Photo: Jesuit No Parking Sign

H/T to Thomas Peters at CatholicVoteAction.org for copying the following photo from a friend's facebook page – a great reminder that Jesuits can have a healthy sense of Catholic humor:

Leave the Doritos Home When Climbing

Funny - that is not me! Doritos - yes, Climbing - yes, Together - no!

Take A Stand! Support Tebow Family Super Bowl Ad

Gary Bauer, Campaign for Working Families: Last week we applauded our friends at Focus on the Family and the Tebow family for having the courage to speak up for the sanctity of life in a 30-second Super Bowl ad. CBS is coming under a barrage of attacks from radical pro-abortion groups and the usual suspects on the Left for agreeing to air the ad.

Sarah Palin defended the ad last week, writing on her Facebook page, “Women should be reminded that they are strong enough and smart enough to make decisions that allow for career and educational opportunities while still giving their babies a chance at life.” Appearing on Fox News Thursday, Palin took on the National Organization for Women, saying, “For NOW to have chosen this...to come across sounding quite offended by hearing that a pro-life commercial will air on the Super Bowl day, it’s baffling.”

Palin is being polite. This is just one more example of the gross intolerance of the Left, attempting to silence speech it disagrees with. Even the New York Times chastised the Left for its “puzzling and dismaying” reaction.

Don’t let the Left dominate this debate. Please take action in defense of our values. Click here to send a message of encouragement to the executives at CBS through its website’s feedback form.
Also Read: NFL Football Players Support Tim Tebow, Pro-Life Super Bowl Ad With Mom

Pro-Life Unity February Action Call!

If you consider yourself Pro-Life, pro-life activism is not an option. It is our DUTY to get involved. Below are some suggested some potential activities beyond the situation we are facing in the Fitchburg at the moment:

Friday, February 5th is Call for Life Day. Contact all your elected officials (federal, state and local) using telephone, email and written letters to let them know how you feel about their abdication of duty in regards to defending innocent human life.

Saturday, February 6th is Adopt the Mills Day. Get out to an abortion mill or an abortion referral office and demonstrate your opposition to the massive human rights violations being committed behind their walls. Counsel the poor women going inside and make a difference in two lives.

40 Days for Life begins February 17th. Sign up at www.40daysforlife.com to pray and counsel at a local mill. This is not a big sacrifice to make and it has a great impact. Many abortion minded women will not go in if we are present, and abortion mills have been known to close after 40 Days campaigns!

What can I do to stop Planned Parenthood from coming to Town

You may be wondering, what can I do to stop planned parenthood. Well I was too, until I found STOPP on their site they give a plan for stopping planned parenthood from coming to your town! The site offers concise advise on how to stopp Planned Parenthood.

I love how the site starts with "Those who rely on God and follow Matthew 10 will see positive results-if they will persevere."
Some thoughts on this relevant to Fitchburg!

The site recommends working through an existing group or starting your own. Do not go it alone. MA Citizens for Life (Fitchburg/Leominster chapter) is one such organization that you can support. Contact me if you need help getting in touch with them.

Fitchburg Town Hall Meeting Feb 2nd to Discuss Planned Parenthood

by Brian Smith: You probably have heard by now that Planned Parenthood is trying to set up shop on main street in DOWNTOWN Fitchburg. This is something I am absolutely opposed to. There is a Town Hall meeting on Tuesday night Feb 2nd at 6:30 P.M. I will be attending the town hall meeting and probably speaking.

No matter whether you live in Fitchburg or the surrounding towns this affects you. Planned Parenthood expects to get business from Fitchburg, Leominster, and Lunenburg. PLEASE come out tomorrow night if this is an issue that you care about.

Fitchburg does not need Planned Parenthood

By JayG:

Planned Parenthood has been given a $387,000 federal grant to provide Health Awareness Services in an office at 391 Main St., Fitchburg, MA. Six members of the Fitchburg City council have “slammed” these plans according to a Fitchburg Sentinel report, specifically voting “to draft a resolution urging Planned Parenthood to abandon plans to open a Fitchburg chapter.”

We agree with this resolution, and with Councilor-at-large Dean Tran, who said "there already exist many social services providing help to women and we do not need another one in Fitchburg." Tran wants to combat the “reputation of Fitchburg as the epicenter of social services.”

But more importantly, we disagree with the Planned Parenthood concept of "health awareness." When we see the Planned Parenthood signs and their hot pink Toyota Scion with the tag line "Sexual Health Matters" we want to know exactly what they mean. We get that meaning from their Web site teenwire.com, where such topics as "Will the Gyno (gynecologist) tell your mom that you are having sex?" assure young girls not to worry, but to check first and avoid those gynecologists who might inform their parents. The “Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered and Questioning” link claims that we are either gay or bisexual from birth, yet we may take a long time to question our sexual orientation. In other words, try it, all of it.

Planned Parenthood has had a generation to work to reduce sexually transmitted disease, and we do not believe their approach has worked. We believe the promotion of promiscuity, the mocking of monogamy, and the band-aid of safe-sex has been totally ineffective. Couple this colossal ineffectiveness with the fact that the Fitchburg Planned Parenthood office will be a feeder to the Worcester Planned Parenthood abortion center and you have all the reason Fitchburg needs to keep Planned Parenthood out of town.

Becoming a Family Man

Brian Smith: I started downhill skiing because I thought I loved downhill skiing. In reality, what I really loved was fun, and the thrill of the adventure. I also loved the challenge of becoming a better skier. Eventually, I became a downhill ski instructor, and became a proficient downhill skier. I got my family into downhill skiing because I thought it would be a good sport for the family. The hours spent skiing alone, teaching, and socializing with my ski instructor buddies were not helping me to be a better family man. I said I got my family into downhill for the family, but it was really for myself.

Last week, I went cross country skiing with my two oldest children, my best friend Tom and his family. It just felt right. Even though leaving my wife with the babies would have normally made me feel a bit guilty, she was with her best friend, and that seemed less like abandoning her, and more natural.

Tom and I had a great time. My daughter soon had the hang of it, and was quickly striving to lead the pack. With her good friends around her she pushed herself. With our friends, everyone looked out for everyone. After one of Tom's kids tuckered out, we sent the kids and teens inside for Hot Cocoa, which felt much safer than sending our sends inside by themselves at a major downhill resort. Tom and I snuck of for one run and reminisced about old times. It just felt right.

This family man thing isn't so bad, if you can find the balance that works for the whole family.

An Open Letter to U.S. Catholics regarding Faithful Citizenship

As we are two days away from the special election for the people of Massachusetts’ Senator to the U.S. Senate, and an incredibly sensational race between Martha Coakley and Scott Brown (and let’s not forget Mr. Kennedy), I have spent some time thinking not only about my ability to vote and politically support either candidate. By political support, I don’t just mean my vote, but also my time, talents and treasures going to support a candidate that I believe in as a Catholic. I consider myself to be a faithful Catholic, and I want to remain faithful to the Catholic churches teaching. In recent days I have asked myself the questions:

1. Does one political issue (e.g. legalized abortion) carry more weight than others?
2. Can I support a candidate (vote, time, talent and treasure) who supports things that are intrinsically evil?
3. What level of support can I give?

In my search for answers I have spoken with close friends, as well as sought pastoral advice from church teachers. I have found that the Faithful Citizenship website, and particularly, the U.S. bishops' statement Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship [PDF] which is a very useful guide. I would ask that all Catholics take the time to read it and let this document be a guide to political conscience and voting.

This document provides answers to the questions:
- Why does the Church teach about issues affecting public policy?
- Who in the Church should participate in political life?
- How does the Church help the Catholic faithful to speak about political and social questions?
- What does the Church say about Catholic social teaching in the public square?

I found this 42 page document to be a very easy but compelling read (as opposed to the 2000 page documents that our Senators are passing without reading). I will also take the time to share with you some quotes which I found to be useful in my search for answers (see quotes below).

I will not tell you my decisions with regards to whom to support, but I will share with you my personal conclusions with regard to the questions I posed above.

Does one political issue (e.g. legalized abortion) carry more weight than others? Yes, however, that does not mean that I believe in single issue voting. Just that some issues based on whether or not they are supportive of something intrinsically evil, can carry more weight. You cannot focus on only one issue with regards to the sanctity of life and then simply ignore all other issues that dealing with the value of all humans and social justice.

Yes, this was the hardest thing for me to come to grips with, especially with regards to money or holding a sign. But I had to ask myself:
Does my support directly participate in something intrinsically evil? No
Does my support indirectly support something intrinsically evil? Yes and no.
I call your attention to this quote: Sometimes morally flawed laws already exist. In this situation, the process of framing legislation to protect life is subject to prudential judgment and “the art of the possible.” At times this process may restore justice only partially or gradually. In this case, I am going for the art of the possible, and not supporting the candidate who is going to take us further down the path to what is evil.

Will my support bring scandal on the church? If the answer is yes, then I cannot support. In the case of one candidate, I believe the answer is yes, in the case of the other, I believe the answer is no. But if the answer is No, then I believe that support in addition to my vote is allowed.

I believe that supporting the phone banks, calling people, and raising their awareness of the truth on issues, is entirely acceptable. I believe that a sign or call, or money for a candidate who I can support might be worth an investment of my time. However, I also have to consider my family and if that time away from family is what God is calling me to. What about my money, or is it better to give that money to the people in Haiti. In the end, prayer and a well formed conscience should be your guide.

Your brother in Christ,
Brian

Additional thoughts from the statement Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship follow:

Some question whether it is appropriate for the Church to play a role in political life. However, the obligation to teach about moral values that should shape our lives, including our public lives, is central to the mission given to the Church by Jesus Christ. Moreover, the United States Constitution protects the right of individual believers and religious bodies to participate and speak out without government interference, favoritism, or discrimination. Civil law should fully recognize and protect the Church’s right, obligation, and opportunities to participate in society without being forced to abandon or ignore its central moral convictions. Our nation’s tradition of pluralism is enhanced, not threatened, when religious groups and people of faith bring their convictions and concerns into public life. Indeed, our Church’s teaching is in accord with the foundational values that have shaped our nation’s history: “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

In the Catholic Tradition, responsible citizenship is a virtue, and participation in political life is a moral obligation.

As the Holy Father also taught in Deus Caritas Est, “The direct duty to work for a just ordering of society is proper to the lay faithful” (no. 29). This duty is more critical than ever in today’s political environment, where Catholics may feel politically disenfranchised, sensing that no party and too few candidates fully share the Church’s comprehensive commitment to the life and dignity of every human being from conception to natural death. Yet this is not a time for retreat or discouragement; rather, it is a time for renewed engagement.

Sometimes morally flawed laws already exist. In this situation, the process of framing legislation to protect life is subject to prudential judgment and “the art of the possible.” At times this process may restore justice only partially or gradually. For example, Pope John Paul II taught that when a government official who fully opposes abortion cannot succeed in completely overturning a pro-abortion law, he or she may work to improve protection for unborn human life, “limiting the harm done by such a law” and lessening its negative impact as much as possible (Evangelium Vitae, no. 73). Such incremental improvements in the law are acceptable as steps toward the full restoration of justice. However, Catholics must never abandon the moral requirement to seek full protection for all human life from the moment of conception until natural death.

When all candidates hold a position in favor of an intrinsic evil, the conscientious voter faces a dilemma. The voter may decide to take the extraordinary step of not voting for any candidate or, after careful deliberation, may decide to vote for the candidate deemed less likely to advance such a morally flawed position and more likely to pursue other authentic human goods.

In making these decisions, it is essential for Catholics to be guided by a well-formed conscience that recognizes that all issues do not carry the same moral weight and that the moral obligation to oppose intrinsically evil acts has a special claim on our consciences and our actions. These decisions should take into account a candidate’s commitments, character, integrity, and ability to influence a given issue.

Martha Coakley: Devout Catholics "Probably Shouldn't Work in the Emergency Room"

Martha Coakley was on with Ken Pittman from WBSM in Massachusetts on Thursday. She told Ken that if you object to abortion then "You probably shouldn't work in the emergency room."

Merry Christmas 2009

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Blinders - Jihad at Ft Hood

Old stream media has PC blinders on. Read the "Jihad at Fort Hood" series for non-Politically Correct insights into the background on the murder of "14" and wounding of 30 American military and civilians at Ft Hood, Texas.

Follows is an insightful cartoon by William Warren

[Source]

Saluting Our Veterans & the Men & Women Serving in the Military

This note from a friend and is worth sharing with all our readers because her words are said and thought by many on this day: Thank you for your service to our country, for preserving our precious American way of life, and for the sacrifices you've made in the name of Freedom! You are all my heroes ... Suzan [Video]

---

ARRA News Service

20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall

Bill Smith: Today is the 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. It is a great day for Liberty that should not be forgotten. This is also an important day of remembrance for the Smith family. Twenty-two years ago, I was a military officer assigned to a position working with the Europeans directing classified contracts. Thus, I was not allowed to travel to Berlin on the US military troop train as train ran through then East Germany to reach Berlin.

Our son, the creator of this site - SkierBrian - a boy scout in junior high traveled on the troop train with scout troop leaders who were non-restricted military on leave. I could have flown to Berlin, but the purpose of the scouting event was for the scouts to take the troop train to Berlin to see parts of East Germany and to learn about the restrictions of communism on the East Germans.

So, Brian visited the Berlin Wall 22 years ago. He learned about communism and about the Soviet controlled section of Berlin. He learned about Germans in the East German sector who were killed or imprisoned when they attempted to cross the Wall to their families and friends and to freedom in the West Germany sector of Berlin.

Just two years later, 20 years ago today, we joyful watched on TV as the Berlin Wall fell. Although we vicariously rejoiced with the Germans as part of the wall fell, I especially recall the tears of joy running down the face of Brian's mother, Lois. She had prayed continually two years before as our son traveled to and from Berlin under the watch care of others.

For those of us who remember that day, we remember the lesson that Communism does not work. For those who are too young to remember it first-hand, please take time to watch this video.

---

by Fred Smith, CEI President: On November 9, 1989, the Berlin Wall came crashing down. Today marks the twentieth anniversary of that great day – one of the greatest in the history of human freedom. Communism in Germany finally collapsed, setting off a domino effect that would reach Moscow within two years. Families torn apart for nearly three decades came together in tearful, happy reunions as the world watched. The Cold War was finally, mercifully, ending.

Many historians cite World War I as the twentieth century’s opening act. Sixteen million souls died in that war over nothing. Two of the nations it toppled became the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. Communist and fascist governments would combine to kill more than one hundred million people over the next seven decades. Those needless deaths are the twentieth century’s legacy, every bit as much as the transistor or rock ‘n roll.

The fall of the Berlin Wall was that short, bloody century’s coda. November 9, 1989 was also the start of something better. It was a nation’s way of saying that it was ready to move on to better times. To a new world defined not by oppression, ideology, and servitude, but by freedom. Sweet, precious, fragile freedom. Seeing the footage on the news was like witnessing something being born. The hope and potential that surround every birth were glimmering in people’s eyes. It was beautiful.

What Berlin’s people did on that day also inspired half a continent to send the same message to their leaders. What a noble achievement. How worthy of commemoration, now that twenty years have passed. What a shame, then, that this milestone has been treated more like a millstone by the media. Reporters more concerned with today’s news cycle are giving at best perfunctory attention to a day that showed us all that is good about humanity.

To partially right that wrong, CEI has produced a short video [posted above] commemorating what the Berlin Wall’s fall symbolizes. . . . Of course, it is hard to convey in a few short minutes what the people living in that Wall’s shadow went through for 29 long years. So put yourself in their shoes. Think what they thought. Look right in the eyes of those separated families as they try to catch glimpses of each other over that wall. And the people who risked their lives escaping. And the soldier carrying back the body of someone who didn’t make it. What was going through his mind as he carried out his grisly task? That might give you an idea of what the Berlin Wall meant.

We all need to remember the Berlin Wall. We need to say to each other, “Never again.” And we have to mean it.

The Incorruptibles

A message for All Saints Day (Nov 1st). You have to see this it is one of the most stunning videos I have ever seen on youtube.

It is a video showing the Incorruptible bodies of catholic Saints. One of the people on the video is Cardinal Neumann of whom I am a big fan.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbMuB3leqKQ