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The Weblog at The View from the Core - Monday, November 01, 2004
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A Personal Interlude A local newspaper not the one I've been freelancing for has been advertising for a reporter / copy editor. I applied this morning. Say a prayer for me! Thanks. Lane Core Jr. CIW P Mon. 11/01/04 08:56:30 PM |
Flashback! Lane Core Jr. CIW P Mon. 11/01/04 08:50:48 PM |
"The Sheepdogs" A poem by Russ Vaughn. Our favorite Screaming Eagle Poet writes to The Blog from the Core again. The Sheepdogs
Most humans truly are like sheep
Russ Vaughn Russ says his poem was prompted by this BlackFive blog. See also these. Lane Core Jr. CIW P Mon. 11/01/04 07:02:58 PM |
"Why I am a Catholic" The Corkmeister blogs, yesterday, a link to a revised edition of his story: .... To this day, I believe that Newman's remains the best reason for a Protestant to become a Catholic. As long as Catholic converts try to argue from scripture to scripture in a fundamentalist fashion, the Protestant will win the war, if not the battle. For if apologetics is solely a matter of proof-texting, who is to say whether the Protestant or the Catholic twist is the right one? But step back, and look at the church of the post-apostolic generation, the period of Clement and Ignatius — a period in which some of the books in the New Testament were being written — and the Protestant must recognize that this is clearly a Catholic church. Christ promised Peter that upon a rock he would build his church, and the gates of hell would not prevail against it. We've spent so much time arguing about the rock that we've let the main thrust of the text get away from us! Christ promised that the Church would be maintained in purity of faith to the end; every Protestant ecclesiology demands that we deny this, and posit a global apostasy.... Lane Core Jr. CIW P Mon. 11/01/04 06:37:13 PM |
What to Look for in Tomorrow Night's TV Coverage Lead and Gold has blogged a highly revealing excerpt from Bill Sammon's book At Any Cost: How Al Gore Tried to Steal the Election, about the 2000 presidential election: The vice president's margin of victory in Michigan was a slim 4 points, the same spread by which Bush had won Ohio thirty minutes earlier. Yet the networks were still mum about the Bush win. The tiers of Democratic bias were now working unmistakably in Gore's favor. "The fact that we projected Florida and Michigan before we projected Ohio for Bush is very telling;" Tim Russert told NEC viewers, hinting that Bush was lagging in states that should have been his and losing close states far too easily. Michigan and Ohio were both important battleground states that held large numbers of electoral votes. Both were won by four percentage points. Although all polls closed in Ohio at 7:30 P.M., the networks waited an hour and forty-five minutes to declare Bush the winner. Yet they raced to call Michigan for Gore the instant the first polls there closed-even though voters west of the time line had another hour in which to cast their ballots The lopsided calls in Gore's favor continued all night. The clarity of the double standard is downright jarring when one examines the calls made by CNN, which was typical of the networks: Gore won Illinois by 12 points and CNN crowned him the winner in one minute. Bush won Georgia by 12 points and CNN waited thirty-three minutes. Gore won New Jersey by 15 points and CNN announced it in one minute. Bush won Alabama by 15 points anci CNN waited twenty-six minutes. Gore won Delaware by 13 points and CNN waited just three minutes. Bush won North Carolina by 13 points and CNN waited thirty-four minutes. Gore won Minnesota by 2 points and CNN waited thirty-seven minutes. Bush won Tennessee by 3 points and CNN waited twice as long-an hour and sixteen minutes. Withholding Tennessee from Bush was especially mendacious because news of the vice president's failure to carry his home state would have sent a powerful political message to the rest of the nation. If Gore couldn't carry Tennessee, how could he be expected to win the presidency? Even Walter Mondale managed to carry his home state of Minnesota in 1984, when Ronald Reagan won the other forty-nine states in a landslide. Similarly, the networks were reluctant to call President Clinton's home state of Arkansas for Bush, which would have sent another potent message. Arkansas was one of the few states in which Gore had given Clinton permission to campaign for him. Timely news of Gore's failure to carry the state would have shocked Democrats and heartened Republicans nationwide. Instead, CNN waited three hours and thirty-three minutes before awarding Arkansas to Bush, who had won the state by six points. This inexplicable delay was even longer than the two hours and forty-one minutes CNN waited before giving Bush West Virginia, which he had also won by six points. By contrast, CNN waited only thirty-six minutes to give Maine to Gore, who had carried the state by only five points. The pervasiveness of the double standard was shocking. Whenever Gore won a state by double-digit margin, the networks projected him the winner in three minutes or less. But in state after state, Bush posted double-digit victories that the networks refused to acknowledge for at least thirty minutes. When Bush won Missouri by 4 points, CBS waited two hours and six minutes to hand it over. When Gore won Pennsylvania by the same margin, CBS shortened the lag time to forty-eight minutes. This was an enormously important call because it told America at 8:48 P.M. Eastern Time that Gore had already pulled off the trifecta, which was tantamount to winning the White House. Craig Henry concludes: .... I see no reason to think that 2004 will be different. Besides the speed with which they call states for Bush or Kerry, the Senate races will be a test of their objectivity. If Republicans gain seats, that makes Tom Daschle a weaker candidate in South Dakota. It also could affect turnout in the West, which will matter in states like Oregon, New Mexico, and Hawaii. Lane Core Jr. CIW P Mon. 11/01/04 06:26:24 PM |
More on Kerry's Military Discharge Thomas Lipscomb writes again at the New York Sun, today: A former officer in the Navy's Judge Advocate General Corps Reserve has built a case that Senator Kerry was other than honorably discharged from the Navy by 1975, The New York Sun has learned. The "honorable discharge" on the Kerry Web site appears to be a Carter administration substitute for an original action expunged from Mr. Kerry's record, according to Mark Sullivan, who retired as a captain in the Navy's Judge Advocate General Corps Reserve in 2003 after 33 years of service as a judge advocate. Mr. Sullivan served in the office of the Secretary of the Navy between 1975 and 1977.... Given this, it is likely that a legal review took place that effectively purged Mr. Kerry's Navy files and arranged for the three-year-late honorable discharge in 1978.There were two avenues during the 1977-1978 time period. This could have been under President Carter's Executive Order 11967, under which thousands received pardons and upgrades for harsh discharges or other offenses under the Selective Service Act. Or it might have merged into efforts by the military to comply with the demands of the 1975 Church Committee. Mr. Sullivan was personally involved in the 1976 and 1977 records review answering Senator Kennedy's demands to determine the scope of any counterintelligence abuses by the military. In the Foreign Surveillance Act of 1977, legislation introduced by Mr. Kennedy to enforce the findings of the Church Committee, there is language that literally describes the behavior of Mr. Kerry. The defined behavior that could no longer be subject to surveillance without warrants includes: "Americans having contact with foreign powers in the case of Americans who were active in the protest against U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Some of them may have attended international conferences at which there were representatives of foreign powers, as defined in the bill, or may have been directly in communication with foreign governments concerning this issue." One of Mr. Kerry's first acts of office as he entered the Senate on January 3, 1985, was making sure what was still in the Navy files. A report was returned to Mr. Kerry by a Navy JAG on January 25, 1985, and appears on the Kerry Web site. There is an enclosure listed that may have contained a list of files, according to David Myers, the JAG who prepared it, that is not on Mr. Kerry's Web site. It could have provided an index for all of Mr. Kerry's Navy files. All officials with knowledge of what specifically happened in Mr. Kerry's case are muzzled by the Privacy Act of 1974.The act makes it a crime for federal employees to knowingly disclose personal information or records. Only Mr. Kerry can do that. As of this writing, Mr. Kerry has failed to sign a Standard Form 180 giving the electorate and the press access to his Navy files. See also these. Lane Core Jr. CIW P Mon. 11/01/04 05:58:33 PM |
Dust in the Light @ National Review Online Our friend Justin Katz has an article at NRO, yesterday. Lane Core Jr. CIW P Mon. 11/01/04 05:29:01 PM |
2004 Democratic Voting Rules & Regulations An amazing "discovery" by The Blog from the Core. Lane Core Jr. CIW P Mon. 11/01/04 07:55:23 AM |
Catholics and Public Life An address by Fr. Michael Hull, Oct. 29: The application of Christian morality in public service is no different from the application of Christian morality in private life. There is no disparity between a Catholic's moral obligations when he is in public service and when he is not. Unfortunately, a persistent and pervasive error often disseminated by misinformed or mistaken Catholics and others, and not infrequently encapsulated in vacuous phraseology such as "personally opposed but politically for" insists that one can publicly support and propagate evil while claiming to remain privately against such evil. Today many politicians, who claim to be good Catholics, actively back policies that are contrary to the natural moral law and teaching of the Church, for example, the murder of unborn children in abortion and infanticide ("partial-birth" abortion). Can a Catholic politician who advocates and promotes an intrinsic moral evil licitly receive holy Communion? The answer is, of course, "no." Why? Because Catholics are obliged to promote the common good. Currently, the best articulation of Catholic teaching on this point is proffered by the Most Reverend Raymond L. Burke (archbishop of St. Louis) in his Oct. 1, 2004, pastoral letter "On Our Civic Responsibility for the Common Good." .... Here is the archbishop's column: .... As archbishop, I write to you now, in order to assist you in reflecting upon the Word of God and to know the authoritative teaching of the Church regarding the complex moral questions which our nation faces and which we all face in electing the leaders of our nation. I write now to assist you in informing your conscience as fully as possible, regarding your responsibilities as a citizen. I do not claim to be wise and can offer no wisdom of my own. What I give you is the wisdom of the Church, the wisdom of Christ.... My own bishop, Donald Wuerl of Pittsburgh, wrote a series of columns in The Pittsburgh Catholic this summer:
Here's an index to his recent columns. P.S. Terry Eastland writes at The Weekly Standard, today: .... Kerry has not explained why he regards the pro-life view as an article of Catholic faith. He has made much of the fact that it is a church teaching. But should you think that, for Kerry, any church teaching is an "article of faith" and therefore something that he, as a senator, may not legislate, then think again, for his church has other teachings that he is only too happy to legislate. Indeed, he has invoked church teachings to explain his work in behalf of justice, the environment and the alleviation of poverty. Only an overriding commitment to abortion rights he vows to appoint only "pro-choice" justices can explain why for Kerry the pro-life view is an "article of faith" but other church teachings are not. A revelation about Kerry came in July when he surprised aides by announcing that he believes that life begins at conception. But of course Kerry's statement meant nothing practically, since, for him, no article of faith can be legislated. The upshot is that Kerry speaks about the issues of abortion and embryonic stem-cell research in a morally shriveled fashion (lacking nuance, indeed). In January, on the 31st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, which declared the abortion right, Kerry released a statement supporting the decision that neglected entirely the moral issues involved in choosing an abortion. Likewise, in New Hampshire this fall, according to the New York Times, Kerry discussed his endorsement of embryonic stem-cell research without making any reference to the ethical aspects of the issue. In this year of revealing himself on religion, Kerry has more revealingly demonstrated the perverse influence of his attachment to the cause of abortion rights. It has led him to embrace mistaken views of his own religion and of the Constitution, and to empty life issues of their moral dimensions.... Lane Core Jr. CIW P Mon. 11/01/04 07:35:14 AM |
"It Feels Great to Be a Muslim! Subhaana Rabbiyal 'Azeem!" An essay, "Becoming Muslim", by Yahiye Adam Gadahn, November 1995. Right here. (Emphases and ellipses in original.) + + + + + In the Name of Allah, most Compassionate, most Merciful My first seventeen years have been a bit different than the youth experienced by most Americans. I grew up on an extremely rural goat ranch in Western Riverside County, California, where my family raises on average 150 to 200 animals for milk, cheese, and meat. My father is a halal butcher [a butcher who slaughters in an Islamic manner -ed.] and supplies to an Islamic Food Mart a few blocks from the Islamic Center in downtown Los Angeles. My father was raised agnostic or atheist, but he became a believer in One God when he picked up a Bible left on the beach. He once had a number of Muslim friends, but they've all moved out of California now. My mother was raised Catholic, so she leans towards Christianity (although she, like my father, disregards the Trinity). I and my siblings were/are home-schooled, and as you may know, most home-school families are Christian. In the last 8 or so years, we have been involved with some home-schooling support groups, thus acquainting me with fundamentalist Christianity. It was an eye-opening experience. Setting aside the blind dogmatism and charismatic wackiness, it was quite a shock to me when I realized that these people, in their prayers, were actually praying TO JESUS. You see, I had always believed that Jesus (pbuh) was, at the very most, the Son of God (since that is what the Bible mistranslates "Servant of God" as). As I learned that belief in the Trinity, something I find absolutely ridiculous, is considered by most Christians to be a prerequisite for salvation, I gradually realized I could not be a Christian. In the meantime, I had become obsessed with demonic Heavy Metal music, something the rest of my family (as I now realize, rightfully so) was not happy with. My entire life was focused on expanding my music collection. I eschewed personal cleanliness and let my room reach an unbelievable state of disarray. My relationship with my parents became strained, although only intermittently so. I am sorry even as I write this. Earlier this year, I began to listen to the apocalyptic ramblings of Christian radio's "prophecy experts." Their paranoid espousal of various conspiracy theories, rabid support of Israel and religious Zionism, and fiery preaching about the "Islamic Threat" held for me a strange fascination. Why? Well, I suppose it was simply the need I was feeling to fill that void I had created for myself. In any case, I soon found that the beliefs these evangelists held, such as Original Sin and the Infallibility of "God's Word", were not in agreement with my theological ideas (not to mention the Bible) and I began to look for something else to hold onto. The turning point, perhaps, was when I moved in with my grandparents here in Santa Ana, the county seat of Orange, California. My grandmother, a computer whiz, is hooked up to America Online and I have been scooting the information superhighway since January. But when I moved in, with the intent of finding a job (easier said than done), I begin to visit the religion folders on AOL and the Usenet newsgroups, where I found discussions on Islam to be the most intriguing. You see, I discovered that the beliefs and practices of this religion fit my personal theology and intellect as well as basic human logic. Islam presents God not as an anthropomorphic being but as an entity beyond human comprehension, transcendent of man, independant and undivided. Islam has a holy book that is comprehensible to a layman, and there is no papacy or priesthood that is considered infallible in matters of interpretation: all Muslims are free to reflect and interpret the book given a sufficient education. Islam does not believe that all men are doomed to Hell unless they simply accept that God (apparently unable to forgive otherwise) magnanimously allowed Himself to be tortured on a cross to enable Him to forgive all human beings who just believe that He allowed Himself to be tortured on a cross... Islam does not believe in a Chosen Race. And on and on... As I began reading English translations of the Qur'an, I became more and more convinced of the truth and authenticity of Allah's teachings contained in those 114 chapters. Having been around Muslims in my formative years, I knew well that they were not the bloodthirsty, barbaric terrorists that the news media and the televangelists paint them to be. Perhaps this knowledge led me to continue my personal research further than another person would have. I can't say when I actually decided that Islam was for me. It was really a natural progression. In any case, last week [November 1995 -ed.] I went to the Islamic Society of Orange County in Garden Grove and told the brother in charge of the library I wanted to be a Muslim. He gave me some excellent reading material, and last Friday I took Shahada [accepted the creed of Islam -ed.] in front of a packed masjid. I have spent this week learning to perform Salat and reflecting on the greatness of Allah. It feels great to be a Muslim! Subhaana rabbiyal 'azeem! + + + + + The Blog from the Core asserts Fair Use for non-commercial, non-profit educational purposes. You may have heard some more recent words from Yahiye Adam Gadahn: Multiple officials and terrorist experts suspect the man threatening vicious attacks against the United States in a purported terror tape is Adam Yahiye Gadahn, a young American who converted to Islam. Their suspicions were echoed by the director of a California mosque, who told FOX News on Friday he also believes Gadahn is the man in the mysterious video.... “The magnitude and ferocity of what is coming your way will make you forget all about September 11th,” the man calling himself “Azzam the American” says on the video. “After decades of American tyranny and oppression, now it's your turn to die. Allah willing, the streets of America will run red with blood, matching drop for drop the blood of America's victims.” .... Gadahn's paean to the joys of Islam is available at the Muslim Students Assocation section of the University of Southern California website. (Thanks, Robert.) Lane Core Jr. CIW P Mon. 11/01/04 06:51:31 AM |
Election Day Novena IX Almighty God, all things are in your hands: our nation, our communities, our families, our lives. In this time of great decision, bless our country and its people. Prosper the efforts of the just and true, and thwart the purposes of the unjust and dishonest. Preserve our land from violence and turmoil, and keep our relationships decent and respectful. Inspire voters, legislators, executives, and judges so our country may be a land where morality is furthered by law and authority; where life is protected, marriage is respected, and family is supported; where the innocent are spared, and the guilty are punished; where justice is tempered by mercy, and mercy fortified by justice. Help us to keep the United States of America a land where the rule of law and respect for individual dignity are the legal foundation of a just order. Amen. The ubiquitous Earl Appleby has added his own petition: And, dear Lord, we pray that in the next presidential election we might have a candidate whom we could support wholeheartedly, without moral or mental reservation, rather than one whom we feel duty bound to vote against in defense of every scrap of moral decency that yet remains in our once Christian nation. Quenta Nârwenion is also blogging the novena. The Curt Jester has been blogging additional prayers for the novena. Another novena continues at Knitting a Conundrum. .... St. Thomas More, And Veritas has also blogged the novena. Lane Core Jr. CIW P Mon. 11/01/04 06:32:49 AM |
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