Friday, March 31, 2006
Police Take Away Homeless Woman's Newborn
Just discovered this story from CBS2 San Diego: SAN DIEGO — A homeless teenage woman’s nine-day-old baby was taken away from her after sheriff’s deputies spotted the child in her mother’s shopping cart.
A minister alerted deputies to the 9600 block of Campo Road about 8:50 p.m. Friday to see about the baby, who was traveling with her mother and 52-year-old grandmother, also homeless.
The family was carrying all it owned in two shopping carts, after the 19-year-old woman and baby was evicted from a cheap area motel.
Deputy took the baby to the Polinsky children’s center.
Deputies tried for hours to find shelter for the women but were unsuccessful.
The woman, who cried for the baby’s loss, eventually just continued on their way. I found the story on an abortion-advocates' blog, where it was upheld as an example of how pro-lifers supposedly put babies above women. The blogger implied that the presumed pro-life deputy's action was self-defeating; it was no use taking the baby when the teen, with no education on contraception or abortion, would simply have more babies.
Knowing the work that pregnancy resource centers and other pro-life organizations do to help poor and homeless moms, I think that assertion is just plain silly.
To me, the deputies' actions reflect a culture-of-death mentality, where poor people are viewed as "human weed crop[ping] up that spread so fast in this sinister struggle for existence, that the overworked [social-services] committee becomes exhausted, inefficient, and can think of no way out."
The baby, in the deputies' eyes, was worth saving because it smelled nice, wasn't addicted to drugs or alcohol, and was salvageable — the air of poverty had not yet stuck to it. It had not yet acquired the ignorance and willful indolence that Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger believed was characteristic of the teeming unwashed masses.
Whatever the deputies' motivation, taking the baby without providing shelter for the mother and grandmother is an utterly despicable act. I think that's something on which we can all agree.
11:08 PM
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Women's Conscience Shocks Researchers
Despite being told over and over that true freedom is freedom from scruples, women persist in believing that their morality has some connection with how they keep their vessel. From the Daily Mail: They are apparently more sexually liberated than ever before - but most women still believe one-night stands are immoral, research shows....
The study of women's attitudes towards sex revealed that women of all ages believe that sex outside marriage or a committed relationship is wrong....
Dr. [Sharon] Hinchliff, who found the women's attitudes "shocking," said: "It doesn't fit in with the image we have got of today's independent women who can go out and have sexual freedom without the ties of a relationship.
"It seems much easier for men. The attitude is that it is a bit of bravado for men to sleep around, have many sexual partners and casual sex.
"Women are meant to have had sexual freedom from the Sixties. Now it seems we must question the degree of sexual freedom we have got."
1:09 PM
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What's in a Name
A must-read article in Der Spiegel sheds light on the hidden lives of Afghanistan's Christians.
One passage about a 36-year-old convert jumped out at me: Kabar is forced to renounce his core identity every day. There is an Islamic name on his business card, although privately he carries the name of one of the apostles. It reminds me of Revelation 2:17:He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. It's good to know that, at times when we are unable to worship freely, it doesn't matter so much whether the world knows our true name — as long as God does.
Found the Spiegel article through Allahpundit on Michelle Malkin's blog.
3:13 AM
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Thursday, March 30, 2006
They Wanna Be Chador-ed
Ace of Spades discovers a fundamentalist Muslim marriage-match site.
As Alarming News puts it, hilarity ensues.
(Note: Ace of Spades' site includes foul language and may include smutty images as well, though not on the above-linked entry.)
1:15 AM
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Wednesday, March 29, 2006
The Sacred vs. the Profane — ca. 170 B.C.
I've been reading the Apocrypha Deuterocanonicals and would like to share some passages from 2 Maccabees today and tomorrow.
Today's reading is from Chapter 6. It seems particularly timely in the wake of stories like yesterday's news that the governor of Illinois is aggressively preventing pharmacists from exercising their freedom of conscience. Now begins the reading:
...the king sent an Athenian senator to compel the Jews to forsake the laws of their fathers and cease to live by the laws of God, and also to pollute the temple in Jerusalem and call it the temple of Olympian Zeus, and to call the one in Gerizim the temple of Zeus the Friend of Strangers, as did the people who dwelt in that place.
Harsh and utterly grievous was the onslaught of evil.
For the temple was filled with debauchery and reveling by the Gentiles, who dallied with harlots and had intercourse with women within the sacred precincts, and besides brought in things for sacrifice that were unfit. The altar was covered with abominable offerings which were forbidden by the laws. A man could neither keep the sabbath, nor observe the feasts of his fathers, nor so much as confess himself to be a Jew.
On the monthly celebration of the king's birthday, the Jews were taken, under bitter constraint, to partake of the sacrifices; and when the feast of Dionysus came, they were compelled to walk in the procession in honor of Dionysus, wearing wreaths of ivy.
At the suggestion of Ptolemy a decree was issued to the neighboring Greek cities, that they should adopt the same policy toward the Jews and make them partake of the sacrifices, and should slay those who did not choose to change over to Greek customs. One could see, therefore, the misery that had come upon them.
For example, two women were brought in for having circumcised their children. These women they publicly paraded about the city, with their babies hung at their breasts, then hurled them down headlong from the wall. Others who had assembled in the caves near by, to observe the seventh day secretly, were betrayed to Philip and were all burned together, because their piety kept them from defending themselves, in view of their regard for that most holy day.
Now I urge those who read this book not to be depressed by such calamities, but to recognize that these punishments were designed not to destroy but to discipline our people. In fact, not to let the impious alone for long, but to punish them immediately, is a sign of great kindness. For in the case of the other nations the Lord waits patiently to punish them until they have reached the full measure of their sins; but he does not deal in this way with us, in order that he may not take vengeance on us afterward when our sins have reached their height.
Therefore he never withdraws his mercy from us. Though he disciplines us with calamities, he does not forsake his own people.
RELATED: Rabbi Daniel Lapin ponders the secular's intrusion upon the sacred in contemporary culture.
The Catholic Encyclopedia has more on the Maccabees.
1:31 AM
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Tuesday, March 28, 2006
Convert Case Sparks Many Afghans to Explore Christianity
CNS News has an article that suggests the Abdul Rahman case is drawing many Afghans to inquire about the Christian faith. Hat tip: The Banty Rooster.
12:18 PM
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All in the Game
Today's Big Town, Big Heart, the Daily News feature I edit, profiles Steve Huston, who is one of my favorite kinds of everyday heroes — a late bloomer.
[UPDATE: The above story's now in the archive — click the archive link at the left on the Big Town page.]
3:06 AM
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Quote of the Day
"Often, the sisters who get Alzheimer's seem to be lost in another world and then they'll suddenly start saying the Our Father or singing hymns, or just talk about God. It seems that the last thing to go is praying."
— Sister Dorothy Lynch, quoted in an excellent article in the Telegraph about a group of nuns who are allowing an Alzheimer's researcher to study them
2:46 AM
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Monday, March 27, 2006
The Sincerest Form of Flattery Will Get Him Nowhere
The Raving Atheist claims that it's unlikely that an atheist would ever plagiarize a Christian.
Some of his arguments sound familiar.
12:49 AM
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Outspokenly Pro-Life Christian Conservative Denied Tenure — at Baptist University
Francis Beckwith is such an accomplished professor and author that it seems rude to downsize him to a "pro-life christian conservative" — it's like calling Bob Dylan a "scruffy Sixties protest folkie." But apparently the powers that be at Baylor University see him in terms of his principles and opinions — and they don't want his kind. Rod Dreher reports: Sources at Baylor tell me that the well-known Evangelical scholar Francis Beckwith was denied tenure today by Baylor University. This is major news. Dr. Beckwith, a distinguished philosopher, has what academic insiders tell me is a stellar publication record. He is nationally renown. He is also -- and I suspect this is what did him in at Baylor -- openly conservative. The fact that a Baptist university cannot bring itself to award tenure to a scholar of Dr. Beckwith's stature is scandalous -- and will cause shock waves beyond Waco. Watch. One of Beckwith's students, Hunter Baker, writes in Southern Appeal:By the way, denial was apparently on grounds of collegiality, which if you know Dr. Beckwith is a joke. He’s one of the most winsome and pleasant controversialists you’d ever hope to meet. Members of the political left love to talk about the use of “code words” by closet racists and oppressors. “Collegiality” is the ultimate code word of those with a particular agenda in the academy. It means a colleague is too pro-life, too Christian, too conservative, etc. You wonder why there are so few conservatives in the academy. Here it is. They are systematically weeded out. Another student, M. Tapie, writes of Beckwith:He introduced me to the Christian intellectual tradition and taught me that faith is an indispensable guide to inquiry, not an embarrassing crutch. Please pray for Beckwith and his wife. I don't know him personally, but he is a fellow contributor to Touchstone, for which he wrote an excellent critique of pro-life rhetoric.
12:39 AM
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Sunday, March 26, 2006
Abdul Rahman, the Afghan who faced the death penalty for his conversion to Christianity from Islam, is reportedly being freed, but his life and freedom are not yet safe, as Michelle Malkin reports. Check Michelle's blog for updates.
5:04 PM
A Dawn Patrol Guest Poem:
'Remembrance of Easter 2005'
Crowd my eyes, you bevies of daffodils,
And you forsythias in throngs of cheer,
Dandelion galaxies and fountains of trees.
Fill my mouth with the breath of hyacinths, you purple air
And you roistering breeze.
And you quince-buds so eager, you swelling seeds,
You squirrels running stitches across the loom
Of woven grasses, inflorescent weeds;
Jasmine-bush, loop me with your lariats of perfume.
Fill me, small birds, with your versicles,
And chuckled replies.
She is bleeding from the mouth and eyes.
Sate me then, Sun, all dapple and spangle
Crowd out all else
Lade me and load me, you skies
With blessings of warmth and breath
Let me see nothing else
But everything springing and skyey.
From the mouth and eyes.
. . . . . . . . .
for Terri Schindler Schiavo
by Juli Loesch Wiley
Thanks to Juli for granting permission for noncommercial use of her poem.
1:18 PM
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Saturday, March 25, 2006
An Open Letter to Michael Schiavo
Via ProLifeBlogs:
Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, and an eyewitness to Terri Schiavo's final hours, released the following open letter to Michael Schiavo tonight. Fr. Pavone will read it to a worldwide audience on an internationally broadcast religious service tomorrow morning. Dear Michael,
A year ago this week, I stood by the bedside of the woman you married and promised to love in good times and bad, in sickness and health. She was enduring a very bad time, because she hadn’t been given food or drink in nearly two weeks. And you were the one insisting that she continue to be deprived of food and water, right up to her death. I watched her face for hours on end, right up to moments before her last breath. Her death was not peaceful, nor was it beautiful. If you saw her too, and noticed what her eyes were doing, you know that to describe her last agony as peaceful is a lie.
This week, tens of millions of Americans will remember those agonizing days last year, and will scratch their heads trying to figure out why you didn't simply let Terri's mom, dad, and siblings take care of her, as they were willing to do. They offered you, again and again, the option to simply let them care for Terri, without asking anything of you. But you refused and continued to insist that Terri's feeding be stopped. She had no terminal illness. She was simply a disabled woman who needed extra care that you weren’t willing to give.
I speak to you today on behalf of the tens of millions of Americans who still wonder why. I speak to you today to express their anger, their dismay, their outraged astonishment at your behavior in the midst of this tragedy. Most people will wonder about these questions in silence, but as one of only a few people who were eyewitnesses to Terri's dehydration, I have to speak.
I have spoken to you before, not in person, but through mass media. Before Terri’s feeding tube was removed for the last time, I appealed to you with respect, asking you not to continue on the road you were pursuing, urging you to reconsider your decisions, in the light of the damage you were doing. I invited you to talk. But you did not respond.
Then, after Terri died, I called her death a killing, and I called you a murderer because you knew -- as we all did --n that ceasing to feed Terri would kill her. We watched, but you had the power to save her. Her life was in your hands, but you threw it away, with the willing cooperation of attorneys and judges who were as heartless as you were. Some have demanded that I apologize to you for calling you a murderer. Not only will I not apologize, I will repeat it again. Your decision to have Terri dehydrated to death was a decision to kill her. It doesn't matter if Judge Greer said it was legal. No judge, no court, no power on earth can legitimize what you did. It makes no difference if what you did was legal in the eyes of men; it was murder in the eyes of God and of millions of your fellow Americans and countless more around the world. You are the one who owes all of us an apology.
Your actions offend us. Not only have you killed Terri and deeply wounded her family, but you have disgraced our nation, betrayed the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and undermined the principles that hold us together as a civilized society. You have offended those who struggle on a daily basis to care for loved ones who are dying, and who sometimes have to make the very legitimate decision to discontinue futile treatment. You have offended them by trying to confuse Terri's circumstances with theirs. Terri's case was not one of judging treatment to be worthless -- which is sometimes the case; rather, it was about judging a life to be worthless, which is never the case.
You have made your mark on history, but sadly, it is an ugly stain. In the name of millions around the world, I call on you today to embrace a life of repentance, and to ask forgiveness from the Lord, who holds the lives of each of us in His hands.
-- Fr. Frank Pavone Priests for Life is the nation's largest Catholic pro-life organization dedicated to ending abortion and euthanasia. For more information, visit www.priestsforlife.org
RELATED:
11:11 PM
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Is Anybody Surprised...
...that a new survey finds that atheists are America's least trusted minority, ranking below Muslims and homosexuals?
Or that "[the] more educated, East and West Coast Americans [are] more accepting of atheists than their Midwestern counterparts"?
Here's more on the survey. The researchers are "diversity"-happy liberals who, in the wake of 9/11, expected Muslims to be America's least trusted minority. They were indeed surprised that Americans would create a "religious/nonreligious distinction" to "exclude" certain members from society.
I can believe that Americans "distrust" atheists. But exclude them? That's highly debatable.
9:44 PM
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Great news for everyone who's been praying for 2-year-old Evan Hanning, who was fighting an infection after having an aortic-valve transplant. He's doing much better. His grandmother reports that his fever has come down and he is more comfortable. It heartens her to see the effects of prayer and know that her grandson is being prayed for.
8:35 PM
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Hare-Razing Tale
Those of you who own television sets or listen to talk radio probably know this by now, but those of us who live in a tree and see foreign films have only just now learned that a St. Paul, Minn. official ordered that the City Council office take down its Easter decorations.
What I find interesting is that the official who gave the order says he objected not to the decorations' bunny imagery, but to the actual words "Happy Easter."
Sometimes it takes a bigot to point out the fiber of faith that remains beneath all the secular trappings.
Now it's up to the people who care about that faith to remind the world what and, most importantly, Who "Happy Easter" signifies. * * *Speaking of secularizing Christian concepts, I notice that the only hint of Christianity on the Marshmallow Peeps Web site, beyond the words "Easter" and "St. Patrick," is the title of one of the site's pages: "Peeps for All Seasons."
2:29 AM
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Friday, March 24, 2006
Treat Her Like Our Lady
The waggish Raving Atheist just sent me this link.
I think St. Maximilian would appreciate it.
1:31 PM
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'Hidden Gethsemanes'
The preacher of the Pontifical Household, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, gave a Lenten sermon last week that is mystical and profound. I don't understand all his theological points with regard to Jesus' agony (and the awkward translation probably doesn't help), but I like his overall message very much. He says that as we reflect upon ourselves this Lent, we should also be more sensitive to others' hidden pain: "The word 'Gethsemane' has become the symbol of all moral pain," he said; because it is there, without yet having suffered in the flesh, that Jesus' pain "is altogether interior" and he sweats blood "when it is his heart, not yet his flesh, which is crushed."
"The world is very sensitive to bodily pains, it is easily moved by them; it is much less so in the face of moral pains, which it sometimes ridicules, interpreting them as hypersensitivity, autosuggestions, whims," the Capuchin lamented.
But "God takes very seriously the pain of the heart, and so should we," he continued. "I think of those who see severed the strongest bond they had in life and are alone -- women more frequently; those who are betrayed in their affections, are anguished before something that threatens their lives, or that of a loved one .…"
"How many hidden Gethsemanes there are in the world, perhaps even under our own roofs, next door, or in the next working desk," added Father Cantalamessa. "It is our task to single out someone this Lent and to become close to the one who is there.
"May Jesus not have to say to us, his members: 'I looked for compassion, and found none; for consolers and there were none,' but, on the contrary, may he be able to make us feel in our hearts the word that recompenses all: 'You did it to me.'"
3:29 AM
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Save Abdul Rahman
CaNN has a good list of blogs commenting on the case of Abdul Rahman, the Afghan who faces a possible death penalty for converting from Islam to Christianity. Michelle Malkin is on the story as well.
2:49 AM
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Afghan Christian Faces New Threat — Forced Institutionalization
The news from Afghanistan is that Abdul Rahman, the man who is facing a possible death sentence for converting to Christianity from Islam, may be able to keep his life — but still may never regain his freedom.
The Afghan prosecutor is considering having Rahman declared insane.
The news stories are cautiously playing this as though it is an encouraging development. I beg to differ. While life is always better than death, I take no pleasure in the thought that the Afghans may take America's relief at Rahman's being "spared" as a sign that they may institutionalize Christians and other dissidents with impunity.
A few weeks ago, the Virginia Law Web site published an interview with New York Law School Professor Michael Perlin on this very subject: "Human Rights Abuses in Mental Institutions Common Worldwide, Perlin Says." Here are some highlights from that article which, although they were written before the Rahman case, are eerily relevant today: Michel Foucault first addressed the oppressive use of state-sponsored psychiatry, but the earliest noteworthy modern work was Sidney Bloch and Peter Reddaway’s 1985 “shattering” book, Psychiatric Terror: How Soviet Psychiatry Is Used to Suppress Discontent. In it, Bloch and Reddaway explain how the Soviet Union used an extremely broad definition of schizophrenia and other mental illnesses to label political dissenters as delusional.
“A patient’s conviction that the state must be changed was seen as an indicia of mental illness,” Perlin said.
Placing dissidents in psychiatric hospitals rather than prisons served three points: it avoided the already limited procedural safeguards of a criminal trial, stigmatized people to subordinate them, and confined dissenters indefinitely. By 1989 conditions had begun to improve in the Soviet Union, according to Perlin, but tools of coercive psychiatry still were used in what some call the “criminalization of dissent.” And this practice was not limited to Russia; the expression of political opinions was perceived as delusional throughout the Soviet block.
Furthermore, a study of China authored by Robin Monroe five years ago found “hyperdiagnosis” of dissidents and nonconformists as mentally ill.
“If you protest politically, you demonstrate by that an absence of instinct for self-preservation, or if you pursue a legal complaint against a corrupted or repressive official, that’s a sign of mental illness,” Perlin said. Perlin goes on to point out that suppressing dissidents by institutionalization violates international law:Since these studies were conducted, new laws have been passed by nations as well as by international governing organizations. The United Nations adopted the Principles for the Protection of Persons with Mental Illness and for the Improvement of Mental Health Care, called the MI principles, which provide basic international guidelines. The MI principles do not speak specifically to the issue of state psychiatry as used for political suppression, but the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights has been interpreted in that context. For example the Wintwerp case of 1979 found that a person cannot be detained by states because his views or behavior deviate from norms of society, Perlin said. In other words, if Afghanistan keeps Rahman locked up for his beliefs, it will be in clear violation of international law.
For updates on Rahman's case, visit Michelle Malkin and Persecution.org.
2:10 AM
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Leave It to Weaver
Today's installment of Big Town, Big Heart, the Daily News feature I edit (which should be up by the time you read this), features Phil Buehler, an "urban explorer" who discovered a lost Woody Guthrie archive in an abandoned building at Greystone Memorial hospital. The print edition of the article includes a copy of a letter written by Guthrie to Mr. and Mrs. Pete Seeger.
12:40 AM
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Wednesday, March 22, 2006
U.S. to Afghanistan: Christian Doesn't Deserve 'Severe' Penalty
UPDATE, 4:46 p.m.: President Bush has commented (too mildly, in my view) and this story is developing — Michelle Malkin has updates.
Here's what a third-string U.S. government official had to say yesterday — because my president couldn't be bothered to comment himself — to the Afghan government with regard to Abdul Rahman, who faces death if he does not renounce his Christian faith: Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns ... said the U.S. government was watching the case of Abdul Rahman closely, but added, "This case is not in the competence of the United States government. It's under the competence of the Afghan authorities."
Mr. Burns and State Department officials were clearly struggling to condemn the prosecution without causing a major break with a vital U.S. ally. Mr. Burns said the administration would demand "transparency" in the trial and noted that Afghanistan's constitution guarantees freedom of religion for all citizens.
"While we understand the complexity of the case and certainly respect the sovereignty of the Afghan authorities, from an American point of view, people should be free to choose their religion and should not suffer any severe penalties, certainly not death, for having made a personal choice as to what religion to follow," he said. Well, isn't that special. The U.S. believes there should be no "severe penalties" and "certainly not death" for people who choose their religion. I'm relieved — aren't you?
It could be worse, I suppose; the U.S. could have been completely silent. As Michelle Malkin notes, Amnesty International, that champion of global human rights, has so far completely avoided the Rahman case.
In the meantime, Abdul Rahman, according to a fellow prisoner, is "standing by his words."
"He keeps looking up to the sky," says another cellmate, "to God."
If you're as ashamed of America's weak response to this terrible injustice as I am, call the White House and leave a message for President Bush: 202-456-1111. E-mail: comments@whitehouse.gov . Also contact your senators and your representative.
For more information on Abdul Rahman, including action tips, visit Michelle Malkin's blog and Persecution.org.
1:39 AM
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Romancing the Stone
Today's Big Town, Big Heart, the Daily News feature I edit, is by Forgotten NY's Kevin Walsh, who profiles cemetery preservationist Cate Ludlam.
[UPDATE: Story is now in the Big Town archive under "Romancing the Stone" — click the above link and click "archive" at left.]
12:08 AM
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Tuesday, March 21, 2006
The Beatles With Balls!
No kidding! You have to watch the whole thing — this is amazing. It's work-safe, too — unless your co-workers object to "Ed Sullivan"-type fare.
Thanks to Irwin Chusid for the tip.
12:24 PM
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Monday, March 20, 2006
Christian Faces Death for Converting from Islam — in Afghanistan
As I write this, I am on hold, on the comments line of the White House. The phone number is 202-456-1111.*
I am waiting so that I may urge President Bush to speak out against the persecution and possible execution of Abdul Rahman, who is currently on trial in Afghanistan for converting from Islam to Christianity. The penalty is death.
You remember Afghanistan — the country where hundreds of U.S. soldiers gave their lives for freedom and democracy. So far, the president has been silent about this outrageous injustice.
Rahman is a father who was turned in by members of his family. Descriptions of his life in prison recall the Nazis' persecution of Maximilian Kolbe. From the Times of London: One of his cell mates Sayad Miakhel, 30, told The Times: "He is standing by his words he will not become a Muslim again, he has been a Christian for over 14 years. It is what he believes in."
"His father complained to authorities after he said he wanted to take his daughters abroad. He is an intelligent man and his faith belongs to him."
Mr Miakhel said the conditions in prison were basic with 50 men to a cell made for 15. "We can only shower once a month. The food here is very basic, every few days we will have some meat."
"Most prisoners have food bought to them by there families, none of Abdul’s family have been to visit, I am not sure how he is eating. He seems depressed, he keeps looking up to the sky, to God," said Mr Miakhel. Here is a letter which I believe is authentic, as it was sent to me by a relative (who happens to be Jewish) who is active in the movement against persecution of Christians:THE BRITISH ORTHODOX CHURCH
within the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria
CHURCH SECRETARIAT
10 Heathwood Gardens, Charlton, London, SE7 8EP
Telephone: 020-8854 3090 Facsimile: 020-8244 7888
From: His Eminence Abba Seraphim, Metropolitan of Glastonbury
20 March, 2006
H.E. Mr. Ahmad Wali Masoud,
Ambassador of Afghanistan,
Embassy of Afghanistan,
31 Princes Gate,
London, SW7 1QQ.
Your Excellency,
I am writing to you about the case of Abdul Rahman, who is currently on trial for converting from Islam to Christianity.
As the bishop of a Christian community whose Mother Church is based in Egypt, we have long sought to foster constructive relations between Christians and Muslim and for generations our communities have lived peacefully side by side. Although the faith is passed on through families and children are brought up in the religion and tradition of their elders, we believe that each person must ultimately respond to the call of conscience and possesses a god-given will to accept or reject what they have received from their families.
Whilst I understand that the constitution of Afghanistan is based on Sharia law, which does not permit conversions from Islam, I would ask Your Excellency to transmit to the appropriate authorities in Afghanistan, my heartfelt plea, on behalf of the clergy and people of the British Orthodox Church, for mercy for Abdul Rahman that his life should be spared and that his punishment be commuted to exile to a country where his conversion to Christianity may not suffer any penalty.
As Your Excellency knows, the future prosperity of the Afghan nation and people is something in which many British people already have a deep commitment, whilst the promotion of good relations and positive understanding between Christians and Muslims is also something many of us earnestly desire. A merciful verdict in the case of Abdul Rahman would be a significant and lasting contribution to the furtherance of these aims.
Yours faithfully,
Abba Seraphim
CC. HRH The Prince of Wales
The Right Hon. The Foreign Secretary
The Right Hon. Tony Blair, MP
The Right Hon. Nick Raynsford, MP * * **A White House operator answered after a few minutes. I had to spell "Abdul Rahman" and explain that Christianity is the only charge against him, so apparently they're not getting many calls on the matter.
12:30 AM
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Prayer Request — and Praise for Answered Prayer
Please pray for my mother, Rachel Rose, as she is going in for surgery today. As she puts it, it is minor surgery, but it could be "troublesome." So, please pray for her comfort and healing, and also pray for the doctors and nurses who work with her. I really appreciate it, and I know my mother and stepfather do too — thanks.
UPDATE, 3:50 p.m: The operation went well, and Mom is very thankful for all your prayers — she really felt their effect. She is recovering at home now.
Also, praise be to God for good news about Evan Hanning, the little boy for whom I requested prayer last week. His grandmother writes: Thank you for your prayers and good wishes. The surgeon WAS able to repair Evan's valve today, which means the transplant can be postponed for some years yet.
It's a happy day and we wanted you to share in our joy!
12:29 AM
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Head of the Brass
Today's Big Town, Big Heart, the Daily News feature I edit (which should be up by the time you read this), features Tom Goodkind, former member of the Washington Squares, who now leads a community band in Battery Park City. I remember Tom from his Squares days, when he pioneered the beret-and-goatee look that became a trademark of Smithereens singer Pat DiNizio (who, if I remember correctly, followed Goodkind as sound man at Folk City).
12:23 AM
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But Where's 'Disco Inferno'?
Did you know that Dian Harrison and her minions at Planned Parenthood Golden Gate — the same folks who brought you "A Superhero for Choice" — are now offering one lucky customer a free iPod? I'm not kidding — the offer is featured right there on their home page.
I asked The Curt Jester what such an iPod would look like and what songs it would have preloaded. He provided a masterful response.
12:17 AM
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Saturday, March 18, 2006
Need Advice on When to Lose Your Virginity? Ask a Teenager!
Teenwire, Planned Parenthood's sex-ed Web site aimed at kids 13 and up, recently introduced its Teen Advisory Group, a gang of New York City schoolkids that contributes advice on sex-ed topics which Teenwire's readers are expected to take as gospel. Following is the latest TAG feature from Teenwire, "How Do I Know if I'm Ready?", presented in its entirety (save for a few links which I've omitted). In addition to your comments, I would like to know your best guess at what TAG's initials really stand for. The winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift certificate. Deadline is midnight Sunday — I'll be taking a break from blogging 'til then. The decision of the judge is final. Good luck!
UPDATE, 3/20/06: We have a winner! But first, my favorites of the runners-up:
They Are Goingtoneedalotoftherapy — Kevin Walsh
Thrilling Al Goldstein
Titillating Allen Ginsberg
Traumatizing Amy Grant — all Raving Atheist
Kevin's made me laugh the hardest, and I loved the RA's too, but I'm reluctant to award the prize to either of them because I know them well and don't want to play favorites. (I know, I should have said that pals are not eligible.) But they won't be empty-handed — I'm about to clean out a sizable portion of my bookshelves, so they'll have the opportunity to pick from the best of the former Eden archives.
Among the best of the rest:
Trollops Are Golden — Joel of On the Other Foot (made me laugh out loud)
Thanks, Alan Guttmacher! — Chris Chan (ditto)
The winner takes the prize not for humor value, but for telling it like it is:
Tomorrow's America=Gone — anon
Anon (and I have no idea who he or she is, beyond the e-mail address given) will be receiving a $25 Amazon gift certificate anon — I mean, shortly. Thanks very much to everyone who entered!
With no further ado, the Teenwire piece: Having sex — or any kind of sex play — is a big decision. The TAG team hit the streets to find out how different teens answered the big question: How do I know if I'm ready?
"Someone knows they are ready for sex when both people feel ready and confident."
— Justin, 16
"Not all guys just go looking for sex. The first time you're with someone is special, whether or not you're a virgin and whether you're a guy or a girl. You shouldn't feel forced or force someone. Having sex should be mutual. It's not always like in the movies, but sometimes people forget that."
— Victor, 16
"The number-one thing is to feel confident in yourself mentally and physically. Being scared can mean that you aren't ready."
— Caroline, 18
"One of the main ways to know you're ready is understanding that you have to get yourself and your partner tested for STIs and be prepared to use a condom."
— Dan, 19
"Everything just falls into place and your heart feels right and you are doing it because you want to and not because you feel pressured."
— Anna, 17
"You have to trust the other person and want to share this experience with them."
— Milena, 17
"When you are comfortable with each other naked. When you know you won't regret having sex because you are confident in your decision."
— Lucy, 17
"I think it's the right time when you are ready for whatever consequences come about and do things before you have sex to avoid bad consequences."
— Maria, 17
"You shouldn't have sex just because you are in love. You should take time before you have sex with someone, even if you love them. It can take time for people to be ready for sex, even if they are in a good relationship."
— Jonas, 17
"You're ready when it is not too scary and you feel good both before and after."
— Lisa, 17
"When you are ready to take responsibility for anything that could happen after you have sex."
— Ashli, 16
"You're ready if you are in love and trust the person and have talked to them about having sex and whether it will be good or bad for the relationship."
— Myles, 16 * * *For more on Teenwire, read my article from Touchstone, "The Young and the Hot-Wired."
1:32 AM
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Friday, March 17, 2006
Shake Some Action on St. Patrick's Day
My friend and Dawn Patrol jingle writer (click the logo above) Michael Lynch today sent his pals the following timely recipe, along with a great link: Hello, me friends.
Well, it's Saint Patrick's Day, 2006, so O'Happy Day to all o'you....
Did you know that this year marks the 35th anniversary of the McDonald's Shamrock Shake? But...unfortunately, over the years, fewer and fewer Mickey D's have been offering it, and some of us really miss shakes of Shamrock sweetness.
So fear not...The thoroughly Irish me is now gonna teach you how to make your own, by way of my tried (twice) and true copycat recipe.
WHAT YOU NEED FOR THIS RECIPE:
Vanilla Ice Cream
Mint Extract (don't be lame and use Peppermint)
2% Low Fat milk
Green food coloring
A blender (or at least the muscles to stir really fast to approximate a blender)
Measuring spoons and cups
Electricity
A glass
A mouth
Straws
Faith in me
Some free time (This should not be a problem to anyone on MySpace, especially if you're reading this)
A copy of 'Them Again' to listen to while preparing.
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Okay, put your Hollie Hobbie apron on, and let's get started:
* Take two cups of Vanilla ice cream and deposit them in the blender. (it's a good idea to have the ice cream carton out of the freezer for a few minutes before starting. Your blender will thank you later.)
* Then, add 1 & 1/4 cups of that 2% milk.
* Add about a quarter teaspoon of the mint extract.
* Put in a few drops of the food coloring.
And so far....in your blender you now have a big white lump of stuff that looks like someone spilled green ink on it...but here comes my fave part.
* Set the blender to high, flip the switch and watch it immediately and magically turn into a beautiful light green batch of something. (This is when your blender thanks you by not stiffening up.)
Let it blend for a minute or so, until you've achieved milkshake texture. Now pour into your glass, stick a straw in, suck through the straw so that the shake comes through the straw and into your mouth, swallow it after it does, and enjoy.
And while you're gulping it down, enjoy this McDonald's Shamrock Shake commercial from 1971, the year the Shamrock Shake made its world debut:
http://www.x-entertainment.com/articles/0948/shamrockshakes.wmv
Happy Saint Patrick's Day.
-Michael
2:52 PM
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Now, Let Me Get This Straight . . .
. . . Politicians who, aiming to protect human embryos, try to block government funds for research that may lead to potential cures are wrong . . .
. . . But politicians like Senators Hillary Clinton and Patty Murray (you remember Murray — she's a great admirer of Osama bin Laden) who, aiming to destroy human embryos, move to block government approval of actual cures are right.
How else to explain their bid to blackmail the White House by refusing to confirm the new FDA chief until they're promised over-the-counter status for Plan B, the morning-after-pill? Meanwhile, new drugs and other treatments languish in limbo until the FDA has leadership.
FURTHER READING:The Population Research Institute explains why making Plan B available over the counter would be disastrous for teenage girls).
3:13 AM
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Thursday, March 16, 2006
Careering from Korea to Career*
Today's Big Town, Big Heart (which should be up by the time you read this) features Hunie Kwon, a Korean-American real-estate agent who, in his spare time, helps inner-city Asian teens adjust to life in the city.
*Fifty points to the first reader who can identify the inspiration for that line.
3:55 AM
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Jersey Girl
All right, so it's not the original sweatshirt, just a trendy bootleg. I don't care. It's still a piece of New York history, and I am so happy to have received it yesterday after ordering it online. It brings a warm smile to these winter-chapped lips.
My favorite modern-day WMCA Good Guy is Kevin McCullough. To hear the originals, go to ReelRadio.
3:34 AM
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Wednesday, March 15, 2006
Baby Love
Today's Big Town, Big Heart,* the Daily News feature I edit (which should be up by the time you read this) features Eleanor Ruder, founder of the pregnancy-resource center The Bridge to Life.
*Update: It's now in the archives — click the "archives" link at the left of the Big Town page, and then click "Baby Love."
2:27 AM
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'Meet the Interloper'
[UPDATE, 3/17/06: Melissa responds to comments made on this and and other blogs.]
Remember Siobhan O'Connor, the unbiased Marie Claire reporter who wanted to interview young women "who have been deceived by" crisis pregnancy centers?
Turns out she found a willing participant in "iamnotanoctopus," whose real name appears to be Melissa*. (UPDATE: I've removed the direct links to Melissa's entries, as she's removed them and replaced them with photos of a vagina and a statue with a penis dentata. By now, there may be such a photo on her "iamnotanoctopus" profile page as well.) The interview subject claims on her blog to be a 21-year-old from Iowa. A photo on the blog that Melissa says is of herself shows a fresh-faced, smiling young woman.
Melissa's CPC "deception" didn't keep her from having at least two abortions, according to her blog — the most recent one last month.
The people at Planned Parenthood now look out for her and make sure she takes the morning-after pill on the taxpayers' dime, whether she wants to or not. She wrote yesterday: I had my BC appointment and my interview today. Both went fine--at Planned Parenthood, they made me take EC because I had sex last night, even though it was protected. Which I would have been annoyed about, but since the state is paying for it and I just donate whatever to PP, I didn't bitch. I was a little surprised that my doctor told me even with a condom, there's still a 15-20% chance that I'd get pregnant. Um, no? There's a sign right on that wall that says there's a 3% chance I'll get pregnant, lady--what you mean is that you have no idea whether or not I know how to use a condom properly. Which, I suppose, is fair. When the Marie Claire piece comes out, it will no doubt portray Melissa as a young woman who simply wanted to make a choice — a choice which pro-lifers attempted to thwart. The CPC presumably tried to convince her to change her choice by demonstrating that the thing inside her was a baby and not a blob of tissue.
Reading her account of her latest abortion, I can see why that approach wouldn't have worked.
It's graphic and includes photos of the aborted fetus. She calls it "Fun With Science," and also links to it under the headings "Meet the Interloper" and "Fetus-Smiting Day." The photos look authentic; for comparison, scroll down this pregnancy.org page to see what a seven-week fetus looks like in the womb.
Melissa writes in the entry:I'm breaking up this post into two cuts--one for what happened at my appointment and afterward yesterday, and one for a very special round of "Meet The Interloper." Yes indeed, there was an intact embryo to be seen. Yes, I took pictures. No, it is not so I can moon over them and make colorbars with flowery script reading "My Precious Dead Angel Baby, Gabriel Damien Pretty-Boy Eckard." I'm probably just morbid--when I saw it, I was squealing like a school girl, going, "Holy crap, that's so cool!" I will leave plenty of space so you can read without having to look, if you don't want to see it. Also, if you're squeamish, the story is a wee bit graphic. She describes her RU-486/misoprostol pill regimen and the painful cramps that followed. Then she went on the toilet:When I turned around, there wasn't a lot of blood in the toilet--just one roughly lemon-sized clot, and next to it, something that was most definitely not clot-colored. I leaned over and squinted at it, and holy sh-t, there was a freaking embryo in my toilet! They had told me that I probably wouldn't be able to see anything--that anything recognizable probably wouldn't show up unless I was more than eight weeks along, and I was only seven. But this thing, even seeing it in the toilet, was undeniably the embryo. I would say it was just a little bit longer than the diameter of a quarter.
So I found a brush, scooted the embryo up and out of the water, and put it on a square of toilet paper so I could look at it (and threw the brush away). I didn't know what to think about it at first, but the more and closer I looked at it, the more I thought it had to be the single neatest thing I had ever seen. I didn't want to touch it because it looked so gelatinous, like I might accidentally pop it. But I was looking at it and seeing the teeny face (it was at the point where it has the huge flat nose and looks kind of like a puppy) and the little webbed flipper feet and the huge black eyes, going "HOLY CRAP THIS THING IS FREAKING AWESOME." I called Austin up to see it, and he wasn't quite as giddy about it but he still wanted to see it. Apparently he didn't realize it would have fingers and toes and all of that so soon. No, somehow I don't think an ultrasound would have made any difference to this young woman.
* * *Note to commenters: Melissa will no doubt read your comments. Please be as courteous as you can towards her personally even if your feelings about her actions run strong. Thank you.* UPDATE: Melissa responds in the comments section.RELATED: Christina at Real Choice has more excerpts from Melissa's entry about her home abortion.
1:13 AM
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Tuesday, March 14, 2006
One Thing Leads to a Mother
The Raving Atheist may be playing devil's advocate — one never can quite tell with him — but he appears to be saying that Catholics hold many doctrines that make them non-Christian, including Mary worship.
I think that all his criticisms deserve to be taken seriously and not just written off as the complaints of an antireligionist. They're about the same issues that kept me from entering the Church for years. Someone who's looking for straightforward Bible-based answers to them would do well to pick up a copy of the Catechism, which I'm reading now. It is beautifully written and very profound.
My understanding of Mary's place in Christian life developed largely though reading St. Maximilian Kolbe's writings about her. An article on CatholicCulture.org encapsulates them well.
I'm uncomfortable doing apologetics for prayer that invokes Mary; the line between worshiping her and asking her for prayer seems meaningless when one tries to explain it to a non-Catholic. But I do love her and pray that I will grow in understanding of her.
I believe that God hears all prayers to Him, regardless of whether they are in Jesus' name. At the same time, I believe that if one believes Jesus is Lord, one is compelled to pray in His name, because it signifies a desire to unite one's will to His. Addressing prayer to Mary, in turn, makes me want to unite my will to hers, which is always united to Jesus'.
Certainly I could just pray to Jesus, but I gain a different — and, often, more needed — spiritual benefit from envisioning Mary and the particular qualities which she embodies, including her sacrificial love, her humility, and her wisdom. Again, Jesus has all those qualities as well, yet I feel better able to emulate Jesus through emulating Mary's perfect reflection of His grace.
1:53 AM
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Monday, March 13, 2006
Quote of the Day
[Link below has been corrected]
"Another reason I was convinced the neo-pagan communities had their stance on abortion wrong was because many of them believed in reincarnation. The ancient Celts believed in transmigration of souls, which taught that when you died, your soul would go to the other world. However, the Celts also believed that the souls of your ancestors were born down your family line. That meant that if you allowed abortion, you were condoning the murder of your great-grandmother or great-grandfather or any other member of your family that had died. My argument was that the gods choose to send back souls when they wanted them back, so to abort a baby meant you would not only be committing murder, but you would also be upsetting the plans of your gods."
— John Gibson on one of the contradictions he discovered among his fellow pagans, from his conversion story "Wiccan Work It Out."
1:10 PM
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