Scrolling around...January 31, 2013

Patty Andrews of Andrews sisters dead at 94

Egypt to Receive F-16s
...The news that the Obama administration would uphold an aid package to Egypt that included the military hardware prompted concern on Capitol Hill from lawmakers who said the deal was not prudent given the political situation in Egypt, where Muslim Brotherhood-backed President Mohammed Morsi has clashed with democratic protestors...

The Fascinating French Coalition to Save Marriage
...But in France, as Robert Oscar Lopez shows in an eye-opening Public Discourse essay today, there is a real debate happening, and it crosses the usual ideological lines. There we see vocal members of the gay community, liberals all, linking arms with conservative defenders of marriage. Their common ground? That it is wrong to think that anyone has a right to children, and that we should instead be thinking of the right of children. What right is that? The right of each child to his or her own mother and father. That is what marriage is all about...

Mexico’s most eminent newspaper reports on psychological devastation of abortion
"Sadness, depression, fear of sterility, guilt,” drug abuse and suicide are just some of the effects suffered by women who have abortions in Mexico City, according to the country's most eminent newspaper, El Universal. The newspaper ran an article openly acknowledging the psychological trauma associated with abortion on January 21...

House of Commons Passes Bill Allowing Royals to Marry Catholics

Justice Department enjoys close relationship with anti-Christian hate group: documents
...The Obama administration's close relationship with SPLC would mirror many other associations with left-wing groups, often with extreme agendas...

Don’t Go to Grad School
...But the real disruption is on the way. As I noted to my colleague, so many universities are now providing courses free on the internet (In the past year, I’ve watched a course on game theory from Yale, a course on political theory from Oxford, and a number of assorted lectures from a variety of universities. All were excellent. All were free and available on my iPad). As soon as some enterprising organization decides to allow students to take whatever courses they want online, administer exams, and credential students, the prevailing model of higher education will find itself under a significant assault. Certainly, there will always be wealthy parents who want their children to attend a “name brand” university or elite liberal arts college largely as a means of signaling their social status to their peers (those university stickers really dress up that old Volvo). But I am dubious that these institutions will still see the merit of tenure, and even if they do, there will be far fewer positions available to the stunning number of PhDs who are on the market...

Non-Reporting the March for Life
...A free people require a free press. What sort of people settle for a stupid press?

Shouting Louder: Hillary’s Testimony: (“When your case is weak, shout louder!”)
...She shouted: “We had four dead Americans. Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night who decided they’d go kill some Americans? What difference, at this point, does it make?”

Students of propaganda may admire the skill with which she misdirected people’s attention. But those of us who are still old-fashioned enough to think that the truth matters cannot applaud her success...
What Difference Does It Make?

Crisis and Constitution: Hitler’s Rise to Power
...Hitler’s rise to power is a sobering story of how a crisis and calls for quick solutions can tempt citizens and leaders to subvert the rule of law and ignore a country’s constitutional safeguards. Adolf Hitler swore to protect Germany’s constitution, yet he pursued expanded “temporary” executive power that circumvented due process for the sake of the “safety” and “protection” of the people. Germany’s descent into totalitarianism is yet another example of how calls to concentrate decision-making in the executive branches, as we now see all over the world, too easily set the stage for political, social, and moral evil. On this dark anniversary, it would serve us well to remember that among the best protections citizens have against tyranny and oppression is insistence that all, including politicians, be held accountable to the same laws and that due process is always honored. These guarantees should be part of a system where decision-making is dispersed, not concentrated, because, as Lord Acton reminds us, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolutely power corrupts absolutely.”

Albert Mohler: Limping Between Two Opinions: The Moral Evacuation of the Boy Scouts of America
...This capitulation and the abandonment of the B.S.A.’s longstanding policy will, in the end, please no one. The new policy is a half-measure that amounts to a cowardly moral evasion. No group can remain divided on a question of such moral importance and urgency. Homosexual conduct and relationships will be condemned or celebrated. There is no middle ground. Back in 2004, the B.S.A. maintained that homosexual conduct is “inconsistent” with the “morally straight” requirement of the Scout Oath. Now, the B.S.A. will claim to have no position whatsoever on the issue. This fails the test of seriousness.

Those who believe that homosexual conduct is sin cannot endorse the new local option policy, and Scouting units that hold to this position will inevitably be marginalized. Those who celebrate and demand the normalization of homosexuality, on the other hand, cannot and will not be satisfied with a half-measure like a local option...

Baptist Leaders Predict 'Mass Exodus' From Scouts Over Gay Leader Decision
..."This is a catastrophic decision for the Boy Scouts of America. In order to placate their East and West Coast appendages, they are tearing out the heart of their Midwest and Southern support. This decision will lead to a mass exodus of traditional, orthodox Christianity from the Boy Scouts, including thousands of Catholic, Baptist and other traditional faith congregations," Dr. Richard Land, speaking in his role as head of SBC's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, told The Christian Post... So long, Catholic Boy Scouts?

Full Moon Silhouettes

Jan 30, 2013
Mark Gee

This is my "Full Moon Silhouettes" short, as seen originally on Vimeo. It is a real time video of the moon rising over the Mount Victoria Lookout in Wellington, New Zealand. People had gathered up there this night to get the best view possible of the moon rising. I captured the video from 2.1km away on the other side of the city. It's something that I've been wanting to photograph for a long time now, and a lot of planning and failed attempts had taken place. Finally, during moon rise on the 28th January 2013, everything fell into place and I got my footage.

The video is as it came off the memory card and there has been no manipulation whatsoever. Technically it was quite a challenge to get the final result. I shot it on a Canon ID MkIV in video mode with a Canon EF 500mm f/4L and a Canon 2x extender II, giving me the equivalent focal length of 1300mm.

AnglicanTV: Mere Anglicanism 2013 Videos

Eric Metaxes

More videos here

He will bless them that fear the Lord, both small and great...

He will bless them that fear the Lord, both small and great.
 (Psalm 115:13)

This is a word of cheer to those who are of humble station and mean estate. Our God has a very gracious consideration for those of small property, small talent, small influence, small weight. God careth for the small things in creation and even regards sparrows in their lighting upon the ground. Nothing is small to God, for He makes use of insignificant agents for the accomplishment of His purposes. Let the least among men seek of God a blessing upon his littleness, and he shall find his contracted sphere to be a happy one.

Among those who fear the Lord there are little and great. Some are babes, and others are giants. But these are all blessed. Little faith is blessed faith. Trembling hope is blessed hope. Every grace of the Holy Spirit, even though it be only in the bud, bears a blessing within it. Moreover, the Lord Jesus bought both the small and the great with the same precious blood, and He has engaged to preserve the lambs as well as the full-grown sheep. No mother overlooks her child because it is little; nay, the smaller it is, the more tenderly does she nurse it. If there be any preference with the Lord, He does not arrange them as "great and small" but as "small and great." ...CH Spurgeon image

AnglicanTV Interviews Archbishop Duncan

Jan 29, 2013

Archbishop Duncan and the College of Bishops of the Anglican Church in North American have planted the 39th Province of the Anglican Communion. In this interview Archbishop Duncan talks to Kevin Kallsen about the Orlando College of Bishops meeting and the first phases in the discussion and study of Women's Holy Orders. They also discuss GAFCON II and some of the behind the scenes drama of getting hundreds of clergy and laity into a single country. Kevin and His Grace finish up the interview talking about Archbishop of Canterbury Elect Justin Whelby and the face of Anglicanism in the 21st Century.

Scrolling around...January 29, 2013

Italian bishop confined to home by homosexual demonstration
An Italian archbishop has revealed that he was confined to his home, forced to remain inside his “besieged” residence, when homosexual activists staged a protest there earlier this month, and warned that gay-rights campaigners aim to prosecute all who oppose their agenda...

Companies fight abortion mandate
...Like Hobby Lobby and other plaintiffs, the Griesediecks filed a lawsuit against HHS. They say the mandate violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (a law designed to protect against government infringement of religious freedom) and their First Amendment rights to free exercise of religion. The brothers made a simple argument based on Christian principles: "It would be sinful for us to pay for services that have a significant risk of causing the death of embryonic lives."

The government doesn't have much sympathy. In a slew of similar cases filed by for-profit companies against the HHS mandate, government attorneys have argued that for-profit, secular companies don't engage in any exercise of religion protected by the First Amendment...
Also: An Unrecognizable America

How Do We Respond to ‘So What?’
...Just what are you going to do about it? The next day, Salon.com featured a piece by Mary Elizabeth Williams–in which she makes a pro-abortion argument while emphatically affirming her belief that a fetus is a living human being—with a stunning trumpet of a headline: “So What if Abortion Ends Life?”

I know women who have been relieved at their abortions and grieved over their miscarriages. Why can’t we agree that how they felt about their pregnancies was vastly different, but that it’s pretty silly to pretend that what was growing inside of them wasn’t the same?

So, fetuses are human beings. But, so what? “All life is not equal,” Williams chillingly asserts, and a baby-in-utero, fully human and alive is, in her words, “a life worth sacrificing.”...

Milwaukee County sheriff: Don't wait for the police; arm yourselves
Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. has a message for residents in his jurisdiction: You can't rely on him anymore. You need to arm yourself.

On Friday, the nominally Democratic sheriff issued a recorded public safety announcement on the radio and on the Web that encouraged residents to take their lives into their own hands...

Why Every Responsible American Should Turn Their Daughter into a Man
...What a brave new world America’s children are now growing up in. With this new law, parents across the country might be asking if they are supposed to raise their daughters to be soldiers while at the same time raise their sons to be metrosexual community organizers who could care less about protecting a women?... Conversation Regarding Women in Combat Needs to Go Beyond the Physical

PB Schori compares Bp. Mark Lawrence to a "tyrant", school shooter, terrorist taking hostages!

The Overflow of the Heart: Anglican Perspective
January 28, 2013

Unbelievable!
(Entire transcript here)

A.S. Haley: With Malice Toward None, and Charity for All?
...The remnant group, I submit, has therefore not complied in its choice of a name with the spirit of the court’s temporary restraining order. We will have to wait until February 1 to learn if the court agrees, but if it does, then the remnant group will have to go back to the drawing board, and start all over again by adopting a new (and completely unrelated) name.

Indeed, the contempt with which the Presiding Bishop treated Bishop Lawrence and his Diocese in her eucharistic address to the convention (the subject of many astonished observations thus far—except not, of course, on any sites sympathetic to ECUSA) appears to be reflective of an animosity that permeates the remnant group, or at least those who are in charge of it. And that animosity may cause them, to their regret, to overstep their bounds, if it has not done so already. Watch for more news after this Friday’s hearing.

Comments:  MCJ...  Stand Firm...

It’s about communion! But communion with whom??
...The second question that Fr. Sanderson fails to address has to do with canon law and the role of the bishop in a diocese. As a priest in a diocese, what is one’s obligation when one’s bishop is deposed for “abandoning the communion” when he has not in fact done so? Bishop Mark Lawrence did not leave the Episcopal Church. He was kicked out. He was kicked out based on the misuse of a canon that was intended to be used for clergy that really had left the Episcopal Church and joined another denomination. But Bishop Mark was actually trying to keep the Diocese of South Carolina in TEC, not leave. In a case of double jeopardy, Bishop Lawrence was re-tried (without a trial or representation) on charges that had already been dismissed a year ago. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori stated that she had accepted “the renunciation of the ordained ministry in the Episcopal Church of Mark Lawrence,” although TEC’s canons state that such renunciation must be received in writing, and Bishop Lawrence has denied that he made such a renunciation...

Foot-long subs vs. March for Life

January 28, 2013

The Associated Press has a Twitter feed with nearly 1.6 million followers. Those followers received two tweets about a gun control rally and march in Washington, D.C. this weekend. “Gun control march in Washington to feature Newtown residents, pastors, parents and survivors of gun violence,” read one. “PHOTOS: Thousands march for gun control on National Mall in Washington,” read another. Considering the relatively small size of the march (Some said “nearly 1,000.” Others, as noted above, said “thousands.”), it makes one wonder how many links to stories and photo collections were sent out for the massive 40th anniversary March for Life.

The answer, of course, would be zero. Really, the AP Twitter feed never found it worthwhile, in its steady stream of tweets, to even mention the March for Life, much less link to a photo gallery of it. the rest

Here on CNN’s Political Ticker, in the midst of several posts about gun control advocates, we see this post, featuring a live report from their gun control march. By contrast, the report on the pro-life march — I’m sorry, the march by “opponents of abortion” – featured no live report, just a written story. By the way, the picture accompanying the big AP report on the march was of … counter-protesters. I couldn’t find any photos of the pro-life march at Politico, but here’s a nice photo gallery of the gun control rally. ABC didn’t find time to mention the rally on its broadcast Friday night, but Diane Sawyer did see fit to do a story on how sometimes Subway’s foot-long subs are only 11-inches long.

Awesome stop-motion music video

Jan 21, 2013

Let nothing be to you an occasion of unbelief...

Let nothing be to you an occasion of unbelief.
 If thou considerest the stones, even they contain proof of the power of their Maker; and so does the ant, the gnat, the bee. In smallest things the wisdom of the Creator is oftentimes displayed. He who stretched out the heavens, and poured forth the mighty volume of the sea, He it is who hollowed the minute sting of the bee to shed its virus through. You must not say that anything was done by chance. But His judgments are like the great deep.
...Basil the Great image

Boy Drumming on Washing Machine

"Whirled Beat". Seattle-area boy (age 10 at time of publish) enjoys exploring the undiscovered, percussive sounds of household appliances. He also owns a Pearl drum kit, has been taking lessons for over a year, but is mainly self-taught in general percussion. His main inspirations are Neil Peart and Buddy Rich.

If you're a curious washing machine geek, it's a Speed Queen, super-capacity plus, 14-cycle washer with stainless steel drum. Great for reverberation and for getting your socks brilliant white!
 Part I here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_viuM_sEOOU

A.S. Haley: An Open Letter to My Fellow Episcopalians in South Carolina

Friday, January 25, 2013

Dear Committed Episcopalians in South Carolina,

As a lifelong Episcopalian myself, and as an attorney of 42 years’ experience who in 1980 began to be conversant in the canon law of my Church, I write to you on the eve of your special convention in Charleston tomorrow, which will be convened by our Presiding Bishop. (Full disclosure: I am currently co-counsel to the Anglican Diocese of San Joaquin, and am actively opposing my own Church’s litigation against their former bishop, because I so strongly believe that what it is doing in that regard is just plain un-Scriptural, and wrong.)

I do not write with the purpose of sowing discord or confusion. There are those already in the leadership of our Church who have done more than enough of that.

I write instead because I perceive clearly that you are about to be sold a bill of goods, and the goods in the bill are not genuine. Therefore, my principal message to you is: caveat emptor! Look carefully at the motives of those who want to sell the goods to you.

This particular bill of goods was first written only in 2008. I repeat: these goods did not exist in our Church before 2008, when they were invented out of whole cloth by our Presiding Bishop’s Chancellor, Mr. David Booth Beers. (He may or may not be present at your gathering tomorrow; I have no information on that point. But his presence is not necessary, because Bishop Jefferts Schori herself has become so conversant with the goods in question that she is fully capable of offering them to you as the real thing.) the rest

South Carolina loyalists defy ban on using diocesan name and shield

Episcopal Forum of SC attacks judge's ruling as "bizarre"
January 25, 2013
By George Conger

The loyalist faction within the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina has unleashed a torrent of abuse against Bishop Mark Lawrence and the diocesan leadership as well as Judge Diane Goodstein following her order of 23 Jan 2013 blocking them from using the name, symbols or seal of the diocese.

Compliance with the court’s order has also been spotty. On Wednesday, Bishop Charles vonRosenberg told Anglican Ink the loyalist group would comply with the court’s order, and a spokesman for the South Carolina steering committee, Holly Behre, told the Associated Press they would honor Judge Goodstein’s ruling and will adopt a name that will comply with the spirit of the court order until the matter is resolved.

However compliance with the order, which went into effect at 5:11 pm on Wednesday has been slow. The group’s website www.episcopalofsc.org did not remove the shield or the claim to be the Episcopal Dicoese of South Carolina until late Thursday.

As of our going to press, the loyalist group’s fundraising site, scstewardship.com, continues to display the diocesan shield (as shown above) and holds itself out to be the true Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina, in apparent disregard of Judge Goodstein’s order which stated in part: “No individual, organization, association or entity, whether incorporated or not, may use, assume, or adopt in any way, directly or indirectly, the registered names and the seal or mark of The Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of South Carolina.” the rest

40th annual March for Life will draw crowd to Mall

January 25, 2013

WASHINGTON - The streets are clear of inaugural participants, but thousands of visitors are heading back to the National Mall Friday for an entirely different event.

Anti-abortion activists from across the nation will take to D.C.'s streets for the 40th annual March for Life, a march that commemorates the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. Organizers say they hope the crowd will surpass the march's record of 400,000 demonstrators, and even the attendance of 1 million people at the inauguration. "It would be fantastic if the numbers topped those of the inauguration," says Jeanne Monahan, president of the March for Life Education and Defense Fund. "However, it would be an act of God -- it would be a miracle if that happened."  the rest image

Catholic college cancels classes to encourage students to March for Life

Pope tweets support for U.S. March for Life

Scrolling around...January 25, 2013

Court rules Obama recess appointments unconstitutional
A federal appeals court, dealing a defeat to President Obama, has sharply limited the chief executive’s power to bypass the Senate and to make temporary “recess” appointments to fill vacant slots in government agencies.
The Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, in a 3-0 ruling, said the president can make recess appointments only when the Senate has formally adjourned between sessions of Congress, not when lawmakers leave Washington for a brief break.
The Obama administration is almost certain to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court. But if the ruling stands, it strengthens the power of the Senate’s Republican minority at the expense of Obama and the Democrats... MSNBC Contributor Blames Republicans for Obama's Unconstitutional Recess Appointment

U.S. Catholic bishops review lawsuit saying fetuses not people
Three Colorado bishops said on Thursday they will review a Catholic Church hospital's defense of a lawsuit that argues fetuses do not have legal status - apparently contradicting the Church's teaching on life issues...

Obama's Fourth Year in Office Ties as Most Polarized Ever
Seventy-six-point gap in party ratings of Obama ties Bush in 2004-2005

Chinese Workers Revolt Over 2-minute Toilet Breaks
Hundreds of Chinese factory workers angry about strictly timed bathroom breaks and fines for starting work late held their Japanese and Chinese managers hostage for a day and a half before police broke up the strike.

“Mounting Religious Restrictions in Europe”
Over at the site of the (excellent) Religious Freedom Project (a project of Georgetown's Berkley Center), Roger Trigg has a very informative essay called "Canary in the Coal Mine," in which he discusses four recent decisions handed down by the European Court of Human Rights...

Click to enlarge
 

Feinstein Exempts Government Workers Who Guard Members Of Congress From Assault Weapons Ban

The Church, Nonprofits, and Taxes
...IRS guidelines for nonprofits—which are available on the agency’s Web site—are often misunderstood. While many people use these terms interchangeably, the IRS specifically defines “politics” as seeking to influence the election of candidates and “lobbying” as seeking to influence legislation.
According to the IRS, all 501 (c) (3) nonprofits cannot endorse or oppose candidates for elected office and make financial contributions to political campaigns. In 1964, the liberal Protestant magazine Christian Century lost its tax-exempt status for one year after it endorsed President Lyndon Johnson for re-election.
Nonprofit organizations, however, can certainly praise or criticize candidates, elected officials, political parties, and their stands on public policy issues and controversies without specifically telling people to vote for or against them. This is what many nonprofits have been doing since the passage of the 1954 Internal Revenue Act, which added section 501 (c) to the federal tax code that specified the types of organizations that qualified for tax-exemption...

Child Pornography: The Price of a Stolen Childhood
...Until the 1970s, magazines with titles like Lolita were rife with sexual images of minors and routinely sold alongside adult pornography at red-light bookstores. In 1978, Congress made child pornography illegal, and four years later, the Supreme Court upheld a state law banning its sale. The court’s decision changed the market along with the law. “The commercial distributors started to go out of business,” said Kenneth Lanning, a retired F.B.I. agent who consulted on child pornography cases for decades. For a time, distribution and production plummeted. But then came the Internet. By the mid- to late 1990s, Lanning said, “there was a way for people seeking it to find each other and send images.”...

Malicious prosecution warnings for Episcopal clergy

Newark firm writes to TEC clergy about their risks under Title IV
January 25, 2013
By George Conger

A bulk email offering assistance akin to a pre-paid legal services plan has refocused the Episcopal Church’s attention on flaws within the new Title IV Ecclesiastical Discipline canons.

A 17 January 2013 email from CanonLawyer, Inc., an organization set up by long-time General Convention deputy and the former chancellor of the Diocese of Newark, Michael Rehill, elicited a wave of chatter amongst the clergy of the Episcopal Church after it warned of the risks of malicious prosecution under the new code.

In the personally addressed email, Mr. Rehill states: “I am writing to you because you are a Member of the Clergy of the Episcopal Church, and you are at risk of facing a proceeding under Title IV of the Canons of The Episcopal Church.”

He states that “as a result of recent revisions to Title IV, many more Members of the Clergy are now facing ecclesiastical discipline,” adding “You need to be prepared before it happens to you.” the rest

 He states that “as a result of recent revisions to Title IV, many more Members of the Clergy are now facing ecclesiastical discipline,” adding “You need to be prepared before it happens to you.”

ACNA to review women’s orders
The College of Bishops of the Anglican Church in North America (ACNA) has agreed to launch a Task Force examining the question of the Holy Orders of women clergy. Meeting last week in Orlando, the ACNA bishops set down a five part protocol studying the question of women clergy in conjunction with the issues of Prayer Book reform, the creation of a Catechism for the church, and a review of its ecclesial structures...

African outrage over civil partnership decision

Settlement reached in Episcopal misconduct cases
A settlement agreement has been reached in the disciplinary proceedings of 9 American bishops accused of misconduct for holding and propounding contrary views on church history and polity to those of Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori.

Last week representatives of the accusers: Bishops C. Wallis Ohl, Jr., and John Buchanan, met with representatives of the accused: Bishops Peter H. Beckwith, Maurice M. Benitez, John W. Howe, Paul E. Lambert, William H. Love, D. Bruce MacPherson, Daniel H. Martins, Edward L. Salmon, Jr, and James M. Stanton, three observers from the House of Bishops: Mary Gray-Reeves, Edward S. Little, Michael Milliken to sign a “conciliation” agreement...

FrontPageMag: Anti-Israel Zealots Chastise Episcopal Church
Prominent, radically anti-Israel Episcopalians are urging their denomination to adopt a more aggressive stance towards Israel, including divestment. The Episcopal Church largely has stood back from some of the more stridently negative policies towards Israel adopted by other old-line Protestant denominations. It has avoided serious consideration of anti-Israel divestment. And its officials did not endorse an ecumenical plea with other denominations last October asking the U.S. Congress to reconsider U.S. military aid to Israel, a plea prompting major Jewish groups to cancel scheduled interfaith dialogue with those denominations...

When I am sore beset...

When I am sore beset, I seek some quiet place,

Some lonely room or barren windswept hill,

And there in silence wait apart until

I see again the smile upon God's face;

Until His presence floods me like the dawn,

And I can hear His whispered, "Peace, be still,"

And know the strength to do His will.

I turn to take my load and find it gone.
--Antoinette Goetschius image

Stand For Life: The Piper Interview

Jan 22, 2013

Marking the 40th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision on abortion that launched a generation of prolife labor, John Piper sits down with John Ensor and Scott Klusendorf to talk about abortion, the gospel and the stand for life.

ACNA: Archbishop Duncan Announces Two Appointments

posted January 24, 2013

The Most Rev. Robert W. Duncan, Archbishop of the Anglican Church in North America, has announced two honorary appointments. Both non-stipendiary positions will add significant value to the mission and ministry of the province and to the work of the Archbishop.

The Rev. Prof. Dr. Stephen Noll has been appointed “Special Advisor on the Global Anglican Future,” a role for which he is uniquely qualified.

“Prof. Noll is an authority on the Anglican Communion and the theological compromises that have torn the fabric of the Communion,” notes Archbishop Duncan. “Along with this new advisory position, he will also serve as the North American member of the GFCA International Theological Commission.”...

...The Rev. Canon J. Phillip Ashey, Chief Operating Officer of the American Anglican Council (AAC), has been named as “Canon for Special Initiatives.” He is an elected member of the Executive Committee of the Province and has agreed to undertake special assignments as requested by the Archbishop.

“Canon Ashey directs a number of programs through his work at the AAC and is an authority on canon law,” said Archbishop Duncan. “He is also well known in international circles and will be a strong asset.”...  full story


Jan 24, 2013

The Church of England's House of Laity recently attempted to remove its chairman, Dr. Philip Giddings. The vote for no confidence came in the wake of a heated debate on women bishops in the Church of England-a debate where Dr. Giddings defended the views of the minority which oppose women bishops. In this week's Anglican Perspective, Canon Ashey looks at what the Bible says about disputable matters within the Church.

Sanger’s Racist Genocidal Plans and The Masque of the Red Death

January 24, 2013
By Elizabeth Scalia

I haven’t commented about the creepy “Happy Anniversary Video” celebrating 40 years since Roe v. Wade; the suave African American man, holding a rose and cooing about the wonder of this anniversary really is, as Marc Barnes writes, “the creepiest sh*t…”

If you haven’t seen the video, you should go to Marc’s place and watch. One of the truly chilling (and, yes, creepy)things about it is that for African Americans, abortion in America has been a true genocide. As we learned last week, in New York City, abortion ends almost 70% of all African American pregnancies.  the rest image

Scrolling around...January 24, 2013

It's Official: Worst. Recovery. EVER
If there was any debate whether the Fed's policies have helped the economy or just the market (and specifically the Bernanke-targeted Russell 2000), the following two charts will end any and all debate. As the following chart from the St Louis Fed shows, as of the just completed quarter, US GDP "growth" since the "recovery" is now the worst in US history, having just dipped below the heretofore lowest on record...

The Reality That Awaits Women in Combat
...Many articles have been written regarding the relative strength of women and the possible effects on morale of introducing women into all-male units. Less attention has been paid to another aspect: the absolutely dreadful conditions under which grunts live during war...

America’s favorite heresy enters the Inauguration tradition
...Many lovers of religious license savored the hyper-inclusivity of Evers-Williams’ supplications. At first her speech directly addressed America itself; only later into the invocation did she invoke the “Almighty.” Indeed, the civil rights leader seemed to be lecturing the American people as a motivational speaker. She encouraged her listeners to seize “the opportunity to become whatever our mankind, our womankind allows us to be.” Evers-Williams expanded the theme of self-actualization by noting that “everyone is included” and by petitioning the President to “rule in favor of the diversity of our people.” She praised “one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,” carefully excising “under God.”...   

...Other portions of the prayer sounded more mystical. In her praise of past generations, Evers-Williams hoped, “May their spirit infuse our being.” “Let their spirit guide us as we claim the spirit of old: ‘There’s something within me that holds the reins/There’s something within me that banishes pain/There’s something within me I cannot explain/But all I know, America, there is something within. There is something within!” she finally concluded.

Those familiar with America’s religious heritage realize that these beliefs are nothing new to the United States. They perfectly represent Transcendentalism...

Europe's Wishes Came True
...In short, Europe got the European Union of its hopes and a changed America of its fantasies -- but both are rapidly becoming its worst nightmares.

Now They Tell Us: Obama's Tax Promises Were Bogus
But somehow after the election, reporters are finally admitting that Obama's budget numbers simply don't add up and that new taxes on the middle class — including a European-style value added tax — are "inevitable."...

Robert George warns of Catholic oppression over marriage
A Princeton law professor has predicted increasing persecution of Catholic teaching on sexuality, amid accusations by a New York scholar that such teaching creates a culture of rape...

So what if abortion ends life? I believe that life starts at conception. And it's never stopped me from being pro-choice -proud to support murder

American College of Nurse Midwives lends support to “gender variants”
Anyone else feel like it really is a tide that is turning these days? The American College of Nurse Midwives issued a statement in support of working towards quality, competent care for trans and gender non-conforming people...

North Korea to carry out third nuclear test 'aimed at US'
North Korea has announced plans to carry out a third nuclear test as part of "upcoming all-out action" against America...

Forbes is a case study on how conservatives lose institutions
I’ve noticed, but not commented on, how the only time I go to Forbes.com anymore is to read a liberal attack on conservatives.
I’ve wondered, has Forbes changed? Yes it has...

Keystone XL pipeline: Nebraska’s approval puts Obama in a bind
In just the first week of his second term, President Obama is being confronted with what could become one of the most controversial decisions of his presidency: what do with the Keystone XL pipeline...  Sen. Ted Cruz to Obama: Keystone Pipeline Approval 'Not a Hard Decision'

Court blocks loyalist convention for Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina

10 Day restraining order handed down

January 23, 2013 

By George Conger

 

The First Judicial Circuit Court in South Carolina has issued a Temporary Restraining Order forbidding any “individual, organization, association or entity” from using the name, symbols or seal of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina – save for Bishop Mark J. Lawrence and the trustees of the diocese.

 

The 23 January 2013 order handed down by Judge Diane Goodstein effectively blocks the Episcopal Church and its allies from electing a bishop and standing committee for the minority faction loyal to the national church for the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina.

 

However, canon lawyer Allan Haley notes the ruling does not prevent those in the diocese who wish to remain affiliated with the national Episcopal Church “from meeting, but they will have to adopt a different name.” the rest

A.S. Haley: SC Circuit Court Issues Temporary Restraining Order to Protect Diocese's Identity  ...Implicit in the Court's ruling is an even weightier and more significant finding: that the Diocese of South Carolina has the legal right, under South Carolina law, to withdraw from ECUSA and retain its corporate and individual identity. That finding, once it is formalized in this case, will put the final lie to 815's mantra that "People may leave the Church, but Dioceses may not."

More congregations join lawsuit against Episcopal Church

MCJ: ATTENTION SOUTH CAROLINA

15 more parishes join South Carolina lawsuit against the Episcopal Church

44 congregations back bishop, 16 opposed, 11 undecided
January 22, 2013
By George Conger

The Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina reports that 15 further congregations have joined it in their 4 Jan 2013 lawsuit against the national Episcopal Church.

The 22 Jan statement reported that of the dioceses congregations, 31 had joined the lawsuit against the national church, 13 congregations were supporting Bishop Mark Lawrence and the diocese against the national church but had not yet joined the litigation, nine missions and two parishes had not declared how they would act, while eight parishes and eight missions had indicated they would remain affiliated with the national Episcopal Church.

“We are saddened that legal action is necessary to protect our members from an organization that uses the threat of legal action as a cudgel to keep its parishes in line,” Bishop Lawrence said. the rest

Today a day of mourning for children killed by abortion

Reclaiming the Human Center of the Abortion Debate

Today a day of mourning for children killed by abortion
Today is the 40th Anniversary of the Roe v. Wadedecision that legalized abortion, and it's been set aside as a day of mourning throughout the country by many organizations...

55,772,015 Abortions in America Since Roe vs. Wade in 1973

First Things: Marching for Life
I am unable to forget the “March for Women’s Lives” held on a beautiful D.C. Sunday in April 2004. Its Orwellian event title referring to aborting mothers not unborn females: As the Indigo Girls sang and Whoopi Goldberg held up her coat-hanger, one of the largest banners in the crowd of thousands read “Pro-Life is to Christianity as al-Qaeda is to Islam.”

My profound sadness at this scene of lostness led me to join the small Feminists for Life contingent across the street. In response to my “Women Deserve Better than Abortion” placard, middle-fingers and shouts of “How do you know what women deserve!” flew at me, and two lesbians purposely made out right in front of us in an odd effort to counter our counter-protest. Clearly, there were also thousands of less hostile people in attendance as well, and some civil conversations were had. Still, even the mass produced “It’s Your Choice, Not Theirs” signs spoke to issues of power, control, and antagonism that largely fueled this crowd... image

Mother Teresa: Roe v. Wade ‘has deformed a great nation’
...“Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being’s entitlement by virtue of his humanity. The right to life does not depend, and must not be declared to be contingent, on the pleasure of anyone else, not even a parent or a sovereign..."



The 40 Film to be released this summer...

Scrolling around...January 22, 2013

New York Governor: Abortion Is the Greatest Thing EVAH!
...All in all, this bill is a declaration of war on those who seek to perform invaluable medical services for millions of New Yorkers in pursuit of a religious calling that the state has now deemed beyond the pale. It’s also a good old-fashioned Bronx cheer for those who think that abortion is somewhat less important in our constitutional scheme of things than freedom of speech or religion, or who think that abortion mills should be at least as well policed as your average pizza parlor. It may go down well on the Upper West Side, but I suspect fly-over country may have a somewhat dimmer view of it.

Obama: 'Our journey is not complete' until we redefine marriage
President Barack Obama forcefully advanced the homosexual agenda in his second inaugural address this afternoon, saying redefining marriage must be enacted “by [God's] people here on earth."...

First Lady Rolls Her Eyes At Boehner As He Jokes With President

President Obama's socialist agenda will divide America
–or, rather, make the existing divisions even more bitter and rancorous

Krauthammer: Obama Speech "A Declaration That The Era Of Big Government Is Back"
...In 1981, in his inaugural address within two minutes, Reagan had declared that government is not the solution, government is the problem. Today's inaugural address was a rebuke to that entire idea. This speech today was an ode to big government. It was a hymn to big government. In his refrain, the three we the people's, he said, number one I'm going to defend what liberalism has achieved in the 21st century -- where he mentioned Social Security. Medicare, Medicaid. So, I'm not going to let any of that be chipped away. And then, second, he said the vision for the future is climate change and green energy, this is going to be his new expansion of liberalism in the new century. And then the third element was his expansion of civil rights, where he talked about immigrants and gays and even shoe-horned the gun rights under the rubric of security...

Inaugural Prayer Controversies
...The Presidential Inaugural Committee promised after the Giglio controversy that “we now work to select someone to deliver the benediction, [and] we will ensure their beliefs reflect this administration’s vision of inclusion and acceptance for all Americans.” Keeping their promise, they chose Episcopal clergy Luis Leon of historic St. John’s Church next to the White House. Mostly low key, Leon supports his denomination’s pro-LGBT stance and backed same-sex marriage in Washington, D.C. He prayed at Bush’s 2005 inauguration. His prayer this time cited “gay and straight” and avoided mentioning Christ...
Also: Washington National Cathedral: Seat of Liberalism

For the first time ever, I deliberately chose not to watch the inauguration-too deadening to my heart and soul.  -PD

America needs no words from me...

"America needs no words from me to see how your decision in Roe v. Wade has deformed a great nation. The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has shown violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships. It has aggravated the derogation of the father’s role in an increasingly fatherless society. It has portrayed the greatest of gifts ~ a child ~ as a competitor, an intrusion, and an inconvenience. It has nominally accorded mothers unfettered dominion over the independent lives of their physically dependent sons and daughters. And in granting this unconscionable power, it has exposed many women to unjust and selfish demands from their husbands or other sexual partners. Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being’s entitlement by virtue of his humanity. The right to life does not depend, and must not be declared to be contingent, on the pleasure of anyone else, not even a parent or a sovereign.” ...Mother Teresa image

Remembering Roe

Jan 18, 2013

Next weekend will see thousands of pro-life demonstrators march in Washington D.C. for the annual March for Life. This week Canon Ashey asks the question, "why should Christians oppose abortion and stand for life?".

Newsweek cover calls Obama's inauguration 'The second coming'



January 18, 2013

By Joe Newby

Although it is now digital, Newsweek celebrated President Obama's upcoming inauguration with a "cover" that calls the event "the second coming," an apparent reference to the return of Jesus Christ, The Blaze reported Friday.

A post at Twitchy called the cover "creepy," while The Blaze described it as "controversial" and “questionable.”

The cover highlights an article by former editor Evan Thomas, who once compared Obama to God.
“Well, we were the good guys in 1984, it felt that way. It hasn't felt that way in recent years. So Obama’s had, really, a different task We're seen too often as the bad guys. And he – he has a very different job from – Reagan was all about America, and you talked about it. Obama is ‘we are above that now.’ We're not just parochial, we're not just chauvinistic, we're not just provincial. We stand for something – I mean in a way Obama’s standing above the country, above – above the world, he’s sort of God," he told Chris Matthews in 2009. the rest

Heartbreaker at the National Cathedral

Dr. Jerry Newcombe
Friday, January 18, 2013

While I enjoy a variety of Christian worship styles, I find particularly beautiful high church Anglican (Episcopalian) worship. I've been enthralled worshiping Christ at St. Paul's in London, at Westminster Abbey, Christ Church in Oxford, and at the National Cathedral in DC. The music, the liturgy, the majesty and beauty of the buildings combine to provide an extraordinary experience.
I was privileged to attend Chuck Colson's memorial service at the National Cathedral last year; the somber dignity of the program in that holy sanctuary honored him richly.

So my heart sank last week when I saw the news -- that now our National Cathedral will begin performing same-sex weddings.

What happens at the National Cathedral is a reflection of the nation's spiritual state. In his First Inaugural address, George Washington said: "…we ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained."

What is he saying? The father of our country (also an Anglican/Episcopalian) was saying that we can't expect God to bless us as a nation if we openly defy God's own laws. the rest

Tinker Falls

I just had to post this lovely photo Raymond took of Tinker Falls-located about 20 miles south of Syracuse.  -PD

Syracuse Right to Life March, January 19, 2013

Gathering in front of the Roman Catholic Diocesan offices in downtown Syracuse

One of the signs
 

Former Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle addresses rally

Raymond took these pictures of the annual Syracuse March for Life that we attended today in downtown Syracuse.  -PD

 

Albert Mohler: Forty Years After Roe, Human Dignity Hangs in the Balance

After addressing a large secular assembly on issues of moral controversy, I turned and faced a woman who urgently wanted to ask me a question: “Why won’t the abortion issue just go away?”

I knew exactly what she was asking. I often meet abortion rights advocates who honestly thought that the national controversy over abortion would simply melt away within a few years of the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion, handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1973.

That was clearly the hope of the Supreme Court majority that signed onto the opinion written by Associate Justice Harry Blackmun. In a note he wrote to himself as he drafted the final opinion and looked to its aftermath, Blackmun revealed a rather optimistic assumption: “It will be an unsettled period for a while.”...

The glory of the star...

The glory of the star, the glory of the sun - we must not lose either in the other. We must not be so full of the hope of heaven that we cannot do our work on the earth; we must not be so lost in the work of the earth that we shall not be inspired by the hope of heaven. ...Phillips Brooks image

Scrolling around

Catholic church bombed in Belfast as sectarian tensions revive 
A Catholic church in Belfast was badly damaged by homemade bombs on Monday night, as renewed tensions in Northern Ireland prompted clashes between Catholics and Protestants...

European court says U.K. equality laws trump personal religious beliefs
The European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday (Jan. 15) ruled that equality laws trump personal religious beliefs, rejecting three of four appeals filed by British Christians who were fired or disciplined for expressing religious beliefs in the workplace...

Egyptian court sentences Christian family to 15 years for converting from Islam
The 15-year prison sentence given to a woman and her seven children by an Egyptian court for converting to Christianity is a sign of things to come, according to alarmed human rights advocates who say the nation's Islamist government is bad news for Christians in the North African country...

Subsidizing the Slaughter of Innocents
...The fact that the number of abortions performed at Planned Parenthood clinics across the country is rising and not falling is further evidence that the procedure is a major revenue generator for them, and your tax dollars and my tax dollars are used to fund this soulless enterprise. The oft repeated assertion that the public monies given to Planned Parenthood are somehow separated out and not used for abortions is ridiculous. Money is fungible, and thus American taxpayers are subsidizing the killing of innocent children whether we want to or not...

East Java: Six Catholic schools could be shut down for not teaching Islam
The authorities threaten to close the schools by 19 January. Until now Christian schools have never been required to offer courses and seminars on the Qur'an. Given the sensitive nature of the matter, school administrators are not making any public statement

Obama: Do What We Can to Save One Child, But Infanticide Okay ...For President Obama, it’s okay for the government to step in and protect children exposed to violence in school, but children who survive the violence of an abortion? Well, just leave it to the doctor to decide if that abortion survivor’s life is worth living at that point...

Two Boys Suspended For Playing Cops And Robbers At Recess ...The father of one of the boys is in the Army and said he thinks the punishment was excessive for what amounted to horseplay between two first graders...

French Catholic bishops endorsing homosexual unions, undermining pro-family cause, warn activists    The Conference of the Bishops of France (CEF) is making a mistake in endorsing an improved "Pact of Civil Solidarity" for homosexuals as an alternative to instituting homosexual 'marriage', in contradiction to Catholic teaching, warns the French pro-family association Avenir de la Future (Future of the Culture).
The organization of faithful Catholics are reacting to a document published recently by the Bishops' Conference's Family and Society Committee, which says homosexual relationships could be given a strengthened legal recognition, while not going so far as to equate such unions with marriage....

Episcopal Church Bishop Shaw will retire in 2014

By Lisa Wangsness and Travis Andersen
January 16, 2013

...He is the fourth Episcopal bishop in the region to ­announce his intention to retire recently. The dioceses of ­Western Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New Hampshire have chosen new bishops within the last year.

In 2009, Shaw gave permission for priests in Eastern Massachusetts to officiate at same-sex weddings. He is a friend and strong supporter of the first openly gay bishop, V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, who recently retired... the rest

Bishop of Massachusetts issues call for the election of a co-adjutor

The Bishop of Massachusetts has written to his diocese announcing the call for the election of his successor. In a letter dated 15 Jan 2013 the Rt. Rev. M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE stated that he was “turning 68 this year. From my prayer and conversation with my community, friends and family, I have decided to call for the election of my successor, a bishop coadjutor. The election will take place at a special convention proposed for April 5, 2014.”...

Inauguration day 2013: Episcopal priest Luis Leon chosen for benediction

Kathleen Burke: How To Ordain Yourself

January 11, 2013

Last week I had the misfortune to stumble across the Women’s Ordination Conference’s hot new music video “Ordain a Lady.” Watch it at your own peril . . . I’m not really concerned for the peril of your soul in watching it, but rather of your artistic sensibilities. Yes, that was a cheap shot, but when you’re trying to emulate pop music it’s a good idea to not have someone who sounds like my grandmother as your vocalist. But I guess, given the fact that the Womyn Priest movement was started by people my grandmother’s age, I shouldn’t be surprised. Another cheap shot? Well, the whole video was full of them so I didn’t think anyone would mind.

If you go to the Women’s Ordination Conference’s website and flip through it you’ll glean some interesting information. They think the Church is racist, sexist, and, of course, homophobic. They signed onto a press release from Catholics for Choice supporting the HHS mandate, indicating their support for not only abortion and contraception but for making the Church pay for it. They support married clergy. They support gay marriage. So basically, they disagree with almost every teaching of the Church in regard to gender, sexuality, and family (how convenient) and think it’s institutionally horrible. I don’t understand why anyone would voluntarily associate themselves with people they think so poorly of . . . but they say they deeply love the Church. I mean, hey, they were baptized . . . but so was Henry VIII, so I’m not really sure what that’s supposed to mean. the rest

Canadian law professor calls for legal changes to bring about ‘queering’ of Catholic schools

Scrolling around...January 15, 2013

Sandy wrecked our house, but bureaucrats are keeping it broken
...While our house stands empty, the city authorities even showed a sense of humor by sending us a bill for property taxes. For a house they won't let us repair...

Egypt's Coptic Christians fleeing country after Islamist takeover
Tens of thousands of Egyptian Christians are leaving the country in the wake of the Egyptian revolution and subsequent Islamist takeover of politics, priests and community leaders say...

Welfare Spending to Skyrocket 80% in Next Decade
How can we afford this?

UK: More than 1,000 priests sign letter claiming gay marriage is biggest threat to religious freedoms since the reformation
...They even claim the freedom to speak freely from the pulpit could be at risk...

First Antibiotic-Resistant Gonorrhea Cases Detected in North America
Completely incurable gonorrhea may be at hand...

Obama owns the debt now
The debt is up about 60% since Obama took office. This can't go on forever...

Teen children of unmarried parents 380% more likely to be victims of violent crime
A new study of violent crimes from the U.S. Department of Justice has found that teens living in unmarried households were nearly four times more likely to become the victim of a serious violent crime than their peers who lived with married parents.
The study, “Violent Crime Against Youth, 1994-2010," focused on serious violent crimes committed against “youth,” meaning children between the ages of twelve and seventeen. The study defined “serious violent crimes” as rape, other sexual assaults, robbery and aggravated assault...

Court ruling makes Christian employees 'second class'
The European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) is "deeply concerned" by court rulings today on four cases involving the religious freedoms of Christians in the UK...


3801 Lancaster
A documentary film about Kermit Gosnell, the Philadelphia Women's Medical Society disaster, and the cover-up by state and local oversight agencies.

Scrolling around...January 12, 2013

U.S. Playing Second Fiddle in Panama Canal Rebuild?
...Now, a century later, the Canal is being dramatically expanded, and the U.S. government is much less involved. Panama has had sovereignty over the canal for a generation, and U.S. companies aren’t dominating the reconstruction...

ObamaCare's Health-Insurance Sticker Shock
Health-insurance premiums have been rising—and consumers will experience another series of price shocks later this year when some see their premiums skyrocket thanks to the Affordable Care Act, aka ObamaCare.

The reason: The congressional Democrats who crafted the legislation ignored virtually every actuarial principle governing rational insurance pricing. Premiums will soon reflect that disregard—indeed, premiums are already reflecting it...

Study finds unsafe mercury levels in 84 percent of all fish
 A new study from the Biodiversity Research Institute in Maine found that 84 percent of fish have unsafe levels of mercury. That poses a health risk for humans, exceeding the guidelines for eating certain kinds of fish more than once a month...

Home Burglary Tied to Journal News' Gun Map Reported
On Jan 13, New York State senator Gregory Ball announced that a burglary had been reported which appears to be a direct result of the Journal News' gun-owner-name-dump.

According to Sen. Ball's announcement, the burglar allegedly "used the Journal News' interactive gun map to target a home included on the map."...

Muzzling Military Chaplains
One of the items on Obama’s second term agenda is to root out traditionally Christian chaplains from the military. He sees them as bigots unworthy of conscience protections. Like Chick-fil-A, they don’t uphold Obama’s “values.”

Obama’s mouthpieces in the military have already blurted this out. In 2010, Admiral Michael Mullen told a Christian chaplain who opposed the repeal of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that “If you cannot get in line, resign your commission.” That same year Lieutenant General Thomas P. Bostick, the Army’s deputy chief of staff in charge of personnel, said military members who dissent from Obama’s gay rights agenda should “get out.”...

Hobby Lobby Finds Way To Delay Accrual of Affordable Care Act Penalties

French Anti-Gay Marriage Protests Draw Hundreds of Thousands
...About 340,000 people joined today’s marches, according to police estimates, while organizers indicated a turnout of more than 800,000. Protesters dancing to hip-hop music carried pink flags with white images of the traditional family: man, woman and two children...