So much for choice

Remember when "choice" was the watchword of the day. Everyone deserves "choice". It represented freedom, progressiveness, democracy and indulgence (which, by the way, is no longer a bad thing in the current popular lexicon).

But choice has gone by the wayside. Because choice represents actual freedom and we can't have that. Fascism simply will not allow it.

Usher in the new thought/behavior police:

drug possession- yes
freedom from sex education in school and Diocesan Catholic catechism classes- no

NFP- yes
babies- no

abortion- yes
babies- no

stds - yes
babies - no

Do I see a theme running through these trends?

And to the current, day- what is hip, now, besides Nancy Pelosis, "catholic" mother of 5 and grandmother to 6 (I guess the exponential thing isn't happening there), authorizing and defending contraception in the budget stimulus bill; because babies are burdens and an economic drain on the country you know.

Nancy Pelosi and the green gurus have determined that only 2 babies shall be the limit. Bad news for the mother of octuplets.

Now this should strike you as very indulgent indeed. After all China allows only one child. How magnanimous we are. How prosperous.

I have a very simplistic view of life. And I cling to it. I believe the concept that babies are good and even a gift from God. In fact we named one of our sons, Nathaniel which means in Hebrew- "gift of God".

Clinging to your principles is all you have at the end of the day. And an appreciation for family life. A good glass of wine. A well cooked meal, no matter how simple. Happy faces around the dinner table. A good joke. Bills you can't pay. Good books you hope to read. Library books that are overdue. A beautiful view from your dilapidated farmhouse windows. A friend who understands. The hope of a tax return.

Some people say that resistance is futile.

Resistance is everything.

George Obama, brother of President Obama arrested for drug possesion

In Kenya.

It really is a shame because here in Massachusetts marijuana possession is completely legal.

How backwards our African brothers are with their antiquated legal system.

I'm thinking that George Obama will not be in the Obama family Christmas picture this year.

Catholic Reluctantly Redux

I feel famous.

The Culbreath's of CA and their interpretation of Don McClean's "Castles in the Air"

Eventhough I am on the East Coast and the Culbreath's are on the West it is so great to know such cool people. Jeff posted this on Facebook and I quickly stole it so that you can enjoy it here. To become a follower of the Culbreath Cult, you can read Jeff's work here at Stony Creek Digest.

Could it be?

The Excommunications Lifted?

SSPX

David Clayton, Iconographer, Artist and Engineer

I had the privilege of meeting the new head of Thomas More College's Art Department this past weekend, David Clayton. On David Clayton's myspace page he has an interview about his conversion to the Faith and how he has studied and now teaches iconography. He was trained in Oxford and Florence and also has a master's degree in Engineering. He was even offered a job at a nuclear power plant.

This YouTube interview is fascinating.



Really an amazingly talented guy. I found this interview and comicly David Clayton is compared to the Archbishop Lefebrve of the art world! I found this coloring book about Angels illustrated by David Clayton and to order go here.

The art school founded by David Clayton is called the Ressource school of art and it is described here:

Traditional skills taught with rigour and discipline: naturalistic drawing in the academic method as used by the Old Masters; traditional principles of compositional design and sacred geometry; Byzantine iconography. Site contains information on teachers, the programs, and traveling tours. (Oxford, England UK)

Catholic Reluctantly

No, not me- this book.

You really should order it here. You will not be sorry.

First let me say that this book review is so long overdue that I'm feeling a lot of pressure to make it my best book review ever which almost guarantees it will not be very good at all. So I appreciate your forbearance.

When I first found out about the book reviewer program with the Catholic Company I was excited about the chance to read new Catholic books and then write about them.

This is a great book. The characters in it are familiar because we all know people like them and for those of us who remember the difficult teenage years, we sympathize with the struggles of these young Catholics. The intention of these books is to acknowledge a Catholic culture that the past two generations of Americans are trying to re-capture. A culture where big families of modest means know how to have fun and who are always having so much fun they are the secret envy of every neighborhood.

There is action, mystery, drama and suspense in this book and I understand it is to be the first of many volumes. It was one of those books that you had to read through in a few days because you just wanted to know what happens next.

The main characters Brian Burke, George Peterson, Allie and Celia are likeable, real and heroes in the oldest literary sense of the word. They are characters trying to overcome what is bad and seize the good. I understand from the author that Brian is also a Traditional Catholic. So, what's better than that? Modern Traditional Catholicism!

Anyway, the book is aimed at a teenage audience but like other books in this genre I enjoyed reading them just as much as my daughters did. This book does not shy away from real issues. There are no pollyannas here.

The characters are so real that you want to reach out and text them. Or IM them. They are people you would like to have as friends. They are people we would like our teenagers to be and maybe people that we wish we had been.

Maine Bishop Threatens to Excommunicate Protester

The man is protesting- the abuse of children.

Fiend.

How did I miss this?

Maine is also know as the only diocese to have instituted the "Pay to Play" Traditional Latin Mass ponzi scheme.

If the Catholics in Maine want to attend a Traditional Latin Mass they owe the Bishop $52,000 for a once a week Mass. I figure that works out to be $1,000 a week.

Deal.

Got this from my friend the Cannonball.

Seventeen Random Things

I was tagged with this meme for Facebook and since I can't figure out how to post it there- voila!

1. The more people disparage Sarah Palin, the more I love her.

2. I only pretend to like the ceilings in my house, so that I can have some peace.

3. I have a lot of books that I SHOULD read.

4. I'm re-evaluating whether I really like antique houses and am thinking reproduction antique is the way to go.

5. I worry that we will lose power again.

6. I dread getting the mail.

7. I think New England is the most beautiful, wonderful place to live in the world.

8. When I'm nervous I do the alphabet in sign language. Compulsively.

9. I'm surprised that I do like the Miss Marple mysteries by Agatha Chrisie.

10. I'm constantly amazed at the odd trivia my kids know.

11. I love exotic cooking- Indian, Arabic, Vietnamese, Syrian, Greek.

12. I've missed more doctor/medical appointments in this past year than my whole life I think.

13. I hope that I am able to travel some day.

14. I wish I had the time to get back into quilting.

15. I'm surprised it's hard to think of 17 things.

16. I hope that at the end of the day that working hard, trying to do the right thing and doing my best will have been enough.

17. The really materialistic side of me would love a summer home in Chatham, Massachusetts near the National Seashore.

Rosa Mystica : Another Medical Mission to the Phillipines

This is a picture of my daughter Anastasia, it was her job to hold the patient's head while the patient was having teeth pulled.

She's going back this August!

For a link for more information- go here.