Mark P. Shea's Blog, page 1416

Wow!

When US Catholic starts asking, "What's so bad about profiling?" you know there's a sea change in the works.

Seems like a no-brainer to me. The absurd pretense that some blue-haired octagenarian, nun, or cherubic Boy Scout is a jihadist killer is just insane and a waste of energy and limited resources.

Fave Rave New TSA Slogans

Can't see London, can't see France, unless we see your underpants.
Grope discounts available.
If we did our job any better we'd have to buy you dinner first.
We are now free to move about your pants
It's not a grope. It's a freedom pat.
TSA: Touchin', Squeezin', Arrestin'
We handle more packages than the USPS
All your junk are belong to us.

More here.

One thing I'll say for Twitter, it imposes a form like haiku and makes the humor more pointed.

Brad Birzer...

sees in Patrick Deneen a sign of hope.

I like signs of hope. We need 'em.

Book Recommendation

Check out Champion of Women and the Unborn , a new biography of the pro-life physician, Horatio Robinson Storer, M.D., L.L.B. (Harvard):

And also the history of The Physicians' Crusade Against Abortion that he started.

P.S. Here, here, and here are three examples of Dr. Storer's profound effect on the United States.

P.P.S. Years after starting the physicians' crusade against abortion Dr. Storer converted to Catholicism.

503 Followers!

Great. Now I have to get a thousand followers in order to have a nice round number. If you want me, I will be in my Tower, brooding. The usual torments for all.

That is all.

(Seriously. Thanks for reading, all y'all. You're very kind to me.)

PS. If you tell the other Dark Lords I said that, I'll toss you in the Pit of Despair. I have a reputation to maintain.

Prayers for Korea

The Western Confucian is up close to events right now and could use your prayers. He reports that the South Koreans have been unable to respond due to their entangling alliance--with us. Chalk up another success for our Empire.

Father, grant that this not slide into a full-scale war. We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Mother Mary, pray for the people of Korea.

My Latest at Inside Catholic

expands a bit on thoughts I posted here yesterday.

This cracked me up

I particularly love the background drone of 1984-speak improving goodthink for the male doofus.

Mike Flynn Chairs a Panel at a Sci Fi Convention

and lives to tell the tale in his customary droll style.

Here's a nice profile of Natalie MacMaster

Who is an astounding fiddler and a Catholic to boot!

One of the happier bits of serendipity to befall me as a writer was the day I got an email from a guy named Kevin asking me a question and promising that if I would answer it, he would send me one of his sister's CDs. I looked at the last name: "MacMaster" and wrote him, "Your sister wouldn't happen to be *Natalie* MacMaster?"

She was. I answered the question and got a CD full of musical goodness as a reward. Later, when I wrote Making Senses out of Scripture, I cut a deal with him: a book for another CD. Dang! She's good! And she even signed that one!

My wife eventually got us tickets to see her in concert at Marymoor Park here one fine summer night. She was terrific.

If you don't know her stuff, rush out and get it. She's wonderful.