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Month: August 2008

AMERICAN CATHOLIC’S VOTING RIGHTS

AMERICAN CATHOLIC’S VOTING RIGHTS

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As we move close to the voting for presidential and other candidates I anticipate the conservative Catholic bishops along with the Evangelical church’s to urge that it is immoral to vote for a candidate that doesn’t stand foursquare against abortion and gay marriage as the sole test for voting. I anticipate reading pronouncements in my diocesan newspaper applying moral tests to how Catholics should vote. I’ve commented previously about my views regarding this kind of convoluted, myopic vision of what’s…

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Obama, Pastor Rick Warren and Abortion

Obama, Pastor Rick Warren and Abortion

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Drew Westen on the Huffington Post blog (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/drew-westen/from-nuanced-to-principle_b_119810.html) suggests that Obama might have replied to Pastor Rick Warren on the abortion issue better than Obama's response. He says he might have said: "We need to find the common ground on abortion, reflecting our shared moral beliefs, not the beliefs that divide us. We are all united in the belief that we should do everything we can to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies, teen pregnancies, and abortions, starting with instilling in…

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HENRY CEJUDO, THE AMERICAN “WHIZ KID” WINS GOLD MEDAL

HENRY CEJUDO, THE AMERICAN “WHIZ KID” WINS GOLD MEDAL

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Twenty one year old Henry Cejudo, called by the press "Whiz Kid," won a gold medal in Olympic free style 55 kilogram (121 pounds) wrestling yesterday. What’s unusual about this athlete is not only his unique wrestling style and skill, but his family background. According to the Associated Press,(http://www.nbcolympics.com/wrestling/news/newsid=233761.html?_source=rss&cid=) his parents were undocumented Mexicans. There were six children to feed, four with his father who was in and out of prison until dying at age 44 last year. In fact,…

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THE FOX AND THE WHIRLWIND – GEORGE CROOK & GERONIMO

THE FOX AND THE WHIRLWIND – GEORGE CROOK & GERONIMO

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I recently read Peter Aleshire’s book The Fox and The Whirlwind about General George Crook and Geronimo. Geronimo was an Apache born in the modern day state of Arizona. George Crook was an U.S. Army General who, in 1875, was given responsibility of an area that stretched from Missouri to the western shore of the Great Salt Lake. It included Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah and apart of Idaho. His area of responsibility was expanded as he was given the job of putting a…

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FAMILY MOTTO’S

FAMILY MOTTO’S

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My favorite spiritual writer, William Barclay, has written about the mottos of Scottish families and  observations about those mottos. Some of the mottos are noteworthy. Take the Robertson’s from the Scottish Atholl countryside. Their family motto is "Virtutis Gloria" or "Glory is the reward of virtue."Some mottos were only one word. For the Cumming’s it was "Courage." For the Fraser family the motto was the French "jesuis pret" or "I am ready." In checking on family motto’s I found a website,…

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PAAVO NURMI AND THE FOUR MINUTE MILE BARRIER

PAAVO NURMI AND THE FOUR MINUTE MILE BARRIER

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There has been a lot of publicity about the amazing swimmer Michael Phelps winning a record number of gold medals in the China Olympics. As part of the reporting, the name of Paavo Nurmi has been mentioned because he had a record number of medals in his day. Not many people today recognize Nurmi’s name or know about the "Flying Finn" and "The King of Runners." During the 1920's Nurmi, from Finland, was setting all kinds of running records and was a source of…

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THE GREAT ESCAPE

THE GREAT ESCAPE

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A 92 year old man died in a nursing home near Bristol in England on July 21st. He died only a day before his 93rd birthday. His name was Eric Dowling. That would not be very significant news, except for the fact that Mr. Dowling was the leader of a mass escape from a German prison camp during World War II. Seventy six Allied prisoners escaped from Stalag Luft III prison camp on March 24, 1944. They escaped in a…

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BRITISH COLUMBIA FISHING TRIP

BRITISH COLUMBIA FISHING TRIP

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We have just returned from a fishing trip to British Columbia, Canada. We stayed at the king Pacific Lodge which is floating hotel. It is, in fact, described as a luxury wilderness hotel on their website. The hotel is moored at Princess Royal Island and is a Rosewood resort hotel. Accessible only by float plane, the hotel is located within an area called The Great Bear Rainforest. It is about 56 miles South of Prince Rupert and close to Ketchikan,…

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