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U.S. Roman Catholic Church’s sexual abuse policy
From October 18, 2002: U.S. Roman Catholic Church’s new sexual abuse policy was doomed from the start. The Bishops of the United States are either expert in Church law or have them on their staffs. From the start, they have been well aware that this policy went directly against existing Church law.Nothing in the twenty-four years of this Pope’s reign would suggest that a change in the law was remotely possible. This charade was produced as a “cover your ass” exercise only. The policy failed to address the criminal actions of various bishops and cardinals who continued to support and conceal child molesters for decades. Bishops should have resigned or been removed over this. It won’t happen. The policy does not contain one method of preventing any futher act of molestation. It completely … Read entire article »
Filed under: Catholic Church, Religion, Sex, Society
Remember the Alamo
Commandancy of the Alamo Bexar, Fby. 24th, 1836 To the People of Texas & all Americans in the world Fellow Citizens & Compatriots I am besieged by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna. I have sustained a continual bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man. The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise the garrison are to be put to the sword if the fort is taken. I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, and our flag still waves proudly from the walls. I shall never surrender nor retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism, & of everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid with all dispatch. The enemy is receiving … Read entire article »
Filed under: American History, History
The President on Outsourcing
Remarks by the President to the Republican Governors Association On national security, Americans have the clearest possible choice. Our opponents say they approve of bold action in the world, but only if no other government disagrees. I’m all for united action, and so are the 34 coalition partners we have in Iraq right now. But America must never out-source America’s national security decisions to the leaders of other governments. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Politics, War on Terror
John Kerry: Lacking Character
Village Voice What was the body of evidence that prisoners were held back? A short list would include more than 1,600 firsthand sightings of live U.S. prisoners; nearly 14,000 secondhand reports; numerous intercepted Communist radio messages from within Vietnam and Laos about American prisoners being moved by their captors from one site to another; a series of satellite photos that continued into the 1990s showing clear prisoner rescue signals carved into the ground in Laos and Vietnam, all labeled inconclusive by the Pentagon; multiple reports about unacknowledged prisoners from North Vietnamese informants working for U.S. intelligence agencies, all ignored or declared unreliable; persistent complaints by senior U.S. intelligence officials (some of them made publicly) that live-prisoner evidence was being suppressed; and clear proof that the Pentagon and other keepers of the … Read entire article »
Filed under: American Politics, Congress, Military, Politics
American Hero: Colin Kelly
Over the last few days, sparked by a bluegrass song from the WW II era, I’ve been pondering the American heros that no one learns about anymore. I had never heard of Colin Kelly until I heard the song, and I suspect you haven’t either. Copyright ‘ Air Force Magazine On the morning of Dec. 10, 1941, six B-17Cs of the 14th Bomb Squadron, 19th Bomb Group, sat in the rain at a rough landing strip near San Marcelino on the Philippine island of Luzon. The crews had spent the night without food, sleeping in or under their planes. Of the war situation they knew little except that Japan had attacked Clark Field and other installations near Manila on Dec. 8–Pearl Harbor on the 7th–and some 400 Japanese aircraft had destroyed most … Read entire article »
Filed under: Heroes, Military, World War II
Gay Marriage
When the United States was formed, all sorts of arbitrary restrictions on an individual’s rights existed. Only men could vote. In many places, only men who owned property could vote. Slavery was legal. A man’s ability to vote or hold elected office was limited according to his age. And so on, and so on. Every single advance in removing arbitrary governmental restrictions on an individual’s rights was done via the legislative process. Slavery was abolished. Women could vote. Eighteen year olds could vote. Those citizens with an interest in a particular topic went to the polls and to their legislators and, gradually, things changed. That’s the way America is supposed to work. Same-sex marriage is a topic that many people feel should be removed from the arbitrary restrictions imposed by government. Yet, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Commentary, Gay Marriage, Original writing, Society
Proud Guardsmen were neither duped, embittered nor ashamed
Fresh perspective from the lovely wife’s neck of the woods. Grand Forks Herald By Patrick C. Miller GRAND FORKS – While we all share Lloyd Omdahl’s concern about North Dakota’s young men and women serving in Iraq in the National Guard, his characterization of them as being unwittingly duped into combat and exploited by the Pentagon is insulting and condescending. “Dead is forever,” Omdahl writes in his column. “There already are three vacant chairs in North Dakota and, in my mind, that’s three more than ‘enough already.’” One of those “empty chairs” is for Staff Sgt. Kenneth Hendrickson, 41, who was a close friend of mine for 14 years when I lived in Bismarck. Another one is for Sgt. Keith Smette, 25, of Makoti, N.D. Hendrickson and Smette were killed Jan. 24 near Fallujah, Iraq, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Military, War on Terror
George Bush and Employment
This graph grew out of the graph that follows. It came out so clearly that I decided to begin with it. It shows the percentage of the total population that was employed in each year from 1990 through 2003. It clearly demonstrates a decrease beginning in 2000, prior to Bush taking office. I would venture that it is related to the beginning of the Clinton recession and bubble burst. It also shows that this measure has regained 1995 levels, as part of the economic recovery. I was curious as to the relationship between population growth and job growth. Over the time period displayed, jobs outgrew population by a meager .2%. From 2000 through 2003, the Bush years, population grew much faster than jobs. This graph shows monthly employment from February 2001 through … Read entire article »
Filed under: American Economy, Unemployment
Coming Soon: Future Posts
- Declaration of War 1812 (in 135 days)
- USS President vs HMS Belvidera (in 140 days)
- General Hull Invades Canada (in 159 days)
- First Battle of Sacketts Harbor (in 166 days)
On Y!CN
- Radioactive Gravel from Japanese Nuke Disaster Used in Buildings
- Fuel Supplies Reach Nome
- Fuel Convoy Reaches Nome
- Russians Sail to Rescue of Ice Bound Alaska Community
- Pope Embraces Anglicans in U.S. with New Ordinariate
- Nebraska Nuke Plant Placed on Special Inspection Status
- Radioactive Water Leaks at Japanese Nuke Site
- Japan Damaged Nuke Plants Still Not Under Control
Social Links
Gay Marriage
February 25th, 2004 | Comments Off
It’s not Selma, folks. It’s more like requiring morbidly obese people to pay for two seats in an airliner. Unfair, perhaps, but no one ever promised life would be fair. Shove it down people’s throats and you’ll get the Constitutional Amendment. Take on the issue with a measure of calmness and civility and you may be surprised at how well you do. And no matter what the law says, hetero or homo, you WILL STILL HAVE RELATIONSHIP ISSUES THAT YOU WILL HAVE TO SOLVE FOR YOURSELF! Laws won’t make you happy, or make other people like you more or accept you more. Only you can do that. It’s an old saying that conservatives want the government to keep them from being bad. And liberals want the government to make them good. … Read entire article »
Filed under: Commentary, Gay Marriage, Original writing, Society