“How in the world did we get ourselves into this mess?” Have you been asking yourself this question a lot the past couple of weeks? You’re not alone. During this time, quite fortuitously, I’ve been reading a book that I think is giving me the straight answer. The book is “10 Books That Screwed Up the World: And 5 Others That Didn’t Help” by Benjamin Wiker. Reading this, especially with Obama’s words still ringing in my ears was truly eerie and chilling. It sums up fifteen books that have cumulatively helped create the poisonous culture and atmosphere that made it possible for the unthinkable to happen. Re-reading the alluring logic of Mein Kampf was especially unnerving.

I don’t want to give too much away, but I can say this much: although at the time each of these books seemed to make sense, looking back, we can now see these books were replete with Pseudo-science and outright fantasy, but it was very base motives and vice that really impelled their logic and themes. Here are the books:

• The Prince Machiavelli
• Discourse on Method Descartes
• Leviathan Hobbes
• Discourse on Inequality - Rousseau
• The Manifesto of the Communist Party - Marx & Engels
• Utilitarianism - John Stuart Mill
• The Descent of Man - Darwin
• Beyond Good & Evil - Nietzsche
• The State & Revolution - Lenin
• The Pivot of Civilization - Sanger
• Mein Kampf - Hitler
• The Future of an Illusion - Freud
• Coming of Age in Samoa - Margaret Mead
• Sexual Behavior in the Human Male - Kinsey
• Dishonorable Mention: Feminine Mystique - Friedan

We should say his problem with Darwin has nothing to do with the theory of evolution per se as discussed elsewhere, but the radical eugenics espoused in Descent. Many have tried to foist off crude “Social Darwinism” on Spenser and absolve Darwin, but it’s clear Darwin espoused “Social Darwinism” most himself and had a profound effect on both Sanger and Hitler. Also, the point is not that Freud did not have some valid insights, but that his background blinded him significantly in his anti-God diatribe, Illusion. In short, the point is not that everything in every book or author is bad, but that a discernible pattern of errors has led us to where we are today: with an ‘education’ system that does not educate and a culture of death and dehumanization.

For anyone becoming even slightly curious as to ‘how we got here’, this would be a great place to start. Let’s keep spreading not only knowledge but wisdom as much and as far as we can.

The United States Catholic Conference of Bishops is meeting at this very moment (November 14, 2008) and I was just watching some of the Bishops’ comments on EWTN (the world Catholic cable network). Perhaps the immense gravity of this situation has finally woken them up, but they are absolutely expressing straight out the immense danger the Church faces in this country in a way we haven’t seen. It fills me with rage that they haven’t spoken more openly before, but, by God, it seems to finally be sinking in what is facing our Church and believers in general.

Much has been said already about many facets of this awful “Freedom of Choice Act”, but I would like to underline one aspect of this bill that should chill the heart of every believer of any kind in this country. The Bishops have apparently begun to realize one thing: this bill will FORCE Catholic hospitals to provide abortions. ALL conscience clauses will be obliterated, invading the inner sanctum of the freedom to practice religion, trampling the First Amendment. “You must burn infants alive over the course of hours; you must tear and cut them apart while they are still alive”. The draconian choices facing over 600 Catholic hospitals: closing the Obstetrics wing of all of them, or closing all of the hospitals altogether. The alternative is allowing the government to force Catholic physicians to perform these heinous actions which, to their credit, the Bishops seem to be refusing to countenance at all. This amounts to an anti-religious war which will destroy something which is invaluable, not only to Catholics, but to all Americans.

Anti-Catholic bigots must be wondering what the problem is. Religion is the major impediment to progress, after all, etc. etc. I think most fair thinkers, even unbelievers, will conclude, like the non-practicing Benjamin Franklin, that the free exercise of religion is crucial to the political health of the nation. How can anyone think it is good to exclude the services of highly trained, motivated moral professionals and institutions? Read the rest of this entry »

The following is a composite conversation based on several post-Election Day discussions with friends and acquaintances up here in the Granite State of New Hampshire. The Great Stone Face, The Old Man on the Mountain, was once a symbol of our fierce independence: Live Free or Die! We were a rock island of red sanity in a sea of blue madness. Now with our deficits, spending, new laws and liberal leaders, we are no longer unique; we are well on our way to becoming Massachusetts North, if we’re not there already. It seems we ‘lost face’ and our identity the past four years since our great symbol, the Stone Face, fell off the mountain.

Hearts of stone and heads of granite: O Lord may you take them from us and give us hearts of flesh and minds which no longer take life for granted.

“Isn’t this just great? The first black man has been elected President! What a great day! You can celebrate, right? You’re happy, right? ”

“No, I’m sorry, I’m not happy. I’m glad we broke the barrier, but, for me, this day is a like a tragedy.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, I’m pro-life.”

“What’s that? Oh yeah, that has to do with being against abortion, right?

Yes, somebody actually said that. I found out that some people voted for Obama without knowing some bare basics about what he believed about this and other things.

“You mean Obama’s not ‘pro-life’? I figured he was. He seems like such a nice guy.” Read the rest of this entry »

You’ve got to hand it to Joe Biden. Sir Gaffe-a-lot tried to warn us about this guy, Barack Obama. For whatever reason, subconscious guilt, knowledge that he had made a dreadful mistake or whatever, he guaranteed a “generated crisis” for Barack within six months. He hinted heavily at what he had said openly several times before: Obama is not ready and there is something very disquieting about him.

Well, that “Stand Up, Chuck!” realization is spreading like wildfire. [To see the original “Chuck” incident, go here]. Take a look around. A record 10% post-election stock drop did not really match any new information except for Obama’s election. Chris Matthews looked like he was about to soil his trousers, this time out of fear. Newsweek’s brave investigators are suddenly squeamish about not knowing who Barack is or what he wants using the words “creepy” and “deeply manipulative”. (See what they had to say on Charlie Rose). There are several other examples like the Cult of Personality. Read the rest of this entry »

The situation for Christendom in 1571, by any measure was impossible. The resurgent Ottoman Empire was poised to invade Italy, march up the boot and finally crush the Christian world out of existence. The earliest Arab Muslim empires had been more civilized and tolerant, perhaps, but the converted Turks retained many of their brutal ways; and now the time had come to finally destroy Europe. Ali Pasha had gathered a large fleet and army, had overwhelmed many of the Mediterranean islands with vastly superior numbers and vicious cruelty and what they would do to Europe was a horror just to contemplate in its certain fierceness and in its inevitable scope. [By the way, no ‘anti-Muslim’ prejudice is intended in telling this particular story.]

Pope Pius V (the future Saint Pius V) was virtually alone in seeing the threat. Europe was much too engrossed in the fratricidal religious struggles of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation and the venal impulses of nationalism. He finally did prod Phillip II of Spain to provide some ships and men and the famous Admiral Andrea Doria of Genoa joined under the leadership of Don Juan de Asturias, half-brother of Phillip. This 24-year old ‘Don Juan’ was the very same original profligate high-liver we associate with that name. This neophyte’s chances at keeping the fractious, disorganized, vastly outnumbered alliance together at all were dim at best, and odds of his defeating the far more experienced and dominant Ottoman force were infinitesimal. Everyone frankly considered the last-ditch effort doomed from the start, and any honest appraisal could actually come to no other conclusion.

What does a believer do at a time when the situation is absolutely overwhelming and impossible? Jesus had said something may indeed be impossible for us, but for God nothing is impossible. He promised us the power of prayer could pierce circumstances of time and space. Pope Pius called on all the people of Rome to pray a novena of Rosaries. [The idea of a ‘Novena’ has its origins in the nine days that Mary & the Apostles prayed for the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The Rosary has always been amazingly powerful, I think, because it is so accessible and simple, sums up what Christians believe and can engage all levels of prayer.] All went to their churches praying for nine days. Read the rest of this entry »

It seems everyone is talking about the latest absolutely amazing super-gaffe from Joe “Gaffe-a-day” Biden. (Everyone is talking, that is, except the major media organs of communication who are supposed to be reporting fairly. If I were them, I would camp out permanently right next to Joe for at least for a day, if only for the entertainment value! Forget for just a minute that you are a sold-out toady for the Messiah!)

I won’t bother to quote at length or recount all of the details at this point. Go to Glenn Beck today or other places like the following article on the ABC News Blog to see what he said.

Suffice it to say, Joe began blabbing about the possible foreign policy threats out there that are certain to strike us soon, and how Barack will STAND UP for us, when he realized in mid-blab that his guy is a foreign policy cripple in a wheelchair. Figuratively speaking, it is virtually the same double-take he did with Chuck, the wheelchair-bound politician of “Stand up, Chuck!” fame. When he realized the implications of his realization, he began to babble like a babble-head doll.

The sheer incoherence of what followed was absolutely breath-taking. Basically, he’s guaranteeing that Obama’s weakness WILL bring us a catastrophic attack, a la Khrushchev and Kennedy (that gave us the Bay of Pigs and nearly blowing up the world!). He tried to reassure everyone by resorting to one of his standard fallback positions - shameless, narcissistic boasting – saying he knows more about foreign policy than everyone else around (a move certain to make friends and influence his legislative compatriots). He’ll out-Cheney Dick Cheney and save the country when it seems like Barack is doing the wrong thing when he’s really doing the right thing. BLAAAAH! I can’t stand it! It seems like the truth keeps leaking out of the holes in this guy like water from a pin-pricked balloon. Read the rest of this entry »

Well, now we see; it is clear. Colin Powell is Obama’s October Surprise. Those who know better and have decided whom we need in spite of us are bringing in the biggest gun to secure their victory and make it clear for us.

Colin Powell is a very good man, by all accounts, in many ways. I’m sure he’s trying to be sincere. But like all of us he has weaknesses and tendencies that might explain why he was open to taking this move directly on behalf of Obama. What was he really doing this morning on “Meet the Press”?

This is my take. What Powell gave was an uninterrupted political speech not the argument of a statesman. (Tom Brokaw didn’t seem as concerned about time constraints this time, by the way; he must have left his stopwatch at home. Somehow, I don’t think Tim Russert would have left several of Powell’s points unchallenged like Brokaw did.) My wife’s remark as we watched him was: “he’s reading through a list of Obama campaign talking points, bullet point by bullet point. He’s not even coming up for air!” His tone and manner even sounded liked Obama’s, reassuring but lacking something somehow. Why did it seem this way?

Logical reasons don’t seem to be the primary justification for this move he’s made. Rather, his points seem to be political, power-sharing and influence-building more than issue-based or ideological. He seems more concerned about appearances, how he looks, how we ‘look’, “approval ratings” and our perception in the world. (For instance, I understand we need to build coalitions more than Bush has, but I think Obama and Powell are not really talking about that; they want ‘standing’.) Read the rest of this entry »

How very revealing all of this has been, hasn’t it? Obama wandered onto the wrong street that day didn’t he? The question itself ‘flushed out’ Barry well enough. It forced him to pretty much admit his socialist mindset. I suspect the effect has been earth-shaking. Their internal polling must have alarmed them quite a bit or they wouldn’t have reacted they way they have.

And it is that very reaction that has even more successfully ‘flushed out’ the REAL Barack Obama, so fortuitously re-named by McCain as “Senator Government”. He and his friends have that Marxist impulse so perfected by Stalin of attacking the symbols which reveal their hypocrisy ruthlessly. As in Orwell’s 1984, they can produce their own reality, without worrying about the effect on their hapless victims. This is what they are trying to do to Joe. I won’t go into the details of the facts about him and their attacks. Suffice it to say, he was in now way a plant, he asked a question about a possible business, not his present situation. The inquisition he is undergoing in two days exceeds most of the MSM’s efforts investigating Senator Government for two years.

But I think they just may have overplayed their hand this time on the heels of what they did and are doing to Sarah Palin. I just went to one of her rallies and the crowd was truly astounding. Like the people of Solidarity or the non-violent crowds of the Velvet Revolution and their sister uprisings, many are simply not going to ALLOW themselves to be stampeded this time by the hackneyed ‘tell us what to believe’ cant coming from the old, far-left power bases. Their reaction reveals them as not agents of reform, but the most predictable socialist idealogues with the same failed ideas.

‘Senator Government’ has been flushed out by ‘the Plumber’.

The Obamas are celebrating already. Michelle was ordering that lobster and caviar at the Waldorf. Plans for all the celebrations are, apparently, already moving forward at a feverish pace. Obama’s performance at the Al Smith fundraiser for the Catholic Archdiocesan charities, which was supposed to feature “comedy”, aroused in me a great deal of discomfort; he seems to lack true humor about himself despite the great lines written for him and there was a hard edge to some of his jabs. I think he takes himself very seriously. Contrast that with the deep, authentic self-deprecation and true joy in John McCain’s humor.

My sense is that Obama just can’t help himself and he’s getting ready for the celebration. Meanwhile, Comeback McCain seems to have this underdog mojo happening again like it has so many times. He actually seems to relish and thrive on it.

My memory was jarred. Hadn’t I seen and felt something like this before? My son was marveling over yet another Red Sox miraculous, historic comeback against the Rays last night. He made the comparison to Obama and McCain without even having seen the fundraiser. He said that he had the feeling that McCain was making a totally unexpected miracle comeback because of his authenticity, just like the Red Sox have done the past few years. I remembered the night in 2004 when the Red Sox were down three games to none to the favored Yankees after laying one of the biggest eggs in history. Curt Schilling simply said, “Why not us? Why not now?” The simple, stark, powerful truth of this statement impelled them to a remarkable team effort. Roberts stole a base and history was changed. Read the rest of this entry »

I come up with nutty ideas all the time. Here’s another one. Why not carry an acorn in your pocket when you go to vote. In the secret of the booth, take out the acorn and leave it as a nice decoration. It is fall, after all. It is symbolic of hope for renewal after the death of winter. The multiplying power of the seed in the acorn, the multiplying power of the vote: yes, it seems to be a perfect aesthetic and artistic statement! A lot of our “community organizer” friends should really ‘dig’ this as much as the squirrels do.

Who are these people? You don’t know? Let me try to explain.

Franklin Raines is the CEO who, along with Jim Johnson, made tens of millions from Fannie Mae, and then was used by the Obama campaign (Johnson to pick the Vice Presidential Candidate). Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, as you know, was given totally free rein to give massive amounts of bad loans. They, in turn, infected the entire sub-prime market, which in turn has helped tank the whole financial system. McCain and others tried to stop them. Obama, Frank and Dodd supported their dangerous schemes. Fannie Mae gave massive contributions to Obama, number two amount of money all time, next to Senator Dodd (head of the relevant committee), although Obama had only been a Senator for two years.

Ayres, besides being an unrepentant bombing killer, is actually very influential in the ultra liberal education elites. He believes capitalism should be destroyed, just like ACORN, the Annenberg grant in Chicago, and the Woods Foundation, on all of which he worked with Obama. Ayres gave Obama $50 million as his Annenberg chairman to fund their far-left education programs. How could Obama ‘forget’ they worked together? Why did he lie about how he launched his campaign in Ayres’ home, saying the previous Rep. had arranged it, when she hadn’t? Read the rest of this entry »

The issue of Barack Obama’s ties to William Ayres has re-emerged in the closing days of the election, but I think even the McCain campaign is missing the salient fact. It is very true that having a friendship with a terrorist is troubling enough, but the evidence of a shared radical left agenda is far more troubling.

Bill Ayres, of course, was part of a radical offshoot of the notorious Weather Underground which bombed the Capital and the Pentagon and killed policemen. He was a leader of all this activity. In 2001 he said he wished he had done more.

Obama at first tried to claim to claim he was merely a “neighbor on my street”, but it soon came to light they had worked together for eight years and Obama had launched his campaign at his house. Could Obama had been the only person in Chicago who didn’t know about his tainted past? Read the rest of this entry »

In the famous play and movie by Robert Bolt, “A Man for All Seasons”, we are told the inspiring story of Sir Thomas More. (He is ‘Saint Thomas More’ for Catholics. “He was the person of the greatest virtue these islands ever produced,” was the appraisal of the acclaimed Samuel Johnson. Fame also attends him as the humanist intellectual and friend of Erasmus who wrote Utopia.) More is a judge and a public servant who has a large family and a reputation for unusual honesty and self-application. He eventually becomes the number two official leader in the Kingdom, the Lord Chancellor. The tension of the piece lies in his refusal to publicly approve of King Henry VIII’s divorce and marriage to Anne Boleyn and the King’s break with the Catholic Church. This leads to More’s martyrdom. His devotion to conscience and ethics through all of this has provoked admiration from observers of every stripe, and rightly so.

In one key scene near the beginning, More, the judge, receives the gift of a cup as he is exiting the court to go home. He carries it absent-mindedly, a fact which comes to the attention of the office-monger Richard Rich. On the boat ride home, it is brought to More’s attention that the giver of the cup had a case in his court, opening the possibility it might be a bribe. Within a split second of hearing this news, Sir Thomas unhesitatingly dumps the expensive cup into the river. Read the rest of this entry »

Rocky Marciano was quite a person. My friend, Coach Mac, used to be a pro fighter in Boston back then and knew Brockton and knew Rocky. As a young man, Rocky learned one hard lesson once. He jumped into an amateur boxing match one time, for the first time, and was winning easily, but he soon ran out of gas and lost on points. He swore to himself that he would never forget that lesson and he never did. (By acclamation, he is now regarded as one of the hardest trainers ever, someone who got stronger as a fight went on.)

He was routinely underestimated on his way to the championship. He was undersized with a very short reach. He seemed very awkward indeed and not very impressive. He came from a working class Italian family and refused to get involved with Mafia or dishonest boxing insiders. His generosity, family sense and integrity were sneered at by many. But he came up the hard way – the honest way. And nothing was going to stop him.

What they all didn’t realize is he was driven by the unconquerable power of virtue, faith and determination. And his seeming awkwardness was actually ingenious adaptation and humble learning as he went on. The fully developed Rocky used a great gambit. He tried to bait his opponents by their pride or lack of emotional control and when they came closer in a later round and let their guard down, he unleashed his awesome punches (which, at one point, was measured to be as strong as a jack hammer!). Read the rest of this entry »