Creative Minority Report

Great Obama Mandate Poster

2012-02-13T14:10:00.000-05:00

Margaret Kolb made this and sent it out.

Most Shameful Headline...Evah!!!

2012-02-13T12:30:00.000-05:00

ABC News ran this headline. And I literally lost my breath for a second when I read it. Why? Because it's accurate. Here it is:

Both Catholic Health Assn and Planned Parenthood Say They’re Pleased With Contraception Rule Announcement

I would hope and pray that headline alone would shame Sister Carol Keehan but I fear that this headline wouldn't even cause her to raise an eyebrow. Being paired with the biggest abortion provider in the country is probably not even offensive to her anymore.

Kneel Before Zod!

2012-02-13T10:24:00.002-05:00

I am sometimes accused of seeing things in black and white. But it's not true. I see everything in bright colors with the words "Bam" of "Oooof" inscribed onto them. I see things in Tolkien vision. Good and evil exist. I view the world through a prism of capes and tights. And I'm not talking about the new school anti-hero comics but the old school Supes vs. Lex kind of way.

That's how I see this contraceptive mandate for religious institutions. One of the climactic moments of Superman II (and oh yeah, there were many) was the moment when the villain (heck, supervillain!) demands that all should "Kneel before Zod."

Well, President Obama seems to channeling his inner Zod by forcing Catholic institutions to do his will and act against their own conscience. In short, he's attempting to force Christians to kneel before him. In this, I think he's gone a bridge too far because Christians are kinda' particular as to whom they kneel to.

I think Obama realized he'd gone too far so he announced his "accommodation" that doesn't actually accommodate anyone but the far left. This would seem to be a test. Within seconds of the announced "accommodation" you heard the thud of Sister Carol Keehan's knees hitting the ground on her "Hope and Change" knee pads. She'd been separated from Obama too long to stand it any longer.

But the statement from the bishops is an impressive refutation of the so-called compromise. The letter written by O. Carter Snead of the University of Notre Dame and signed by John Garvey,the president of Catholic University, has an impressive list of signatories.

It's come to this in this country, you may have to eventually decide between being Catholic and an American. That's a tragedy. Obama has placed himself in the role of the Creator endowing very alienable rights. But there's a big difference between Obama and God. God left people free will. Obama? Not so much.

When Supes was told to kneel before Zod, he'd been forced to make a decision as to whether he was going to be a mere mortal of was he going to be something more. It seems to me we must make the same decision. Are we mere Earthlings who live for earthly pleasures or are we something more? Supes opted for the something more. He had a cape and tights which I don't think I'll go with but I'm with him metaphorically.

I am no mere mortal.I am no mere Earthling.

Now, the question is who will you kneel to? We all must make the choice now. Will you allow the government to dictate the actions of faith institutions? Will you kneel before Zod?

For me and mine, we will not comply. We will not kneel.

Father Jenkins: Where Is Your Signature?

2012-02-13T06:19:00.004-05:00

It is truly an amazing thing. A letter objecting to the HHS mandate and the absurd "accommodation" put out on Friday has already received such wide support.

The letter amazingly enough is on Notre Dame letterhead and was promulgated by O. Carter Snead Professor of Law, University of Notre Dame. It is signed by scholars, professors, University presidents, and more. Men and women of many religions, at Catholic schools, and non-Catholic schools, Rabbis and journalists.

It is truly an amazing thing and I am quite sure that support for it will only grow.

But I must note one glaring absence from the current list of signatories. The list contains the signatures of dozen of Notre Dame professors across disciplines. That is a wonderful thing. It is also signed by the presidents of some of the most prominent Catholic University presidents ...

Continue Reading @ The Rag>>>

Catholic Democrat Stands up to Obama

2012-02-12T23:14:00.005-05:00

Rep. Dan Lipinski, a Catholic Democrat from Illinois, has come out against the so-called Obama "compromise."

This is good news because like it or not we needed some cover on this. Because as left leaning as some of the bishops are, they, as a group, are often slammed as right wing nutjobs. Our talking heads can point to Lipinski as proof that this isn't just a right wing witch hunt.

Lipinski nails it with his statement:

"I am enormously disappointed by today's announcement. All the facts indicate that the 'new' mandate is the same as the 'old' mandate. New words, same policy.

"Our understanding of the new policy is now limited to a Fact Sheet put out by the White House. This document says 'Religious organizations will not have to provide contraceptive coverage or refer their employees to organizations that provide contraception.' But the health care law says that all employers must provide health insurance for their employees or pay a penalty. And according to the White House these same insurance plans that employers must provide 'will be required to provide contraception coverage to these women free of charge.' So religious organizations have to provide health care coverage from insurance companies that are required to provide abortion drugs, sterilization, and contraception. What changed? This is the same policy.

"We need a rule that protects religious liberty by allowing employers to provide health insurance coverage that does not include abortion drugs and other services that violate their conscience and religious doctrine. Instead we got a so-called compromise that is no compromise at all and provides no options for those with profound religious and moral objections to providing these services. To say that the insurer and not the employer is required to provide the coverage is a fiction. There is no accommodation for religious liberty. The rule remains coercive and still violates the long-standing tradition of protection for conscience rights in federal law."

Lipinski, you might remember, voted against Obamacare.

I'm glad to see this. We need all the voices we can in this country speaking out for religious liberty. And make no mistake about it, I'm sure Lipinski's hearing it from his party right now.

Pennsylvania Democrat Senator Bob Casey laughably released a statement Friday saying he was thinking about it. I'm thinking he's running a poll to see what is expedient for him right now.

NBC To Santorum: Why Do You Hate Women?

2012-02-12T19:24:00.000-05:00

Well, now that Rick Santorum is a contender/frontrunner, we can expect to see a lot more of this type of media hackery.

NBC's David Gregory repeatedly and knowingly mis-characterizes a quote from Santorum's book in which Santorum says radical feminists have undermined the family by suggesting that the only real choice is the choice to work and that staying home is not respected. Gregory purposely twists this to suggest that Santorum is saying women shouldn't work. He even goes so far as to ridiculously ask Santorum, even after Santorum explained his statement, whether he would allow married women to work in his administration.

This is the kind of ridiculous hit piece that we all should expect now that Santorum is in the mix. Santorum clearly expected it because he handled it beautifully, smiling and explaining.

Good job Rick. David Gregory is a hack.

ht Newsbusters.

WH: We Are Done Negotiating With Catholics

2012-02-12T14:15:00.002-05:00

The great and powerful Oz has spoken, 'negotiation' time is over, time for you to ditch your silly religious beliefs and do what we say.

Obama chief of staff: No more compromise, contraceptive rule is done deal

Despite renewed statements of concern by Catholic leaders, the Obama administration is done negotiating and will finalize its plan requiring insurance companies to provide free contraception to women working and studying at religious institutions, President Obama's chief of staff said Sunday.

Jacob Lew told "Fox News Sunday" that the compromise offered last week to address objections by the Catholic Church is clear and consistent with the president's "very deep belief that a woman has a right to all forms of preventive health care, including contraception."

"We have set out our policy," Lew said. "We are going to finalize it in the final rules, but I think what the president announced on Friday is a balanced approach that meets the concerns raised both in terms of access to health care and in terms of protecting religious liberties, and we think that's the right approach."

For all you Catholic liberals out there, this is how the Marxists you elected do 'dialogue.' I would say I told you so but...actually...

I told you so.

The only, ONLY answer is the complete destruction of the mandate and Obamacare. There is no other way.

Rick Santorum: Frontrunner!

2012-02-11T14:37:00.004-05:00

Even when Rick Santorum surprised in Iowa, he was never considered a top contender because he never really budged in the national polls. But there is no doubting that Rick is a contender now after sweeping three states last week.

But now something incredible is happening. There were two national polls yesterday that showed Santorum now second to Romney in one and in a virtual tie for first. But the really interesting thing was the dailies on those polls showed a huge momentum shift toward Rick in the past few days. And now comes this bombshell.

Riding a wave of momentum from his trio of victories on Tuesday Rick Santorum has opened up a wide lead in PPP's newest national poll. He's at 38% to 23% for Mitt Romney, 17% for Newt Gingrich, and 13% for Ron Paul.

A fifteen point lead! Now it is one poll and PPP, but you couple that with the other polls and it is easy to conclude that we have a new frontrunner in this race.

Rick Santorum!

Again, I think that the Obamacare mandate's unconstitutional power grab and violation of fundamental religious liberty reminded Republicans and Conservatives exactly what is at stake in this election and made fresh all the emotion and frustration of 2009.

It will be interesting to see if these numbers can hold up and Santorum can take a state like Michigan. If he can, Romney's goose may be cooked and I love the smell of moderate goose in the morning!

Go Rick!!!!

The Accomodating Compromise Isn't

2012-02-10T12:24:00.006-05:00

So the bottom line, religious institutions must still buy plans that cover contraception, abortafacients, and sterilization, but the insurance companies must pay for it.

Bottom line, they still cannot buy a plan without it.

Nothing changes. Compromise in the Obama generation.

The President chastised those who objected to this abridgement of a fundamental God give freedom for making it a political football. He is arrogant beyond words. Disgusting.

This "accommodation" isn't. It is a political ploy, nothing more.

The Bishops better not fall for this. We must fight Obamacare until the bitter end. They do not have the right to mandate what we can buy and cover. Religious liberty is not something to be accommodated, it is something to be defended at all costs.

Yuval Levin rightly says "no diff"...

The problem that opponents of the original rule have had is that it effectively requires religious employers to purchase a product (an insurance policy) that provides their employers with free access to contraceptive and abortifacient drugs that they would not have otherwise had, and thus requires those employers to purchase a product that violates their religious convictions. The new rule does exactly the same thing.

Rep Chris Smith says...

“The so-called new policy is the discredited old policy, dressed up to look like something else,” said Smith. “It remains a serious violation of religious freedom. Only the most naïve or gullible would accept this as a change in policy.”

“The newest iteration of Obama’s coercion rule utterly fails because it still forces religious employers and employees who have moral objections to paying for abortion inducing drugs, sterilization and contraception to pay for these things, because it is still the employers who buy the coverage for their employees,” he said. “Today’s announcement is a political manipulation designed to get Obama past his own self-made controversy and past the next election.

The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty responds:
“This is a false ‘compromise’ designed to protect the President’s re-election chances, not to protect the right of conscience,” says Hannah Smith, Senior Legal Counsel for The Becket Fund. “Hundreds, if not thousands, of religious institutions are still left out in the cold and will be forced to violate their religious convictions.”

According to a White House statement, some religious employers will no longer be required to provide insurance coverage for contraception, sterilization, and abortifacient drugs; coverage for those services will instead be provided for free directly by insurance companies. However, at least three problems remain. First, hundreds if not thousands of religious organizations self insure, meaning that they will still be forced to pay for these services in violation of their religious beliefs. Second, it is unclear which religious organizations are permitted to claim the new exemption, and whether it will extend to for-profit organizations, individuals, or non-denominational organizations. Third, money is fungible, and many religious organizations may still object to being forced to pay money to an insurance company which will turn around and provide contraception to its employees for free.

“It is especially telling that the details of this supposed ‘compromise’ will likely not be announced until after the election,” said Smith. “Religious freedom is not a political football to be kicked around in an election-year. Rather than providing full protection for the right of conscience, the administration has made a cynical political play that is the antithesis of ‘hope and change.’”

More: Mary Ann Glendon et al on the fakery:

Today the Obama administration has offered what it has styled as an “accommodation” for religious institutions in the dispute over the HHS mandate for coverage (without cost sharing) of abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization, and contraception. The administration will now require that all insurance plans cover (“cost free”) these same products and services. Once a religiously-affiliated (or believing individual) employer purchases insurance (as it must, by law), the insurance company will then contact the insured employees to advise them that the terms of the policy include coverage for these objectionable things.

This so-called “accommodation” changes nothing of moral substance and fails to remove the assault on religious liberty and the rights of conscience which gave rise to the controversy. It is certainly no compromise. The reason for the original bipartisan uproar was the administration’s insistence that religious employers, be they institutions or individuals, provide insurance that covered services they regard as gravely immoral and unjust. Under the new rule, the government still coerces religious institutions and individuals to purchase insurance policies that include the very same services.

It is no answer to respond that the religious employers are not “paying” for this aspect of the insurance coverage. For one thing, it is unrealistic to suggest that insurance companies will not pass the costs of these additional services on to the purchasers. More importantly, abortion-drugs, sterilizations, and contraceptives are a necessary feature of the policy purchased by the religious institution or believing individual. They will only be made available to those who are insured under such policy, by virtue of the terms of the policy.

It is morally obtuse for the administration to suggest (as it does) that this is a meaningful accommodation of religious liberty because the insurance company will be the one to inform the employee that she is entitled to the embryo-destroying “five day after pill” pursuant to the insurance contract purchased by the religious employer. It does not matter who explains the terms of the policy purchased by the religiously affiliated or observant employer. What matters is what services the policy covers.

The simple fact is that the Obama administration is compelling religious people and institutions who are employers to purchase a health insurance contract that provides abortion-inducing drugs, contraception, and sterilization. This is a grave violation of religious freedom and cannot stand. It is an insult to the intelligence of Catholics, Protestants, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Jews, Muslims, and other people of faith and conscience to imagine that they will accept as assault on their religious liberty if only it is covered up by a cheap accounting trick.

Finally, it bears noting that by sustaining the original narrow exemptions for churches, auxiliaries, and religious orders, the administration has effectively admitted that the new policy (like the old one) amounts to a grave infringement on religious liberty. The administration still fails to understand that institutions that employ and serve others of different or no faith are still engaged in a religious mission and, as such, enjoy the protections of the First Amendment.

Signed:

John Garvey

President, The Catholic University of America

Mary Ann Glendon

Learned Hand Professor of Law, Harvard University

Robert P. George

McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University

O. Carter Snead

Professor of Law, University of Notre Dame

Yuval Levin

Hertog Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center

Breaking! Was Cardinal Bevilacqua Murdered?

2012-02-10T08:24:00.025-05:00

It sounds like something out of a Dan Brown novel. Officials in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania are investigating the death of Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua.

Continue reading at the National Catholic Register>>>

HHS. Worst Case Scenario

2012-02-09T22:58:00.000-05:00

We the Government of the United States, in order to form a more secular Union, establish our will, insure domestic income, provide the commoners with contraceptives, promote Planned Parenthood, and secure the Blessings of the media elite to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this new and improved Constitution for the United States of America.

We live in dangerous and odd times where we now have a right to free contraception but not a right of religious expression. This administration is seeking to destroy religious liberty and we have Catholic bishops vowing civil disobedience. Odd times.

Even President Obama may be in a bit of a panic about the effect of Catholic outrage on his election chances. Some reports say that he didn’t expect the Catholic bishops to speak out so strongly in near unaninimity against the contraceptive mandate. And he certainly didn’t expect the Catholic left to join in the outrage which many have to their credit.

In this election year, Obama may be looking for a way out.

Continue reading at the National Catholic Register>>>

It's Obama vs. The Bishops

2012-02-09T12:18:00.012-05:00

In the weeks leading up to the announcement of the HHS mandate I remember speaking to a few folks who said they thought Obama would just bury the issue until after the election.

They said that everything has to do with the election and there's no way Obama's going to pick this fight with the Church in an election year. But, of course, Obama didn't bury the issue. Obama has picked a fight with Catholics over the contraceptive mandate. Make no mistake, Obama has picked this fight. Why? Because he thinks he can win it.

The Daily Caller report from today shows that after a few weeks of seeming a bit flatfooted in response to the bishops and the Catholic college lawsuit from Belmont Abbey, the Democrat talking heads have promulgated their talking points and the spin has begun.

President Barack Obama’s deputies and his progressive allies are trying to convert the damaging controversy over federal regulation of religious groups into an advantageous fight against Catholic bishops over access to contraception.

The portrayal, if successful, could boost support among younger women, while reducing unexpected losses among religious voters in critical swing-states, such as Ohio and Pennsylvania.

“The idea that an employer — a Catholic bishop — can say you’re not going to get access to insurance coverage … that’s downright creepy,” said Jon O’Brien, president of an abortion-choice advocacy group, Catholics for Choice. “American women get really mad when people start messing with their contraception,” he told The Daily Caller.

“Let’s remember who this controversy is really about — the women of America,” said a Feb. 8 op-ed by three Democratic senators. “Too many women struggle to pay for birth control… Improving access to birth control is good health policy and good economic policy,” said the op-ed, by Sens. Barbara Boxer, Jeanne Shaheen and Patty Murray. “The millions of American women who choose to use contraception should not be forced to follow religious doctrine, whether Catholic or non-Catholic.”

Look, the last thing that Obama wants this election to be about is the economy. Now, a fight about contraception might just be a different story.

Obama and his thuggerati will continue to push the meme that this is just about providing preventative care to women while the mean ol' bishops (who are all male and secretly hate women), are denying women medicine.

Obama wants this to be pro-contraception Obama vs. the anti-contraception bishops. He thinks that's a fight he can win. It's the fight he picked. Now, it's just up to Catholics to decide how hard we fight back.

It's a race to frame the issue in the hearts and minds of Americans. In the end, to Americans will this issue be about contraception or is it about religious liberty? I think the answer to that question may decide this election.

EWTN Sues Obama!

2012-02-09T10:21:00.003-05:00

Its on like Donkey Kong!

IRONDALE, Ala. — Eternal Word Television Network filed a lawsuit today in U.S. District Court in Birmingham, Ala., seeking to halt the federal government’s imposition of its contraception mandate and to have the court declare the federal rule unconstitutional.

The lawsuit names Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and other federal agencies, as defendants.

The network released a statement today regarding the action.

The network is the first lay Catholic organization to challenge the constitutionality of the HHS final rule, approved by the Obama administration on Jan. 20.

Read more

PP: Gender-Based Abortion Is Just Fine

2012-02-08T23:24:00.002-05:00

Ya know, 'cause they are all about da womens.

The horrific, anti-Life remarks from Planned Parenthood directors were on full display as they celebrated the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. In an interview earlier this week, Angie Murie, executive director of Planned Parenthood Waterloo Region in Canada, was asked about sex-selection abortions. She said:

“I wrestle with gender-based abortion more than any other reason [for having an abortion]...From a macro perspective, I don’t think it is a good idea for us to be eliminating women. But if you look at it at the individual level, which is what we do, I don’t have any right to say that one person’s reason is better or worse than another’s.”

This statement is as illogical as it is disturbing.
...
In China, an entire generation of women has been damaged by the horror of sex-selection abortions. In some regions, the sex ratio is 120 boys to 100 women, a far cry from the international average. While China has banned the policy since 1994, many doctors are still performing sex-selection abortions in that nation. In the United States, Planned Parenthood has continuously opposed a ban on sex-selection abortions.

Monsters.

Romney Advocated Forcing Catholic Hospitals to Administer Abortion Pill

2012-02-08T21:11:00.002-05:00

Rick Santorum wrote an op-ed in The Politico defending conscience rights. And it's a good strong defense. But this op-ed will be remembered for eviscerating GOP opponent Mitt Romney.

Recently, Romney has spoken out against the Obama administration attempting to force Catholic institutions to pay for contraceptives and abortifacients. But it seems that in 2005, Romney actually bragged about doing the exact same thing.

Here's the snippet from Santorum's piece:

I stand with Americans - people of every faith or no faith at all - who still hold that there are truths which are self evident - and rights which are inalienable.

This is not the first time that elected officials have trounced on the fundamental right to religious freedom. In December 2005, Governor Mitt Romney required all Massachusetts hospitals, including Catholic ones, to provide emergency contraception to rape victims.

He said then that he believed “in his heart of hearts” that receiving these contraceptives - free of charge - trumped employees' religious consciences. Now, a few years later and running for president, his heart is strategically aligned with religious voters opposing this federal mandate.

The actions of President Obama – as well as the actions of then Governor Romney - raise some questions. From where do we receive our fundamental human rights? Are they given to us by the government--whether that government be State or Federal? Or, as the American Founders insisted, are these rights endowed upon us by a Creator?

This is not just a pro-life/pro-abortion thing. This is a completely wrongheaded view of religious liberty. This is advocacy of Big Government dictating to religious leaders how they can practice their faith.

Romney said, "In my personal view, it's the right thing for hospitals to provide information and access to emergency contraception to anyone who is a victim of rape."

In my personal view. His words.

Now, there's been some arguments from sources saying that it was the best that could be done in Massachusetts at that time. But I honestly don't know if that's true. Maybe it is. But aren't some fights worth having. Isn't there a line in the sand for Romney? Isn't there an issue where he pulls a Gandalf and screams "You shall not pass!" Or no?

Santorum's all about lines in the sand. In fact, one of the reasons moderates are nervous about Santorum is that he draws so many lines in the sand. Santorum doesn't have inclinations. He's got stands. And it seems to me that Santorum's stance against the HHS mandate is one of conscience. Romney's just seems to be one of calculation.

Media Lies About Obama "Compromise" with Catholics

2012-02-08T15:20:00.000-05:00

CNN reported yesterday that the Obama administration just announced they're willing to compromise with Catholics over the HHS mandate.

Great...except...it's a complete fabrication. And I mean a complete fabrication. Check out the report here:

What is actually being said by Carney and David Axelrod in published reports is that the administration is willing to "work with" Catholics. But what they mean by that is that they'll work with us to make us like the dirt they're sticking our noses into.

The term "work with" has likely been poll tested because it sounds like compromise but actually means that they can continue acting despotic. And the media is more than willing to tow the line here.

Don't believe the media.

Priests and bishops, please continue countering the lies of the administration and the media on this important issue. Please.

Ave Maria Will Not Comply

2012-02-08T10:11:00.003-05:00

Ave Maria President Jim Towey delivered a strong statement against the Obama administration's HHS contraceptive mandate.

Key quote: "Ave Maria University rejects this religious intolerance and will not bow down before government regulations that are manifestly unjust."

You can learn more at The Cardinal Newman Society.

The Santorum Sweep, Thank Obama

2012-02-08T00:21:00.004-05:00

So there it is, the one true alternative to Mitt Romney emerged last night, Rick Santorum.

Rick Santorum won big last night winning contests, some handily, in Minnesota, Colorado, and Missouri. Not a strong second place, winning. Some people will understandably try to downplay the nature of the victory pointing out the difference between primaries and caucuses and delegate allocations, but all that misses the point.

It is now either Rick Santorum or imminently evitable Romney.

Rick Santorum has been written off time and time again by pundits and pedants, only to once again, and perhaps finally emerge as the conservative alternative to the militantly moderate Romney. The reason for this is two-fold. One--Santorum has shown himself to be a consistent and principled candidate throughout this interminable primary season. His debate performances have been stellar and consistently improving. He absolutely left Mitt Romney stumbling with his dismantling of Romneycare and the mandate a few weeks ago. Further, he has managed to stay out of the personal and vicious mudslinging that has been the dominant focus of the campaign for the last 6 weeks. Simply put, he has been a superior candidate to his rivals and getting better. So all that is one. The second reason is simple. Obama.

Continue Reading @ The Reg >>>

"Bonhoeffer" Author Compares Obama's HHS Mandate to Nazi Germany

2012-02-07T22:02:00.010-05:00

Whoa. MSNBC must have lost its mind today when author/guest compared President Obama's encroachment of religious liberty to the first steps taken by the Nazis in Germany.

Something tells me that this is the last time "Bonhoeffer" author Eric Metaxas gets on the air on MSNBC. Especially because the truth hurts.

Breitbart reports:

“I met the president. I gave him a copy of my book on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, which he said he’s going to read,” Metaxas said during the interview. “In that book, you read about what happened to an amazingly great country called Germany…”

“In the beginning, it always starts really, really small. We need to understand as Americans — if we do not see this as a bright line in the sand — if you’re not a Catholic, if you use contraception — doesn’t matter. Because eventually, this kind of government overreach will affect you.”

Check out the vid. Poor Chris Jansing was so shocked that I believe it melted her brain because she doesn't really react in shock.

But what does she ask about when she's told the Obama administration is following the example of Nazis? She asks how Democrats acting like Nazis may hand Republicans a political issue. Because that's the important question.

Elton Goes Both Ways

2012-02-07T14:52:00.008-05:00

First, Elton did an ad for Diet Coke.

Now, he's for Pepsi.

I'm starting to think Elton just can't make up his mind. Look, I'm an open minded guy but come on. I know Elton married a woman years ago and now he's with a dude. But come on man, you've got to take a stand for something. If you can't take a stand on something as important as Coke vs. Pepsi then what kind of man are you?

And isn't being a Coke person or a Pepsi person genetic? Or is it a choice? Maybe I'll ask Anne Heche what she drinks.

Judge Shows Sympathy for the Devil

2012-02-07T11:07:00.000-05:00

A Brooklyn teacher who was fired after calling her students the “devils spawn” on Facebook said she was eager to return to class after a Judge ordered that she be reinstated, according to the Daily News.

Obviously, this is lunacy, especially because she also said on Facebook that she wouldn't throw a lifejacket to a drowning child.

But I bring this up to ask a question. Obviously, you can't get fired for calling children "Devil Spawn" but think about this - if that teacher came into school and told the children, "You are each God's little precious angels," would she be fired then? And would some liberal judge order her reinstated?

Think about that.

Rick-Mentum? Santorum Still In It.

2012-02-07T09:14:00.004-05:00

Having run third or fourth in several primaries, some wonder why Rick Santorum is sticking it out. Now that Newt's star is fading, again. Santorum may become, as I have thought all along, the only realistic conservative alternative to Romney. It seems that others may be starting to agree...

Minnesota and Colorado hold their caucuses on Tuesday, and Missouri holds a non-binding primary that day. Polls suggest that Santorum could perform strongly, especially in Missouri and Minnesota.

In Minnesota, Santorum actually edges Romney 29 percent to 27 percent. In Colorado, he holds a distant second place 14 points behind Romney, but leads Gingrich by 8 points, suggesting that he may be taking the place of the former speaker of the House as the Romney alternative. In Missouri, Gingrich is not on the ballot — having not filed the necessary paperwork — leaving an opening for Santorum

Not many delegates have been awarded yet and there are still many primaries to go. Rick has done himself a great service over these months with his substantive debate performances and his ability to stay above the mudslinging. If Rick can establishe plausibility, he could experience a substantial uptick in some big contests. I don't know if it is enough to overcome Mitt, but a boy has to hope.

So if the polling data is to be believed, Rick is getting a well deserved second look. Rick-mentum anyone?

Lesbian Divorce Shocker (Not, Really)

2012-02-07T00:38:00.003-05:00

I have always had my own working definition of sociology. A sociologist is a person who tells you something you already know in a way that makes no sense.

Well, it wouldn't take an army of sociologists to figure out this one, but people are "shocked" none the less.

Lesbian Divorce Shocker: Same-sex marriages between women are considerably more likely to end in divorce than either same-sex male marriages or heterosexual marriages, according to a study of Norway and Sweden:

We found that divorce risks are higher in same-sex partnerships than in opposite-sex marriages, and that unions of lesbians are considerably less stable, or more dynamic, than unions of gay men. In Norway as well as in Sweden, the divorce risk in female partnerships is practically double that of the risk in partnerships of men.

Is the difference explained by a relative lack of children to encourage stability? Maybe not. The study found a similar pattern with childless couples (when other variables were accounted for).

So what’s the explanation? Here’s the murky PC theory offered by the study’s authors:

We find that partnerships of women to a much larger extent are demographically homogamous than are partnerships of men: Lesbian partners often have relatively similar characteristics while gay spouses more often differ in terms of characteristics such as age, nationality, education, and income. Such similarity in characteristics might also reflect a deeper feeling of sameness in lesbian couples. Such a sameness and a corresponding lack of clear power structures may be inducive to a high level of dynamism in the relationship, but perhaps not to the kind of inertia that is related to marital stability. [E.A.]

Um, ok. … You got a better explanation? …

Um, yeah. I have a better explanation. Double the ladies, double the chances. Make that, double the women who are in it for the wrong reasons, and ...

Glenn Reynolds notes "Well, women initiate divorce twice as often as men, so it stands to reason that a marriage composed of nothing but women would be more likely to split."

Dudes are way too lazy. Divorce takes a level of energy and hate that most dudes just can't muster. What most dudes want is just to be left alone and most guys know that divorced dudes are the opposite of left alone.

Santorum: Obama Hostile to Christians

2012-02-06T23:12:00.009-05:00

Senator Rick Santorum yesterday called Obama's administration "hostile to people of faith, particularly Christians, and specifically Catholics" according to the LA Times.

Good on Rick. Catholics need to beat this drum until this country wakes up. And right now Rick Santorum still has microphones following his every move. I hope it continues because:
1) I want Santorum to win.
2) We need someone pointing out how awful Obama is on religious liberty...and
3) Rick Santorum is the only man in America who still uses the word "poppycock." And I for one would like to see that word make a comeback.

"That's just a bunch of poppycock," Santorum told reporters when asked about White House Press Secretary Jay Carney's statement that the administration was willing to work with religious groups to address their concerns. "I mean that's just ridiculous. Mr. President, we're not that stupid."...

For Santorum, Carney's remarks at a White House briefing offered an opening to press his case that Obama administration rules on government-mandated health plans will force the Catholic Church and other religious employers to provide birth control despite moral objections.

Carney said misreporting had led some to overlook an exemption for churches and houses of worship. He also said the administration would work with religious groups to strike a balance between healthcare for women and the religious tenets of their employers, a pledge that Santorum dismissed as bogus.

"The administration saying, 'Oh, it's just a misunderstanding,' is just a bunch of bull," Santorum said, adding: "Guess what? They do provide some protection for some religious groups -- just not Catholics."

Santorum called Obama's administration "hostile to people of faith, particularly Christians, and specifically Catholics."

"I'm not going to stand for it," he said.

As long as Santorum's voice is being heard I think it's a good thing. The Obama administration is terribly anti-Catholic and this needs to be a HUGE issue in this campaign. And I'm just not sure Romney's got the poppycocks to beat the drum on this issue. He's mentioned it a few times but something tells me that religion isn't going to be something Romney's going to want to talk about a whole lot.

Obama must be stopped. His teeth have been bared. He is seeking to destroy religious liberty in this country because it'll appeal to his base in an election year. Unless we push back, unless we shout this administration down religious liberty will be lost.

Look at the firestorm Planned Parenthood was able to create when a non-profit decided not to grant them a few hundred thousand bucks.

Currently there's 5,270 news stories that come up on a Google search using the terms "Komen and Planned Parenthood." But Google news only shows 285 stories on stories using the search terms "Catholic Church" and "HHS mandate."

Yup. That's us getting our you know whats handed to us. The media is not going to help us out with this issue. We're on our own. We must do everything we can to reclaim our religious liberty in this election. So much is at stake and it's an uphill battle. And we have few allies. We must fight this battle.

We've got raise such poppycock that the media can't help but notice us. We must continue blogging about this. Tell your friends. Heck, tell your enemies. Much is at stake and we must promulgate the message that WE WILL NOT COMPLY.

It's A Outrage!!!

2012-02-06T23:00:00.005-05:00

Resist we much! The Reverend Al tortures logic so badly here it's comical in order to defend Obama's outrageous attack on religious liberty.

Rev. Al says Obama must break the separation of Church and state in order to preserve it.

What?! Even Mika couldn't agree with Al. Look, when Mika thinks you've gone too far left you might just be over the edge.

You gotta' watch this. Tawana Brawley could not be reached for comment.

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