" Willis, 55, early Friday morning.

A woman, who described herself as Willis' girlfriend, told police she had been choked and threatened with a knife. The woman told officers that Willis had been abusive and was out on bail on a similar assault charge from last month, police said.

For some odd reason, I don't think that Macho Man Willis is going to be all that upset about being thrown into the pokey.

Oops... was that a homophobic slur?

The USCCB - Filled With Sound And Fury...
And signifying NOTHING

There's a hot story making the rounds in the Catholic blogosphere....

WASHINGTON (March 22, 2007) — The Committee on Doctrine of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) declared that pamphlets published by Professor Daniel Maguire of Marquette University on contraception, abortion, and same-sex marriage “do not present authentic Catholic teaching.”

“The views about contraception, abortion, same-sex ‘marriage,’ as well as the very nature of Church teaching and its authoritative character, cross the legitimate lines of theological reflection and simply enter into the area of false teaching,” the Doctrine Committee said. “Such mistaken views should not be confused with the moral teaching of the Catholic Church.”

On June 19, 2006, Professor Maguire sent two pamphlets to all of the Catholic Bishops in the United States, one entitled The Moderate Roman Catholic Position on Contraception and Abortion and the other A Catholic Defense of Same-Sex Marriage.

OK, fine. The USCCB finally grew a set of doo-dads, albeit extra teeny-tiny, but doo-dads nonetheless. But here's the $64,000 question... what's going to be done about it? And the short answer is.... absolutely nothing.

Professor (and ex-priest, of course) Maguire will continue to crap all over the Vatican mandated Profession of Faith and The Oath Of Fidelity On Assuming An Office To Be Exercised In The Name Of The Church from 1998 that was put out by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Interestingly enough, that same CDF was honchoed at the time by a certain Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger.

Here's an interesting little tid-bit from the Oath of Fidelity that you may want to know about;

Canon 833, Nos. 5-8 obliges the following to make the profession of faith: "the rectors of an ecclesiastical or Catholic university at the beginning of the rector's term of office"; and, "at the beginning of their term of office, teachers in any universities whatsoever who teach disciplines which deal with faith or morals"...

And, of course, the loophole that The Heretical One slipped through was the wording "at the beginning of their term of office". Maguire was hired in 1971. With that said, the Marquette official website identifies the Rector of M.U. as Father James Flaherty, SJ, who was appointed Rector in 2005 (as of 1970, the President of M.U. and the Rector are two separate individuals).

Looks like Fr. Flaherty isn't doing his job very well, is he? I would imagine that he took the Oath of Fidelity, wouldn't you?

But back to Maguire. You may want to take a gander at some of the outright heresy (and pornography) that was spewn forth from his mouth. Such as;

~ Good Sex & the Wisdom of World Religions.
~ Sex and the Sacred.
~ The Spirituality of Sexual Pleasure.

Make sure you listen to the preview of his Good Sex & the Wisdom of World Religions lecture where he makes such good fun of The Holy Bible. And he also refers to himself [when he was a young priest] as a "horny 29-year old virgin". Also, he alludes to St. Augustine as "poison" in his The Spirituality of Sexual Pleasure. What a guy. I don't know about you, but I sure am glad he's a tenured professor at a Catholic university.

And the bottom line is that this guy will continue poisoning young minds at Marquette. His superiors will smile and look the other way. And the USCCB will pat themselves on the back for a job well done.

Let me scream this from the rooftops ONE... MORE... TIME...

SATAN HAS INFILTRATED AND IS DESTROYING THE CHURCH FROM WITHIN.

Our Lady of Akita has wept 101 tears already. How many more must she weep?

I, Fogey
You kids get the hell off my lawn!!

Even though I'm only 47, it's entirely possible that I'm already an old fogey. Could it be that this entire post is just a senior moment?

I was thinking the other day that it's amazing the things that go through your head when you're driving and you've just given up music for Lent. Superficially, that's what I gave up. What I'm really striving towards is the strength to deal with debt. Two months out of work has really beat-up the credit cards. Thank goodness for my retirement check from the Marine Corps.

Oops, I'm rambling.... focus Caveman, focus. Like I was saying, it's weird the things that go through your head when there's nothing but silence when driving.

Example: (as I randomly choose a year) Remember when we were kids, we would refer to the year 1908 as "nineteen oh eight". Only those decrepit old fogies would refer to that particular year as (insert creaky old man voice here) "nineteen hundred and eight".

But then it hit me. I don't refer to this year as "twenty oh seven".... I call it "two thousand and seven". Am I talking just like the old farts that I use to make fun of? Sure am.

What's next? Driving 35 in a 45 zone... in the fast lane? Referring to my time in the Marines as "The Old Corps"? Turning on the heater in my house... in August? Randomly finishing sentences with the phrase by cracky? Even though I grew up on Guam and in San Diego, will I start telling children how I use to walk 5 miles in the snow to go to school?

Well, whatever may come to be, I'll have to deal about it later. Mrs. Caveman and I need to hurry so we won't be late to the 4:00 Blue Plate Dinner Special... by cracky.

I Guess There Are Some *Real Men Left In Europe
My Weithmann anscestors from Bavaria would be proud!

Helmet tip to my San Diego Amigo, Motes

Hold onto your hat! This is truly a stunner. My fellow San Diego Padres fan just sent me the following;

If any of you still feel that this war on terror is a mistake, here is an opinion from an unexpected source. It's fascinating that this should come out of Europe. Mathias Dapfner, Chief Executive of the huge German publisher Axel Springer AG, has written a blistering attack in DIE WELT, Germany's largest daily paper, against the timid reaction of Europe in the face of the Islamic threat. This is a must-read by all Americans. History may well certify its correctness.

From the German newspaper Die Weld;

EUROPE - THY NAME IS COWARDICE

(Commentary by Mathias Dapfner CEO, Axel Springer, AG)

A few days ago Henry Broder wrote in Welt am Sonntag, "Europe - your family name is appeasement." It's a phrase you can't get out of your head because it's so terribly true. Appeasement cost millions of Jews and non-Jews their lives, as England and France, allies at the time, negotiated and hesitated too long before they noticed that Hitler had to be fought, not bound to toothless agreements. Appeasement legitimized and stabilized Communism in the Soviet Union, then East Germany, then all the rest of Eastern Europe, where for decades, inhuman suppressive, murderous governments were glorified as the ideologically correct alternative to all other possibilities.

Appeasement crippled Europe when genocide ran rampant in Kosovo, and even though we had absolute proof of ongoing mass-murder, we Europeans debated and debated and debated, and were still debating when finally the Americans had to come from halfway around the world, into Europe yet again, and do our work for us.

Rather than protecting democracy in the Middle East, European Appeasement, camouflaged behind the fuzzy word "equidistance," now countenances suicide bombings in Israel by fundamentalist Palestinians.

Appeasement generates a mentality that allows Europe to ignore nearly 500,000 victims of Saddam's torture and murder machinery and, motivated by the self-righteousness of the peace movement, has the gall to issue bad grades to George Bush...

Even as it is uncovered that the loudest critics of the American action in Iraq made illicit billions, no, TENS of billions, in the corrupt U.N. Oil-for-Food program.

And now we are faced with a particularly grotesque form of appeasement. How is Germany reacting to the escalating violence by Islamic Fundamentalists in Holland and elsewhere? By suggesting that we really should have a "Muslim Holiday" in Germany?

I wish I were joking, but I am not. A substantial fraction of our (German) Government, and if the polls are to be believed, the German people, actually believe that creating an Official State "Muslim Holiday" will somehow spare us from the wrath of the fanatical Islamists. One cannot help but recall Britain's Neville Chamberlain waving the laughable treaty signed by Adolph Hitler and declaring European "Peace in our time".

What else has to happen before the European public and its political leadership get it? There is a sort of crusade underway, an especially perfidious crusade consisting of systematic attacks by fanatic Muslims, focused on civilians, directed against our free, open Western societies, and intent upon Western Civilization's utter destruction.

It is a conflict that will most likely last longer than any of the great military conflicts of the last century - a conflict conducted by an enemy that cannot be tamed by "tolerance" and "accommodation" but is actually spurred on by such gestures, which have proven to be, and will always be taken by the Islamists for signs of weakness. Only two recent American Presidents had the courage needed for Anti-appeasement: Reagan and Bush.

His American critics may quibble over the details, but we Europeans know the truth. We saw it first hand: Ronald Reagan ended the Cold War, freeing half of the German people from nearly 50 years of terror and virtual slavery. And Bush, supported only by the Social Democrat Blair, acting on moral conviction, recognized the danger in the Islamic War against Democracy. His place in history will have to be evaluated after a number of years have passed.

In the meantime, Europe sits back with charismatic self-confidence in the multicultural corner, instead of defending liberal society's values and being an attractive center of power on the same playing field as the true great powers, America and China.

On the contrary - we Europeans present ourselves, in contrast to those "arrogant Americans", as the World Champions of "tolerance", which even (Germany's Interior Minister) Otto Schily justifiably criticizes. Why? Because we're so moral? I fear it's more because we're so materialistic, so devoid of a moral compass.

For his policies, Bush risks the fall of the dollar, huge amounts of additional national debt, and a massive and persistent burden on the American economy - because unlike almost all of Europe, Bush realizes what is at stake - literally everything.

While we criticize the "capitalistic robber barons" of America because they seem too sure of their priorities, we timidly defend our Social Welfare systems. Stay out of it! It could get expensive! We'd rather discuss reducing our 35-hour workweek or our dental coverage, or our 4 weeks of paid vacation... Or listen to TV pastors preach about the need to "reach out to terrorists. To understand and forgive".

These days, Europe reminds me of an old woman who, with shaking hands, frantically hides her last pieces of jewelry when she notices a robber breaking into a neighbor's house.

Appeasement? Europe, thy name is Cowardice.


Here is the original article in German.

*other than Fr. Finigan, Paulinus, Gillibrand... did I forget anyone?

I Feel Pretty, Oh So Pretty
I feel pretty, and witty, and GAAAAAAYYYYYYY!

Seriously, how could this mook not know there was a TV camera just three feet away?



La-La-La-La-La-La-La-Laaaaa-La-Laaaa!

If you'd like to get either the URL or the embed code,
click here.

Habamus Infantia Speluncae Catholicus
AGAIN!!!

The following message was sent to The Lair from a frequent poster... The Ignorant Redneck;

The Ignorant Redneck would like to announce that Aurora Gael Ruby was born today at 17:15 hrs, wieghing in at 7Lb 6Oz, and a length of 20 inches. She is IR's 2d granddaughter, and her mother was a complete trooper, doing what needed done in an hours hard labour.

Aurora Gael was born with her eyes open and alert to the changes in her environment, hungry. In the best Airborne Tradition.

Her Poppo is already praying for her vocation.

All The Way!

Time To Cut Through The BS
Welcome to the REAL "Straight Talk Express"

At the risk of sounding like the worlds greatest pessimist, it's my sad duty to inform the Catholic blogosphere of another case of so-called "Catholics" (bishops, this time) who are in league with The Evil One.

That's right... I accuse two so-called "Catholic" bishops of being allied with Old Scratch himself... The Prince of Lies, The Arch-Fiend, Beelzebub, The Lord of the Flies, The Destroyer Mephistopheles, The Oppressor of the Saints, better known to the rest of us as Satan.

How else could one explain this... Two Bishops Speak at Gay Conference Condemned by a Third Bishop
By Hilary White

MINNEAPOLIS, March 19, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – New Ways Ministry, an organization promoting the normalization of homosexuality in the Catholic Church, held a conference last weekend in Minneapolis that was attended by 550 people, including a large contingent of Catholic priests and sisters. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported that though the conference was well-attended, most of the participants were in their 50’s and 60’s, betraying their origins in the baby boomer sexual revolution of the 1960’s.

Called “Outward Signs: Lesbian/ Gay Catholics in a Sacramental Church,” the conference featured workshops titled, “Lesbian Nuns: Steps, Stumbles and Strides,” “Breaking Bread: Lesbian-Gay Parish Ministry” and “The Sacrament of Reconciliation and Homophobia.”

Two conference keynote speakers included retired Archbishop Francis Hurley, of Anchorage, Alaska, and Bishop Joseph Sullivan, a retired auxiliary bishop of Brooklyn, N.Y., a frequent supporter of the homosexual movement in the Church. Click here to read the rest of the article.

Folks, The Holy Mother is literally SCREAMING at us! Again, I'll pound away at thar proverbial drum trying to get the word out concerning the warnings that Christ Himself sent His mother to warn us of at Akita, Japan.

This is what Catholics need to be talking about.... not that BS about how we are living in the "Springtime of The Church".

Is This Considered Normal?
If you're an excommunicated heretic, it is

Recently, a gathering at the largest Archdiocese in the United States with a history of inviting "renown clerics" such as "Father" Richard Sparks, who once stated "do you think [St.] Joseph ever wanted to jump [The Blessed Mother's] bones?’ Do you think Joseph ever thought, ‘God, why can’t we consummate this thing?’... Now all I'm saying is -- even if they didn't have sex, did they ever neck? Or did they maybe cuddle and snuggle? Did he ever sort of fondle his wife? Did she ever kind of fondle him?".

Hot on it's heels, we now we have a group founded by the Franciscans bragging that they are intimate with an openly heretical --and not to mention excommunicated-- organization known as Call To Action.

Here's some of the story;

The Oakland-based group, Pace e Bene, which claims the mission “to develop the spirituality and practice of active nonviolence as a way of living and being and as a process for cultural transformation,” has had a “leading role” in developing a Call To Action project, said Pace e Bene’s March 15 e-mail newsletter. Call To Action is a Church “reform” group which calls for women’s ordination, removal of the contraception “ban,” and Church recognition of the normalcy of homosexual acts, among other “progressive” issues.

Pace e Bene was founded in 1989... “under the auspices of St. Barbara Province of the Franciscan Friars of California,” and “... maintains its Franciscan spirit and close ties with the St. Barbara province and its members.” Among its founders are the Franciscans, Father Louis Vitale (formerly Santa Barbara Franciscan provincial and pastor of St. Boniface church in San Francisco), Sister Rosemary Lynch, and Alain Richard.

Pace e Bene still maintains close ties with the Franciscans and others within The Church. To include Sr. Rosemary Lynch, OSF, who Pace e Bene has chosen as its first "Pace e Bene Elder". And Father Robert Cushing (identified on their website simply as "Bob") of the Diocese of Savannah, GA is one of the thirteen "Pace e Bene Partners".

Granted, not all Franciscans are involved with this garbage. But this entire episode reminds me of the old saying "when you lie with dogs, you get fleas". The Pace e Bene article concerning them saddling up with CTA can be found here.

But don't hold your breath waiting for the USCCB to do anything about it... they were the same folks who had Call To Action on their official calendar (Nov 3-5).

But then again... I'm paranoid that Our Lady of Akita was right when she warned the following -- "The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against other bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres (other priests). Churches and altars will be sacked. The Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord."

The Feast of St. Joseph

A man of honor. Matt. 1:19

A worthy, modified, re-run post from last year. H/T to Fr. Ike.

March 19th is the Feast of St. Joseph, one of the heroes of our Church who -- prior to the "liturgical vandalism" following Vatican II -- used to have a statue in every Catholic church and whose feast, unfortunately, gets oversdhadowed by the continued secularization of St. Patrick's day. Lest you forget to honor him this Monday, take a few moments to say the following:

Litany of St. Joseph
God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Noble son of the House of David, pray for us.
Husband of the Mother of God, pray for us.
Most chaste spouse, pray for us.
Guardian of the Virgin, pray for us.
Foster father of the Son of God, pray for us.
Faithful guardian of Christ, pray for us.
Head of the Holy Family, pray for us.
Joseph, chaste and just, pray for us.
Joseph, prudent and brave, pray for us.
Joseph, obedient and loyal, pray for us.
Patron of husbands, pray for us.
Patron of fathers, pray for us.
Model of workers, pray for us.
Patron of carpenters and woodworkers, pray for us.
Guardian of virgins, pray for us.
Pillar of family life, pray for us.
Comfort of the troubled, pray for us.
Hope of the sick, pray for us.
Patron of a happy death, pray for us.
Terror of evil spirits, pray for us.
Protector of the Church, pray for us.

When This Is Made Into A Hollywood Blockbuster...
You'll remember that you heard it here first!
Helmet tip to my San Diego Amigo, Motes!

Remember awhile back when I did a posting on Cpl. Cooper Brannan? He was the young wounded Marine who just signed a Minor League contract with the San Diego Padres (he lost part of his left hand).

Below is an interview he gave on the Jim Rome radio show. The ending is AWESOME! Believe me, you'll be glad you listened to it. Rudy and Hoosiers will have a run for their money if the Cooper Brannan story is ever made into a movie.

Click here to hear the interview.

Just keep in mind, if you have PAINFULLY slow dial-up like I do, it'll take about 20 minutes to download.

Lessons In Moral Courage
That pertain to us all

My last tour of duty in the Marine Corps was as the Director of one of the NCO Leadership courses up in Camp Lejeune. I had open-forum discussions with the students on many a topic. But one of my favorites was on moral courage. I'd show one of the below listed films, and we'd discuss it afterwards.

If any of you are in a leadership position where you work, I strongly suggest you get your hands on any or all of the following films. I easily can see how they would be pertinent in any line of work... business and industry, medical, education, etc.

Fail Safe. Perhaps the best Cold War thriller ever made. A flight of Air Force bombers mistakenly get the green light to launch a nuclear strike on the Soviet Union.
Breaker Morant. Excellent Australian film telling the true story of three Aussie Officers on trial during the Boer War on trumped up charges of killing POW's.

The Beast. A sleeper that told the story of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan from the Russians point of view. A lost Soviet tank is hunted down by Afghan Mujahadeen.

The Cain Mutiny. The strain of leadership under combat. The speech that the defense attorney gives at the end turns the entire film on it's head.

The Bedford Incident. A cross between Fail Safe and The Cain Mutiny. A US Navy Destroyer's skipper pushes his can-and-mouse game with a Soviet nuclear sub a little too hard.Like I was saying... all five films are excellent studies in not only moral courage, but the human condition under stress. Each and every one is a must see.

And The Official Vir Speluncae Catholicus Endorsement Goes To...
Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA)

I've been sitting on it for quite some time now who I'll be backing for Prez. Obviously, the top three so-called "Republican" contenders, better known on this blog as The Fraud Squad, are actually nothing more than fiscally conservative Democrats.

Being a San Diego native, I've been following Congressman Hunter for some time now, and I tell ya, he's the closest thing to a Reagan Republican that I've seen yet. In fact, I can't think of a single issue that I don't agree with him wholeheartedly.

Click here to read what his stances are on everything from abortion, to illegal immigration, to legislation concerning homosexuals being declared a "protected class", to the UN. Interesting reading, indeed.

And besides, is there another Presidential candidate who has a son who volunteered specifically for Marine Infantry so he could fight for his country? Congressman Hunter has. If there's another, someone let me know so I can correct this post.

I'll admit, I was initially drawn to Senator Sam Brownback, but I get the feeling that he's really not going to commit himself all that aggressively to the War on Terrorism.

I know Paul is gonna disagree with me, so I won't push it. And besides, the mere thought of a kilt-clad, Claymore swingin' Paul coming after yours truly gives me a serious case of the heebie-geebies.


___________________________________________

A big Caveman thanks to Doug Gaets for reminding me that Sen. John McCain has two sons serving. One in my beloved Corps, and another who is currently attending the US Naval Academy at Annapolis.

If We Just Left Iraq, Then The War On Terror Will Be Over, Right?
...and other soft-headed thinking

The West continues to psychologically castrate little boys. School districts prohibit boys from playing cops and robbers because it supposedly glorifies violence. A few districts have even outlawed tag and touch-football under the guise of "someone might get their feelings hurt if they're declared out or lose the game".

The War on Terrorism will last for generations. In the meantime, we're going to have a generation of sissies on our hands before we know it.

And the jihaadists teach their 6-year olds how to either blow themselves up, or how to field strip an AK-47 blindfolded. We're going to lose this war if we keep going in this direction.

And This ISN'T A Religious War, Right?
Oh, I Forgot

Much like the alcoholic who can't take the first step on the road to recovery until he admitts he has a problem, Catholics need to wake-up the reality that is, indeed, a Religious War.

Case in point -- Khalid Shiek Yerbootie Mohammed just confessed to being in on the plot to assassinate Pope John Paul II.

And let's not forget the plot to blow up the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Strasbourg, France. As one of the plotters confessed; "this cathedral is God's enemy".

Priests and nuns are gunned down with regularity... captives who refuse to convert to islam are beheaded, etc, etc. But don't forget, this isn't a Religious War.

Yeah... right.

The Mouse That Rohr-ed
Actually, I think I smell a rat

Presider Richard Rohr is one the featured speakers at Phony-Baloney Mahoney's New Age Orgasmatron 2007... or whatever the hell they're calling that abomination being held at the Anaheim Convention Center.

We all remember Richard"Let's Get Nekkid!" Rohr, don't we?

Anyhow, here's a bit of what's considered normal in the largest Catholic Archdiocese in the United States;

The processional hymn was “Christ Be Our Light,” accompanied by bongo drums. Liturgical dancers carried large, flowing banners down each of the aisles in the ballroom. Reaching the front of the ballroom, the dancers stood along either side of the podium, twirling the giant banners. Cool daddy-o!

Rohr, making no sign of the cross as he began the liturgy, said to the assembly, “as a fellow member of the Body of Christ, I thank you for allowing me to speak in your name. The Eucharist is always set in the form of a dialogue. First of all, I recognize the presence in you, and you return the compliment, and then the body is born.” If that's not self-worship, I don't know what is.

While the intercessions were read, several people, standing on each aisle of the ballroom, were making choreographed hand movements. Several audience members joined in mimicking the movements. The insipid leading the insipid?

The offertory procession began with two women waving banners, followed by two liturgical dancers, carrying a white tablecloth, sashaying up to the podium where Rohr sat waiting. They were followed by others who carried the hosts in large wicker breadbaskets and the wine in glass and plastic pitchers. Didn't the pope recently send out his standing order was no wicker baskets and glass pitchers? Yeah.... and we see how much obedience they have to the pope.

Rohr prayed over the gifts, “...make sure this people is hungry and ready to eat. Make sure we are not so filled with ourselves that there is not room for another person within us. Loving God, make sure this people is very hungry.” What? What is this... Porgy and Bess?

Rohr changed some of the prayers of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Opening the preface, he prayed, “Father and Mother God....” Ummm... isn't that heresy?

Rohr prefaced the Our Father, by saying, “and now, knowing we are more one than we are many, though we come from different places and races, we all share the same Father-Mother God. We call upon our God, together, in the words that Jesus gave us: Our Father, Who art in Heaven...” Strike two.

And I have to ask in all sincerity... how much longer will Rome stand silently by while Holy Mother The Church is raped on a daily basis?

Then Let It Stand Or Fail On It's Own Merits
Put your money where your mouth is

More and more talk about the freeing of the Tridentine Mass. More and more whining and crying from some of the more liberal bishops of France, Germany, the United States, Canada, Australia, etc.

As I've stated many a time in the past, I've come to the conclusion that these liberal bishops are so dead-set against the Tridentine Mass because either they hate it, or they're afraid of it. I can't come to any other conclusion.

But anyhow, I remember reading sometime back that Fr. Franz Schmidberger, first Assistant to the Superior General of the SSPX, was asked if the SSPX demands the abolition of the New Mass.

He stated; "We do not demand the abolition of the conciliar Mass at first. With the liberalization of the Tridentine Mass, the conciliar Mass will disappear of itself." In other words, eventually the faithful will realize what an absolute watering-down of Catholicism the New Mass is, and eventually, it'll die on the vine. Agree, disagree or indifferent to what Fr Schmidberger said... that's irrelevant. At least he had the guts to let the world know where he stands.

Now when it comes to the liberal, Modernist, "Spirit of Vatican II" bishops.... why don't they have the same guts as Fr. Schmidberger?

Why don't they just call the pope's bluff? Why don't they just come out and say "we believe that the Tridentine is just for dinosaurs and a very small minority of cranks. If The Holy Father wants to liberalize the Latin Mass... then go right ahead! We're absolutely sure that the overwhelming majority of Catholics will reject the Latin Mass because of it's lack of tambourines, bongos, hand holding, feel good spirit, arm raising, shaking hands during The Sign of Grope, fast-food gingle hymns, spontaneous applause, chewing gum while taking Communion, self-worship, etc.

OK, all joking aside... if the anti-Latin Mass crowd is so cock-sure that the Mass of Paul VI is where it's at, then I challenge 'em to pony up and put their money where their mouth is.

But I doubt they will.

With A Headline Like That, How Could I Not Post This?
With apologies to The Firesign Theater

Venezuelan Cardinal Warns Against Marxist-Leninist Socialism Of Chavez



ALL HAIL MARX AND LENIN!

Class Vs. Crass
PreVat2 SPEAKS!!

Father Tom Euteneuer was recently on the Hannity and Colmes show

Father Euteneuer, President of Human Life International (www.HLI.org) is an incredible man, and magnificent defender of the One, True Faith! What he was asking of Hannity, a self-proclaimed faithful Catholic, is to publicly (and privately) hold to ALL the teachings of Holy Mother Church, not just the convenient ones.

Hannity has had a long history of distorting Catholic doctrine (as does his buddy, and fellow "Catholic" Bill O'Rielly). Time and again, Hannity has stated that he is Pro-Life, but believes that a child can still be sucked down the sink, if the child was conceived through rape or incest. Nice job Sean! So much for objective truth?

Hannity has also, time and again, misstated the true Catholic teaching on the Death Penalty. This too he screws-up, time and again.

Father Euteneuer does what the majority of American Bishops refuse to do: Teach the Truth, in all its glory, even the hard sayings of Christ.

When ever I am at my wits end with the complete stupidity of our post-Vatican II clergy, theologians and laity, I just have to look to "men of steel" such as Father Thomas Euteneuer, the FSSP, ICKSP, and the SSPX, and I know that not all is lost. Semper Fi!

Marine General Tells Truth - Queers Throw Hissy Fit
Panties in a wad... film at 11

(3/13/07 - WASHINGTON) - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said Monday he considers homosexuality to be immoral and the military should not condone it by allowing gay personnel to serve openly, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Marine Gen. Peter Pace likened homosexuality to adultery, which he said was also immoral, the newspaper reported on its Web site.

"I do not believe the United States is well served by a policy that says it is OK to be immoral in any way," Pace told the newspaper in a wide-ranging interview.

"I believe homosexual acts between two individuals are immoral and that we should not condone immoral acts," Pace said.

By the way, General Pace is a good Italian-Catholic boy from Brooklyn, N.Y., the son of an immigrant from Italy. And from what I understand, his last name is correctly pronounced "PAH-chay", which is Italian for "peace". Interestingly enough, former Commandant of the Marine Corps, General Paul X. Kelley is the son of an immigrant Irishman bricklayer.

Hmmm.... something about the Marine Corps and Catholicism? Well, The Corps is the most "Catholic" of all the Services... 40%. Must be a connection between all that "sacrifice for something greater than yourself", huh?

Angelina Jolie Strikes Again
Collect 'em All! Trade with your friends!

Renown home wrecker and collector of 3d World children, Angelina Jolie is ready to add another member to her personal United Nations General Assembly.

I'm not sure if he was referring to Madame Jolie's dry-cleaning or the adoptive child to be, but Vietnam's top adoption official stated "[Jolie] could pick up her new three-year-old son within a few weeks".

All joking aside, I gotta give credit where credit's due. At least she's adopting these kids. But I also wonder... why she doesn't she have kids of her own? Maybe she doesn't want to ruin that $10 million movie star figure of hers?
--------------------------------------------------UPDATE!
As one of the ComBox posters correctly pointed out to me, Angelina Jolie and live-in sperm donor, Brad Pitt, do have an illegitimate child of their own. I stumbled across that factiod as I was reading the article entitled "Brad Pitt 'begs Angelina Jolie to eat'".

Hmmm... I guess that $10 million movie star figure is pretty important to her.

Bitter-Sweet News Out Of Wyoming
Why isn't this happening in SF, Boston, NYC, Detroit, LA, etc?
Helmet Tip to Chris over at The World... IMHO

Wyoming Priest Denies Communion to Lesbian Activist Couple “Married” in Canada

What a great headline, huh? When I initially read it, I actually threw my arms up in the air and shouted "IT'S ABOUT TIME!!"

But then it hit me.... hey, isn't that what all Catholic priests are suppose to do?

Gee "Father", Anything Else Pierced?
Whoooooooa...... Duuuuuuuude!
Helmet tip to Dymphna Classic

Photo by Leah Hogsten. Ear jewel from Cartier's "Mon Secret" collection.
I don't even know where to begin with this one. Suffice it to say that the dissection Diogenes gave this "priest" is a thing of beauty!

Habemus Infantia Speluncae Catholicus!!
Congrats!

A big Cavemen Congratulations to Dave and Amy Pawlak on the arrival of their little one, Charles John Pawlak, who was born via C-section last night at 7:29 pm.

WOO-HOO!!!

By the way, mother and child are doing fine... dad's a wreck.

The Death Penalty, Catholicism, And Super-Max
Don't throw things at the monitor!!!

I had an interesting discussion with a good friend the other day concerning the death penalty. Anyone who's ever read what I've posted in the past, knows exactly where I stand on the DP. And my friend, he's against it BIG TIME. But that's OK. He's still my goomba.

For those of you who aren't aware, I follow the official teaching of The Church. I'm in favor in cases of extreme gravity and it should only be used rarely. You know... like those misunderstood souls who kidnap, rape, sodomize, and sexually torture little children to death.

But anyhow, my goomba pointed out 2267 of the Catechism which states in part; "Today, in fact, given the means at the State's disposal to effectively repress crime by rendering inoffensive the one who has committed it, without depriving him definitively of the possibility of redeeming himself, cases of absolute necessity for suppression of the offender 'today ... are very rare, if not practically non-existent.'"

And like many of the anti-DP persuasion, he pointed out the so-called "Super-Max" prisons. The gist of his argument was essentially that said offenders can be put away for life and they will no longer pose a threat to the public at large. And all without the shedding of blood.

Like many in the anti-DP crowd, they specifically site "... given the means at the State's disposal to effectively repress crime..." And by the State's disposal, Super-Max is exactly what they mean.

Here in the United States (as well as Canada, Western Europe, Australia, Japan, etc, etc) we absolutely have the means of constructing these Super-Max facilities. But what about the 3d World nations? Their idea of Super-Max is a double-mud-reinforced mud hut.

By the anti-DP crowd's own rationale, capital offenders in the 3d World should be put to death, right? After all, what reliable version of Super-Max is there in Burkina Faso, Myanmar, or Bolivia?

Further Proof That Same-Sex Attraction Is A Grave Moral Disorder And Acting Upon It Is Intrinsically Evil
If a picture is worth a thousand shrieks, imagine what three will do.



...and deliver us from evil. Amen

A Marine Defends The Army
THIS Marine, to be specific

As we all know by now, the US Army is taking an absolute thrashing from every RepubliCrat within bribing distance. Oh, the beating of breasts and the wringing of hands from our esteemed lawmakers when they wail about how bad things are at the now infamous Building 18 at Walter Reed Army Hospital. To listen to these idiots, you'd think they were talking about Abu Ghraib.

One thing I haven't heard from those crying "scandal", is that Walter Reed Army Medical Center is on the chopping block. That's right, it's slated to be shut down in 2011. That's just 4 short years from now. And what's that mean, dollars wise? Simple.... no more folding green for renovations. Says who? Congress, that's who. The same guys who are beating their breasts and wringing their hands. After all, the place is going to be shut down, right? It wouldn't be "fiscally sound" to allocate money for major renovations.

But I'll be fair. I found out that $250,000 was spent in 2005 to renovate the building. So yes... someone absolutely dropped the ball. Building 18 should still be in decent shape. And someone is in dire need of getting their ass handed to them. But CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS??!!

Again, we have to be fair. A few things to consider ---

1. Money's tight. Especially in the military. Doubly at a military facility that's about to be shut-down.

2. With what money they have, what should they spend it on, exterminators or x-ray machines?

3. Bldg 18 is an Outpatient/Transient facility. No one stays there long term.

4. It wasn't the entire hospital that was fouled-up, just one small building. The other 99% of what makes up Walter Reed Army Medical Center is state of the art.

Now I don't want anyone misunderstanding me. No one, and I mean NO ONE should have to spend one hour living in a dung heap. But here's what really burns me up about this entire episode; these phony-baloney congressmen made sure that no more money for renovations went to Walter Reed, that is until s*** hit the fan.

Their false indignation towards the Army might fall on more receptive ears if they weren't sending millions and millions and millions of taxpayer dollars to their home districts for really important things like;

$500,000 to renovate the public pool in Banning, California
$400,000 for signal/intersection improvement in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
$300,000 for the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center, California
$150,000 to study shellfish genetics at Oregon State University
$150,000 for 12th &14th Avenue Road reconstruction in Madawaska, Maine
$200,000 to build a downtown parking structure in Provo, Utah

There are literally hundreds of Navy, Army and Air Force hospitals world-wide that the overwhelming number of nations on this planet could only dream of having.

How come there're no headlines or congressional hearings about that?

A Man's Gotta Do What A Man's Gotta Do
Time to bring it to an end

Yeah, there's been some bad blood between Domenico Bettinelli and myself the past couple of days. I tried not to be TOO incendiary in my post/response the other day, but I think I got my point across.

Anyhow, DM was man enough to post on his blog that he admits to making mistake. Hell... we all do. But anyhow, I respect what he did.

And I think it only right that I delete my rather fiery post from the other day. I ask DM to respond in kind with his "Not manly enough?" post. Like I said, it's time to bring this to an end.

*Sigh* Now I Gotta Prove My Manhood Everyday!
What hath Eric Scheske wrought?

Through a truly bizarre series of events, there has been some question within the blogosphere if I am, in fact, the epitome of "the definition of Catholic fatherly manliness". I never asked for it... but what the hell, I'll run with it. Let's have some fun.

What title of nobility shall I choose? The Duke of Dude-dom, The Baron of Booty-Calls, The Squire of Studly, The Marquis of Manhood, The Lord Privy of Skivvy, The Viscount of Virility, The Kaiser of Kick-Ass, The Boyar of Boo-Yah? I dunno.... you tell me.

But anyhow, I've noticed that some of the bloglodettes that swing in here are real ladies. And I mean "real ladies" in every sense of the word. And of course, they enjoy bloggin' about chick stuff. You know.... crochettin' doilies, cookin', bakin', the joys of little ones sqeezin' through the water slide of life... you know, chick stuff.

Well, now that my manhood is on notice, I guess I gotta blog about truly guy stuff. OK, lesson one;

BRASSF. Golly Caveman, what's BRASSF stand for? Glad you asked--

Breath
Relax
Aim
Stop
Squeeze
Follow Through

Those steps should be automatic every time you squeeze off a round. So the next time some crack maniac is bustin' into your castle, BRASSF is what you need to use to ensure maximum damage. Note the picture at the top of this posting. Those aren't gang signs that The Caveman's flashin'. Those are your aiming points.

Two to the chest.
One to the head.

"Bishop" John Edwards?
Why not, he sounds like the rest of 'em
WARNING! This post contains highly vulgar and crude language. Seriously, if you find such language offensive, please don't read this post.

Quite a bit of flak flying around concerning the "faggot" phrase that Ann Coulter used (and I heartily seconded) against po' widdle Johnny Edwards. I feel so bad for the guy. He looked sooooo sad when he was discussing Coulter's "homophobic slur".

But wait a second --- where was little Johnny when two of his staff members blogged;

Q. What if Mary had taken Plan B after the Lord filled her with his hot, white, sticky Holy Spirit?
A: You'd have to justify your misogyny with another ancient mythology.

And later addressed the Christian community by saying, "What don't you lousy motherf***ers understand about keeping your noses out of our britches, our beds, and our families?"

If memory serves, Edwards refused to fire or even officially condemn what his staffers wrote. One of the two voluntarily quit, but where was the indignation over this overtly anti-Christian hate speech? Hmmmm... but widdle Johnny looked the other way. Hey, there's a future for John Edwards with the USCCB.

And speaking of phonies that occasionally invoke the Name of Jesus, Bishop Edwards recently stated; "I think that Jesus would be disappointed in our ignoring the plight of those around us who are suffering and our focus on our own selfish short-term needs. I think he would be appalled, actually."

Golly, I wonder what Jesus thinks of Bishop Edwards new $6 million, 28,000 square-foot mansion in North Carolina. I know what Bishop Edwards would say --- "My Father has many mansions... and I own one of them."

All Around Bad-Asses Of The Week
I love seeing Mahony squirm!

Those wild and crazy guys at California Catholic Daily News interview the Amazing Tap Dancing Cardinal!

Exclusive Interview with Cardinal Mahony

California Catholic Daily News writer “runs into” His Eminence at the March 1-3 Religious Education Congress. Their conversation follows.

Hi, Cardinal Mahony, I’m with California Catholic.

Mahony: Oh.

Yes, I just want to ask you, how is it that last year we had Father Timothy Radcliffe asking people to go see Brokeback Mountain and read gay novels and make gay friends, and you were sitting right there. Why would a priest be allowed to say that right on the stage here in the arena during his keynote speech?

Well, why are you asking me? Ask him.

Well, don’t you have anything to say about him telling Catholics to do those things?

Well, ask him.

Why don’t you ask him? You were right there on the stage with him. It’s terrible that he did that. It’s terrible that a priest would come into this religious education congress and tell people to go see a homosexual movie. Why would you invite somebody to speak that would say that to the faithful?

Do you know how many speakers we have here?

Yes, I’m aware of it.

There’s 198 speakers. There’s no way to know in advance what every single speaker is going to say in the talk or in a question-and-answer period.

Um-hmm.

There’s no way to know. I mean, you do your best.... [remainder unintelligible on the tape due to crosstalk]

Could you issue a statement afterward saying that you didn’t agree with what he said?

Everybody knows what the Church position on that movie was, and I think everybody knows what we thought about it.

Okay, and is that why a gay and lesbian ministry booth is allowed to be here in the exhibition hall?

Well go ask them, go ask the ministry.

A ministry with them or to them --- to people who suffer from same-sex attraction?

Go ask them.

I’m asking you. You’re the cardinal archbishop of Los Angeles.

And I know ... what all sides are knowing and doing every second.

Well, I would think that you would understand something about what’s going on in your archdiocese.

Well, we’ll look into it.

Thank you.

Say Hello To My Lil' Friend!
Where are my manners!!??

From the land of St. Thomas More, Shakespeare, jellied eels, and Fr. Tim Finigan I give to you Ben Trovato over at Countercultural Father.

But SHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Be very, very quiet when you're kickin' around over at Ben's place. His wife doesn't know he's blogging!

Integrity? I Don't Need No Stinkin' Integrity!!
Could you imagine if that was one of us?

Obama finally pays local parking tickets
By George P. Hassett

Before Barack Obama was a United States senator and a presidential hopeful, he was a Harvard University law student living in Somerville who parked in bus stops and accumulated hundreds of dollars in parking tickets.

And for nearly two decades those parking tickets went unpaid, until a representative of Obama’s settled all his outstanding debts with Cambridge’s Traffic, Parking and Transportation Department Jan. 26. Obama attended Harvard Law School from 1988 to 1991.

Records show that between Oct. 5, 1988 and Jan. 12, 1990 Obama was cited for 17 traffic violations, sometimes committing two in the same day. The abuses included parking in a resident permit area, parking in a bus stop and failing to pay the meter. Twelve of Obama’s 17 tickets were given to him on Massachusetts Avenue.

In one eight day stretch in 1988, Obama was cited seven times for parking violations and was fined $45. Thirteen of the 17 violations occurred within one month in 1988. Obama’s disobedience of the rules of the road earned him $140 in fines from the City of Cambridge. The tickets went unpaid for over 17 years and $260 in late fees were added to the tab.

Obama spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said the presidential candidate’s parking violations were not relevant.

It Ain't Easy Bein' A He-Man
But somebody's gotta do it
Helmet tip to Eric Scheske of National Catholic Register

Eric is one of the feature writers for the National Catholic Register. He specializes in articles pertaining to the internet. His latest piece is titled "Real Men Don't Write Blogs, Do They?".

Yours truly rounds out the Tough Guy Triumvirate of the Catholic blogosphere behind my goombas, Jay and Paul.

Here's a bit of the article;

There aren’t a lot of manly blogs in the Catholic blogosphere, in the sense of men talking about manly things. Think about it. You can quickly find a lot of Catholic mothers who blog about motherhood and the feminine genius. Now try to name a masculine counterpart to any of those.

I occasionally talk about fatherhood at my blog, and it’s a frequent topic at Pro Ecclesia and Thoughts of a Regular Guy, but it seems the list thins out quickly after that.

Perhaps the most traditionally manly Catholic blog is The Lair of the Catholic Cavemen. This blog is run by former U.S. Marines who write like they’re still in the barracks and would welcome the chance to back up their words in the boxing ring. The blog is probably a bit too Tarzanish for some readers, but I find it refreshing...

On behalf of Jay, Paul, and the crew in The Lair.... thanks Eric.

What "Religious Educators" REALLY Learn in L.A.
Smoke of Satan Alert!!!

Liturgical Pole DancingAt the L.A. Edjumacation Congress, is Liturgical Pole Dancing one of the subjects taught? Possibly this is just a flashback to my beer drenched younger days in The Corps, but I'm all of a sudden gettin' a hankerin' to whip out a handful of dollar bills. Is it just me, or does this chick look about ready to start sliding up and down those poles strategically placed around her? Spiked heels, a sexy shirt and tight pants... the only thing missing is a heavy bass guitar beat.

But anyhow, here's a rather interesting story on what's being passed off as Catholic catechitical instruction in La-La Land. Here's a wee bit;

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is encouraging its full-time employees (with a 35% discount off tuition) to take the graduate religious studies courses to be offered at Holy Family parish in Pasadena next fall, according to the Archdiocesan Catholic Center’s Feb. 23 Newsbriefs.

The courses will be offered by the Graduate Religious Studies Department of Mount St. Mary’s College in Los Angeles. A required text “places the ethics of sex and gender relations within an illuminating context informed by feminist theory, contemporary biblical scholarship, Catholic moral theology, and social-scientific findings.”

It is uncertain what faculty will lead the classes at Holy Family. But if the Religious Studies Department’s Dr. Laurie Wright-Garry will among them, students will sit at the feet of one who specializes in systematic theology “with a concentration on Feminist Liberation Theologies” and “whose dissertation focused on the Woman's Ordination Conference between 1975-1994,” according to a Mount St. Mary’s faculty guide.

In Fall 2006, Wright-Garry taught a “Sexual Ethics” class at Mount St. Mary’s. Lisa Sowle Cahill’s Sex, Gender and Christian Ethics was required reading for the class. A 1997 Christian Century review of the book says it “places the ethics of sex and gender relations within an illuminating context informed by feminist theory, contemporary biblical scholarship, Catholic moral theology, and social-scientific findings.” Cahill, says the review, argues against the notion of gender as “simply a social construct” but is “equally critical of the notion that moral judgments are timeless maxims of natural law.” Cahill argues “that the central moral norm of the New Testament is the building of an inclusive community of the marginalized ... The church should interpret biblical passages on homosexuality, divorce, virginity and other issues of sexuality and gender in ways that promote such a community.”

Wright-Garry’s other required book is James Nelson and Sandra Longfellow’s Sexuality and the Sacred: Sources for Theological Reform. Nelson, a United Church of Christ minister, has argued for full acceptance of homosexuality as a moral good.

The director of Graduate Religious Studies is the Rev. Guillermo Garcia, who has been involved in pastoral ministry in the archdiocese. (He also is pastor of St. Gertrude’s in Los Angeles.) A systematic theologian, Garcia’s “current fields of interest,” according to Mount St. Mary’s, “are Pastoral Theology, Hispanic Pastoral Ministry, (Hispanic) LBGT Studies and Latino Studies.”

An announcement for the Holy Family classes notes that the program’s graduate level curriculum fulfills the requirements to become a pastoral associate, parish life director, youth ministry director, religious education coordinator, and a religious studies teacher at the elementary and secondary levels.

Sheesh, and I thought I had it bad here when I went for my Diocesan Catechitical Certificate, and I had to fight against the "Our Father and Mother, who art in heaven..." nonsense.

Say Hello To My Lil' Friends!
Where are my manners!!??

Say hola to the newest bloglodytes;

From the land of St. Thomas More, Shakespeare and jellied eels, I give to you Fr. Tim Finigan from The Hermeneutic of Continuity blog.

From the land of miles and miles and miles of nothing but desert and "Don't Mess With Texas" bumper stickers, we have have our very own Aggie Catholic. Funny guy. He's got a weird sense of humor. Kinda like me.

Now the enigmatic Patrick from parts unknown. Hard hitting. Not afraid to piss people off. I don't know where he's from, but I do know he's Driving Out Snakes.

And lastly, the whole whacky crew over at Dominican Idaho. As The Chairman of the Board use to say, "kooky, baby... kooky".

Don't Bite The Hand That Freed You
... and kept you free for half a century

So it looks like idiot clerics aren't exclusive to the United States. Edinburgh, Scotland's own Keith Cardinal O'Brien told a "peace rally" the following;

“Far from being weapons which keep peace, nuclear weapons in fact prevent peace,” Cardinal Keith O’Brien of Edinburgh, Scotland, told a weekend peace rally in Glasgow. The Scottish cardinals said that the countries which own nuclear weapons, including the United Kingdom, are “a stumbling block to peace.”

Cardinal O’Brien told peace activists that the apostolic nuncio had commented the Scottish bishops for their opposition to the Trident nuclear submarines. He added the observation that leaders of other Christian denominations had joined in the protests, showing that the opposition to nuclear weaponry is a stand that unites Christians across sectarian lines.

Well, I for one certainly get that warm ecumenical feeling deep down. But I'd like to pass some information on to the good cardinal --

1. If it wasn't for nuclear weaponry, particularly American nukes, you'd be speaking Russian right now.

2. If you honestly think that The Russian Federation no longer poses a threat to The West, then you are woefully ignorant to the reality of evil that exists in this world.

3. If you honestly think that the possibility of an "Islamic Bomb" doesn't pose a threat to The West, then you are... yet again, woefully ignorant to the reality of evil that exists in this world.

4. I'm not stupid. Your attacks really aren't aimed at inanimate objects like nuclear missiles or Trident submarines. Who you are really protesting are the brave members of the Armed Forces who are more than willing to risk their lives to protect an ingrate such as yourself.

5. Instead of going after the very sailors who man the submarines that you detest so, why didn't you say a thing or two against the still hostile Russians or the mad dog moslems? Ohhh... I get it. If you go after the Russians or the moslems, you'll get jailed under the UK's moronic Hate Crimes laws. But by attacking the very people who protect you... that's perfectly fine.

6. I will say that I'm duly impressed that while you slyly snipped at the feet of the very same military that kept the likes of you living in a free and open country for years and years, you did manage to slip in a plug to ecumenism. Bravo.