The problems with projectivism...and the inability to take people seriously

The reality of the situation is sometimes I think that so often times people have projected themselves into situations whether it be for better or for worse that we're unable to take seriously things when they do happen.

A lot of what I have seen recently when it comes to these various allegations of misbehaviour, or people complaining about certain things it's gotten me to thinking (Something I probably do too much of anyway)....

a. We do not know how difficult of a cross this is to have to open up about something that happens. For someone who has been a victim of any kind of attack, it's not easy for them to open up. (Heck, it's still not easy for me to open up about some of the things that I have been through). For some people this coming to grips and being able to talk about the situation takes a long period of time. That's not our place to judge them for this. Perhaps for some of us it's easier to speak in the open than other people. Timing of being able to speak out, may or may not have some consequences, or coincidences.

b. The above said, every person has a right to a good name, and the development of trust is something that a person may or may have not developed. This is of course not to say that we shouldn't not believe a person who comes up with an allegation of mis behavior of a person. It's okay to refrain from judgement. Unless the allegations directly involve us, it's not our position to judge if a person is guilty or innocent based upon the law at hand. That's the job of law enforcement.....We are here to listen....

c. Of course that said, there's also been a problem of projectivism so that when actual allegations or serious matter does come up, no one can be taken seriously....Every one one of us does so, perhaps more so from those who are of the liberal thought process than those who aren't. (i.e. person so and so believes x, therefore they are *buzzword here*) These get thrown around so much, that when the actual *buzzword here* does happen, we're desensitised towards that end. Let's be honest, we'd probably take people more seriously about their accusations towards certain things if they weren't constantly projecting onto people things they're not...It's a major problem of projecting motive when there's zero need to. (Eg: A person doesn't hold a door open, ergo they're selfish, when really they were in a hurry from point A to point B, or a person ignores you in a conversation, they're for they're sexist, when they're ultra introverted and truly can't stand people)

Can we find a balance between the respect for the person's story, their right to be heard, and perhaps believed, the accused right to a good name, the respect for the rule of law? I don't know if in today's ultra sensitive society it's possible, but I think we should try anyway. I don't necessarily think that we as a society have to have a judgement of a person before they've had a chance to be heard, I do think however that we as a society need to listen to one another and stop speaking past each other. If this seems like a consistent theme lately, it's because really it needs to be heard.

One should not subscribe to evil what can be attributed to incompetence. or mere human stupidity.

It's probably strange for many to hear me sound this way....perhaps because one is used to me being being a certain personality type, and my voice tends to be written in a very black and white matter. It's important to acknowledge that there's some grey area, within the black and white that is the approach of things.

PS If I could ask for some prayers, there are some MAJOR changes coming....I look forward to announcing them. :)

The ridiculous needs to end, NOW

There's only so much stupid that I can ignore before I end up snapping, the breaking point is far past now, we need to begin. (Bear in mind this was written before the start of Lent)

a. The rioters

Listen, and listen attentively, destroying things isn't going to change the outcome of the results of the election. If anything, this sort of attitude is exactly why the results happened as they were. How does causing damage to the community that's already damaged make things better? You expect the geniuses that run the government to show pity on a situation that was self-caused? LOL!, cute....

b. The protests against the travel ban...

Just stop, stop now! The US is a sovereign nation with a right to protect itself from enemies from outside and within the country. When Bishops elevate matters of prudential judgement to de-facto dogmas, we get stupid things like the Roman Catholic Bishop of San Diego supporting making a mess. (Trump wasn't certainly my first choice, but I don't support acting stupid because one lost)

Is the wall going to stop illegal immigration? Of course not! No one said it would, for that to stop, one has to cut it off at the source, which is the governments of those people that leave various countries being so corrupt to a point where they are willing to break laws to cross into other countries. Something that I've made mention of before, and I'll make mention of it again, illegal or legal is not with regards to a person's dignity, but rather their status with respect to the laws of the given country. Undocumented is quite vague and can refer to those here legally or illegally. Quite literally it's those without papers, or who may have not received them. (Knowing the competence of the government on these things, it's surprising that more papers don't get lost)

c. This pope....AL....

Have we not learned our lesson by putting a microphone in front of this guy? It's at this point where I say, just because one can do something doesn't mean one should do it. The sooner this pontificate ends the better. There are two schools of thought for me on this...To some degree, what's being proposed is already allowed, but usually in these situations, are rather rare. The old saying is we don't take the exception and make it the normal, which is what at least those trying to interpret AL are trying to do. Of course in this approach the definitions are the ends in of themselves, and so a strict absolute no must be held. If we consider dogmas to be more fences, perhaps this approach might be understandable. But I do not think it is necessary for the Roman church to copy the practices of the East in this manner. The words of Jesus are clear, and we're not free to do what we want with them.

d. The dam...

If anything shows government's great incompetence here in California, it's the Oroville dam. I have family there, so if you can keep them in prayer it'd be awesome. This is what happens when we don't use the allocated money for this for what it's supposed to be used for. The sooner I'm able to leave California, the better.

e. Russia

It wasn't the Russians, the cold war is over. Stop buying into the fear that Russia is coming to get us. It doesn't mean Putin is some kind of super-saint, of course not, but it's important to be realistic as well. And yes, I'm still leaving....


f. The name calling....

It needs to stop. Just because someone disagrees does not make them "insert your favourite buzz-word here" It's like chicken little or the boy who cried wolf one too many times. These words keep being used so much, people will be blind when the actual situation does occur right in front of their faces.

g. The various isms

It's not necessarily an ism just because it happens as such. I think too often people read into situations when it isn't such a thing, or it isn't as magnified as people tend to think it is. This isn't, of course, to say that concerns shouldn't be addressed, but we shouldn't be reading into the hearts of the individuals that do various activities. Oh Mr. Potiillor, why aren't more females in science? How's they're not interested sound? I can only hope that those who are influenced by my horrendous example are inspired to do more, but it's not something that can be forced either. We can read into why some aren't interested...My two best math teachers were female....so take that for what it's worth.  :p

e. "fake news"

We've had this for decades. What do people think satire is? The truth? Most news stories are incomplete because they only present one perspective on given information about a supposed news item. Most of these have a liberal bent to them, it is quite rare to find alternative points of view. Liberal perspectives in of themselves don't make for "fake news"....incomplete, sure, but definitely not fake. To be fair, though, there are agendas at play, and there's often manipulation of information as to present something as true which isn't.

Moving on from the ridiculous to the actually important.


1. If you could keep the mother of my parish priest in your prayers, she recently passed away.
2. Keep me in your prayers as well, as Friday is mum's birthday, and even 15 years after the fact it's not any easier....
3. If you're watching the Kardashians, you need to step up your game....watch this instead

http://nutiminn.is/kattarshians/

These are by far much cuter, and have way more substance than the actual Kardashians :)

Unpopular opinions...

Once again observing the interwebs, you learn that people fail to think, and unfortunately buy into the fear mongering that is promoted by either side of the ideological agenda. So In the order of correction, I think these things ought to be pointed out.

a. Our New SOE.

People don't seem to realise that one can separate their opinions on subjects from the job or task at hand. We do this every day as a part of our existence. It doesn't matter what field we work in, we all do it, here are some examples of times where one's opinion might have to be placed aside:

• The one student that annoys the heck out of you, but you still must teach them.
• The defendant you know is guilty, but you must defend them
• The rude customer that comes into the store, yet you must serve them
• The friend(s) who are marrying someone you're not a fan of, but because you actually care about your friends you show up at their wedding, as broken as you are.
• That one co-worker that gets on your nerves, yet you must work with them.
• And I'm sure there are countless other examples.

Does it mean that everyone will simply put their opinions aside and do the job that's asked of them? Of course not (Exhibit A: His Humbleness)...But the point is that people can do something without their opinions getting in the way. 

I happen to be a product of public education and have had some great teachers and professors along the way, and I wouldn't trade my experience with them for anything. (I've talked about one teacher that's had a major influence on my person quite a bit.) Granted things when I was in public school were not anywhere near as bad as they are now, we could speak fairly openly about Faith (some teachers were very open about their Faith, I can remember one of my English teachers being very open about her Catholicism), and other matters, and I did feel that I could come to my teachers with problems. (And I had several problems I had to deal with back in those days)....

I can't believe that people are buying into the fearmongering that public education is going to disappear from the face of the US. That's not going to happen! If anything, this could well turn into a blessing in disguise, because we all know some the various things that teachers complain about.

• In situations where often teachers' have to buy their own supplies
• In situations where certain pedagogies are being forced to be used against a teacher's wishes.
• In situations where teachers often feel they must teach to a particular test, rather than actually teaching the subjects they're assigned to teach. 
• In situations where teachers feel powerless because they're unable to discipline students due to lack of administrative support.
• More reasons I'm sure that can be added here. 

But as the old saying goes, familiarity breeds contempt. That is to say, sometimes those that are on the inside of a situation are unable to be objective because of their attachment to the various situations that they are in. (In this case, education). So perhaps having someone that's outside of the circle could well be a blessing in disguise. To be able to address some of the problems that do happen.

This, of course, isn't to say that the new SOE would have been my first choice if I was president. (She wouldn't have been, as a matter of fact, I would have appointed my former math teacher because she gets, and more often times than not agrees with my philosophies on teaching)....but I do believe people should be given a chance before judging them.

(But if we're perfectly honest, th e national department of education should not exist because it's unconstitutional, but that's another argument for another day, yes, I support HB 338)

Instead of fear-mongering, become the change that one wishes to see, get involved with the local school boards, get on the committees, help determine the direction of where things are going. help determine the budgets so that teachers aren't in the various situations pointed out. It gets so frustrating to see people when faced with an obstacle do nothing about it, and just use social media and start throwing hashtags around as if that actually matters. 

Don't buy into the fear, and be the change that you need to be. And perhaps things will get done.

And one more point, competition is a good thing. With school choice, it does force schools to try and get better. If a school isn't being supported, there's a reason for it is there not? School choice doesn't mean eradicating public schools, it means giving the freedom to the parents to choose the best path for their children. If more people are choosing the private system, is it possible that something would need to be looked at and corrected? heck, if I had my way, I'd probably abolish the whole concept of districts and let parents freely choose where their kids want to go to school. Districts were a good idea in the days without mass transit....Now, not so much I don't believe....In short, the way to prevent the eradication of public education (which again won't happen) is to simply get better at it :p)

b. The not so Muslim ban...

The executive order (that I would have not written) that banned travel from 7 countries for a temporary period....was NOT a Muslim ban. It affected everyone who lived in those countries. Those who were already in the country, would not be affected. Those who were on their way to America weren't affected. 

As I oftentimes state, if you're going to give out information, the least one can do is be accurate about what was actually done. (Even if one disagrees with it, and I do)....the least we can do is be accurate about what was done. Spinning something into something it isn't, doesn't change objectively what something is....Now, what could have been done to avoid all this flack? Simple, stop travel for everyone. As a nation, we do have a right, and a duty to protect our borders from enemies within and not in the country. Or the other solution is to buy out the rest of the world. (Oh wait, we're 20 trillion in the hole, we can't do that :p)

Okay, enough politics, onto more important th ings....

c. I've heard National Single's Awareness day is coming....

And the boycott is back, this time involving fire.....I have a particular hatred for this day....Let's just say I have my fair share of horror stories on this day. Fortunately, nothing says love quite like getting one's head chopped off :p. So instead it's the death of Saint Cyril...(in the Byzantine Calendar), He hasn't been bought off by Hallmark, Hershey's and Zales. :p

So I'm throwing an Anti-Valentine party, just because :D.....Rebel with a cause this week :p

d. Updating videos at my channel...

I think I'll finally be getting around to editing videos and things....

Hope that all is well. Pray for me, as I am for all of you.

Мир тебе

Things people do not need to apologise for

• One does not need to apologise for having an opinion. It may be wrong, but one is entitled to have one. Just because one does not conform to someone's opinion doesn't mean that the world is over. 
• One does not need to apologise for not being attracted to someone, for whatever reason one has. There's no obligation to like everyone one meets. (Yes, Our Lord says to love everyone, but that is a different discussion). Not everyone's attractive. Everyone is made in the image of God without a doubt, but that does not imply that every person will be attractive. (That said; of course, there are respectful ways to reject people and handle those situations, and one should always be respectful in those situations where one isn't attracted to a person)
• For not upholding the western theological tradition. One can't defend what does not exist. There is a major difference between someone who is a western Christian and not upholding western expressions, versus someone who is an Eastern Christian who has a different theological tradition and perspective. The former would be a cafeteria Catholic, the latter can't be considered so as they do not have that tradition.
• For giving the best to God, even the poor deserve to be lifted from the ugliness of life. 
• The following pictures
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Things I find a bit interesting

a. If someone in their regular 9-5 job, were suddenly to start getting political and start endorsing particular issues or view points, rightly, someone would potentially be angry and tell them to stick to their job. In particular in two fields, religion and education, so many times people are told, don't tell us what to think, or who to endorse for a particular issue. Why aren't athletes held to the same standard? Why do so many give them a pass, just because of physical gifts? There are forums for the political process, in the middle of something that's supposed to be a distraction from the every day grind isn't one of them. (Just as my classroom is not the place to teach people what to think either.) Heck, I find the same to be true even if one is a political commentator, one should stick to the issues at play, and attack the ideas, not really be interjecting opinion as sticking to facts. (Obviously if one is hosting an opinion show, this is quite different)

b. Guilt by association seems to be rising much lately. Suddenly, just because one person screws up, EVERYONE by then must be of the same make up or model. Doesn't matter who this applies to, authority, religion. Who knew we were all robots and exactly the same....guess I must have missed the memo that there's zero individuality within situations. But I forgot, this is a world where we are trying to transform people into parroting robots simply repeating the agenda that's given to them instead of actually educating them.

c. Presumption before facts come out. It is always necessary to read between the lines to see things that are not there? Is it really that painful to wait until objective reports have been made from those without an agenda one way or the other? Of course I should know the answer to this question already.I forget, it's guilt until proven innocent now. Because 'Murica....

d. Russian is my favourite language.....this meme is both cute and very accurate as to how I feel most days....

Some thoughts on Election 2016

This goes regardless of whether someone is in the liberal or conservative camp...and applies to all things really, but for this specific instance I'll use it to apply to politics...

One thing I must say that I'm sick and tired of are people using the reactions, the headlines to form opinions of the candidates, aka letting the media form their opinion.

Instead of going to the actual source, the candidate themselves....they use the reactions to what was said....For example the whole situation about building walls to help curtail illegal immigration. Does building a wall suddenly make one magically anti-Latino, or suddenly not Christian? Certainly not...(Lest anyone get confused, I'm certainly not going to be voting for Trump, but I do think it's a matter of justice to actually listen to what people are saying before forming an opinion)

This of course isn't to say that we can't listen to interpretations....Often times interpretations help us to see things that we may have not originally seen from the words themselves, but the primary source, should be the original texts, transcripts, and not interpretations there of.

I'll use an example from physics, many people wonder why I'm so strict in my interpretations of the laws of physics, it's precisely because going back to the original sources, one can see exactly what was said..Prop 24,  Theorem 19, book 2 states: For the velocity that a given force can generate in a given time, in a given quantity of matter is as the force and time directly, and the matter inversely. (or v/t = F/m...)...hence the law should be written as a = F/m, rather than F = ma....

For any decision that we make this 2016 election season, let us, use the words of the candidates as our base, and not the media interpretations as our base. ...The point, primary, rather than secondary sources should be our point of reference for education and learning....

This whole election cycle has been a complete joke...if these are the people we're stuck with, I officially give my endorsement to the following candidate:

Thoughts on a Weds Evening.....

• Regardless of who gets elected...We're screwed....It's a matter of pushing the accelerator or pushing the brakes with an inevitable crash into a wall. Many people think I'm being sarcastic with my support of Grumpy Cat for president....I'm actually serious, I'm 100% sure the cat will say no to everything, and not sell us out....So, yes, Grumpy Cat 2016, and for VP, that's still up for debate.
• Mercy, or having a place in the heart, does not simply mean do as one wishes. We do not deserve anything, but in His love for us, and His mercy for us, gives us everything. It is by no coincidence that we pray in response to our petitions, Lord, have mercy. It is never us, it is the Lord working through us. 
• The Pre-Sanctified Liturgy is quite a physical workout, multiple prostrations, plenty of kneeling, If you have never been to a pre-sanctified Liturgy, I encourage you to go....you'll not need a gym membership afterwards.....
• There is nothing quite like receiving love. This weekend I had a very powerful moment in my relationship, and something I'd never trade for the world, I'm so glad, for everything, I hardly deserve such good things happening. From the mouths of babes, no kidding :)
• I'm notorious for not wanting to re-visit painful situations....Unfortunately, I must revisit something that happened several years ago, I ask for prayers for a smooth process. 
• The picture is the Jesus prayer in Russian and Greek (my two favourite languages to write in)

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and every thing else I forgot to say within the realm of this thing called life :p

Hello dear readers, unfortunately it's been quite a while since I have been here. Much has been going on that I haven't really had the time to seriously sit and write here all that much....a few orders of business...we'll get to the serious things first..

a. Prayers for my uncle. He's been in the hospital for the past few weeks, and while things are not necessarily dire, they are quite serious, and he's gone back into serious condition. Do pray for him.

b. Do pray for myself, as there are many responsibilities that I have now taken on, and it's quite hard for one person to do them all, so that would be very appreciative.

Now that the prayer requests are out of the way, we can get onto the more fun topics in this post.

1. Old Year reflections:

• 2015 at least ended well. Love found its way in apparently, and it's going rather well. (Do pray for the lady, yes, things are serious :))
• I admit, I've paid absolutely zero attention to the circus in Rome right now. But I'm glad that Mother Teresa is being canonized. She was not perfect, but since when was canonization a process for the perfect?
• There's been much time for spiritual growth and learning, this has definitely been a good thing.
• Though a particular event happened this year that will forever haunt this particular person, I suppose the appropriate response wouldn't be go Russian physicist on this event :p.

2. New Year's "Resolutions"

• To keep this blog much more up to date...unfortunately, life has gotten in the way of updating. :)
• To continue to not pay attention to circ de Roma...the principle of subsidiarity is really helping here. Our Faith should not be dependent on the occupant in the chair of Peter....things are a little rough right now, but let our hearts not be troubled. (This of course does not mean we should not be praying for our Holy Father, we definitely should be)
• To be more "social" on social media outlets...but rest assured, I'll still be me...No, I won't be putting up the latest trends, or giving you updates on the world of the talentless, but good things (with my usual commentary)

I'll keep this short, but I hope that all of you have had a joyous (and continuously joyful) Christmas season. Until tomorrow

Pax Vobis

Some thoughts on Islam, refugee status, and stuff.

Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy and Immortal, have mercy on us

Certainly there are different schools of Islamic thought (Shite, Sunni, Salafi, Wahabi, Sufi, etc), and most certainly not all Muslims are terrorists, and people should not act stupidly as to start accusing all individuals who practise Islam of being terrorists or supporting these kinds of activities...A discussion does need to happen on this subject...

Only one problem, since Islam does not have a central authority that can speak for it, there's no real way to get these different schools of thought together to hash out certain issues...(And even if there was a central authority for Islam, it's not like they'd actually get any media play on the TV, because it doesn't fit the agenda...Several Muslim leaders have come out and condemned these actions, certainly a good thing, but there needs to be more)

Islam has roughly 1 billion practising members, even if only 2-10% are the terrorists, that's roughly 20 000 000 - 100 000 000 people, which is by no means a small number at all. (Just under 1/3rd of the US Population at it's maximum)

The leaders amongst the 98% need to get together, mobilize, condemn, and get their message of condemnation out in the public...Normally, I'm not exactly a social person, but for this particular means, it should be done. They need to humiliate these terrorists and make it abundantly clear that this kind of thing will not be tolerated within the circle of Islam....And if these things are done, immediate consequences will take place....

Otherwise, silence will be interpreted as an indirect participation in the actions of the terrorist thug no lifes..

This is a dialogue Islam must have with itself to figure out...at some point, this needs to be addressed, and I certainly hope it's before WWIII, or whatever's supposed to happen.

Likewise, when it comes to refugees, there are certainly those who are true refugees fleeing from ISIS, but there are also those with alternate intentions to say the least. I certainly can't blame the so far 28 states that have refused the refugees to this point. It is sometimes better to side on caution, rather than to give any opportunity to a possible attack. (Granted, they'll probably get in through the open states, so there's not much of a point, but whatever)....

Yes, we should help our fellow man, but that does not mean we let our reason escape the door. If anyone poses a threat, we do what we can to protect ourselves or our families from that threat at play. We don't generally welcome people within our own circles without some idea of getting to know them, even if on an initial level. Why do we not do the same here? Make sure these people that are coming are truly who they say they are, and if they're not, kick them out.

Of course, since we all know that the government is much too lazy to actually do the background checks, I wouldn't dare trust them with the open boarders.

You'd think after watching these countries in Europe go through these attacks, we'd learn our lesson, and be more cautious....but of course not, since chances are we're probably involved in some indirect way anyway.

Let us pray for conversion...for everyone, ourselves mostly, because we can't give what we do not have.

Friends, love, and something like that

I normally do not talk about romance, love and all that stuff, but I was semi-inspired by my friend's post at her blog to speak on this subject, so I will.

The friend zone-Basically, it's those that I can't see myself marrying, or pursuing advances in friendship with. Nothing necessarily wrong with those individuals, certainly doesn't mean they're not physically attractive, but for objective reasons (most of the time) it'd be a situation that I would not pursue...

How is this determined?

-conflicting interests
-relations to self, or people I do not like
-non-Catholic or Orthodox*
-anything done to cross or hurt me
-various other things**

*exemptions can be made in certain circumstances

**believe me, a ton of things get on my nerves, A LOT of them.

Considering my nature is rather introverted, I am often making these observations without fanfare or notice, or if people do notice, I'm usually trying to hide.

Diverting from this point for a minute, I find that it's quite true that the male species does complain about being put in the female friend zone a lot. I think for many this comes from the frustration of the opposite sex not communicating, or even when they do, not having a real rational reason for their rejection.

That is to say, something along the lines of "I don't know" or "just because" are not really reasons to justify anything. This isn't of course to say something always requires an explanation, but I think for matters of closure, it makes life easier to communicate these reasons, rather than to hide them. Or put another way, ignoring a person, does not magically make their feelings disappear, strange isn't it?

So yes, I agree, as someone who is nearly 30 :p, There are ways to handle the friend zone like adults, but it's not always the easiest thing to do. Heartbreak is a difficult thing, and for those that take things rather harshly (like the author of this post), every break, will be like a record player, playing on a track.

Now back to the guy's version of the friend zone thing....Ladies, if you do end up in this zone, there is effectively no way out of it. (At least for me personally)...Is it necessarily because you're not a wonderful person, datable, etc...Of course not. Effectively, what one must do in order to escape, one has to be able to change the answers to the questions already written, turned into the teacher. (Think sneaking back and having to change the answers on a scantron).....Not impossible, but it'd take a lot of work.

It's a lot easier to swim downstream, rather than up stream. Something to keep in mind in regards to any friendship. In other words, if you've damaged it, it's a lot harder to fix it, than if you keep things strong and manage to not screw up.

So it seems that of course as humans we can always improve things....so...

A. Pray.....pray, pray...
a. communicate
b. communicate

Just my thoughts, have a good day...

So it seems to me, that a little edumacation is in order.

As many know, I'm not one of those super "social" people on social media. Though it's not hard to figure out where I stand on issues....so we need to start on a few points of correction.

a. Kim Davis...not a martyr, simply following the laws that are on the books.

There does not exist a law for (or against) so called gay marriage at the federal level. Why is this? The constitution is rather clear on the role of the supreme court. They may NOT legislate law. They may interpret or issue rulings on law, but they have zero authority to "legislate from the bench" ™ Translation, whenever they issue a ruling, it does not "become law", the process starts again, and a new law must be written at the congressional level, and the process starts again. 

Of course, in practice, the SCOTUS has usurped their role, and been doing tons of bench legislation. 

Roe vs. Wade, a wonderful example of legislation from the bench, creating things that don't exist...

So as such, since there does not exist a law on the books, she's bound to follow the state laws that are on the books, which for the state of Kentucky happens to define marriage between a man and a woman. Ergo, she (Davis) has no authority to issue marriage licenses for so called couples of the same sex. 

Where she went wrong was turning this into a personal conscience situation. The conscience being somewhat subjective (not entirely) results in some disagreeing opinions on various matters. There are some strange things that go on in peoples' heads sometimes, no need for me to let them all here. 

I don't see the need to invoke religious liberty, when it's not necessary in this situation. She can't do what does not exist, there's no law, so there's nothing she could do. Conscience or not. She did not deserve to go to jail, for following the laws that are on the books. Unfortunately, the rule of law is only important, when those in power are running the show, like the particular laws on the books. 

Yes, she's in the right, but for reasons that have more to do with civics 101 rather than God...

b. Pope Francis, Oh dear...

Apparently, he wants every parish to house refugees, which of course in of itself isn't a bad thing....But there are practical problems, refugees cost money. ((Yes, folks, they do...again, not that this takes away from their given human dignity)....but more people in a place, increases utility costs, in particular I thinking of electricity and water....and I'm thinking of the smaller parishes that do not necessarily have the means to make this happen. The entire Church is not like in Europe, or often in Latin America, where there are endowments, or the government primarily cares for these buildings.

I also think there are security problems as such, there could be people posing as refugees which happen to be terrorists, or people of not so good will. I do not think operations like this should be done with discretion or discernment....Yes, we do need to welcome the stranger, sure, I don't disagree, but I'm also of the mindset, don't be stupid, if there's anything that scares you about a person, or a group, don't let them in. Being welcoming doesn't mean being stupid.

Yes, we're required to love everyone, but that doesn't mean we need to suspend our reason in the process.

And as if that wasn't enough, he's made the annulment process easier. An annulment is supposed to be difficult folks. Trying to prove invalidity is supposed to be hard. At least here in the US, they're handed out like candy to a baby practically...I think this is a bad thing for the Church at large, we already have enough abuse of things going on, let's not make it any easier.

c. Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders

As I've stated before on this blog, illegal does not refer to the person, but only their status with respect to the law. He speaks without a filter, which is a refreshing change of pace, but with that comes various problems. It's a good thing to think before one speaks, perhaps more than once. But so we're clear, no one in this presidential race is looking truly appealing. It's almost as if they're trying to make this go badly.

The road of good intentions leads to hell, or so it's said. Listening to Bernie, you can see the appeal in many of the things he's speaking about. Only one simple problem, the allocation of resources to make these things happen, is not quite so easy. Free college, wonderful, but seeing as the teachers still need to be paid, how's that going to happen? Oh wait, legalized theft :p....One can't give, unless one takes, especially if one is the government. Some ideas are so good, they should stay in the head.

d. Prayer request

I do have a friend who will be traveling to visit me, if you can pray for their safe arrival, that'd be great. (Pictures will of course happen)

In addition pray for the Spanish apostolate that is beginning at St Nick's church.

e. Some other things of order

The Roman archdiocese of LA has 3 new Bishops, wonderful. May they be faithful, and properly execute the Liturgy...I'm sick of seeing those flagons at the LA Cathedral...just sick of them...Abp Gomez, now is an acceptable time to get rid of those things...Now :)

Pax vobis

Some thoughts on recent events...

My apologies for not really writing too much lately...Unfortunately, now I am quite busy, so I don't usually the time to sit in front of my computer is minimal....But I do think I need to give some updates, so here we go....

a. My cousin has been found.

Thank you dear readers for your prayers! She has been found safely.

b. The PP videos...(You may look them up yourself)

Evil is so much prettier when it's hidden. When it is brought to the light, the ugly comes out. Because now people are forced to face the situation.

As a society there has to be a point, where this something is not okay. I'd want to think that those that have seen the videos would be shocked to the point where they'd do something about it. Of course, there shouldn't be any surprise that the media for the most part has blacked out this item. They're in on this agenda.

What services does PP provide that are EXCLUSIVE to their "clinics" that can't be found elsewhere? For whatever "good" may be done, does not justify an evil, such as the murdering of children, and profiting off their murder. The ends do not justify the means, period.

c. The presidential race...

I often like to say, I'm neither, right, nor left, just correct in the positions hat are held. I must say it's been rather laughable watching the debates and the various political commentaries, I think in my head, is this the best that could be bought? I might as well throw my hat in.

d. Pope Francis

I think it's best that we just pray for him, as well as stop emphasising every time he speaks. Now is the time when the Eastern position on the papacy makes so much more sense. We have been blessed in our previous pontiffs (St JP II, Pope Benedict XVI) in having clear speaking, so we did not have to worry about much. Look to your local Bishop for guidance. If local Bishop isn't cutting it, look to the Eastern European and African Bishops, they have their heads on straight.

e. Prayers for myself

Right now I do need prayers...I can't specify why, but do pray for me...as I will pray for you.

Pax Vobis

The 15 insults...I mean diseases of the Roman Curia...and my thoughts

I know from my own experiences that blasting everyone doesn't work. I do know that addressing specific needs with those that you have issues with typically works better. Humans are complex creatures and should perhaps be treated as such...On that thought comes these gems from the Holy Father, probably enough to make a volume 2 of the book of insults

So let's go through these point by point.

1. The disease of feeling 'immortal' or 'essential'

Feelings are subjective, and it is true that this can be a form of pride in the sense that one could feel immovable or important. But it is also true that every piece of the puzzle is important, even the most minor of pieces. So as a result everyone should feel important because all jobs need to be done with care and dignity.

Applicable to us, sure, especially when we're young, we do tend to think that we're invincible. Our final end, sometimes we tend to not think about. Perhaps we should spend more time mediating upon these things, rather than thinking that we're invincible.

2. The disease of excessive activity

Well, yes, there are some that make themselves too busy and take on too much, surely...however, what about those that use busyness as an anti-dote to sloth? I know this is true for me, To avoid being slothful, I give myself things to do, even if they're not important. The struggle for holiness is real folks, and some of us have to battle it in very specific ways.

Of course we should try to reach a balance with these things, our activity and our rest. God rested, as such, we should rest too. It's good for the soul to relax, but 24/7 relaxing is bad, and 24/7 working is bad too, a balance must be found...but if one is given 1000's of things to do, one should either do them or delegate.

3. The diseases of mental and spiritual petrification

It is true that we're not robots, and we do have emotions, and we should probably use them. It is also true that a holy indifference is needed to be able to analyze things objectively. This does not mean that we don't empathize when called, or what not, but does mean in order to be able to help people that one can't be too invested in the situation. There's a reason I believe that everyone should have a spiritual director. To be able to look at ourselves with an objective eye, sometimes the outside looking in can see things that inside looking out can't.

I don't know if I can agree to it being a loss of internal peace, for peace is a state of being, not an emotion. I can be peaceful within the context of what I'm working on, even if I take on a machine like behaviour. Like I alluded to in the 2nd point, things do need to get done, and there can be times and places for everything that's needed. A laser like focus is sometimes needed to get work done. It's not that we "don't care".

4 and 5. The diseases of over- planning and bad coordination

Not necessarily every moment is that of the Holy Spirit, or necessarily of the Devil. Why do we plan to the greatest detail? Is to "avoid" promptings of the Spirit? No, of course not....Rather it's because being prepared for every situation makes things go smoother. To under- plan would lead to bad coordination. In order to run anything smoothly, everyone needs to be on the same page. This is why we plan, to keep everyone on the same page to work or get a job done. There's a heresy of formlessness because God is True Order itself. Now if plans don't go according to how they're written that's okay, it's not the end of the world, let's not make idols out of the schedule.

6. The disease of Spiritual Alzheimer's

The Spirit is strong, but the flesh is weak. I really have nothing to say on this one. Sometimes we do tend to forget that sin is a bad thing, and we should avoid it at all costs. Speaking in this subjective encounter with the Lord, we receive Him in Holy Communion, what greater encounter is there than this? That said, is always one of those happy joy joy, feel good moments? Of course not! I don't necessarily "feel" anything. To those that are given the gift of consolation great! But for most of us, that gift is not given...so it can definitely be easy to forget these things.

7. The disease of rivalry and vainglory

It is a good to be competitive and to try and do things well. However for maters within the Church, we don't do things for worldly accolades and vanity, we do them for the love of God, so again, I have nothing really to say on this point

8, 11, 12, and 14. The diseases of external schizophrenia, indifference to others, funeral face and closed circles.

These are the insults to introverts and to those of us that are reserve in our nature by not expressing our emotions one way or another (as a normal exercise)

Not everyone is called to "work with the people" or "walk a mile in their shoes" There are some that are called to the cloister or to be away from the daily struggle. Sometimes these people are dragged from where they're called for *insert reason here* and somehow have to make the best of the situation that they find themselves in. Some people are flat out reserve, and it's not that they're indifferent to other people, maybe the total opposite is true, they do actually care, but they show that care privately versus publicly. We can't smile in all situations, I think it'd be rather inappropriate if a person is getting shot to be smiling...If people are showing sad face, or a funeral face, one should probably ask what's going on...but perhaps it's just how they wish to express themselves. I know for myself, I'm reserve and I don't show my emotion always, I didn't realize being so would be condemned :p. The introverted or reserve person sometimes do tend to keep their circles close. It's no because we hate people, but giving trust is difficult for us, so as a result, yes, the circle is closed. There's no such thing as an open circle ;)

9 and 10. The diseases of "gossip and chatter" and defying the leaders

Well, here's a strange idea...watch what you say. If you don't wish to be spoken of, don't say anything in such a way that will be used against you. Don't pursue agendas that are contrary to the Truth, then you won't be defied. It's really simple, but no, people have to make things complicated don't they? Think twice, speak once....limit off the cuff comments when possible.

13 and 15. The diseases of hoarding and worldly profit and exhibitionism

Yes, having too much stuff is a bad thing (except for kittens and books)...it's true one should not be a materialist....or even do things for money, but rather for the love of God.

Exhibitionism, however, is a bit much. Yes, there are some that do wear the cuppa magna (Read Cardinal Burke, Bp Schneider, Cardinal Ranjith)...yes, these things do represent the world....they should. Then one strips off the world, and puts on a new creation in Christ. (the symbolism of the vestments by the way)...the cassock is street clothing...one puts on the armor of God. It's not exhibitionism to know this theology and to live it. It is not a form of pride to wear what was donated. If anything it's an exhibitionism to NOT wear these things because one is showing one's own tastes are greater than what is given to oneself.


Pax Vobis

A little help for my non scientist friends

I'm sure everyone was waiting for me to weigh in on the Pope's comments on the Big Bang Theory and Evolution.

The Holy Father is a trained chemist, so he gets a little bit of a slide on his comments. But of course as everyone knows the order or hierarchy in science is: physicist = mathematician > chemist > biologist > everyone else :p (And if you don't, this IS how we view the universe of science...(yes, it's tongue in cheek, but there's an element of truth to this, physics is HARD) But there are some important principles which are often forgotten which one needs to be reminded of.

a. Something can't come from nothing.

I feel that physics students would do better with either a semester or a year of philosophy under their belts because of the language of philosophy that penetrates physics often enough. Basic philosophy teaches that something can't come from nothing. This principle extends into physics. There can't be something without an atia (a cause)....Things do not appear out of thin air. In this sense, yes, God is not a magician...it's not a slight of hand or optical illusion, but His creation is real and True.

Understanding the laws of motion, there's a point that often gets confused about the first law. The first law deals with the absence of external (outside) forces. In this situation, a body is at rest or at constant velocity (but not both at the same time)...(The situation of the sum of outside forces being zero is not dealt with in the first law)

Likewise, any change in movement (whether it be a big bang, or even evolution) can't happen without a cause. To say that it happens by itself would be a heretical physics idea. More or less this is what I think the Holy Father was attempting to convey, but could have done so better (It's been a while since he's seen all this stuff, so I'm sure he's a bit rusty...I'm not allowed to get rusty, I have someone that's on my back for it)

b. Getting some things out the way

God is not the author of confusion or deception....that must be kept in mind when he is referring to God not being a magician. But there also things that we need to keep in mind.

Scripture reveals a few things about the order of the universe, that the earth was created first, light came before the stars and the sun, and man was formed from dirt, woman from the rib of Adam...

What it does not say is whether a model was used, where the earth was placed in the order of the universe. (It is not directly implicit that the earth would be in the center of the universe, many of the Church Fathers believed that the earth was at the center of the universe)....For God does not have to do so, but he could very well do so. God is all knowing and all present, and while not bound to our human limitations and our language, God is a God of order and reason, so He would not do things that'd violate order and reason.

A point I ought to mention about physics is that mathematics is a tool to assist us in the understanding of the universe. It is not, never has been, and never will be the end all be all of physics. There are times when math goes beyond physics and vise versa. So, I must say that this particular quote from Pat Archibald is not true at all. (Will  not let me link to the quote)

"Physics is the only profession where you can say stupid stuff like "Ummm, I think that 90% of the universe must be made up of unobserved and invisible stuff because otherwise my equations don't work" and people still think you are good at your job."

The vast majority of concepts in physics are NOT defined mathematically, but rather described mathematically. Y'all might think I'm being a nit picky person, but, it is a HUGE distinction which must be made. A great example is the equation for Gravitational Energy. We do not define force as a mathematical concept, but rather this is an approximation, what we've observed and shown through experiment to happen. To define something in stone, means that it can't be changed. And if you've noticed anything there have been lots of various discoveries, whether it be the Higgs Bosom, and pretty much everything post 1870. What beauty this universe is to be able to find out new things as we pursue the Order of Truth. Yes, I'm being picky, but it's because we do not wish to be limited by things we're not limited by.

But all my words being said, bear in mind that this is a weekday homily and has zero bearing on the Magisterium....but golly, it'd be nice if we at least can get some of these things right....I'm probably going to have to become the pontifical lecturer of physics just to keep his head on straight :p. Hopefully this relatively short post will help clear some things.

Pax Vobis

Closing thoughts on the Synod

The Pope's closing thoughts here...I'll add the official closing report when it becomes available (UPDATE here's the report in Italian)

I'm sorry to say this, but the Pope HAD to say these words. That's right, he was backed into a corner. His hands were caught in the cookie jar, trying to take the cookies out.

This synod exposed Pope Francis as a member of team liberal (through his appointments) (this does not make him the false prophet, an anti-pope, or even a heretic) and no one can now dismiss that. point. Now some of us have been saying that for quite a while...effectively here's what happened. Pope (through the person of Cardinal B) tried to bypass the teachings of the Church (as I've stated, teachings of the Church can't change)...Bishops blew back and said, no this is not happening. (Keep praying though, this doesn't mean team liberal won't try again and with different tactics)

The human misuse of certain faculties can make it appear as if there's a dichotomy between the letter and the spirit of the law. But we know through our reason that the letter and spirit can't be opposed because they come from the same source, and God does not contradict Himself.

I'm happy to be rather "inflexible"...I take it is a compliment. I don't bend because I love souls. We don't bend because we seek the highest bar and we think that all are capable of reaching this bar with the Grace of God. So it is with all of us that are conservative...it's because we believe that people are called to be greater, not to be reduced to the lowest common denominator!

God is constant, God is order, unfortunately, emotions and the subjective experience are far from constant or even orderly. (There's a reason we can't rely on our emotions to lead us you know)...God can fill our lives with surprises, but He himself is not a surprise. God is consistent.

But as you know at this blog, we don't merely complain and not do something about it. Let us continue to pray even harder for the Church, and the vicar Francis, let us pray that he (Francis) does not get swallowed by the enemies who seek to destroy the Church, and better we pray that he not misuse faculties to do the same.

Pax Vobis

Meanwhile in the land of pink and fluffy unicorns and rainbows...

We've all heard about the Cardinal Dolan Fiascoes, one of which he attempts to defend here, the other here and the salt on top of a wound of Abp elect Cupich to Chicago, up to the potential exile of Cardinal Burke, and the upcoming Synod...trying to organize thoughts has been rather painful, but I think now I've done so, hopefully rather charitably....and then the real salt on the wound if this is true

a. The St Patrick's Parade...

Let us start with a simple question: Why do we tell people information? It's because we WANT people to know what we're conveying. What we do NOT want people to know, we simply do not tell people...is this not true? For example, if I decide to tell you that I have a cat...it's because I want you to know that I have a cat, or know that you love kitties.

Likewise, if a person decides to "come out the closet" about who they choose to sleep with, it's because they WANT this knowledge to become public. If it wasn't to be public knowledge, then it simply would not be spoken in such a way that this information comes to the public.

As such, a group declaring on a banner that they freely choose to sleep with members of the same sex now makes this knowledge for public judgement and consideration. While it is true that one can't directly make the connection as to whether sodomy is taking place, it tends to be such a matter that those that are not seeking the attentions for these types of actions would not put themselves in the situations for that to happen. It is those that wish for the attention that make the public declaration....and there is no attempt to hide the activity that is going on. Let's not kid ourselves hee, those that are under the OUT NBC banner are more than likely not living lives according to he Church's teaching...

To the point of Cardinal Dolan being reassured that active promotion will not take place...You mean the same that he was "reassured" that Abortion wouldn't take place in Obamacare? How'd that turn out? The same one that trusts the criminal administration to work on illegal immigration, when it can't get abortion right? The same guy who Bravo'ed Michael Sam? I'd love to say he's being naive, but I can't agree, seeing that His Eminence has been fooled before....You really think that these people will not seek the opportunity to embarrass the Church and the Archbishop? There's a good reason his predecessors took the sand of no banners in the parade for St Patrick.

My friend Stephanie has a few points on her blog that are definitely worth considering, which although I do disagree with her, this blogger is all about giving equal time to the discussion.

To let oneself be manipulated in situations where there is clear opposition to what you believe is something that can't be allowed. It boggles me that the same approach (that failed back in the 70's) is being tried again, and somehow they're expecting to get different results? Insanity is probably being charitable, diabolical, may very well be more accurate.

But of course, it'd be crazy to not suggest a solution for this...whenever the parade will be next year...a Holy Hour to be done in reparation. Cardinal Dolan needs our prayers...big time...put your prayers on steroids for this Cardinal, that he may convert and really use the gift of fortitude to speak the truth, rather than capitulate to the culture....

b. Bp Cupich to Chicago

Now, I did live in Spokane for a short time and know of various orthodox priests that were placed in "interesting" positions...and also remember when the Bishop forbade his priests (later amended (don't fall for the amended piece being the original, it wasn't) (When I lived there, I was attending the Byzantine Catholic parish, his rule didn't apply)...made for some interesting times.

I find it interesting, we have a culture that will run us over if we don't stand up, and this appointment, is basically buzz kill for the culture warrior movement. There's an interesting defense here....but I must say, it's very true that one can tell a lot about a person by who their friends, and who their enemies are. It is also true that one can't directly implicate a person based upon their friends and enemies, but we can know about how a person interacts through their relationships....so when the liberal establishment is rejoicing....God help us...and yes, that does mean we need to pray for him, that he may use the gifts of fortitude for the Church. Apparently this is a Pope Francis personal pick....so much for continuity (but to be fair, he cleans up sex abuse scandals pretty quickly)...As I've said before, this pontificate may prove to be the Anti-Benedict XVI pontificate, and the last liberal hurrah before they hopefully go away and disappear.

c. The synod

I'll keep my thoughts simple, if this is a test to see whether God will allow this (Communion for Divorced/Remarried)....It's not a position that the Church wants to put themselves in....and if it does happen, the Pontiff will have publicly proclaimed error in solemn manner...and this would result in some very ugly things happening (Francis being anti-Pope Francis), schism, ugly things that we don't wish to happen. Pray for the synod, let us pray for them that they do uphold the teaching of the Church...let us not be presumptuous and assume it can't happen....there are humans involved, and schisms have happened.

d. Oh boy

If Piero Marini is appointed, that is salt on the open wound, and probably come to prove that the hypothesis about the anti-Benedict XVI pontificate to be true. We should pray that this does not happen, yes, I know God can write straight with crooked lines, but really...let us not be crazy.

Let us pray, pray, pray pray

Pax Vobis

Some thoughts on sport and social engineering

The engineering of society to go along with agendas has certainly been done throughout time, but it's been really amped up in todays world.

Take the NFL with two particular issues of the day...the nickname of the Washington Redskins, and Michael Sam

We have everyone and their neighbor trying to get the Redskins to change their nickname, for the sake of political correctness/social engineering. Here's my question: If the name was so darn offensive, why didn't the Native American community say something AT THE TIME OF THE DEVELOPMENT? As with anything before a project goes forward, objections are raised, different scenarios are looked at before choosing something.

Now it looks like you're crying wolf because it's popular in todays culture to not be offensive, so take advantage of the tendency to social engineer and promote change. They have gotten a few to change their names (or logos to a more neutral concept)...I'm sorry, I never read anywhere where there's a situation where people have a right to not be offended by something? Should we ask birds if they're offended? How about the Catholics? It's rather simple, if you have a problem, address it at the time f the incident....if you're at an impasse, too bad...there is no right to not be offended, deal with it.

As one may have heard, Michael Sam is an openly homosexual football player who was a 7th round draft pick, who got cut and just signed with the Dallas Cowboys. What's so important about telling everyone who one sleeps with? Did anyone ask? Really, the vast majority of people are likely indifferent one way or the other and don't care, as long as what one does is not imposed on them.

As we know it's not being homosexual that is the sin, it's the activity that is the sin...And openly declaring that one is doing this kind of activity is now placing oneself in the course to be judged...(as they are the ones that put it out there)

It's not judging when people place themselves out their precisely for public approval. I'm doing this, please, please approve what I'm doing, or else. As I've said before, it is not necessary for public approval to get things done. There is no need to tell me, or the entire public who you sleep with, for doing so places us in the awkward position of having to tell you...hey, maybe you shouldn't not be doing that.

Since they're trying to social engineer us, we need to be resistant towards these movements. It certainly doesn't mean that we can't enjoy recreation, or even try in our own personal lives to be charitable in our language....but sports are for recreation, not for social engineering.

Some thoughts on Israel-Palestine

**Warning, this will rub you the wrong way...no apologies will be made**

To be rather honest, I think both sides are wrong and here's how I got there. My thoughts are at the end..

a. Theological Perspective

Firstly, we need to understand the Church's theology. The Church is the new Israel...For the new covanent in Christ's Blood fulfills the old one. So strictly speaking "Israel" are those that are members of the Church under the headship of Peter...From a theological perspective the Church and Israel are the SAME...this blog has some good detail which should prayerfully be taken into consideration.

There's another question as to whether modern Judaism is the same as OT Judaism...This post here gives a good explanation as to why it's not. And that is something VERY important to consider...which we'll talk more about later. 

b. The political perspective

Palestine was never a sovergin country, so to say never ruled themselves, whether it was via the Ottoman empire, or the British fact of the matter is there was never a country called Palestine (although it was labeled as such on maps)...So as such, as it's know "Israel" did not exist as such prior to 1947...There are various debates as to what happened, and the legality of the founding of Israel, but that's not the point of this really, it's been quite volatile for quite a while. Those that defend Israel look to WWII and the Holocaust to justify Israel, look at how they were treated, Israel is an act of justice for them...

While not discrediting what happened, do people think to ask questions such as how did this come to be? Were there practices that allowed this situation to happen? While we don't blame victims most certainly, is it possible that a behavior could have had something to do with what happened? (Again, I'm NOT justifying anything, it's as simple as proposing the question...

If we look throughout history, there were times that the Jews most certainly were being discriminated against BECAUSE of their religion. There were also situations where their religion had NOTHING to do with why they weren't allowed to do somethings. The former is never justified (While error does not have rights, every person does have an inalienable right to dignified treatment)...The latter is something entirely different. Let's say for example that a Jewish bank practices usury. Someone not wanting to practice usury does not allow these banks to exist...this is NOT persecution against a religion...it's a persecution against a particular behaviour (which this was happening before the Bolshivek revolution...this was the practice of Tsar Alexander)...it was not the Jewish religion that was being outlawed....usury however was. As I have stated before, the fact that many in Congress, and many of the bankers are such, I don't think the practice of religion is important to these people. I'd say it's more of a cultural item and as such condemning people for being Jewish is absolutely wrong and holding anti-semitic views (hating people because of their Jewish roots) is wrong. There is a major difference between those that practice Zionism and those that don't. Those that have read the Talmud in full know of the different blasphemies of Our Lord. The varying degrees to which this is practiced is an entirely different thing.

I must say there's something rather creepy about the almost absolute dogmatic treatment conservatives give Israel. Why this attitude? What is it that makes the state of Israel an unquestioned dogma?

What I want to know is what do our Christian brethren in the Middle East think of the state of Israel? I don't care what people in "the west" think, I want to know those that are right in the middle of the ground think. If they do NOT support Israel, why not? What are the reasons? Is there a reason why they might stand by Hamas? (The same ones we fund by the way)...those are the only opinions that really matter in the case of Israel vs Palestine. Not yours, not mine (which you'll find out at the end of this rant piece), not anyone else's.

There has been this graphic going around facebook showing that Hamas has rejected peace deals...does anyone ask the question...why? does anyone ask, what was in the peace deal? We're there terms that could not be accepted? What exact language was used? (Again, not justifying terrorist acts...but things need to be considered in their totality) Of course I feel this way about anything, what exactly I'm agreeing to? I'd want to know the exact terms of what I'm agreeing to, just to make sure there aren't tricks that are being played.

c. What each side has done wrong

There was an agreed to boundary in 1947 after WWII ended. This boundary should have been respected, and there should not have been settlements into the territories that belonged to the Palestinians. This effectively was theft (even if not called such). That said of course siding with  a US funded terrorist organization doesn't exactly show the best of character...Nor does using civilians as human shields during bombing attacks to increase the number of casualties. It's rather one side, but do we ask why this is the case? Is it really as simple as Hamas using human shields vs strict targeting? I tend to think that we're being lied to about the whole situation.

d. My actual opinion

I'm of course of the opinion that both sides have a right to exist...I'm not of the opinion though that granting land because of loss of a war is a good justification for such a right to exist. It is perhaps better to consider a different situation where we have two different people living in this area and for the sake politics, it's best to give each their own place. (The two state solution as Pope Benedict advocated for)...It certainly has draw backs. Now I don't have knowledge of the Arabic language....(oddly, I have a friend who wishes to teach me)...but I do know that statement to wipe Israel off the face of the map was NOT said by the former president Ackmuhoweveryouspellhisname.

Given the fact that the media is all owned by the same people and there's an agenda out, I don't know if it can be trusted in this whole situation. In the link that I mentioned earlier, you can see the clear theological basis as to why we must condemn Zionism as practiced. But that said, that doesn't mean I don't believe that a state should not exist. Now, I don't agree with founding a state on a false religion, nor for that matter do I agree with a secular state (as we've seen the disasterous consequences of such)...The governments should be ordered towards the True Faith (Catholicism) with false religions being treated with dignity, but distinction. I would also say that Israel should be re-named to Judah, because the Church is the New Israel and as such it makes no sense to have a political state with the name of Israel.

The funny thing about this whole situation, there are Israeli Christians and Palestinian Christians in this whole debate, and no one speaks about them, no one speaks up for them. There is a presumption that everyone there is of the same opinion. I liken it similar to how the black community is assumed to be liberal, left wing, de facto reverse racists, when it's absolutely not true that all think alike in this situation.

We need to stop with the collective dogma that to question the political situation of Israel equates to being anti-Semitic, just as opposing gay marriage does not mean that one is "anti-gay"…Again, it is important to have the free exchange of ideas, even if they end up being wrong, or if people get labeled one way or another.

I love all of my friends regardless of the positions that one takes in this whole situation…but let there be open debate and discussion for both sides of the issue.

But now that I've come out and question (but not oppose) the status quo, trouble will probably brew.

Pax Vobis

Some thoughts on Furgeson, Police, and such matters

There's a saying that the person who cries wolf one too many times, is ignored when the actual wolf shows up.

Crying victim, when one is not a victim leaves absolutely no sympathy when one ends up truly being a victim of whatever it happens to be. I'm afraid this is something that happens far too much in the African American community. Are their situations of race relations that happen? Absolutely! Are their situations where police abuse their power? Absolutely! But just because something happens does not automatically mean that one is victim of racism or a form of abuse.

Rioting and looting makes you (and everyone else) look horrible, what change does that cause? Other than giving the police and authorities more reason to use power, I can't think of any justice that happens.

Look, it's a tragedy when anyone dies...regardless of whether they were guilty or innocent...it's not within our nature to rejoice at the death of an innocent person. (Unless by some way there's a type of mental problem)...in particular if the person is young....we imagine that person to be our kids, or someone that we know, and we wonder, what if it was them.

Just like in the Trayvon situation, there's a media that puts agenda over substance. Nobody waits for the facts and reports on speculation...(which this isn't to say that speculation isn't a good thing)...but the speculation needs to be corrected when the facts come out for the case. And I blame BOTH the conservative and liberal media sources.

I can't say it's justified to shoot a person 6 times to stop an aggressor...but the need for a person to be able to defend themselves is always justified. Did the officer act in disproportion to what was necessary? I'd say so...(the two shots in the head were probably too much)...Did the officer have a right to defend himself from being attacked? Absolutely!

People are showing somethings about Michael with distasteful things...what that has to do with the particular date of interest, we don't know...and it should NOT be assumed that these issues had anything to do with the events of that day. What was known is that he was involved with a robbery...he was illegally walking on the street for which he was stopped.

The man broke the law....I can most certainly agree that he didn't deserve to die, but I'm not out to absolve anyone from anything in this situation. Both sides could have acted differently and this would not have happened.

The rioting is flat out ridiculous. Since when does destroying your own community make things better? It would not surprise me if the rioters were planted as to create a situation of unrest. It seems there were peaceful protesters until a few nutjobs showed up. But it's interesting that at the conservative rallies you don't see this type of unrest....why is it that unrest happens at those places of liberal persuasion more often than not?

But I must say there is something that does concern me big time....the militarization of our police....It's not that I don't believe that there should be access for extreme situations (I do) or even that the police need to be armed (most certainly they do)...the issue is that police do not need to be handling things like military operations. Recall, didn't we have a separation for this and many other reasons, when military were openly going into homes. (Fortunately it's against the law without proper warrants (but hey, since when did THAT stop the government?))

As I've said, there are situations that very well require the police to have this kind o gear, but those in general are few and far between with respect to the whole. Just like any other people or organization there are temptations for corruption and abuse of power, and these should be minimized.

If someone is unarmed, there should not be a need to shoot them a ton of times to get them to stop doing what they are doing...(key word should) now, someone being 6'4 290...obviously it is going to take a greater deal of force to stop the massive object. (a = F/m), so while I do not justify the death of a person, or even the measure taken to stop him, I see why a ton of effort was made. Now I don't know the height and weight of the officer in question either...so it makes for interesting situatio.

Julie at her blog Connecticut Catholic Corner has some good thoughts on why we should keep our police well armed, and I tend to agree, but I also believe that it's important that power not be used corruptly.

Pax Vobis

The courage to stand up

I must admit, it's a lot easier for me to use the blogosphere to teach as I'm a natural introverted person, and tend to be extremely shy in my public person. Those of you that have the misfortune of knowing me outside of my blog know I do virtually everything in my power to deflect any attention about my person.

But that said, it is often necessary to speak up about various issues of the day. 

Is it easy? Absolutely not! Silence is something we can't do! The culture is attacking us with absolutely no remorse. If we shut up and say nothing, they will run us over, and will do so until we can no longer breathe. 

Negotiating with evil is something we can't do, we must fight evil, we must fight the errors whether they're coming from outside, or from inside. The Truth must win, and while it certainly can't be imposed, it's hard for people to come to the Truth, when it is not known or shared. 

It doesn't matter whether we're talking about abortion, "gay marriage", papal interviews, or even the president of the US, or our various policies. We as a society need to have the courage to stand up and defend the Truth, support those that are persecuted and fight the culture with offense, not sitting being pansies and taking it without fighting. 

If we don't fight, we will lose, always remember, the best defense is a good offense.

Pax Vobis