IZ writes: “An office mate’s wife is a fanatic Twilight fan, having come home early from an out-of-state trip to wait in line for 5 hours with friends to watch the midnight premier of “Eclipse”. I read your blog about the new movie and how groups have formed gathering like-minded weirdos who are interested in vampires, etc. As my office mate jokingly refers to his wife’s fanaticism, stating she’s read each book multiple times as well as having seen all movies repeatedly, at what point would one question abnormal behavior (to me that is abnormal)? Another office mate who is “Catholic” is a Harry Potter fan and I just don’t know how to contribute to the conversation without sounding like the bearer of bad news. Do you have any suggestions?”
Monthly Archives: July 2010
Louisiana Becomes 4th State to Opt Out of ObamaCare Abortion Coverage
by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
The state of Louisiana has become the fourth state to opt out of the abortion funding mandated by ObamaCare, with lawmakers in both the House and Senate passing the measure by wide margins.
Hawaii Governor Vetoes Civil Unions Bill
by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
The governor of Hawaii has vetoed a civil unions bill that would have granted same-sex couples the same rights as heterosexual couples because she believes the issue is of “such societal importance that it deserves to be decided directly by all the people of Hawaii.”
Largest Tax Hike in History Just Six Months Away
by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
A nation non-profit lobbying organization is warning the public that in just six months, the largest tax hikes in history will come in three “waves” that will impact American families and small businesses.
Obama Appoints “One-Man Death Panel” to Head Medicare
by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
In an effort to bypass Congressional opposition, President Barack Obama is using a recess appointment prerogative to appoint a controversial physician who is a self-professed supporter of health care rationing to serve as Chief of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Missa Gaia
ML wrote: “Recently a friend and I did a lot of research, and with it tried to convince our pastor that to stage Paul Winter’s Missa Gaia in our (Catholic) church was to stage a New Age production. He would not hear of it. He did say that he would never allow if it were New Age. It’s too late – the show (it was billed as a “show” in the local paper) went on as apart of an Earth Day 2010 celebration in our area. I attended and was predictably horrified. I normally would not have attended such an event but wanted to make sure that we were correct in our conclusions about this event. (I went armed with holy water, a miraculous medal, a St. Benedict’s medial and a crucifix.) After I was told by my pastor that he just wanted me to pray for him, rather than to hear anything else that I had to say, my friend and I found a Vatican document that seemed to say that concerts could be allowed in churches but only sacred music could be performed. Could we have used that document to support our argument?”
Harvard Commencement Speaker to Join Dominican Sisters
by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
A native of Queens, New York who delivered a commencement speech at her Harvard graduation ceremony in Latin has revealed that she is planning to enter the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, now that school is finished.
Senate Judiciary Committee Asked to Investigate Discrepancies in Kagan Testimony
by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
A representative of a leading pro-life legal organization testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee and told a packed assembly that not only should the Senate reject the nomination of Elena Kagan for Supreme Court Justice, but they should investigate discrepancies between her written record and the testimony she gave during last week’s hearings.
Court Re-opens Fraud Case Against Planned Parenthood
by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
The Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals has decided to reinstate a dismissed lawsuit against Planned Parenthood (PP) alleging that it committed fraud by over-charging the government for various birth control drugs that resulted in millions of wasted taxpayer dollars.
President’s “Common Ground” Initiative Falls Short
by Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
The Obama Administration is claiming that the establishment of a new $25 million fund to help pregnant teens is the fulfillment of his promise to seek “common ground” on the abortion debate during his speech at the University of Notre Dame, even though other initiatives promise to pour billions into contraception and abortion programs.
LifeSiteNews.com is reporting that the Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships sent an e-mail to nonprofit organizations last Friday announcing that it would begin accepting applications for a $25 million fund that it praised as “another critical step in the President’s vision for common ground.”
“It was only a year ago that President Obama gave a seminal speech at Notre Dame urging our nation to find common ground on the issue of abortion and unintended pregnancies,” said the email. “The Pregnancy Assistance Fund is a competitive grant program established by the Affordable Care Act to assist women who have decided to carry their pregnancies to term and those who are parenting.”
The fund, which is part of ObamaCare, will make $25 million available to states to support pregnant and parenting teens. However, as LifeSite points out, another section of the same legislation makes billions of taxpayer funds available to abortion providers through the Community Health Centers program.
There was no mention of abortion or other “family planning” programs in the e-mail.
During an interview with CNN, Democrats for Life executive director Kristen Day praised the initiative. “Pro-life and pro-choice people have gotten behind it, so it’s a good first step at reducing abortion and providing support for healthier babes and mothers,” she said.
Day said that the fund promised a political advantage to Democrats, who have “been working on common ground around abortion for a long time because we want to take it away as a wedge issue.”
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