Monthly Archives: November 2014

The Pope Goes To Strasbourg

Pope Francis gave a speech at the EU parliament last week. There were the usual leftist themes that we have come to expect from this pope (“we encounter certain rather selfish lifestyles, marked by an opulence which is no longer … Continue reading

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Not Quite So Focused on the Constitution Now

Cross-posted on the Corner (under a different title). The US Conference of Catholic Bishops: WASHINGTON—Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, M.Sp.S., auxiliary bishop of Seattle and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Committee on Migration, welcomed the news today that … Continue reading

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Bishops for ‘Executive Action’

With the US waiting to hear what type of ‘executive action’ Obama will announce with respect to illegal immigrants tomorrow, this item from the National Catholic Reporter is worth noting: In a little noted letter, two bishops chairing committees of … Continue reading

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Pay-for-pray: Maryland churches promise green sermons for tax break

The Washington Post’s reporter, Arelis Hernández, doesn’t seem quite to realize just how outrageous this story is about churches angling for exemptions from a state-mandated stormwater fee in Prince George’s County, Maryland: Thomas and other pastors also have agreed to … Continue reading

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For Remembrance Sunday

When the Welsh poet Edward Thomas (1898-1917), who had signed up for the British Army in 1915, was asked what he would be fighting for, he stopped, picked up a pinch of earth and crumbled it between finger and thumb … Continue reading

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Brittany Maynard’s Choice

Brittany Maynard died tragically young, but with dignity and in as much control as an unkind fate had allowed her, taking advantage of the law in Oregon that allowed her to obtain a prescription for the barbiturates that would end … Continue reading

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Halloweaster

Halloween is even more splendidly syncretic than I thought: Yes, Halloween Peeps made an appearance at a supermarket near me. Adweek explains: More sweet. Less scary. That’s the promotional campaign, not the ingredient list. The perennial Easter favorite Peeps continue … Continue reading

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“Pre-Traumatic Stress Disorder”

Cross-posted on the Corner Just when you think that the misery that climate change is bringing in its wake can get no worse, there is this. Grist reports: …From depression to substance abuse to suicide and post-traumatic stress disorder, growing … Continue reading

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The Culture of ‘Offense’ (Halloween Edition)

National Catholic Reporter: BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS Every October, many look forward to Halloween — the trick-or-treating, the parties and especially the costumes. Every Halloween, however, many also mock religious figures with their costume choices. Costumes for badly behaved nuns, rabbis, Muslims, … Continue reading

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