Mark P. Shea's Blog, page 1380

If only prison officials could marry

If only women could be prison officials. And let's hear it for the bang up job Laurie Goodstein and the NY Times are doing tracking those pervert prison officials with their customary prosecuting zeal. That's why this story is *all over* the news, like the huge story of public school abusers.  The NY Times cares *so* much about justice and not about sensationalism in the service of ad space.

Solution to Piano on Sand Bar Mystery

while not involving aliens or time travel, does turn out to be a pretty good yarn.

Catholic Media on the March!

My name is Michael O'Sullivan. I work for St. Francis Mission as the media specialist, as well as the afternoon dj for the mission-owned radio station, KINI. Now that some of our podcasts are online (some will be on iTunes shortly), I just wanted to follow up with you from the post about the mission in October and give you an update on some of our Catholic programming with the station so that you can check them out or pass along to people who are looking for fun, Catholic programming to listen to...

The two shows I'd like to emphasize are "God Talk" and "The Word." Both shows are KINI originals and hosted and produced by mission staff. To give you a brief idea of each...

"God Talk" features Brother Pat Douglas and Father John Hatcher discussing and answering questions submitted by listeners about the Catholic faith, prayer, and scripture. "The Word" is a newer show on KINI, featuring host, Mike O'Sullivan. It is an inspirational, upbeat program featuring positive messages, stories, and music from some of today's best Catholic & Christian artists.

You can check out the shows here:
God Talk
The Word

Check thou them out.

The Confusion of the Pro-Abort Who Wrings His Hands about Violence

is aptly demonstrated by John Triolo. The Lefty who frets that some obscure political chart inspires violence while staunchly defending the dismemberment of babies is straining at gnats and swallowing camels. Gianna Jessen can tell you all about violence.

The Confusion of the American Christian Death Penalty Maximalist

The American Christian Death Penalty Maximalist continually appeals to Scripture to justify his maximalism. But he is horrified when the Taliban enacts the Old Testament before his very eyes with more maximalism than he is comfortable with.

A safer course is to just, you know, go with what the Church recommends rather than do the sola scriptura schtick on one's pet issues.

Why comboxes are priceless...

The following linkless spam appeared in my boxes below:

"Hi!
I have been looking for interesting blogs, and yours is one of

them.
I - Ruslana, my blog about art, love and dreams.
If you care of the letter, art and mutual relations, it is

more than other trivial thing it now value of people...
If you don't have taboos that restrinct you and you prefer say

what you believe...
If you wish to know about process of drawing of pictures, from

the author of set of portraits, and about that. What can be

love and hatred from the author of the book...

take a look to my blog,
and if you like it, let nobody shut you up, follow it!"

I have for making of greater friendly relations and word with Ruslana and no restrincting of taboos. If you also are for knowing of value of her than I hope you will go to there and find where it is.

How Frank Beckwith...

got his transubstantiation groove back.

Someday, when I grow up...

I will be able to write as wonderfully as John Zmirak.

I like his point about having contempt for the devil. We don't quite know what to do with contempt. We feel it, but we are told (very rightly) that it is a grave sin to direct it at our neighbor. Yet there it is anyway.

Zmirak points us to the ancient truth that "we wrestle not with flesh and blood but with powers and principalities". It is, it seems to me, perfectly fitting to recognize the devils in their spite and malice as fitting objects for our contempt. They are damned. They have made their choice and they ain't repenting. They are the Enemy and sentimental notions about how our prayers and pity for them might one day even save them are just that: sentimental, not based in reality.

Every human you meet in this life is still on probation and there exists the possibility of their salvation, however remote. Contempt directed at them is just an extra push toward hell and we should not be pushing any person toward hell. But the devils are already damned by their own choice. Laughing contempt for them is a fitting response and is a sort of courage. For in the order of nature, they are vastly our superiors in power and intellect. That is, they are cosmic bullies and it is only fitting that the weaker mock the stronger when the stronger tries to bully him. "The devil, the proud spirit, cannot endure to be mocked." - St. Thomas More.

Web geek engineer wanted

to fix Catholic & Enjoying it combox confusion.

My crappy combox software has been retooled by the inconsiderate thugs who provide it in order to pressure me into an upgrade. When I renewed my subscription last month, it automatically changed the comboxes so that the most recent comment is at the top (except for comments in the string following somebody else's comment). Result: chaos.

Can somebody here tell me how to retool the bloody thing so that it posts comments in descending order, first one at the top with later ones following? If you can, you will earn your Dark Lord's clemency and I promise to kill you last.

Well, I'm off to my Dark Lord Consortium "People Skills" seminar on "How to Get the Most Out of Your Minions", though I don't much see the point of it.

Hey Western Washington!

I'll be speaking in Bremerton tonight at Our Lady Star of the Sea parish.

Be there. 7:00 PM. Aloha!