A COLLECTION OF VIEWS ABOUT THE AMERICAN BISHOP’S LAWSUIT OVER ARTIFICIAL CONTRACEPTION

A COLLECTION OF VIEWS ABOUT THE AMERICAN BISHOP’S LAWSUIT OVER ARTIFICIAL CONTRACEPTION

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Commonweal Magazine in its June 15th issue had a discussion by several Catholic theologians on the Bishop’s lawsuit over the health care act provisions relating to birth control contraceptives and their position paper the Bishops entitled "Our first, most cherished liberty." Here are excerpts from the articles. One point the writers made is that unlike the apparent belief of the Bishops, religious freedom is not an absolute freedom. Here are some observations made about that fact. While freedom of religion…

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THE STORY OF AN AMAZING COINCIDENCE OF LIFE

THE STORY OF AN AMAZING COINCIDENCE OF LIFE

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While looking for something on the internet I came across this account which is reported to be entirely true according to the website www.friendshipsofefrat.org/idf-story.php The story involves two Israeli soldiers,  Yoni and Yair. Yoni was an Israeli Defense Force soldier who was stationed in Hebron. One early morning he was shot by an Arab terrorist. It was in a remote area and there was no one around to help him. He passed out while bleeding badly. However, it happened that…

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WISCONSIN – POLITICAL UNION BUSTING

WISCONSIN – POLITICAL UNION BUSTING

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Voters in Wisconsin go to the polls today to vote in an important election about worker rights which has ramifications for the rest of the nation. The vote is about the recall of the Wisconsin governor, but it deals more with politics than just union rights. Scott Walker was elected governor of Wisconsin in a GOP landslide in 2010.The Republicans also gained control of the Wisconsin State Senate and House of Representatives. Walker was able to push through the Republican-controlled…

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“TOTO, I’VE A FEELING WE’RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE. WE MUST BE OVER THE RAINBOW.”

“TOTO, I’VE A FEELING WE’RE NOT IN KANSAS ANYMORE. WE MUST BE OVER THE RAINBOW.”

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Lita and I are in Arizona this week, and like Dorothy I have a feeling we are not in the United States anymore. This is Arizona where reality and fantasy are like distant cousins who hardly meet anymore. Martin Luther King Junior could have been talking about Arizona when he said: "Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." -Martin Luther King, Jr. A recent article, entitled "Total Eclipse" by Timothy Egan in the New…

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ADVICE FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE AGING

ADVICE FOR THOSE OF US WHO ARE AGING

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Here are some thoughts about attitudes as we grow older. Maybe there is something here that will benefit you. The first is the thoughts of a Jesuit priest as he grew older. It has been reproduced many times. Prayer of an aging Jesuit Dear Lord, teach me to grow gracefully, help me to see that my community does me no wrong when gradually it takes from me my duty; when it no longer seems to seek my views. Rid me…

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HEAVY HANDED CATHOLIC CHURCH CONDUCT

HEAVY HANDED CATHOLIC CHURCH CONDUCT

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In Vienna, Austria, it's reported that at the parish church near Innsbruck a first communion mass was held on April 22. The church was full of parents and relatives and the first Communion children. The parish priest, father Patrick Busskamp, announced that only Catholics who were in a state of grace should come forward for communion. He told them that Catholics who are divorced and remarried and Catholics who do not attend mass every week were not worthy to receive…

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PAUL ALLAN & THE PIG WAR

PAUL ALLAN & THE PIG WAR

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Allan Island is located just west of Fidalgo island. It is a 292 acre private island. It was named by Charles Wilkes who led the first United States Navy expedition assigned to explore the Pacific Ocean in 1838. He surveyed Puget Sound and named dozens of landmarks including Elliott Bay. Wilkes obsessive behavior and harsh code of discipline was the inspiration for Herman Melville's Ahab in the book Moby Dick. Wilkes named it in 1841 after Capt. William H Allen…

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THE PHRASE “HOBSON’S CHOICE”

THE PHRASE “HOBSON’S CHOICE”

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For many years people would use the phrase "A Hobson's choice" in referring to a situation where they only had one option. The orgin of the phrase is based on actual historical fact. Around the turn of the 17th century Thomas Hobson ran a carrier and horse rental business in Cambridge, England. He rented horses much as cars are rented today. While he had a large number of horses to rent he would require customers to chose the horse in…

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A STORY OF EXTRAORDINARY LOVE

A STORY OF EXTRAORDINARY LOVE

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I am always moved by stories about couples who were so close to one another during life that they die within a short time of one another. Last night,  on the NBC News, there was the story of a couple who fell in love in high school married and lived together for a very long time. When one died the other died within several days. I was reminded of  the story that was  in the be news last year. It…

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UNIQUE PHOTOGRAPHS

UNIQUE PHOTOGRAPHS

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I thought these photos were of interest that I found on the website stumbleupon.com.This is a photo of African American doctors and nurses working to save a Klu Klux Klan member in the ER:  I can't imagine it being cold enough to freeze Niagra Falls, but it did happen and here's the photo of it: