The Koran Challenge

I've played this TOO MANY TIMES on Catholic Caveman, so doggone it, I'm putting it here instead.



In my much younger and much, much stupider days, I dated a Muslim who admitted that he would beat his sisters for not drying the dishes correctly. Nice, eh?

His peer group was WELL-REPRESENTED by the Muslim behavior in this post from TH2.

American History 101: The Supreme Court

In 1857, the Supreme Court heard the case of Dred Scott v. John Sandford. Scott v. Sandford is also known as "The Dred Scott Decision". As a whole, the case can be summarized by the following.

The Supreme Court ruled the following:

1. People of African descent imported into the United States and held as slaves, or their descendants (regardless of their status of slave or free men), were not protected by the Constitution and could never be called citizens of the United States.

2. Additionally, it held that Congress had no authority to prohibit slavery in federal territories.

3. The Court also ruled that since slaves were not citizens, they could not sue in court (as was the case of Mr. Scott in question).

4. And lastly, the Court ruled that slaves--an entire class of human beings reduced to the status of private property--could not be taken away from their owners without due process.

So. Here we have a case in which the Law set forth by Man...degraded an entire race of people and all descendants of those people to the rank of a footstool or a pincushion or a dairy-cow.

But it gets better.

Dred Scott v. Sandford is considered today to be overruled by the thirteenth and fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution. But the Supreme Court has never formally overruled it.

And now we have Roe v. Wade. If we're going to play the game in which we can overturn Supreme Court rulings by an Amendment--well, I consider Roe v. Wade overturned by the 14th Amendment.

Amendment XIV: No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges...of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty or property.

Key phrase: nor shall any state deprive any person of life.

There. I've overturned Roe v. Wade, taking my method straight from the history books. You can thank me later... (/sarcasm)

But, of course, there's a basis in the founding document of our country as well. The Declaration states:

"We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness .... whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it."

And there you have it.

One of those days...

Did you ever have one of those days where nothing particularly catastrophic happens, but you're driven to distraction by dozens of stupid little things that ADD UP? Yep.....it's one of those days.

But tomorrow promises to be better.

Huh.

So. Osama bin Laden says that the U.S is to blame for global warming.

Why do I find this hilarious?

As seen in the doctor's office.......

Benedict's Pipes

Did you know that the Holy Father builds organ pipes? These are just a few samples.

Don't tell the non-Catholic organists! They may demand the inscriptions be removed.

4th Sunday in Ordinary Time - January 24, 2010

Processional: Now Thank We All Our God (BB 202)
Offertory: What Wondrous Love is This (BB 426)
Communion: Illumina
Recessional: To Jesus Christ Our Sovereign King (BB 743)

Sacred Music Colloquium 2009 documentary

SACRED, BEAUTIFUL, & UNIVERSAL: Colloquium XIX from Corpus Christi Watershed on Vimeo.

Joke

A golfer is in a competitive match with a friend, who is ahead by a couple of strokes. The golfer says to himself, "I'd give anything to sink this next putt."

Little Johnny walks up to him and says, "Would you give up a fourth of your sex life?"

The golfer thinks the young boy is being silly and that an answer would be meaningless. At the same time he thinks this might be a good omen, so he says, "Okay," and sinks the putt.

Two holes later he mumbles to himself, "Boy, if I could only get an eagle on this hole."

Little Johnny moves to his side and says, "Would it be worth another fourth of your sex life?"

The golfer shrugs and says, "Sure." He makes an eagle.

On the final hole, the golfer needs yet another eagle to win. Though he says nothing, Little Johnny moves to his side and says, "Would you be willing to give up the rest of your sex life to win this match?"

The golfer says, "Certainly!" He makes the eagle.

As the golfer walks to the clubhouse, Little Johnny walks alongside and says, "You know, I've really not been fair with you because you don't know who I am. I'm the devil, and from now on you will have no sex life!!"

"Nice to meet you," says the golfer. "My name is Father O'Malley."

3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time - January 24, 2010

Processional: Praise to the Lord (BB 201)
Offertory: O Breathe On Me, O Breath Of God (BB 664)
Communion: Comedite
Recessional: Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee (BB 564)

Celestine's Epic Hymn of Thanksgiving

All Glory, Laud and Honor to our Almighty God and King, for he hath given us soap and hot water. Praise God!

License Plates

Saw an curious license plate today on a big black Dodge Ram: EKS AMISH. Heh, I wonder if he's trying to rub it in the face of his buggy-riding neighbors.

A VW Beetle in town has plates that read "EW A BUG"

We're giving up our EWTN license plate (sniff sniff); the fees have gone up AGAIN.

The funniest plate I've seen (on a Mustang website) is "HLO OFCR".

New Google Gadget

I have fallen to the dark side, and installed the Followers Gadget. I figured if it's good enough for Father Z (and just about everyone else), it's good enough for me. What can I say, except I'm a closet Luddite?

Frozen Ohio River

We traveled to see my parents on Sunday (Hi, Mom and Dad!) and saw something we've never observed before: The Ohio River with a bunch o' ice. These were taken at the "Scenic Overlook" on Route 7, and in Marietta.

2nd Sunday in Ordinary time - January 17, 2010

Processional: God We Praise You (BB 198)
Offertory: Ubi Caritas (BB 424) (The Latin version, if you please.)
Communion: Dicit Dominus; Humbly, Lord, We Worship You (BB 208)
Recessional: Songs of Thankfulness and Praise (BB 108)

Yawn....January update.

For someone who hates snow, I'm really enjoying our current weather. (Snow, if you had to ask.) When the roads are bad, it's an excuse to stay home and "catch up", whatever that means. It also means I don't have to talk to anyone face-to-face. (Three of Seven has just put her face into mine and said, "Whadya mean?")

It means I'm perfectly content to be just with the family, or even alone; I don't get lonely, and I never have.

But classes have started this week, and "face the music" (pun intended) I must. The conducting professor was forced into having to speak to me, since I was one of only seven people in the class, and he couldn't bloody well ignore me. My suspicions that he did not view the final exam video tapes were, I think, confirmed, since he didn't cite a single example of what I did wrong OR right. Oh wait - yes he did: he said I needed to have more "confidence". I replied that I was extremely confident at the final, and I couldn't believe that I would be so confident and that he couldn't see it. I believe he looked away at that point.

Could this be an example of God's Will being shown to me? I had been considering doing a double Master's degree in Organ AND choral conducting. I see that it's not something to consider, at least not now, and not at this university. So instead of grumbling, I should be thanking God.

Thanks, God! And I truly mean that.

Miscellaneous This, That, and the Other:

1. For all you local people: My Junior Recital will be Sunday, April 11, 2010 at 2 p.m., and it'll be over slightly before 3 p.m. And on Divine Mercy Sunday, no less! How cool is that?

10. If you're feeling a little cocky about how doggoned smart you are, head over to TH2's place, and enjoy his latest post. I love his writing, even if I have to Google the lofty vocabulary. Anyway, as I looked out the door this morning, his post inspired me to consider writing about Snow Drift Chaos Theory. Or maybe I'll just post a picture of a snowdrift.

11. Do you save your Christmas Tree tinsel each year? I always have UNTIL NOW. I was picking that stuff off ONE STRAND AT A TIME (why? To keep it orderly, of course!) when I asked the question that haunts all philosophers, mathematicians, and dog groomers: WHY?

So I grabbed my non-biodegradable plastic bag and chucked it all. (Fun fact: Tinsel is made of PVC. So don't eat it.)

100. The March for Life is January 22 in D.C., and the two oldest and I will be joining the first-ever bus trip from Athens for the event.

101. With one notable exception that I won't go into, God has not seen fit to give me Consolations; he gives each person what they need, when they need it, and I believe that Consolations would be detrimental to me spiritually. Nevertheless, He knew I needed encouragement; I substituted at the Sunday Masses last week, and got several nice compliments after the first Mass. I appreciated it not because I need to have my ego stroked, but because I see it as an affirmation that I'm doing His Will. Especially the part about the Saturday music (including the choir) being "a religion saver". It can't get better than that.

110. I detest manipulative people, especially when they psychologically harm the people I love. The motivation for such behavior is BEYOND me. Don't try it on me, because I will see through you. You will NOT succeed.

111. I worry a lot about my salvation. But when I was being medically anesthetized over Winter break, I was fully aware that something could go wrong and I may not wake up. But I wasn't scared at all. I told Jesus that I loved Him, and I prayed that His will be done in all things. To be calm about it felt really good.

1000. Did you really get this far? You possess great fortitude! :-)

Feast of the Baptism of the Lord - January 10, 2010

Processional: When Jesus Comes to Be Baptized (BB 110)
Offertory: Of the Father's Love Begotten (BB 85)
Communion: Omnes Qui
Recessional: Joy to the World (BB 79)

Happy 118th Birthday, Ronnie!

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien
January 3 1892-September 2 1973

Your literary brilliance continues to grace the world in all forms. I really do wish you could be around today, if only to shake some sense into modern authors.

"Out of the darkness of my life, so much frustration, I put before you the one great thing to love on earth: the Blessed Sacrament... There you will find romance, glory, honour, fidelity, and the true way of all your loves on earth, and more than that: Death. By the divine paradox, that which ends life, and demands the surrender of all, and yet by the taste -or foretaste- of which alone can what you seek in your earthly relationships (love, faithfulness, joy) be maintained, or take on that complexion of reality, of eternal endurance, which every man's heart desires."