Mark P. Shea's Blog, page 1423

The Invaluable Erin Manning...

composes a little ditty in honor the TSA's ongoing campaign to turn people into cattle (to the tune of "Home for the Holidays"):

Oh, I guess I'll be groped for the holidays,
'Cause you know I've got to fly a long way home,
So I'll pause at security and stand in place:
Since the TSA won't let me if I don't.

I'll walk right by the naked scanner with my hands above my head
Like the victim of a mugging or some crime,
And down the hall someone'll look right at my figure without clothes:
It's degrading and insultin'
Gee, you'd say that it's revoltin'

But I guess I'll be groped for the holidays,
'Cause no matter how far I have to roam,
If I won't let the TS Agents have their way,
For the holidays, I won't be going home.

What's that you say about the Constitution? Fourth Amendment? Well,
If you want to fly those rights don't mean a thing,
See, the terrorists might win if TSA can't cop a feel
Even Granny might be sittin'
On some C4 in her knittin',

So let's all just be groped for the holidays,
Like good mindless little sheeple-bleating drones,
We'll put up with abuse in a million ways,
For the holidays, if it means getting home.

More and more, I feel like this is the best depiction of our relationship with reality:

"Some years down the pike we're gonna get the real solution"

Krugman comes out and says what you always knew was going to be the cost-cutting measure of the "Just Enough of Me, Way Too Much of You" crowd.

Last week, it was Brits peeing on their cell phones

This week, it's Americans being threatened with suit if they won't let Caesar grope them.

A Culture of Death is a Culture of Fear.  And a Culture of Fear is a culture that lets Caesar humilate it on the increasingly tenuous promise of safety.

The Next Big Battle in the Tea Party...

...will be between those who just want to be a wholly-owned subsidiary of Caesar and Mammon and those who care about abortion.  The GOP leadership will be rooting for the former since there's nothing they'd like better then for prolifers to pipe down, stop embarrassing them, and just turn out to vote every four years on the same empty promises and threats.

495 Followers!

Today, my theologically inclined minions (and why else would you be here?), I command you to solve this complete original conundrum put to me by my 13 year old, Sean.  Quoth'a:

"If a saint like Gianna Molla has a child, is that child a first or second class relic?"

Extra bonus conundrum: If you receive a blood transfusion or kidney transplant from a saint, do you become a first or second class relic?

That is all!

One Last Thing...

I will be out in Edmonds, OK roughly December 2-8, as well as in Minnesota in early January.  If you are somewhere in the midwest and would like me to come speak for you, this might be a good opportunity since you'll be able to split the cost of the airfare with the other folk who are having me come speak.  Let me know if you are interested.  If you are wondering what I can talk about, the answer is "A lot of stuff".

I will also be doing a Lenten Mission March 19-24, 2011 at St. Edward parish, Newark, CA.

And, of course, I'm also available to come speak whether or not it's a piggyback.  Parishes generally report a high degree of satisfaction, as well as learning a lot of stuff, getting fired up, and larger aggregate amounts of overall wonderfulness.  Ask folks in my combox who have heard me.

One last thing: Christmas is an excellent time to give the gift of books written by me!

(Can you tell I am trying to figure out ways to meet the bills for Christmas?)

Gone till Monday!

Beans, Noses: You know the drill.

Reason to Homeschool #983349030938503904324982743292

Only 12 percent of black fourth-grade boys are proficient in reading, compared with 38 percent of white boys, and only 12 percent of black eighth-grade boys are proficient in math, compared with 44 percent of white boys.

Pray for Lorna

There's blood coming out of her ng tube, which means more poking and probing. Her stomach still hurts, and they don't know why. Her neck hurts and she does not want to be here. She has a yeast infection from all the antibiotics.

Father, please take away these troubles and grant her healing from whatever the current problem is with her stomach and feeding tube and neck! We ask this in the Name of Jesus. Mother Mary and St. Luke, pray for her!

A reader writes...

I enjoy reading your blog and would value your opinion about a quandary I'm having.

I have a friend (a fallen-away Catholic) whose daughter is starting a 2-year mission to Columbia through the Evangelical Covenant Church. She is asking for donations, but I know that she is going to Latin America, in part, to convert people to the beliefs of the Covenant Church. She's a lovely, devout Christian girl, who is obviously dedicating her life to God, but I just have a hesitation about donating to her cause.

Seems like the best thing to do would be to explain why you cannot, in conscience, donate to her mission, but to assure her that your prayers will be with her that the perfect will of God be done.

More than one missionary has gone to convert the Catholic heathen and come home a Catholic.

You might contact Kristine Franklin for some suggestions on how to discuss all this with your friend's daughter. Also, if you send me your snail mail address, I will send you a freebie copy of By What Authority? to give to her. Something to think about while she's ministering to the pagan Catholics. :)