The Irish Rover

Grandmother speaks out about chastity

2011-12-12T20:26:00.001-05:00

COMING SOON: Irene Engel's Society of Grandmothers manifesto

A Philosophy on Education

2010-11-19T20:21:00.003-05:00

At a recent panel for Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture's annual fall conference, I had the opportunity to receive some valuable insights on an approach to education strategies.
Apparently, there is an issue when it comes to how "student-centered" a course should be. In engineering the design and goal of a course, faculty members are confronted with the problem of content versus process that complicates this issue. Professors, as such, have a responsibility to offer content for coursework, since they alone possess the robust scholarship necessary to make such decisions. There is a duty, however, to engage the interests of the students attending the university who are pursuing studies in various disciplines. The question is, how much dialogue should there be between students and faculty to ensure that courses are constructed with the balance that provide challenging, yet stimulating content for students. The process of a course pertains to how the method by which the content should be explored. The same happy medium is required here to ensure similar success. The problem that happens most frequently, from my perspective, is that it is either the professor's course or the student's course. Basically, either the professor has designed a course with strict and rigid parameters without allowing for pedagogical adaptations or the professor has compromised on too many issues, allowing students the course settings they desire while simultaneously relinquishing content of any real substance.
The solution? Humilty.
According to one of the panelists, humility in curriculum is essential to foster an optimal setting for learning. Ultimately, what this means is that the professor has to assume the virtue of humility to acquire a perspective of both his students and himself that will elevate that student-teacher relationship to its highest good. A professor with humility will become, in a sense, a student once again. He will realize that, despite years of experience in scholarship and research in his chosen field, he is not above the force of education. He, too, can engage his students and the course content in a way that will ensure that he will never stop learning. Professors often speak of the enriching experience of being an educator which usually implies that there is still much to gain.
Socrates supposedly said that "The only real wisdom is knowing that you know nothing." According to the panelist, it is this humble perspective that may inspire a sense of awe and wonder in a classroom setting that may inspire students to engage readings and material purely for the sake of education, the perpetual quest for truth. The responsibility of casting this aura over the classroom center rests mainly on the professor, whose agency is vital in setting the proper tone for a learning atmosphere.
Some of the greatest courses I have taken during my time at Notre Dame have been ones that have created this same atmosphere. The professor engaged the text as if he too were a student. Feeling that this was the case, the professor joined us in discussions, the hierarchy was disbanded, and grades became objects of little or no importance. The thirst for knowledge was instilled by an overarching sense of humility which loudly admitted that "we know nothing." The virtue of humility involves another balance. It takes humility to say "I know nothing" but this can turn into despair and dejection if it is not accompanied with a healthy sense of pride that completes the phrase: "I know nothing, but I possess the capacity to learn." It is with this complete, humble realization that we find ourselves looking at the world from an awesome perspective that spurs us towards the wonder of truth.

Stimulating what?

2010-10-27T23:51:00.003-04:00

Thought I'd take the opportunity to post a link to the new DOL report on jobs lost since the stimulus was passed. Apparently jobs were gained in a whopping TWO states (and DC - shocker with all that government spending).

But, wait, wasn't the stimulus suppose to save and create new jobs?

Just waiting for someone to figure out how to count "saved" jobs and I'm sure we'll find out that this bill saved millions from breadlines.

link to Big Government .

Surprise! Conservatives make for the more generous donators

2010-10-04T18:59:00.003-04:00

"On the surface, the notion that liberals are the world’s most charitable individuals could easily be accepted. After all, many on the left talk quite a bit about helping the poor and providing social safety nets."

The findings:

-Conservatives donate about 30 percent more than do liberals (though, on average, conservatives earn less than liberals.)

-Conservatives are 17 percent more likely than their liberal counterparts to donate blood.

-In 2004, George W. Bush carried 24 out of 25 of the states in which charitable giving exceeded the national average.

"[I]t’s no secret that liberals are more prone to accept the notion that it’s the government’s responsibility to provide direct services to the people. While conservatives are by no means opposed to essential state-sponsored programs, they place a higher value on personal responsibility and the building of self-driven social capital."

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2010/09/23/surprise-conservatives-are-more-generous-than-liberals/#ixzz11QyKYr00

Nobel Prizes, Pretty worthless now-a-days

2010-10-04T09:44:00.004-04:00

For those of you who still think the Noble Prize holds any worth, this year's Noble Prize in medicine ought to disabuse you of that notion.

This year's winner was Robert Edwards of Britain who developed in-vitro fertilization. He was selected over the favored Shinya Yamanaka (story here).

Yamanaka has done some amazing research with great potential. He figured out a way to take fibroblast cells (most abundant cells in your body, a sort of generic connective tissue) and to make them pluripotent (with the ability to become any cell in your body). These cells are referred to as Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (IPS Cells). Not only do they allow for stem cell research without the destruction of an embryo, they also allow for new tissue to be developed which is not seen as foreign by your body (because the tissue can be grown from your own cells). In fact, Yamanaka has grown all sorts of tissue from these cells; even that of beating cardiac tissue. This is a major medical breakthrough and that is why most experts thought Yamanaka was a favorite to win the Nobel prize in medicine.

However, the researcher who developed in vitro fertilization won instead. This is much less medically interesting, and, given the political bend of the Nobel awards, it only makes sense to me if I assume it was purely political. How disappointing.

"A dark and delightful sunday afternoon read"

2010-09-14T19:32:00.003-04:00

Hot off the press, medical thriller The Ensouling is poised to move hearts. One customer reviewed:

"In this action-packed medical thriller, Petrik delivers a dark and delightful Sunday afternoon read.

Petrik's protagonist, the eminent neurosurgeon Dr. Killeen, is a man without a conscience whose egomaniacal wickedness is as perversely fun to watch as Dorian Gray's. Helped by his substantial medical and scientific talents, he lies, manipulates, and murders his way into a prominent position on the faculty of a fictional Louisville University, a financially favorable marriage, and the skirts of innumerable subordinates. His research lab--whose denizens' personal lives make for some of the book's most humorous and tenderest moments--is on the brink of a monumental discovery when a tragic accident threatens Killeen's future and his life. True to form, Killeen risks everything on a final series of daring and horrific crimes that will leave him forever scarred and leave us realizing, like Dorian, that we are witnessing a portrait of our own corruption.

As well as a knack for the swift pace and spare, descriptive language of a good thriller, Petrik posesses a facility with medical and metaphysical arcana to delight the heart of a nerd. The plausible scientific detail brings home the chilling fact that this book is set in the present, and the questions it raises are ones that doctors are grappling with even now, in this time of high hopes for clinical trials of fetal stem cell transplants: [...]. In the tradition of fathers of science fiction like H. G. Wells and Arthur C. Clarke, Petrik delivers his moral bluntly, and readers put down The Ensouling both satisfied and perturbed."

Available to download on Amazon.

I'm sorry Congressman, the correct answer is "What is the Bill of Rights?"

2010-09-04T14:42:00.002-04:00

The absurd claim: "I think that there are very few constitutional limits that would prevent the federal government from rules that could affect your private life."

-Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif.

The rebuttal: “Congress is subject to checks and balances by other branches of government, as well as to specific constitutional limits. The First Amendment, for example, says ‘Congress shall make no law’ on freedom of religion, speech, assembly and petition. The Second Amendment protects ‘the right of the people to keep and bear arms.’ The 10th Amendment says all powers not specifically enumerated for the federal government ‘are reserved to the states, or to the people.’ Washington politicians like Stark should get familiar with the founding documents, particularly this radical Constitution whose present advocates among his constituents make him so uncomfortable. After all, every two years for the past nearly four decades, he has taken an oath to support and defend the Constitution, vowing to bear ‘true faith and allegiance to the same.’”

The Map

2010-08-26T15:44:00.003-04:00

Here's a cute story to think about as we venture through all this political turmoil:

A little girl wanted to know what the United States looked like. Her father tore a map of the United States out of his magazine and cut it into small pieces. He gave them to her and said, 'Go into the other room and see if you can put this together. This will show you our whole country today...'

After some minutes, she returned and handed him the map, correctly fitted and taped together. The father was surprised and asked how she had finished so quickly.
'Oh,' she said, 'on the other side of the paper is a picture of Jesus. When I got all of Jesus back where He belonged, then our country just came together.'

Sooo... when we get Jesus back where He belongs --- our country will come together!

Behold, the Triumph of the Canine Spirit!!

2010-08-20T17:38:00.000-04:00

I found this awe-inspiring jewel of a story on Fox News and I felt compelled to post a blog on some of the thoughts that crossed my mind thereafter.

The pictorial story featured in the Fox News story is merely a single example of a growing trend that appears to be more harmless than it really may be. This trend is a movement to personify animals as if they possess the same emotional, psychological, and spiritual capacities of human beings. For instance, the Fox story features Lucy, a paralyzed dog, who scales to the summit of Mt. Washington (2,290 feet) with the help of a dog wheelchair to become the first paralyzed fog to ascend such a distance. The heart-wrenching story concludes with Lucy’s owner commenting on how her dog is such a “go-getter.” In my humble opinion, this may be giving the dog a little too much credit. After all, it’s only a dog. Although it is an impressive feat to witness your handicapped pet succeed at such a challenging feat, it’s important to realize that it’s nothing like the drive and the passion that fuels our very own human spirits.

Just the other day, I heard a broadcast on the radio that praised the nimble efforts of local firefighters extinguishing a blaze that endangered the residents of an entire apartment complex. The report concluded with the reassurance that all pets had been safely rescued. My immediate reaction to this story was, “Pets? Really?” This response came from the realization that there was no mention of any children that were safely evacuated. It seemed like the pressing matter was whether or not the domestic animals were saved.

For some, household pets can be valuable companions. Dogs can be loyal, cats can be cuddly, and fish can be awesome too. The problem arises when an undue amount of care or attention is paid towards these animals, which can potentially place values within these pets that elevate them to the same status as humans. The distinction between man and beast lies in personhood. Animals don’t have that trait. They are beings, but they are not commensurate to human beings. They lack the ability to think, to reason, to hope, and to love because they lack interior life, a soul. That is a statement that is subject to protest since it is difficult to claim that an animal’s existence is devoid of an interior life when you cannot simply sit down with a squirrel, a wombat, or Lucy the dog over tea and crumpets to discuss the matter. Regardless of that unfortunate circumstance, I cannot leave this point to a matter of opinion: animals do not have souls, therefore they are unequal to humans.

Now, I am the first to tell you that I am no animal lover (except for the occasional non-slobbery dog or an irresistibly cute kitten), but I am also no enemy to PETA. That is, I don't run about seeking to indiscriminately abuse or exterminate animals. When I make the point that animals are not akin to human beings, it is because I believe it is an important distinction to make in a world where individuals and small circles of society hail treat these creatures with the same sort of dignity. As patrons of the earth it is the duty of humanity to respect these animals as such without forgetting that they were fundamentally placed on earth for human purposes.

I enjoy cutting into a good steak, bacon is delectable, and there’s nothing quite like barbecue chicken for a summer cookout with family and friends. My palate for processed, cooked, and seasoned animal flesh (sounds delicious if you put it that way, hm?) is in no way inspired by an insatiable hatred towards particular members of the animal kingdom. At the same time, I never find myself lamenting the death of another cow, pig, or chicken. With no strong aversions or affinities towards animals, I simply co-exist with them. It’s not because I am a ravenous carnivore or an insensitive dolt that I exhibit this sort of apathy. Rather, it’s through the acknowledgement of the essential distinction between man and beast and the natural hierarchy that follows allow me to accept that animals have been placed on this earth primarily for the good of omnivorous human beings.

This story on Lucy, the mountain-climbing canine, is a presentation on the formidability of the animal spirit, but this pales deathly in comparison to the human soul.

You know you're in Egypt when...

2010-07-31T14:51:00.003-04:00

...you see "Inception" at 12:30 AM and a third of the people in the theater are under 15 years of age.

Obama Gets Racy

2010-07-27T15:55:00.002-04:00

http://www.americanthinker.com/printpage/?url=http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/07/race_played_role_in_obama_car.html

Highlights:

-"[D]ealerships were retained because they were ... minority- or woman-owned dealerships";

-Thousands of jobs were lost, unnecessarily, due specifically to Obama's "mandate for shared sacrifice";

-A disproportionate number of Obama-forced closings were of rural dealerships, in areas unfriendly to Obama, even though such closures could "jeopardize the return to profitability" for GM and Chrysler.

The media, of course, remain mute about these serious allegations in the Barofsky report. They have limited their coverage to the job loss numbers and tried to place the blame on Treasury Secretary Turbo-Tax Tim Geithner.

Stupak = Fail

2010-07-15T16:05:00.002-04:00

Via RedState/Lifenews :

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) – The Obama administration has officially approved the first instance of taxpayer funded abortions under the new national government-run health care program. This is the kind of abortion funding the pro-life movement warned about when Congress considered the bill.

The Obama Administration will give Pennsylvania $160 million to set up a new “high-risk” insurance program under a provision of the federal health care legislation enacted in March.]

Stupak = Fail

It's just too bad that people have to die as a result.

From the Fox News Intern Desk...

2010-07-08T11:11:00.006-04:00

A darkly-clouded New York City looked like Gotham City earlier this morning. Sadly, I didn't see Batman swooping down to shake-up the the blank faces of hardened city-slickers sliding through a hazy bog of paper wrappers, horn-happy drivers, and coffee cups, half-empty (Kevin where were you?!).

But apparently no one would think of criticizing Batman today- "Who would go out in this steamy weather by choice?", they ask. Between you and me, I think he stayed in to avoid hearing every conversation begin with, "Ohhh it's so hot and disgusting outside," as if it were happening for the first time.

Or maybe he's out trying to find the AWOL Afghans, or intercepting spy-exchanges in Vienna, or avoiding all that conflict as he admires ancient Egyptian tombs.

I'd go with the last considering that solutions to the other problems are moving along molasses-style.

Note: It's no coincidence that all those links take you to the Fox News website. As my title implies, I'm happily working as an intern at Fox this summer, an opportunity that has enabled me to make all these insider observations about NYC, and to spend some time pondering concrete sidewalks and superfluities.

Spill Coverage

2010-07-07T12:39:00.002-04:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOC8ROQwOJM&feature=player_embedded

Touche, Zakaria.

The Problem of Polling

2010-07-06T13:39:00.002-04:00

A recent poll cited by Salon shows one of the largest problems with polling. In an article entitled, "The American people want more government spending," Salon seeks to promote the claim that the people of this country aren't concerned with the deficit. However, this headline is misleading because the poll questions are misleading.

Directly from the results at Gallup :

"Would you favor or oppose Congress passing new legislation this year that would do the following?

Approve additional government spending to create jobs and stimulate the economy.

Favor: 60%
Oppose: 38%
No opinion: 2%

[USA Today/Gallup, June 11-3, 2010 in random sampling of phone interviews]"

Who wouldn't want jobs and a stimulated economy? Of course, there are concerns over how well such a thing does it. In addition, I have major concerns over the lack of background concerning how our ballooning deficit spells danger for future economic growth and stability.

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T12:16:00.002-04:00

AMMEERRRIIICCCAAAAAA.

You know you're in Egypt when...

2010-06-24T06:29:00.003-04:00

...the most reliable place to watch the World Cup is McDonald's.

Let us not mock God with Metaphor

2010-06-23T12:34:00.002-04:00

My uncle, a man unsentimental to the point of cynicism, pulled a worn copy of this Updike poem out of his wallet last Christmas for me to read. It is a timely challenge of the current trend of religious relativism and the “I’m spiritual, not religious” mentality. Either Christ rose, and Christianity is true, or he did not.

SEVEN STANZAS AT EASTER

Make no mistake: if He rose at all

it was as His body;

if the cells’ dissolution did not reverse, the molecules

reknit, the amino acids rekindle,

the Church will fall.

It was not as the flowers,

each soft Spring recurrent;

it was not as His Spirit in the mouths and fuddled

eyes of the eleven apostles;

it was as His flesh: ours.

The same hinged thumbs and toes,

the same valved heart

that–pierced–died, withered, paused, and then

regathered out of enduring Might

new strength to enclose.

Let us not mock God with metaphor,

analogy, sidestepping transcendence;

making of the event a parable, a sign painted in the

faded credulity of earlier ages:

let us walk through the door.

The stone is rolled back, not papier-mâché,

not a stone in a story,

but the vast rock of materiality that in the slow

grinding of time will eclipse for each of us

the wide light of day.

And if we will have an angel at the tomb,

make it a real angel,

weighty with Max Planck’s quanta, vivid with hair,

opaque in the dawn light, robed in real linen

spun on a definite loom.

Let us not seek to make it less monstrous,

for our own convenience, our own sense of beauty,

lest, awakened in one unthinkable hour, we are

embarrassed by the miracle,

and crushed by remonstrance.

Read Claire's Book Review

2010-06-22T15:25:00.002-04:00

Claire is too modest to post this herself, but she wrote an excellent book review for The Washington Times during her summer internship there. Way to go Claire! That's how Rovers do it.

Happy Father's Day...to a Donor Dad?

2010-06-21T23:01:00.002-04:00

All right, I know I'm one day late, but a family friend forwarded this WSJ article to me. Someone conducted research disproving Cornell psychologist Peggy Drexler's claim that single, middle-class, educated moms whose children have sperm donors for fathers can raise their children as well as two middle-class, educated biological parents. A new study was conducted on a random sample of 485 young adults conceived by donor insemination and 563 young adults conceived by a biological mother and father in "the old-fashioned way." Some of the responses from the first group sound disheartening, to say the least:

"That was when the emptiness came over me. I realized that I am, in a sense, a freak. I really, truly would never have a dad. I finally understood what it meant to be donor-conceived, and I hated it." -Katrina Clark, in a contribution to the Washington Post

And half of the 485 young adults conceived by a single mother and a sperm donor "report[ed] that they 'feel sad' when they see 'friends with their biological fathers and mothers.'"

You know you're in Egypt when...

2010-06-20T09:57:00.003-04:00

...it's 108° F and no one is wearing shorts.

You know you're in Egypt when...

2010-06-17T15:12:00.000-04:00

... the washing machine makes clothes dirtier.

Excellent writing...

2010-06-14T20:28:00.002-04:00

that will engage you much more than any post of mine could do. The message doesn't bode well for today's school systems, but O'Rourke adeptly draws a laugh while addressing a lamentable folly that's quite serious- like a modern-day Erasmus. And, although this most convincing proposal might not be practicable, I think it ought to awaken people to establish and/ or pursue alternatives to our public education system.

http://weeklystandard.com/articles/end-them-don%E2%80%99t-mend-them

Good Readin'

2010-06-14T13:09:00.002-04:00

Anyone looking for some quick but edifying summer reading should check out Bonaventure’s The Journey of the Mind to God. In this work of medieval philosophy and mysticism, Bonaventure lays out six steps to contemplative unity with God. The Journey is a mere 40 pages, but it’s littered with spiritual gems straight from the heart of this devout Franciscan. Some excerpts:

According to Augustine and Bonaventure, the first thing we know is God, even though we are not aware of this at first. Just as we would not see the colors and shapes of a stained-glass window unless the invisible sun was illuminating them, so we would not see visible things if the invisible God was not illuminating them from within. (Introduction)

Since happiness is nothing else than the enjoyment of the Supreme Good, and the Supreme Good is above us, no one can enjoy happiness unless he rise above himself, not indeed, by a bodily ascent, but by an ascent of the heart. (5)

For we are so created that the material universe itself is a ladder by which we may ascend to God. (5)

The Watchdog's New Patron Saint

2010-06-09T08:59:00.004-04:00

A friend (credit goes to Johnny Jbombz Gerardi) recently recommended a new patron saint for the Rover-- Manuel Lozano "Lolo" Garrido. Soon to be beatified, Garrido (1920-1971) wrote prolifically as a journalist for the Associated Press and other publications. He also authored nine books. Tragically, at 22, he contracted spondylitis, an inflammation of the spinal joints that progressively worsens over the course of one's life. Nevertheless, he organized what became known as "Sinai" groups, gatherings of twelve people suffering from illness who prayed for a particular area of mass media. Though Garrido was blind for the final nine years of his life, at one point he was given a typewriter to use while he still possessed some strength in his fingers. Upon receiving it, in words that might speak to many journalists, he prayed,

"My Lord, thank You. The first word, Your Name, may it be the strength and soul of this machine...May Your light and clearness be the mind and heart of all that type on it, so that everything written on it may be noble, fair and promising."

Blessed Lolo Garrido, pray for us. (Source of information is the link cited above.)

The Worship of the Institution

2010-05-25T13:25:00.004-04:00

Several months ago a commentator wondered why we (or maybe I) continually addressed Health Care while ignoring the Church abuse scandal. Well, here I go.

First, I have not been personally affected in any way by this scandal. I have not been abused. No one I know (as far as I know) has been abused. In that regard, I can only pray for these people and admit that I cannot understand what they have gone through. No one should ever have their trust shattered, especially the trust one places (and I have placed) in their faith and religion.

With that disclaimer, I hope that those that have committed abuse are fully prosecuted for their crimes - just as any teacher, minister, neighbor, uncle, father, mother, etc. are prosecuted when they commit such acts. The cloth should not protect someone from criminal investigation.

However, I find the systematic hiding of these abusive priests more troubling, and in a certain sense, parallel to my fears regarding Notre Dame. For Bishops and Cardinals around the world, it seemed that fear of negative publicity and a focus on protecting the ecclesiastical order of the Church trumped its mission. The Church is first and foremost the establishment through which grace is communicated and we, as a people, are lead to salvation which is found in Jesus Christ. The focus of the Church should thus then be the redemption of people. Yes, it is easier to redeem people with a Church free of scandal, but when abuse does occur it must be rooted out immediately in order to show that salvation remains at the heart of its mission. The defense of institution remains a secondary goal and one clearly subordinate to ensuring that the children of God are ministered to and lead to salvation.

It seems to me that Bishops and Cardinals around the world worried more about the Institution than their flock and that troubles me deeply. Especially in the case of the Legionaries of Christ, whose founder Marcial Marcel not only abused seminarians but fathered children and did so while seemingly wooing the Vatican with donations and ostentatious shows of wealth, this corruption smacks of the Middle Ages. Here again, we see institutional corruption, where advancement within the institution supplants the true goal.

What does this have to do with Notre Dame?

Our University has one primary goal: to educate students in an academically sound, Catholic manner. Two parts: academics and Catholic. Under those two broad parts falls our library, our Chapels, our athletics, our classrooms, our research, etc etc. One should not become more central than the other and over the last decades, many, including those here at the Irish Rover, have warned that the Academic Standing has garnered more focus than ensuring the Catholic Manner. The University has, it seems to me, become focused increasingly on becoming an academic institution and not a Catholic academic institution.

I believe that just as some Bishops worried about what people thought of the Institution of the Church and sought to preserve its outside appearance while ignoring their flocks, so some in the University and on the Board have sought to increase the academic standing and prestige of the Institution while ignoring their charge to educate well and in a Catholic manner.Both the Church and the University should worry about their institutions - ensuring a good image and good academics, respectively - is important for their missions. These, however, do not replace the true mission of these two and it is important that we, as Catholics and Domers, remind our leaders of that fact. We remain the focus of these institutions, not good press, not US News and World Rankings.

Arizona Immigration Law Debate

2010-05-03T12:36:00.002-04:00

As a follow-up to my own post regarding the Arizona Immigration Law, which I still don't support, I stumbled upon a brief article on the same act. Peter Wehner, a former staff-writer in the first term of George W. Bush and aide to Bill Bennett, writes:

Still, I would oppose the law (as does Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Mike Huckabee, and Karl Rove, among others) on the grounds that it potentially changes for the worse the relationship between the community and the local and state police and risks treating some people as guilty until proven innocent. The Arizona law, in my estimation, nudges things a bit in that direction, which concerns me.

The article is well reasoned and clearly written while not being too wild on either side. It also contains links to a debate by two journalists, Michael Gerson of The Washington Post and Byron York of the Washington Examiner.

Ultimately, as someone who sees free (or relatively-free) immigration as compatible not only with Catholicism, but also conservativism and capitalistic-economics, this law is wrong, in my opinion. And more importantly, the law also seems to pertain of future, even more-drastic legislative decisions.

"Baby Boy Survives for Nearly Two Days After Abortion"

2010-04-28T12:25:00.004-04:00

This story from Italy caught my eye. Several things in this story are alarming, besides the mere fact that an innocent life was killed.

1. "The mother, pregnant for the first time, had opted for an abortion after prenatal scans suggested that her baby was disabled." The technology today and ease of an abortion have contributed to a growing sense of righteousness on the part of parents who only seek perfection. If these feti were alive and recognized by governments as being human beings, we would call this euthanasia on par with Hitler's executions of Jews, homosexuals, communists, religious and physically/mentally impaired individuals. In the ongoing Western-race towards worldly perfection, abortion is a handy tool, when paired with pre-natal scans, for ensuring that little Johnny and Jane are mentally and physically perfect.

2. "However the infant survived the procedure, carried out on Saturday in the Rossano Calabria hospital, and was left by doctors to die." Doctors left the infant, now alive and born and recognized as a human being to die. I feel like this might violate the oath of a doctor to do no harm.

3. "He was discovered alive the following day – some 20 hours after the operation – by Father Antonio Martello, the hospital chaplain, who had gone to pray beside his body." The most effective way to combat abortion, which is truly a horror as this story points out, is prayer. Prayer for the aborted, their mothers, the doctors, and our leaders.

"Be Proud that You're a Catholic"

2010-04-27T15:21:00.002-04:00

An excerpt from a speech given by Jewish businessman, Sam Miller, on Thursday, March 6. Full text here. :

"Why would newspapers carry on a vendetta on one of the most important institutions that we have today in the United States, namely the Catholic Church?

Do you know - the Catholic Church educates 2.6 million students everyday at the cost to that Church of 10 billion dollars, and a savings on the other hand to the American taxpayer of 18 billion dollars. The graduates go on to graduate studies at the rate of 92%.

The Church has 230 colleges and universities in the U.S. with an enrollment of 700,000 students.

The Catholic Church has a non-profit hospital system of 637 hospitals, which account for hospital treatment of 1 out of every 5 people - not just Catholics - in the United States today

But the press is vindictive and trying to totally denigrate in every way the Catholic Church in this country. They have blamed the disease of pedophilia on the Catholic Church, which is as irresponsible as blaming adultery on the institution of marriage.

Let me give you some figures that Catholics should know and remember. For example, 12% of the 300 Protestant clergy surveyed admitted to sexual intercourse with a parishioner; 38% acknowledged other inappropriate sexual contact in a study by the United Methodist Church , 41.8% of clergy women reported unwanted sexual behavior; 17% of laywomen have been sexually harassed.

Meanwhile, 1.7% of the Catholic clergy has been found guilty of pedophilia. 10% of the Protestant ministers have been found guilty of pedophilia. This is not a Catholic Problem.

A study of American priests showed that most are happy in the priesthood and find it even better than they had expected, and that most, if given the choice, would choose to be priests again in face of all this obnoxious PR the church has been receiving.

The Catholic Church is bleeding from self-inflicted wounds. The agony that Catholics have felt and suffered is not necessarily the fault of the Church. You have been hurt by a small number of wayward priests that have probably been totally weeded out by now.

Walk with your shoulders high and you head higher. Be a proud member of the most important non-governmental agency in the United States . Then remember what Jeremiah said: 'Stand by the roads, and look and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is and walk in it, and find rest for your souls'. Be proud to speak up for your faith with pride and reverence and learn what your Church does for all other religions.

Be proud that you're a Catholic."

Arizona's Immigration Bill

2010-04-26T20:47:00.003-04:00

I know I break ranks with many conservatives in supporting open immigration and immediate legalization of all illegals, but from a Catholic standpoint and capitalistic standpoint, it makes the most sense.

Let me explain briefly. As Catholics (and Americans) we should be welcoming to all, especially those who like everyone's ancestors came seeking a better future - politically, economically, etc. - for themselves, their children, and their grandchildren.

Secondly, capitalism advocated as little regulation as possible to enable the market to dictate the economy. Anyone who has taken microeconomics can tell you that the three principle parts (or factors of productions) are land (natural resources), capital, and labor. Why not let labor freely be exchanged as conservatives argue capital and land are?

Anyway, it was with great horror that I saw Arizona pass its new law . The law gives local and state officials the right to stop a person "where a reasonable suspicion exists that the person is an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States."

Essentially, an officer driving down the street can ask persons to prove whether they are legally or illegally in the country at any time and without warrant. Besides issues of racial profiling, the law seems eerily reminiscence of regimes who likewise demanded a person's papers upon request. I encourage everyone to fight against this law or learn more about the issues at stake here.

An online petition with other opportunities to fight against this legislation: http://www.change.org/petitions/view/legalize_arizona

Sins of Admission

2010-04-16T10:26:00.004-04:00

This piece appears in Commonweal next week. It is written by an anonymous Notre Dame grad who is in a homosexual relationship and sends her sons to a Catholic elementary school. Should be required reading. One paragraph:

I do not take the teachings of the church and its two thousand years of accumulated wisdom lightly. I never have. But in the actual experience of loving my partner, I knew that our love was good. It was as simple as that. Our love as we experienced it was a flowering of our faith, and not its undoing. This was so overwhelmingly apparent that I was immediately suspicious of my own self. The possibilities for self-deception are infinite, I knew. And I was sure “I know that our love is good” was right up there with “It seemed like a good idea at the time” as the phrase of choice of love- and lust-addled adulterers and sundry other kinds of sinner. But at the end of the day, one is left with oneself, one’s conscience (however formed), and the stirrings of the Spirit. At the time I listened over and over again to a jazzy rendition of the Quaker hymn “How Can I Keep from Singing?” and decided, ultimately, to sing.

What to expect from health care reform

2010-04-16T00:58:00.002-04:00

In this great piece on health care reform, James C. Capretta details the failings of the current plan for universal health care in MA. He shows how it has led to many worse problems than we currently have: budget shortfalls, rationed care, and limits on the type of coverage available.

What is most troubling is that the current reform measures are very similar to those in MA. This just goes to show how there were no significant cost controls introduced in the bill rather it allows for more government intervention. The bill could have promoted health savings accounts to tie consumers to the cost of their care but because the bill was more about controlling the health care industry than lowering costs, this was not the case and we will see many of the same failures as we see now in MA.

I hope I am wrong.

Homelessness Persists in Boston

2010-04-13T21:50:00.004-04:00

Although hundreds of institutions exist in Boston with the mission of alleviating homelessness, there are still over seven thousand homeless individuals according to a 2008-2009 Census Report, many of whom live in the streets year round.

The Homeless Assistance Act of 1987 includes in the definition of homeless those who are forced by lack of regular access to conventional dwelling to spend nights in shelters, locations not intended to be dwelling places, or locations where personal safety is compromised. The Census Report showed a homeless population in Boston of 7,861, an 11% increase since the previous year. 437 of those individuals lived on the streets, as opposed to seeking aid in an emergency shelter.

Christopher Jencks wrote in The Homeless, “Late in the 1970s Americans began noticing more people sleeping in public places, wandering the streets with their possessions in shopping bags…[T]he faces of the homeless often suggest depths of despair that we would rather not imagine, much less confront in the flesh. Daily contact with the homeless also raises troubling…questions about our moral obligations to strangers. At a political level, the spread of homelessness suggests that something has gone fundamentally wrong with America’s economic or social institutions.”

Jencks cites a place to live that offers “a modicum of privacy and stability” as the most important thing that can be done in improving the lives of the homeless. In addition, he claims solutions regarding housing are generally easy to devise and evaluate. Yet those on the streets time and again shun shelters, the venues by which this service is, at least temporarily, provided.

On an average night in 1987, only a third of homeless single adults slept in shelters in the US. Lack of beds is not the problem, as sometimes 30 percent of shelter beds are empty. Jim Baumohl writes in Homelessness in America, “Sustained homelessness…[has] the potential for doing a great deal of damage to the human spirit, and, thus, to create divides where none existed before.”

This past spring break, we completed a UROP and CUSE-funded research project in Boston, in which we investigated why so many individuals are still living on the streets when there is an abundance of shelters. We were able to interview eight staff members of Pine Street Inn, survey 21 homeless individuals, and complete two oral histories, which can be found at https://sites.google.com/ a/nd.edu/bostonhomeless/ home.

Of the homeless individuals surveyed, duration of homelessness ranged from three months to thirteen years. The reasons given for their presence on the streets were substance abuse, psychological disorders, aversion to shelter rules and conditions, the ability to survive on their own, possession of an animal, and lack of knowledge about shelters. The predominant reason by far was an aversion to existing shelter conditions. Pine Street staff members also acknowledged shelter conditions may be a deterrent. One Street Outreach team member admitted she would not stay at Pine Street if faced with the option of that or the streets.

Some homeless individuals interviewed had high spirits and a keen sense of humor. One man burst around the side of the outreach van as I was preparing his meal, shouting, “Ogabogaboga! Homeless people!” in a good-natured and effective attempt to startle me. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Larry lamented, “Everything just seems to be going bad, ya know?”

Another man detailed the events leading to his homelessness, which included the death of his beloved, eviction, alcohol abuse, unemployment, and imprisonment. A line from his journal, which he donated to our cause, reads, “The HaNd of Faith HAS TAken ALL wiThout WArNiNg or Reason!” Despite this despairing start, he adds later, “I will not fail or turn back…I rise with every sunrise.”

Incidental findings of the study included several issues related to the support structure for the homeless. The guest-staff relations are often perceived as poor. Assistance, although perhaps of substandard quality, is readily available for those who want it. Housing programs that provide sufficient support are claimed to have been largely effective, in particular the “Reach” program implemented by Pine Street. Finally, only about 10% of the homeless population fall into the “chronic” category, which takes up approximately half of the funding.

The investigation left us with the following questions: is getting more people in shelters a worthy goal? how can shelters be improved? will improving shelters have a positive effect, or will it enable homelessness? how can those with substance and psychological problems be better cared for? is homelessness a psychological condition related to locus of control? These and other questions will be discussed at the upcoming Undergraduate Scholars’ Conference.

Katie Petrik and Julian Murphy are sophomores. They’re now quite adept at approaching strangers and asking personal questions.

Religion isn't so bad afterall

2010-04-06T14:58:00.004-04:00

Somehow I was put on a listserv from Mapping America, the National Survey of Family Growth. I generally get an email once a week with new findings from their research. Generally the findings are so obvious, I am disappointed that someone spent time or money on finding it. However, this week's finding is a nice one because it counters the assumptions that religion acts as a force to domesticate women and prevent them from getting an education. These findings show that religious women from intact families are more likely to receive a bachelor's degree. More information can be found here

2010 Urbi et Orbi

2010-04-04T12:29:00.004-04:00

Pope Benedict's 2010 Message to the City and the World on the Occasion of Easter:

Text via Radio Vatican

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

I bring you the Easter proclamation in these words of the Liturgy, which echo the ancient hymn of praise sung by the Israelites after crossing the Red Sea. It is recounted in the Book of Exodus (cf 15:19-21) that when they had crossed the sea on dry land, and saw the Egyptians submerged by the waters, Miriam, the sister of Moses and Aaron, and the other women sang and danced to this song of joy: “Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed wonderfully: horse and rider he has thrown into the sea!” Christians throughout the world repeat this canticle at the Easter Vigil, and a special prayer explains its meaning; a prayer that now, in the full light of the resurrection, we joyfully make our own: “Father, even today we see the wonders of the miracles you worked long ago. You once saved a single nation from slavery, and now you offer that salvation to all through baptism. May the peoples of the world become true sons of Abraham and prove worthy of the heritage of Israel.”

The Gospel has revealed to us the fulfilment of the ancient figures: in his death and resurrection, Jesus Christ has freed us from the radical slavery of sin and opened for us the way towards the promised land, the Kingdom of God, the universal Kingdom of justice, love and peace. This “exodus” takes place first of all within man himself, and it consists in a new birth in the Holy Spirit, the effect of the baptism that Christ has given us in his Paschal Mystery. The old man yields his place to the new man; the old life is left behind, and a new life can begin (cf. Rom 6:4). But this spiritual “exodus” is the beginning of an integral liberation, capable of renewing us in every dimension – human, personal and social.

Yes, my brothers and sisters, Easter is the true salvation of humanity! If Christ – the Lamb of God – had not poured out his blood for us, we would be without hope, our destiny and the destiny of the whole world would inevitably be death. But Easter has reversed that trend: Christ’s resurrection is a new creation, like a graft that can regenerate the whole plant. It is an event that has profoundly changed the course of history, tipping the scales once and for all on the side of good, of life, of pardon. We are free, we are saved! Hence from deep within our hearts we cry out: “Let us sing to the Lord: glorious his triumph!”

The Christian people, having emerged from the waters of baptism, is sent out to the whole world to bear witness to this salvation, to bring to all people the fruit of Easter, which consists in a new life, freed from sin and restored to its original beauty, to its goodness and truth. Continually, in the course of two thousand years, Christians – especially saints – have made history fruitful with their lived experience of Easter. The Church is the people of the Exodus, because she constantly lives the Paschal Mystery and disseminates its renewing power in every time and place. In our days too, humanity needs an “exodus”, not just superficial adjustment, but a spiritual and moral conversion. It needs the salvation of the Gospel, so as to emerge from a profound crisis, one which requires deep change, beginning with consciences.

I pray to the Lord Jesus that in the Middle East, and especially in the land sanctified by his death and resurrection, the peoples will accomplish a true and definitive “exodus” from war and violence to peace and concord. To the Christian communities who are experiencing trials and sufferings, especially in Iraq, the Risen Lord repeats those consoling and encouraging words that he addressed to the Apostles in the Upper Room: “Peace be with you!” (Jn 20:21).

For the countries in Latin America and the Caribbean that are seeing a dangerous resurgence of crimes linked to drug trafficking, let Easter signal the victory of peaceful coexistence and respect for the common good. May the beloved people of Haiti, devastated by the appalling tragedy of the earthquake, accomplish their own “exodus” from mourning and from despair to a new hope, supported by international solidarity. May the beloved citizens of Chile, who have had to endure another grave catastrophe, set about the task of reconstruction with tenacity, supported by their faith.

In the strength of the risen Jesus, may the conflicts in Africa come to an end, conflicts which continue to cause destruction and suffering, and may peace and reconciliation be attained, as guarantees of development. In particular I entrust to the Lord the future of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea and Nigeria.

May the Risen Lord sustain the Christians who suffer persecution and even death for their faith, as for example in Pakistan. To the countries afflicted by terrorism and by social and religious discrimination, may He grant the strength to undertake the work of building dialogue and serene coexistence. To the leaders of nations, may Easter bring light and strength, so that economic and financial activity may finally be driven by the criteria of truth, justice and fraternal aid. May the saving power of Christ’s resurrection fill all of humanity, so that it may overcome the multiple tragic expressions of a “culture of death” which are becoming increasingly widespread, so as to build a future of love and truth in which every human life is respected and welcomed.

Dear brothers and sisters, Easter does not work magic. Just as the Israelites found the desert awaiting them on the far side of the Red Sea, so the Church, after the resurrection, always finds history filled with joy and hope, grief and anguish. And yet, this history is changed, it is marked by a new and eternal covenant, it is truly open to the future. For this reason, saved by hope, let us continue our pilgrimage, bearing in our hearts the song that is ancient and yet ever new: “Let us sing to the Lord: glorious his triumph!”

Happy and Holy Easter!

2010-04-04T12:22:00.004-04:00

Luke 24:1-12:

But at daybreak on the first day of the week they took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb;but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were puzzling over this, behold, two men in dazzling garments appeared to them. They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. They said to them, "Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised. Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee,that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners and be crucified, and rise on the third day." And they remembered his words.

Then they returned from the tomb and announced all these things to the eleven and to all the others. The women were Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James; the others who accompanied them also told this to the apostles, but their story seemed like nonsense and they did not believe them.

But Peter got up and ran to the tomb, bent down, and saw the burial cloths alone; then he went home amazed at what had happened.

Presidential Doublespeak: Easter and our Shared Sprit of Humanity

2010-04-03T14:02:00.003-04:00

In his recent weekly address, President Obama took the opportunity to talk about health care reform and job creation. Perhaps minutes before he began his address, he realized it was the Easter weekend, and so he dropped in a few references. Let us hope these were last minute additions because if he thought out what he was saying, he sorely misunderstands Christianity.

He implored the nation to reflect on our "shared spirit of humanity" this Easter holiday. Now I am no theologian, but I am Christian enough to know that the entire Easter holiday is predicated on mankind's sins. The incarnation and the resurrection were to redeem man of his sins, not to celebrate his "spirit". I suspect that if Obama could 'reform' religion, he would do that too to suit his naive humanism.

Furthermore he hinted at a very troubling idea of what Americans seek:
"As Americans, and as human beings, we seek not only the security, but the sense of dignity, the sense of community, that work confers."
No mention of liberty, or even religious liberty. Sadly, this is all nothing new.

"He who would trade liberty for some temporary security, deserves neither liberty nor security." - Ben Franklin

Did Fr. Ted get Healthcare Passed?

2010-03-30T10:39:00.002-04:00

This rumor is slowly popping up around the internet.

According to a March 22 AP article on the passage of Obamacare:

"A knowledgeable Democratic official said that Pelosi, a Roman Catholic, asked the Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, president emeritus of Notre Dame and frequent appointee to presidential commissions, to call Rep. Joe Donnelly of Indiana on behalf of the legislation. In the end, Donnelly voted yes."

The LA Times followed the next day by beginning its story over healthcare's passage with the same antidote:

"In the tense hours Sunday leading up to the House vote on a historic healthcare bill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took time to call the former president of Notre Dame, Father Theodore Hesburgh.

The House Democrats' leader was not seeking spiritual guidance. What she wanted was Hesburgh to help lock up the vote of Rep. Joe Donnelly, a Democrat from South Bend, Ind., who was wavering over the abortion issue.

Donnelly ultimately pressed the "yes" button late Sunday night."

Finally, on March 26, the South Bend Tribune reported the same story with additional reporting from Donnelly's press secretary.

I'm sure we can all appreciate what Fr. Ted has done for this country between setting Catholic Universities apart from what makes Catholicism so special in 1967 and now socializing 1/6 of our economy and securing a meaningless executive order protecting the life of the unborn.

Looks like Fr. Jenkins will have to go on the March for Life again just to make up for this one.

h/t: LifeSiteNews.com

Money is the root of all evil...

2010-03-29T11:07:00.005-04:00

Following the mind-boggling healthcare votes of the "Stupak-11", earmark requests for the 2011 Fiscal Year were released. The reports reveal that the eleven requested earmarks in the billions range. See here for more details....

Executive Order Ceremony

2010-03-25T12:21:00.004-04:00

President Obama hosted a small ceremony to celebrate the buying of pro-life democrats...er...the signing of the Executive Order "enshrining" the Hyde Amendment. Of course, by enshrining, it is merely meant leaving the door open to any President or Judge to change it. Oh well.

Here's a list of those bought off...er...invited:

Senator Bob Casey
Representative Bart Stupak
Representative Kathy Dahlkemper
Representative Marcy Kaptur
Representative Nick Rahall
Representative Jerry Costello
Representative Chris Carney
Representative Steve Driehaus
Representative Charlie Wilson
Representative Jim Oberstar
Representative Alan Mollohan
Representative Brad Ellsworth
Representative Henry Cuellar
Representative Mike Doyle

Most interestingly, in my opinion, is Notre Dame's own, and South Bend's representative, Joe Donnelly. Donnelly was a core member of Stupak's "pro-life Democrats" who swung his vote following Obama's promise to sign the Executive Order. Me thinks Joe fears for his ass on this one.

Source: Time and liberal blog firedoglake.

How A Bill Gets Made into Law

2010-03-22T09:10:00.002-04:00

Except instead of some folks back home calling their congressmen, it was a select minority promoting a liberal agenda as opposed to the majority of this country.

And except instead of this bill dieing in committee, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid ensured that allotments and arm-wrestling were used to ensure that the bare minimums were passed in both the House and Senate.

More coverage of the way this bill became law.

Abortion and Obamacare

2010-03-11T10:11:00.002-05:00

As Obamacare continues to flounder like a fish pulled onto dry land, it's important to see the issue that will ultimately (and hopefully IMO) kill this baby, pun intended. Abortion is the main issue (although increasing our deficit and creating a permanent welfare state should also be concerns, unless your the Democratic party and hope to maintain voter, sorry, welfare rolls).

Some claim the Senate bill doesn't actually provide abortion coverage, but instead places an optional opportunity that allows people to voluntarily join plans under which abortion can be covered. This is true, whereas the Stupak amendment does not allow this option in the House's version of the plan.

However, it's important to note that the issue those who are against abortion and against healthcare have is that money would be directed towards abortion. And it would be. Quibbling over whether its optional or not pushes the argument away from where it actually rests. My biggest problem with "Obamacare" as based on the Senate model is that federal funds (money contributed by taxpayers) could go towards a procedure that kills a life. End of story.

For more coverage on this issue and whether health care reform is actually dead, here are some stories from the past week:

An article on the Massachusetts Health Care reform signed by Mitt Romney, which does cover abortions.

An article or two on Stupak and his 10-12 members which could derail HCR.

And finally, failing a vote, whether the House can use legislative rules to bypass a vote actually on HCR and pull the wool over the public's eyes.

The Observer Messes Up Again

2010-03-09T12:00:00.003-05:00

The Notre Dame community is on Spring Break this week and for the most part, that means we here at the Rover are too. However, with the Observer folksies messing up and yet more media attention being bestowed on that venerable publication, its hard not to put something out there.

Quick summary. Professor Charles Rice has published a biweekly column in the Observer for over fifteen years. He chooses his own topics, submits them, and they are edited by the Observer (usually for length). Professor Rice's latest column (which I have not yet read) apparently dealt with the Church's position on homosexuality. However this didn't match with the Observer's interpretation of that stance, oh and it ran shorter than his earlier columns but was still too long. So they said, "Thanks, but no thanks."

Thus we see here several things:
1. The new staff apparently wanted to emulate the last board in creating controversy as soon as possible.
2. The new staff doesn't want to seem to mean to homosexuals (especially after supporting in an editorial the addition of this group to the discrimination clause at Notre Dame).
3. The new staff would rather seem mean to conservative, Catholic professors who are known throughout the US than offend homosexuals by publishing his mean words.

At-a-boys all around. Please use my $20 yearly subscription, as included in my tuition, to have a great Observer party once we all come back from break. Remember, the only good bias is your own. ;)

More coverage here and here:
Bill Dempsey in The Washington Times
Mike Adams online at Townhall

Hooray for Obama (Almost)

2010-03-03T12:00:00.004-05:00

Despite the many ridiculous things Obama has done in the past year, he does something right every so often. While it may just be motivated by politics, his recent letter to congress about health care reform is a step in the right direction. This article by the Huffington Post explains

"[H]e called for four distinct Republican proposals to be considered in the final package:

1. Engaging "medical professionals to conduct random undercover investigations of health care providers that receive reimbursements from Medicare, Medicaid, and other Federal programs."

2. An additional $50 million in funding to states "for demonstrations of alternatives to resolving medical malpractice disputes, including health courts."

3. Additional funds for Medicaid reimbursements to doctors to correct the problem that those reimbursements are currently "inadequate in many states."

4. An expansion of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs)."

If congress takes these changes seriously, I think we would have a good bill on our hands that I would be excited to see pass. Let's hope congress can make it work.

Unfortunately, I assume that reconciliation will have to fail first because these seem like big changes and congress may not go for them unless they have to.

I had to add the "almost" because I just realized that the senate bill does not have the prohibition on abortion funding. But I think we can still celebrate because (unless pro-life democrats change their minds) a bill without this limitation can't even garner enough democratic support in the house.

Incentives, Incentives, Incentives

2010-02-22T17:08:00.000-05:00

Our loyal readers may have noticed a recent increase in the amount of posting to the blog. The reason is simple; our wise conservative leadership has put an incentive program in place for posting. Nothing big, but now I have a real reason to post.

The heathcare industry suffers from the same ailment as the lackluster blog of last semester – no incentives to do good. In fact, the system incentivizes bad behavior. If you insurance covers something that isn’t worth the cost but may benefit you, it is in your interest to go for the extra test (or whatever) because you don’t pay the cost. To be fair, this is a problem with the mechanisms of insurance.

The troubling part is how few politicians grasp this idea of incentivizing good behavior.

Health savings accounts are tremendous cost savers. They combine catastrophic insurance with a savings account which is funded by pre-tax earnings and can only be used to healthcare. Users of these accounts suddenly care whether or not they receive the generic or expensive drug. People care about keeping their costs low. There is an incentive to not spend more money than one needs to on health (namely, you can put less money in your account next year).

Any government plan is the worst form of incentivizing possible. Say you ask for a $300,000 procedure on a government plan. With ~300 million people, that would only cost you one tenth of one cent because your cost is distributed across all taxpayers. Thankfully the public option seems to be off the table.

Private industries have a great incentive to run things efficiently (more earnings). Every person or corporation is just going to try to maximize their gain in the current system. Our high costs of healthcare, then, are not a problem with the insurers but a problem with the system they operate under.

The current system incentivizes employer based healthcare by allowing it to be purchases with pre-tax earnings. (Thankfully health savings accounts are a step in addressing this problem) This is an awful incentive because it means the unemployed become uninsured; it removes purchasing power from individuals; it removes choice of insurance from individuals, and lessens competition among plans.

There are further examples of bad incentives which need to be addressed (e.g. since hospitals can charge each insurer different prices for the same procedure, large providers have a monopoly on the industry because of the leverage they have negotiating with hospitals) but the moral of the story is we need to change the current incentives we have in place. And for a stunner of a conclusion, I have some hope that the current plans will do that (mostly because they will set up insurance exchanges and will not use a public option).

Let’s hope the republicans don’t forget about the good things in healthcare reform.

Rover Film Review: Shutter Island

2010-02-22T00:16:00.003-05:00

Shutter Island

Directed By: Martin Scorsese (The Departed, Casino, Goodfellas)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed, Blood Diamond)
Mark Ruffalo (Zodiac, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
Sir Ben Kingsley (Suspect Zero, Gandhi)

Rating:Rated R for disturbing violent content, language and some nudity.
Running Time: 138 minutes.

Rotten Tomatoes: 66%

Review:
Martin Scorsese returns cinema to an older time in the genre-crossing, well-acted, and superbly paced Shutter Island. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Federal Marshal, Teddy Daniels, a man with a dark past sent to a maximum-security insane asylum to investigate the disappearance of dangerous patient. His acting has clearly reached a zenith - as he plays a strong Boston official one minute and a man besieged by his past the next.

Once on the island - a wonderfully depicted and shot hellhole - he joins forces with his new partner, Chuck (an equally good Mark Ruffalo) as they seek to uncover the truth, even as Dr. Cawley (Sir Ben Kingsley) alternatively helps and hinders their efforts. As they deal with the darkness of the human mind, the darkness of nature erupts stranding them in a hurricane on the island.

The film is not fast and yet extremely riveting. It shines a flashlight beam of light on the dark questions of insanity, crime and punishment, reality, and the problem of evil. Teddy is racing against time, against those on the island, and most importantly, himself, in seeking to uncover the truth of what is happening on Shutter Island. Scorsese does throw open the shutters for the audience as the film reaches its climax, exposing the truth, but leaving the philosophical questions to linger. As the last line of the film goes: "Is it better to live as a monster or die a good man?"

Scorsese refuses to reveal his answer, but moviegoers are left with a satisfying film which pays homage to the great films of the past. While neither too scary nor too dull, the film has one or two rough scenes and violence permeates the island (which is home of course to the criminally insane). The score lifts the audience up and carries along with the narrative setting the mood perfectly. All in all a superb film which should garner serious attention come next year's Academy Awards.

A Different Approach to Gay Marriage

2010-02-15T11:03:00.005-05:00

So many of my friends recently joined facebook groups advocating that same sex marriage become legal in the US. This really makes me wonder. Why are progressives so eager to allow homosexuals to share in a conservative, religious tradition? We all know the story - marriage is about a man and women becoming one flesh, it is about a couple being open to the gift of life, etc..

I think the answer is just an unfortunate overuse of the term marriage. The fact that you can get wasted run off with a prostitute to a chapel and get 'married' in Vegas is a testament to this blatant overuse of the word.

What frustrates me about conservatives is the lack of outrage over such sham heterosexual marriages. Proposition 8 in California should have addressed all marriages outside of a Church. Instead it was provincial (only concerned with homosexuals) and hypocritical (promising to defend the 'sanctity of marriage' while not addressing the far greater number of sham heterosexual marriages).

The approach that I really hope progressives will take is to abandon the use of the word marriage. With such great outrage across the country, I am amazed they have not yet began using a different word.

The US Government should get out of the marriage business entirely. If someone wants the religious connotation and traditional expectations of a married relationship they can be married in a Church. Every other couple, homosexual or heterosexual, married or unmarried can notify the government of their intent to form a civil-union. All legal matters can depend on the status of a civil union (e.g. healthcare benefits for spouses) to prevent discrimination.

I predict that conservatives would not only tolerate this recognition of civil unions but they would embrace it as it would be a step towards restoring the sanctity of marriage.

A New Theodicy: What If Ivan Karamazov Was Right?

2010-02-10T23:39:00.002-05:00

After watching a special on E on the 15 most horrific acts of violence (e.g. Columbine and Virginia Tech), I was absolutely disgusted. I’m quite familiar with the popular theodicy’s (explanations of evil in a world where an all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-good being exists) but they fell flat on their face. I was reminded of the speech by Ivan in the Brothers Karamazov.

Ivan, the philosophical foil to his pious brother Alyosha, recounts many horrific events that have taken place. He is mostly concerned with the tremendous suffering of innocent children. He laments to his brother Alyosha, “Listen: if everyone must suffer, in order to buy eternal harmony with their suffering, pray tell me what have children got to do with it? It’s quite incomprehensible why they should have to suffer, and why they should buy harmony with their suffering."

Ivan goes on to proclaim that he wants nothing to do with a world where such suffering exists, even if the suffering is somehow needed. He proclaims, “Besides, too high a price is asked for harmony; it's beyond our means to pay so much to enter on it. And so I hasten to give back my entrance ticket, and if I am an honest man I am bound to give it back as soon as possible. And that I am doing. It's not God that I don't accept, Alyosha, only I most respectfully return him the ticket.”

Ivan notably does not proclaim that God doesn’t exist. Nor does Ivan attack God’s omniscience, omnibenevolence, or omnipotence. Having read this several times, I never picked up on the fact that Ivan doesn’t reject God. Ivan only rejects the world he is part of. This is truly odd.

But what if Ivan was right? What if that’s exactly the point?

I always viewed Ivan as one who copped-out. Alyosha seeks to love his neighbor and to carry on in spite of such evil in the world. Ivan just wants to quit. Noble? Maybe. Courageous? Hardly.

The more I think about it, the more I think Ivan’s act of rebellion is the correct path. We should be horrified by such violence, and we should want no part of it.

The key to siding with Ivan is in understanding what it means to return one’s ticket. Ivan doesn’t want to play by the rules of this world which allow such evil. The rule of this world which allows such evil is the rule of free will.

God gives us free will. When we direct our free will away from God’s will, we sin and create evil. Freedom then is actually pretty awful. The only way to ensure that there is no evil is to have all beings obedient to God’s will. But surely this is incompatible with free will.

The only way, then, to return one’s ticket would be to surrender one’s freedom and become obedient to God’s will.

Perhaps this is the whole point of evil and suffering. We are to learn that obedience is to be cherished over freedom, so we can freely choose to be obedient to God.

Imagine a world where God creates free beings in paradise. Why would the beings choose to serve God? Who among you would return your freedom to God? But, unless you return your freedom for obedience, you will inevitably turn away from God and do evil (for if you follow God’s will 100% of the time, you are being obedient and you are not free).

Now instead imagine that God allows these beings to see the horrific evils which their freedom creates. Perhaps then the beings will return their freedom and choose obedience to God.

This was a recent epiphany, so I apologize for it being relatively unformed at this point. I expect to think extensively about this in the next few days. Perhaps I can further refine my thoughts then.

Clearly "pro-choice" is an egregious misnomer

2010-01-26T13:54:00.000-05:00

Clearly "pro-choice" is an egregious misnomer.

The National Organization for Women and the Feminist Majority apparently want women to know of only one choice. I'd be offended even if I was a pro-choice feminist. Aren't women capable of hearing both sides and then making an informed decision?

Click here for the story

Hitler finds out the MA senate seat was lost

2010-01-22T15:45:00.002-05:00

Because we all need a little humor in our lives.

Catholics can still be doctors!

2010-01-20T00:26:00.002-05:00

Thankfully Martha Coakley was defeated today in MA. I say thankfully for many reasons but chief among them is her contention that Catholics should not work in emergency rooms. Take a listen to the clip (by clicking the title).

Rover Film Review: Sherlock Holmes

2010-01-07T15:26:00.004-05:00

Sherlock Holmes

Directed By: Guy Ritchie (Snatch, Lock,Stock and Two Smoking Barrels)
Starring: Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder, Ironman)
Jude Law (The Holiday, Closer)
Rachel McAdams (Mean Girls, The Notebook)
Mark Strong (Young Victoria, Body of Lies)

Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some startling images and a scene of suggestive material.
Running Time: 128 mins.

Rotten Tomatoes: 69%

Review:
Guy Ritchie delivers an exciting and fast-paced modern retelling of Sir Arthur Doyle's classic stories in Sherlock Holmes. Holmes ( Robert Downey Jr. ) and Watson (Jude Law ) have been turned into full-fledged action heroes, all retaining their intellect. Their relationship dominates the film providing humor and depicting strong friendship as each adjusts to the women in their life.

The plot, confusing and fast-paced as all of Ritchie's films must be, focuses on their efforts at stopping the takeover of England and the world by the devil-worshiping Lord Blackwood ( Mark Strong ). The two navigate through a crowded, dirty turn-of-the-century London seeking clues and answers as they race against time. The camera work and art is excellent, especially in rendering an under-construction London Bridge.

Sherlock Holmes is excellent fun, especially for those of a slightly older age. The good guys win, the bad guy gets his just desserts, and the sequel is set up. An excellent action film that, although, failing to measure up to Ritchie's earlier masterpieces (Snatch and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels), delivers the director to a wider audience. Downey continues his career-resurgence showcasing excellent acting and a great capacity for accents. Law also serves as a great side-kick, more than managing to hold his own, while delivering one of his more lively roles.

For those looking for an above-average movie that delivers excitement and good acting, Ritchie delivers.

4/5

Rover Film Review: Avatar

2009-12-31T09:26:00.006-05:00

Avatar

Directed By: James Cameron (Titanic, True Lies, Terminator)
Starring: Sam Worthington (Terminator Salvation)
Zoe Saldana (Guess Who, Star Trek)
Sigourney Weaver (Baby Mama, Alien)
Stephen Lang (Gettysburg, Public Enemies)

Rating: PG-13 (intense epic battle sequences and warfare, sensuality, language and some smoking).
Running Time: 162 mins.

Rotten Tomatoes: 83%

Review:
Imagine if you had the best painter in the world, someone who could invoke emotions with his art unlike anyone else in the history of mankind. And you've gotten him to illustrate a book for you. Exciting prospect, right? Just one issue, the book is "See Spot Run". That's James Camerons's Avatar .

I saw this movie in 3-D and would recommend it in that medium as well as IMAX if you can. It's beautiful, the planet Pandora comes to life in vivid colors, the insects feel real, and, if the alien creatures looked like anything remotely terrestrial, the film would feel more life-like than any other production in history. Even with the strange creatures, one can imagine an entirely new ecosystem inhabiting a strange and beautiful world.

This realistic environment is shown in the midst of banal plot which turns Avatar into Dancing with Alien Pocahontas. Marine Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) comes to Pandora, intergrates with aliens under the tutelage of scientist Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) with a recon mission ordered by his commander ( Stephen Lang ). He becomes part of the alien tribe, falls for the girl ( Zoe Saldana ), and rallies them to defeat the evil humans bent on destroying them and their peaceful way of life.

Besides the heavy-handed liberal agenda which permeates the film, Avatar seems like a retread of so many other films, it drags unmercifully on and on for over two and half hours. The stereotype of the evil corporation, the gun-ho marine, and the peaceful indigenous are central to the plot, draining any originality from the story. In the end, James Cameron gives us a beautiful piece of art, but the story fails to live up to the visuals.

We have a film worthy of being seen in the theaters, but unwatchable a second time, in my opinion. I say this as the Avatar has now grossed 600 million dollars world-wide, so maybe I'm wrong. Regardless, I hope that one day this same technology can be applied to a script and story that more fully fulfills the promise of the beautiful artwork and imaginative production James Cameron has brought to the screen after nearly ten years.

5/5(visual) + 2/5 (story) = 3.5/5.

Rover Film Review: Up in the Air

2009-12-31T08:56:00.004-05:00

Up in the Air

Directed By: Jason Reitman (Juno, Thank You for Smoking)
Starring: George Clooney (O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Solaris)
Vera Farmiga (The Departed, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas)
Anna Kendrick (Twilight, New Moon)

Rating: R (Language and some sexual content.)
Running Time: 109 Minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 89%

Review:
Jason Reitman's Up in the Air is a quiet movie. The sounds are those of conversation, quiet hotels, and plane flights. Ultimately, it conveys a good message but one in a film that is not for everyone.

Ryan Bingham ( George Clooney ) fires people for a living. He's constantly on the move and unconnected to his 'home', his family, anyone. Over the course of the film, he encounters two people, Alex Goran (Vera Farmiga) and Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) who challenge his smug detachment from humanity.

The film ends on a sad note, perhaps, and continues one major twist near the end, but ultimately provides some moral fiber. Bingham progresses from a selfish, narcissistic traveler to a relatively decent human being. The audience is lead towards concepts of what and who really matters in one's life. In the end, the human spirit of community is portrayed successfully.

Overall, it's an excellent film, with great acting and directing. However, for those expecting a Michael Bay or, even, Michael Mann film - one filled with action, excitement, explosions or even steady dialogue - Up in the Air will be a disappointment. For those wanting a first-class ride, Jason Reitman doesn't disappoint, building upon his excellent Juno and Thank You for Smoking.

4/5

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-26T15:20:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas to all of our readers and supporters!

Bias

2009-12-19T14:00:00.002-05:00

An amazingly biased article on abortion and the health care bill can be found here: http://apnews.myway.com/article/20091219/D9CMCH600.html.

Wow.

Top 5 Albums of the Year

2009-12-17T14:30:00.009-05:00

IMO, here are the Top Five Albums of the Year (2009):

5. Kid Cudi: "Man on the Moon"

A great hip-hop album from a rising star. The flow is great with largely mature, thoughtful lyrics. Beats are fun and fresh, while guest appearances don't overwhelm but add just the right spice.

Sample Track:"Make Her Say" ft. Kanye West and Common
For fans of: Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, Common, Lady GaGa.

4. Great Northern: "Remind Me Where the Light Is"

The second album from one of my new favorite bands. Great Northern combines female and male vocals for uplifting, wintry-sounding songs that evoke emotional responses. A great soft rock album and excellent follow-up to their superb 2007 debut.

Sample Track:"Story"
For fans of: Snow Patrol and Coldplay.

3. Jay-Z: "The Blueprint 3"

Hova returns with his best album since his "retirement". The Blueprint 3 balances everything, leading to one of the 25 greatest Hip Hop albums of all time. It showcases everything from club favorites to reflections on growing old.

Sample Track: "Empire State of Mind"
For fans of: Rihanna, Kanye West, and Nas.

2. The Very Best: "Warm Heart of Africa"

Every year an artist bursts onto the scene evoking new adoration and appreciation for what music can and should be. Last year, I especially liked Vampire Weekend and MGMT. This year, The Very Best opened up music to me. The combination of excellent production, worldly flavor, and upbeat songs creates unbridled emotion and a general feeling of buoyancy - all while being wholly original. Do yourself a favor and at least sample what this band has to offer.

Sample Track: "Julia"
For fans of: Vampire Weekend, M.I.A., and Amadou & Mariam.

1. Animal Collective - "Merriweather Post Pavilion"

An album that came out 3 weeks into the new year, Merriweather Post Pavilion remains the best of the year. It flows from track to track creating a landscape of images in your mind through the power of beautiful and complex lyrics fused with amazing instrumentation. Animal Collective's follow-up EP - "Fall Be Kind" - follows and the two serve as an example of what music should be in the tradition of a complete album. While nearly impossible to distinguish what the best track is, as the entire piece should be taken in as a whole, "My Girls" and "Lion in a Coma" stand out for me.

Sample Track: "My Girls"
For fans of: Grizzly Bear, Incubus, good music.

Honorable mention:
(in no particular order)
Grizzly Bear - "Veckatimest"
30 Seconds to Mars - "This Is War"
Karen O and the Kids - "Where the Wild Things Are Soundtrack"
Kasabian - "The West Rider Pauper Lunatic Asylum"
Editors - "In This Light on this Evening"
Decemberists - "The Hazards of Love"
Andrew Bird - "Noble Beast"
Wolfmother - "Cosmic Egg"
Eskimo Joe - "Inshalla"
Metric - "Fantasies"

Conscience Clauses

2009-12-13T15:28:00.001-05:00

There's an excellent piece in the newest Rover regarding the importance of conscience clauses for our nation especially as we debate new health care legislation.

Following up is this excellent piece which provides an examination of the current state of such clauses and their practical import in today's health care world.

New American Hero?

2009-12-08T12:22:00.004-05:00

Congressional Candidate Lieutenant Colonel Allen West
Let's hope he wins

Fun Fact

2009-12-01T01:09:00.005-05:00

In light of Charlie Weis' buyout, it's interesting to note what 18 million dollars get's you these days around here.

It would give 90 kids a free Notre Dame education.

Or buy every undergraduate football tickets for 9 years.

Or lower every student's tuition by $1615.

Or fund 1/7 of the Spirit Campaign's goals for Student Life (4 new dorms and a new Student Center).

Or provide nearly 1/5 of the requested contributions for the Spirit Campaign's goals for Athletic Renovations.

Or purchase 16,822,429 Junior Whoppers (with tax) at the LaFortune Burger King.

Rover Film Review: The Blind Side

2009-11-27T22:29:00.004-05:00

The Blind Side

Directed By: John Lee Hancock (The Rookie)
Starring: Sandra Bullock (lots of things)
Tim McGraw (Friday Night Lights, Four Christmases)
Quinton Aaron (Be Kind Rewind)

Rating: PG-13 for one scene involving brief violence, drug and sexual references.
Running Time: 128 min.

Rotten Tomatoes: 73%

Review:
Based upon the 2006 book by Michael Lewis, The Blind Side highlights the origins of current NFLer Michael Oher. If you're looking for a film that details the Christian spirit, while proving that anyone can overcome long odds with the right support, this film is for you.

Michael ( Quinton Aaron ) arises from a dysfunctional home torn apart by violence and drugs in the project. A wealthy Taco Bell franchisee ( Tim McGraw ) and his strong Southern wife ( Sandra Bullock ) take the orphan in, clothe him, feed him, shelter him, and raise him.

Several montages follow, with some memorable cameos by former and current SEC coaches (including Notre Dame's own Lou Holtz), depicting the development of this young man from the ghetto to the top of the recruiting lists. He decides on Ole Miss, following in his new family's foot-steps, but not without some trouble along the way.

The film follows the plot of so many other movies and "true-life stories" in depicting the triumph of one over long odds. Although I was slightly bothered by the negative portrayal of every black person except Oher, in the end, the Christian message of charity and love triumphs over stereotypes (of which this film abounds). The movie is decent, although fans of the books might miss the analysis of the Left Tackle position that Lewis detailed.

A largely family friendly movie and one churning towards a nice box office return and Oscar buzz for Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side is a decent movie that follows the trajectory of so many other sports movies of the last years (including the director's own The Rookie)

3/5

Picture of the Day

2009-11-26T00:21:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving! From the Irish Rover

Bishops and Politics

2009-11-23T15:13:00.002-05:00

Not to make this a blog solely dedicated to health care, but...

This piece on Politico provides a nice, relatively unbiased account of Bishop's lobbying in the debate over health care.

Although it refuses to call out Rep. Kennedy as acting contrary to his religion as the reason for Bishop Tobin denying communion to him, the article is a nice overview. It highlights the Catholic Church's advocacy for withholding federal funding of abortions, support for a conscience clause, and appeal for coverage for all - legally and illegally - within the United States.

The Catholic Church is also highlighted as one of the largest providers of health care in the country right now - an important fact that should be remembered by Congress as they seek to reshape the country.

Your Second Homework Assignment...

2009-11-19T18:39:00.002-05:00

Following the bloated House bill, we now have an even larger Senate Health Care Bill. However, unlike the House bill which included the Stupak amendment barring the funding of abortions - the Senate version has no such provision.

The 2,074 page document would essentially leave the decision up to the Health and Human Service Secretary's discretion as to when abortion would qualify as part of the Federal Public Option.

The bill also states that one insurance plan must have abortion coverage and mandates taxpayers' funds be allocated for the procedure which ends the life of a child.

The bill also provides Louisiana with a two page definition validating an additional 100,000,000 dollars. In other words, Senate Leader Harry Reid is buying the vote and support of Senator Mary Landrieu.

Republican democracy is awesome! Especially when Senator's votes go for 100 million dollars and the people and House's will is ignored.

Production Night

2009-11-12T02:02:00.002-05:00

The clock is turning past 2am, and we still have three or four articles to edit, then the long process of placing and copy-editing begins.

As I reflect on the previous seven hours, Kathleen is clearly the driving force of tonight's issue. She tirelessly worked on almost 90% of our content making sure it was edited and sent to Brandon for placement. Brandon always works hard and late into the night ensuring that the Rover looks great and is sent to the printers. These are the people who give it all each Production night to ensure a quality product.

Atta-a-boys all around.

Catholic Advocacy Wrong?

2009-11-10T19:35:00.003-05:00

Democratic Representative Lynn Woolsey is calling for the IRS to investigate the Catholic Church's tax-exempt status following their advocacy calling for a ban on federal funding for abortions in the new health care bill.

The real money quote: “They seemed to dictate the finer points of the amendment, and managed to bully members of Congress to vote for added restrictions on a perfectly legal surgical procedure. And this political effort was subsidized by taxpayers, since the Council enjoys tax-exempt status.”

That's right, according to Rep. Woolsey, abortion is a surgical procedure. Babies have been so dehumanized, it's the equivalent of having a tumor removed. Wow.

More: http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/faith/2009/11/house_democrat_investigate_cat.html

Abortion and the Health Care Bill

2009-11-09T20:13:00.002-05:00

This past Saturday, the House passed a new Health Care Act extending coverage to 98% of Americans 220-215 (one Republican voted for the measure). Included in the final passage of the Bill was the so-called Stupak Amendment (named after Rep. Stupak (D) of Michigan). The amendment "not only prohibits abortion coverage in the public insurance option included in the House bill. It would also prevent private plans from offering coverage for abortion services if they accept people who are receiving government subsidies."

The amendment passed 240-194 [all 176 Republicans and 64 Democrats], however lawmakers already are moving to strip the amendment from the compromise version.

“I am confident that when it comes back from the conference committee that that language won't be there,” Wasserman Schultz said during an appearance on MSNBC. “And I think we're all going to be working very hard, particularly the pro-choice members, to make sure that's the case.” Wasserman Schultz is the Democratic Chief Deputy WHIP.

The Senate currently is considering its version of the health care bill, of which Joe Lieberman has stated he will not vote for if it kills the private insurance industry. If the Senate manages to pass a bill, the House version and Senate version would then be reconciled. It is here that the Stupak Amendment would be stripped or neutered.

Our work as Pro-Life Catholics is far from over.

An Excellent Piece

2009-11-03T18:53:00.003-05:00

My dad sent me this piece in the Weekly Standard and written by Charles Krauthammer. It's an interesting presentation of a theory in which Krauthammer ties together Obama's foreign and domestic policies so that it suggests the this "neoliberalism" seeks to weaken America purposely both here and abroad because we lack the moral right to be a hegemon, whether for good or bad.

All together an excellent piece.

Fox News

2009-11-02T13:53:00.002-05:00

Two issues I made an error in my editorial regarding whether Fox News was biased or not. I apologized for this error - I was more interested in using the marketing slogan "Fair and Balanced" than in actually calling out the cable news channel.

Anyway, as a follow up is this article. In essentially examines the Democrats who are working and have worked for what some perceive as the Republican dominated channel. Interesting reading to say the least.

A Homework Assignment

2009-10-29T15:06:00.003-04:00

Alright, as a college student I've had some pretty ridiculous reading assignments. One Theology class requiring 300 pages a week comes most significantly to mind. But this? This is ridiculous.

1990 pages in one week?

Well at least, all I'm going to have to do is check that this new health care legislation works, doesn't violate any morals, and actually saves money. Hope there's no pop quiz, Professor Pelosi.

Follow-Up

2009-10-27T18:18:00.000-04:00

In a follow-up to a Rover article in the last issue.: http://thehill.com//blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/64971-mich-democrat-pelosi-not-happy-with-me

Here is the text:

Mich. Democrat: Pelosi 'not happy with me'
By Bob Cusack - 10/27/09 01:30 PM ET

Rep. Bart Stupak said Speaker Pelosi is not pleased with his effort to change abortion-related provisions in the healthcare bill being crafted by the House.

During an interview on C-SPAN's "Washington Journal" show, Stupak (D-Mich.) said he is undeterred in trying to ensure that taxpayer dollars do not pay for abortions. Stupak, who opposes abortion rights, acknowledged that some in his party are upset with his public campaign to change the bill.

"The Speaker is not happy with me," Stupak said.

The Energy and Commerce subcommittee chairman said he has been working with Democratic leaders on a compromise, but they haven't been able to strike a deal. Stupak pointed out that he and Democratic leaders have a fundamental disagreement on whether health plans that receive subsidies from the government should be allowed to provide coverage options on abortions.

Stupak wants a vote on the House floor to strike the language, and predicts he would have the votes to pass such an amendment.

"This has been federal law since 1976," he said, noting that President Barack Obama has vowed not to allow healthcare reform to pay for abortions.

"We have to have a vote," he said.

If he doesn't get one, Stupak said he and as many as 39 other Democrats will vote no on a procedural motion to bring the health bill to the floor. A House vote on healthcare reform could be taken next week.

Stupak stressed he wants to vote for healthcare reform and is "still somewhat optimistic" that he will reach an accord with Democratic leaders.

However, the Michigan Democrat said he will not be backing down: "I'm comfortable with where I'm at. This is who I am. It's reflective of my district. If it costs me my seat, so be it."

A portion of the interview can be accessed here.The entire interview can be seen here.
Source:
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/64971-mich-democrat-pelosi-not-happy-with-me
The contents of this site are © 2009 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsisiary of News Communications, Inc.

Finishing Up Production

2009-10-09T01:59:00.001-04:00

Live Blogging - from production - it's almost 2am and we're wrapping up the new issue of the Irish Rover.

We're all tired, we're all busy, we're all ready to be done, but we're all dedicated. Dedicated to ensuring the University of Notre Dame remains committed to what makes this school so great - Jesus and the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church.

Should be done within an hour.

Good night, world.

Changes...

2009-09-29T21:41:00.001-04:00

Please be aware, that we here at the Irish Rover are working at some possible chances to the web-content of our fine publication.

Thank you for your patience.

-Kevin Donohue
Publisher

Support ND Football

2009-09-22T17:18:00.004-04:00

It's nice to sometimes make people aware of issues that aren't as divisive as some. As the college football season heats up, it appears that Notre Dame's own Jimmy Clausen is gaining recognition for his fantastic number so far. (Michael Floyd would too, except for his season-ending injury Saturday).

Clausen is currently 8th in ESPN's Heisman Watch. Support Jimmy by going to his fan-club website: www.jimmyheisman.com

Go Jimmy and GO IRISH!

PS Look for a new Rover issue coming out on Thursday.

There is no substitute

2009-09-11T21:55:00.003-04:00

I am currently watching the History Channel's "Remembering 9/11," uninterrupted by commercials. Even though the events of that day are well known to me, the video footage still leaves me numb.

It was just eight years ago. Eight years ago our nation was savagely attacked and thousands died. No one's forgotten it. Yet as I watched images from that day, and the emotions I felt that morning in my middle school library began to sweep over me again, I realized that I had forgotten it, or at least its significance and the response it elicited.

An attack like that occurring today seems unfathomable. But there on the screen was a reminder that it's anything but. I fear that as a nation we've already put 9/11 in the back of our collective memory. While we still pause to reflect on its anniversary, it doesn't hold nearly the same kind of power and meaning as it did just a few years ago.

Perhaps it's not too hard to see why. Today, 9/11/09, our president spoke, but not to remind us of why we're in Afghanistan or why combating terrorism abroad is essential for our national security. Instead, he promoted health care reform and the need for green jobs. Students in Minnesota assembled Energy Efficiency Outreach Bags instead of viewing footage from that fateful day. Others in Oklahoma pulled weeds and planted a garden. While these deeds are certainly a decent gesture, they completely fail to truly remind us of a tragedy that happened less than a decade ago and could happen again.

The eighth anniversary of 9/11 will probably be over by the time you read this. But the images and events of that day are still readily accessible, and just as relevant. I urge each and every one of you to take a couple minutes and simply watch. There is no substitute.

Rover Film Review: Inglourious Basterds

2009-09-07T19:19:00.005-04:00

Inglourious Basterds

Directed by: Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill)
Starring: Brad Pitt (Se7en, Fight Club, Troy), Melanie Laurent (First American Film), Christopher Waltz (First American Film), and Diane Kruger (Troy, National Treasure)

Rating: R for strong graphic violence, language and brief sexuality.
Running Time: 153 Minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 88%

Review:
Tarantino's highest-opening film to date, Inglourious Basterds returns the filmmaker back to the tight plots and extreme violence of his two best movies: 1992's Reservoir Dogs and 1994's Pulp Fiction. The film is extremely violent - especially in dealing with extreme knife-play. But unlike, the Kill Bill duo, the violence here serves a purpose - providing context and brutality in a (semi-)realistic World War 2 setting.

The story opens "once upon a time in Nazi-occupied France" and introduces over the course of three short "chapters" to our three main story arcs: the Jew-hunting SS officer Col. Hans Landa (in an Oscar-worthy by German actor Christopher Waltz), the band of Jewish-American soldiers brutally hunting down Nazi's led by Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt), and the scheming, Jewish owner of a Parisian cinema (Melanie Laurent). The cinema is set to place host to the Nazi high-command as it celebrates the opening of a new propaganda piece.

What follows is an excellently written, sometimes brutal, always well-acted movie that stretches a tad too long in the middle, but delivers an excellent ending. The protagonists race to kill (or in Landa's case defend) Hitler and the high command as the plot evolves over three days. The movie is excellent because it delivers what Tarantino is expected to deliver: great lines, cultural reference, entertainment, and violence; while adding the maturity of an older film-maker in regards to camera work and (in general) pacing. It appears that the singular focus on gore that Tarantino has shown in the last ten years has finally and thankfully been pushed aside for a return to being one of the (if not the) best director/writers in Hollywood today.

*Note the violence is brutal - this movie, like all in the Tarantino canon, is not for the faint of heart.

4.25/5

ObamaMania

2009-09-06T22:19:00.006-04:00

Book Review: What Happened to Notre Dame?

2009-09-04T02:03:00.005-04:00

Notre Dame professor emeritus of law Charlie Rice is releasing his latest book, "What Happened to Notre Dame?," this month (with Forward written by Notre Dame professor emeritus of philosophy Ralph McInerny and Introduction written by Notre Dame professor of philosophy, Alfred J. Fredosso). I recently have received a review copy of the book and thus have had a chance to look through its contents. Not only is the book very thorough in its examination of the seeming rise and fall of Notre Dame's Catholicity, but it also includes a keen dissection of the what led up to and took place surrounding the controversial 2009 Notre Dame commencement. The following is an excerpt from the publisher's synopsis...

... What Happened to Notre Dame? by Charles E. Rice, with a Preface by Ralph McInerny and Introduction by Alfred Freddoso – three of Notre Dame’s most distinguished scholars, who together have served the University 124 years – first recounts the details of Notre Dame’s honoring of President Obama. It then examines the succession of fall-back excuses offered by the Notre Dame President Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., and University publicists to justify Notre Dame’s defiance of the nation’s bishops and of Catholic teaching.

But Rice is not content with mere reportage. What Happened to Notre Dame? diagnoses the problem’s roots by first providing an overview of the Land O’Lakes Declaration, its inception and its aftermath, including the ways in which its false autonomy from the Church has led to an erosion of the Catholic identity of Notre Dame and other Catholic universities.

Then, it offers a cure. Christ, who is God, is the author of the divine law and the natural law. The book presents reasons why an acknowledged interpreter of these laws is necessary, and why that interpreter has to be the Pope exercising the
Magisterium, or teaching authority of the Church. And it shows why it is so important that we have such a moral interpreter for all citizens and not just for Catholics. The alternative is what Pope Benedict XVI calls the “dictatorship of relativism,” which the book analyzes. Even for those who do not share the Catholic faith, our reason leads us to conclude that the natural law is the only moral code that makes entire sense and points to the conclusion that the Vicar of Christ is uniquely suited to give authoritative interpretation to that law.

In the final chapter Rice shows why great good can come out of Notre Dame’s blunder in rendering its highest honors to such an implacable foe. Notre Dame got itself into such a mess because it attempted to be Catholic without the Church and
ended up defying the Church and disgracing itself. But good can result from the lesson here that roll-your-own morality is no more tenable than roll-your-own Catholicism.

Rice shows why what happened to Notre Dame is symptomatic of what’s happening in other Catholic colleges, indeed in colleges with non-Catholic religious affiliations. He shows how the abandonment of principle at the college level spills over tothe general culture, with devastating effect, as religious standards get pushed out of the public square. And, finally, he shows why people who have never seen the Golden Dome, never rooted for the Fighting Irish, and never graced a Catholic Church, also have a stake in what happened to Notre Dame...

(St. Augustine's Press, 224 pages, paperbound, $15.00; ISBN-13: 978-1-58731-920-4; ISBN-10: 1-58731-920-9; publication date: September 2009)

This book can be found at the following books sellers:

Barnes and Noble
Amazon.com
Books-A-Million

Go go go go go!

2009-08-31T19:32:00.003-04:00

Ever wonder what it's like to be an armadillo?
Or a cow? Wolf?
Well, there you go.

(h/t The Daily Dish.)

The Rover Film Review: Moon

2009-08-31T18:35:00.004-04:00

Moon

Moon
Director: Duncan Jones (Whistle)
Starring: Sam Rockwell (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; Choke) and Kevin Spacey (Se7en, American Beauty, etc.)
Rated: R for Language
Run Time: 97 Minutes

Rotten Tomatoes: 90%

Moon is a rare and unique film featuring a thought-provoking plot, superb acting, and an excellent soundtrack. Without giving too much away, Sam Rockwell plays Sam Bell, an engineer working alone (except for the computer GERTY [voiced by Kevin Spacey] )mining resources on the moon. Sam is nearing the end of his three year contract, when an accident suddenly jolts Sam, and the plot, widely away from expectations.

What follows is an interesting examination of what it means to be human.

WARNING SPOILERS

Sam is a clone - the last in a long line of beings created to fulfill a three year lifespan and then seemingly destroyed to be replaced by the next. Memory implants of the original Sam Bell are the only comfort these clones have - keeping their existence hidden even from themselves.

Moon, while utilizing such well-known Hollywood devices as the evil-corporation, manages to break free from convention and deliver an examination of what it means to be human. Is GERTY human? Are the clones? The movie doesn't answer these questions - just proposes them. I would highly recommend this film and consider it the best of the year so far. Duncan Jones, up to now most known for being David Bowie's son, clearly has an eye for issues that reach into humanity - serving as the story creator, a writer, and a director. The film is in limited release and I also thank the fine people at DPAC for bringing this film to campus.

5/5

The Passing of Ted Kennedy

2009-08-30T20:26:00.003-04:00

There is an excellent appraisal of Ted Kennedy as a Catholic here.

I believe the most interesting part of this great editorial is the second-to-last paragraph:

"This also marks the passing of a certain type of cultural Catholicism — Northeast, Irish and increasingly Italian, concerned with obtaining political power while maintaining an identification with the Church, yet happy to relinquish the substance of the faith if it gets in the way. Indeed, today such cultural Catholics have dispensed even with the identity aspect and are often outright hostile to the Church of their baptism."

Please read the entire thing.

D'Arcy in America

2009-08-25T14:59:00.004-04:00

In America Magazine's August 31st issue, Archbishop John Quinn (archbishop emeritus of San Francisco) looked back on the controversy surrounding Notre Dame's 2009 Commencement invitation/honor to President Obama. As an editor's note specifies, "Archbishop Quinn originally prepared these observations for consideration at the June meeting of the American bishops. Circumstances did not make that possible at the time. He has submitted them to America as a contribution to the debate on the role of bishops in dealing with public issues." Archbishop Quinn reviews some of the pros and cons of the Church's public involvement in those matters, specifically spelling out a few ways in which her involvement might lead people astray.

In this same issue of America, Fort Wayne-South Bend's bishop, Bishop John M. D'Arcy, offers his "pastoral reflection on the controversy at Notre Dame." The bishop explains what he believes to be a bishop's responsibility to all members of his diocese. Further, and more importantly, D'Arcy raises questions about the silence of ND's board of trustees during the whole affair, as well as respectfully poses three striking questions to all Catholic universities:

[1] "Do you consider it a responsibility...to give witness to the Catholic faith in all its fullness?"
[2] "What is your relationship to the church and, specifically, to the local bishop and his pastoral authority as defined by the Second Vatican Council?"
[3] "Where will the great Catholic universities search for a guiding light in the years ahead? Will it be the Land O’Lakes Statement or Ex Corde Ecclesiae?"

Both articles are well worth while to read.

New Layout

2009-08-21T22:01:00.003-04:00

You may have noticed a new color scheme to the Irish Rover blog. As we begin Volume VII of the Rover we will switch to this new scheme for our print edition. Additionally, we have made slight changes to our layout and the type of paper on which the Rover is printed. We hope everyone enjoys these updates.

Nuns for Planned Parenthood?

2009-08-13T20:05:00.000-04:00

In a time when a proposed healthcare overhaul will use taxpayer funds for abortions (as Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-CA, asserted- see http://www.lifenews.com/nat5349.html), Catholics must do all they can to present a united front on life issues. Those Catholics who describe themselves as faithful while supporting pro-abortion leaders or laws pose the greatest threat to such cooperation.

According to an article on The Catholic Key blog, the National Catholic Coalition of American Nuns has endorsed the "Preventing Unintended Pregnancies, Reducing the Need for Abortion and Supporting Parents Act." Sponsored by former pro-life Representative Tim Ryan (D-OH) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), the bill would significantly increase access to birth control while masquerading as a "common ground" approach to the feud over abortion. The USCCB Pro-life Office has appropriately dubbed it the "Planned Parenthood Economic Stimulus Package of 2009."

Sister Simone Campbell, Sister of Social Service and the executive director of Network, a Catholic social justice lobbying group, said of the bill, "This legislation gives me hope that we can finally begin to move beyond using pregnancy as a political wedge issue and to focus instead on providing women and families with the resources they need for healthy pregnancies and babies...It is time to work together to eliminate political posturing on this issue.”

To be a nun is to be a bride of Christ. I'd be interested in hearing Sister Campbell repeat those words when she comes face to face with her husband.

Article reference: http://catholickey.blogspot.com/2009/08/prominent-catholic-sister-endorses.html

Shedding Light on Healthcare

2009-08-13T14:51:00.003-04:00

To those of you who are, like me, woefully uninformed about the intricacies of federal legislation, this article may be of valuable assistance.

James Capretta is a fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, home to the famed George Weigel. He is also a Fightin' Irish alum (with a stopover at Duke, but "blessed are the merciful"). His son, Tom, is a rising Senior, former Manorite, and, reportedly, a ROTC machine.

On to the article:

Obamacare: It's Even Worse Than You Think

Love and Marriage

2009-08-12T23:33:00.005-04:00

We question our culture's attitude towards sex -- but how many of us have thought through the way in which our society views marriage? There's a lot more to question besides easy divorces, argues this piece.

The theology is off (speaking of covenants instead of sacraments), but the way it explores the general expectation that marriage happens when you're in your late 20s, financially stable, and fully emotionally independent makes the piece very much worth reading. A snippet:

"For all the heated talk and contested referendums about defending marriage against attempts to legally redefine it, the church has already ceded plenty of intellectual ground in its marriage-mindedness. Christian practical ethics about marriage—not the ones expounded on in books, but the ones we actually exhibit—have become a nebulous hodgepodge of pragmatic norms and romantic imperatives, few of which resemble anything biblical."

Reinventing Popes

2009-08-11T23:52:00.002-04:00

Double-posted to The DC Writeup:

Liberal American Catholics love to reinvent dead Popes. When John Paul II was alive, liberal Catholics ignored his teaching on a whole host of issues, from the all-male priesthood to liberation theology. But after Pope Benedict XVI’s election, they have attempted to contrast the suddenly “moderate” and “beloved” John Paul with his “conservative” and “hard-line” successor. John Paul is not the only one to be subject to this historical revisionism. Almost every Pope from Leo XIII to Paul VI has been recast to appear more or less liberal or conservative than he really was, so as to fit some leftist template of “liberal = good, traditionalist = bad.”

The principle is simple: Liberals despise Popes who oppose them and pretend to like Popes whom they can portray as supporting their agenda.

Liberal Catholics are now (at least momentarily) changing their tune on Pope Benedict to justify their support for the fiercely pro-choice Barack Obama. Though Josef Ratzinger was derided before and after his election with such epithets as “God’s Rottweiler,” “the Grand Inquisitor,” and “a Nazi” (no joke), his meeting with President Obama this month, along with his new encyclical Caritas in Veritate, are being hailed by the left as proof that the Church is over her silly fixation on abortion, and is now equally concerned with peace, “social justice™,” universal government health care, rainbows, ponies, and the Socialist Utopia.

Some context for those who don’t know what’s going on with the Catholic Church in America would be useful. The Church in the U.S. has been rocked by two closely-related events: the 2008 election and the University of Notre Dame’s 2009 commencement address by President Obama.

An emerging new Catholic Left, led by such thinkers as U.S. Ambassador to Malta Doug Kmiec and such groups as Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, put forward a significant case in favor of supporting Obama’s candidacy in 2008. They based their support in Obama’s commitment to bringing about peace in Iraq, protecting the environment, providing health care for the uninsured, and reducing abortions by improving the social conditions of the usually-poor women who choose it.
As great as that all sounds, more traditional and conservative Catholics attempted to point out two inconvenient facts. First, these goals expressed by Obama as priorities for his presidency were also shared by John McCain. The two differed in terms of how to accomplish them, but, though the Catholic Left acted like Obama had the Catholic market cornered on these issues, McCain’s approaches to them were not inherently immoral or opposed to Church teaching.

Secondly, Obama (unlike McCain) wholeheartedly endorses the legal status of on-demand abortion, federal funding for embryo-destructive stem cell research, repealing the Mexico City Policy to allow federal funding for abortion overseas, a publicly-funded health care plan that covers abortions, and appointing Supreme Court justices who will protect Roe v. Wade. Oops. Many American bishops, led by Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver, were forceful in asserting to their flocks the logical priority that Catholics had to give to the abortion question in their vote.

For these same reasons, approximately eighty American bishops publicly opposed the decision of the University of Notre Dame to honor President Obama by naming him their 2009 commencement speaker and by giving an honorary doctorate. The bishops thought it was scandalous for a Catholic school to honor someone whose positions and actions are antithetical to the most important social issue the Church faces today. Liberal Catholics howled in protest to the bishops, saying that the Church needs to engage the broader culture (by kissing its ass, apparently) and accusing bishops of wanting to put us back into the “Catholic ghetto.”

So, you can see that the Catholic Left position, under assault from the hierarchy, really could use a bit of magisterial help. Well, along came two P.R. godsends from no less authority than the Pope himself.

First, President Obama met the Pope for the first time on July 17 at the Vatican. With their uncanny gift for ignoring important distinctions, liberals gleefully shrieked, “See! See! The Pope met with him, that must mean the American bishops are just a bunch of reactionary partisan frauds!” Of course, the Pope just met and talked with Obama, as he meets and talks with almost every world leader with whom he has diplomatic relations. He did not render Obama any conspicuous honors or hold him up as someone to model—as Notre Dame did.

Secondly, the Pope’s magnificent teaching letter (or “encyclical”), Caritas in Veritate, was publicly released on July 7. The encyclical was broad, providing a summary of a huge swathe of the Church’s social doctrine, including certain more particular comments about the recent financial crisis. Statements indicating the importance of protecting the environment, of the rights of workers to unionize, of rejecting motives of excessive greed in business, of preserving some social welfare programs, and one particular paragraph that seemed to recommend an expanded role to the United Nations were hailed by liberals as a sign that the Pope was now a progressive who joined them in an utter rejection of capitalism.

However, none of these “liberal” ideas were exactly new sentiments coming from the Papacy, and I don’t think I can find many conservatives who would object in principle to anything the Pope suggested. As for his statement on the United Nations (the one novelty in the document), who would oppose giving the UN authority over some limited aspects of international trade, so long as it were first reformed so as “to be regulated by law, to observe consistently the principles of subsidiarity and solidarity, to seek to establish the common good, and to make a commitment to securing authentic integral human development inspired by the values of charity in truth,” as the Pope stated?

And, by the way, what is “authentic integral human development” in the Pope’s mind? He said earlier in the encyclical, “Openness to life is at the centre of true development.” He decried the spread of abortion, euthanasia, and the sterilization of women in developing countries, specifically criticizing the NGOs that provide these services to women (CoughMexicoCityPolicyCough!). It is clear that defending the dignity of human life is the central, foundational concern of the Pope in this encyclical, and that it is at the heart of the Church’s social teaching in the modern era.

And this is the problem with the Catholic Left. They care about abortion, but apparently not enough to, you know, try to make it illegal or anything. Maybe they should try to take in the words Benedict quotes from John Paul II’s Evangelium Vitae: “…a society lacks solid foundations when, on the one hand, it asserts values such as the dignity of the person, justice and peace, but then, on the other hand, radically acts to the contrary by allowing or tolerating a variety of ways in which human life is devalued and violated, especially where it is weak or marginalized.”

Job Opening!

2009-08-10T17:12:00.003-04:00

A good friend of mine, Megan Miller, is the Managing Editor of the Superior Catholic Herald. She's very talented and a great person, and she's hiring a staff writer! She tells me that recently graduated Rovers are especially encouraged to apply.

In a rough job market for journalists, seriously, this is good news. Here's the blurb:

Outstanding opportunity for professional Catholic to serve as reporter at the Superior Catholic Herald. As part of a three-person staff, you will write a variety of feature stories about the Catholic community in northern Wisconsin. Qualifications include feature writing experience, photography skills and familiarity with newspaper design. Understanding of Catholicism a must. Send letter of interest – including salary expectations, resume and three writing samples to Megan C. Miller mmiller@catholicherald.org. Inquiries can be directed to 715.394.0213. Deadline ASAP.

Hypocrisy: Sanford Edition

2009-08-10T12:21:00.002-04:00

Mark Sanford (R), current governor of South Carolina, continues to have an amazing year. In addition to vacationing in Argentina with a woman not his wife (or was it hiking in the mountains?), it appears that Mark Sanford has been getting quality travel for quite a while.

Essentially, while in office, Governor Sanford decided that in addition to being morally conservative (like respecting marriage) he should also be fiscally conservative. So he got a budget haircut.

That cost nearly $1300 to fly to. Nice.

In addition to misusing the SC Government Jet for budget haircuts, he used to ferry himself and family around, and visit partisan GOP conventions. Yet another example of the extreme hypocrisy evident among politicians.

Rover Film Review: The Ugly Truth

2009-08-10T09:22:00.003-04:00

Film Review: The Ugly Truth (Rated R for sexual content and language.)

Cast: Katherine Heigl (Knocked Up), Gerard Butler (300).
Director: Robert Luketic (Legally Blond, Monster-In-Law, 21)

Rotten Tomatoes: 16%

The Ugly Truth purports to showcase 'the ugly truth' of relationships and love, mainly sex. And in this, the film rivals a Judd Apatow flick - full of sexual references and crude humour (an interesting move for Katherine Heigl after her remarks regarding Apatow's raunchy Knocked Up).

In pursuing a romantic comedy angle and populating this 96 minute long film with sexual innuendo galore, the film strives to follow in Apatow's steps, but falls well short - lacking in humor, morality, and, frankly, story.

For example, Gerard Butler's Mike is portrayed as a likable-everyman rogue, who - used and deserted by women in the past - turns to becoming a crass womanizer himself. But, by the end, the audience is supposed to accept his complete devotion to someone who embodies all the qualities he rails against for the first sixty minutes, all while suddenly being likable because he cares for his nephew.

My second biggest peeve, besides the overall unlikeableness of the film, is the portrayal of the perfect man 'Colin'. Yes, he is imbued with qualities to make any lady swoon, but by the end, he is seen as shallow and like, Mike (and Heigl's Abby) obsessed with sex. Is this what relationships are about in Hollywood? Sex?

The Ugly Truth ends up fulfilling half its title, being quite 'ugly' - lacking in many qualities which would make this film watchable. The complete lack of moral integrity shown in the film, similarly epitomizes a view of culture and society that is becoming all too common in the media today.

1.5/5

Get Money, Get Paid

2009-08-09T17:50:00.004-04:00

The following is a response to the recent announcement that Eli Manning signed a $97 million contract with Pepsi products to be a company spokesperson: In these times of economic desperation with so many unemployed being unable to feed, clothe and shelter themselves and/or their families it is an absolute outrage that something like this can still occur in the United States of America. One of the most disturbing facts about our capitalist nation is the misappropriation of funds directed to the salaries of entertainers. Everyone should agree that the value an athlete, movie star, talk-show host, team-owner, etc. brings to the average citizen is very small. Granted, they do offer a minuscule of diversion from our daily trials and tribulations, as did the jesters in the king's court during the middle ages. But to allow these entertainers to horde such great amounts of wealth at the expense of more benevolent societal programs is unacceptable.

Our society is also subjected to the "profound wisdom" of these people because it equates wealth with influence. Perhaps a solution to this problem and an alternative to defeated school levies and crumbling infrastructures, as well as all the programs established to help feed, clothe and shelter those who cannot help themselves, would be to tax this undeserved wealth. Entertainers could keep 1 percent of the gross earnings reaped from their endeavor and 99 percent could be deposited into the public coffers.

As Congress considers limiting the amount of pay given to Corporate Executives they should decide instead to raise the taxes on these Banksters and the so-called entertainment industry.

The old ideas of the redistribution of wealth have failed, and it is time to adapt to modern-day preferences. Does anyone think this will reduce the quality of entertainment? It seems to me that when entertainers received less income, the quality was much higher.

-J. Bialek

--
The above is a letter to the editor, received on Friday, August 7th, 2009. It might not say anything that many have not already thought or even spoken to those around them, however it doesn't hurt to hear it again. Though I do believe that a $97 million paycheck is grossly disproportionate to the services being rendered, I admit that I am not in entire agreement with Mr Bialek's suggestion of singling out "Banksters and the so-called entertainment industry" in lieu of setting limits on corporate executive compensation (of which I am not entirely in favor either) in the government's effort to gain some control of the economy.

Fortunately or unfortunately, if I may speak from my ivory tower, I believe that the truest way for the current economic debacle to begin to be solved is for each of us to humbly admit how deeply our modern culture has sunk into the many forms of greed. Although the cardinal virtues of Prudence, Courage, Self-Control, and Justice have not been all together stamped out, these nonetheless are not cultivated or even encouraged. From what I can see of it, I can only think that the only way that America can hope for a change in the direction that we are now going is for us to go back to the basics of virtue, to rediscover virtue. I do think that there are those who have begun to rediscover virtue and who seek to share this with others. However, this news often falls on deaf ears. It is not until we can accept and admit to the root problems of our economic system (or any problematic system for that matter) and then virtuously seek to amend them that we will be able to rightfully call our American nation "great."

Be Wary of Relativism

2009-08-07T12:27:00.003-04:00

After being introduced as a “global citizen” at the Delhi University last month, Secretary of State Clinton went on to make this peculiar remark:

“We are in this together. We may have profound differences, but I am often reminded that as we learn more from science about the human genome, we recognize that we are 99.9 percent the same. As you look at our DNA, you don’t see religion or race; you see humanity. And no place represents that future more profoundly than this great country.”

Certainly, her comments could be framed in a benign manner, as a poignant reflection pointing out the commonalities between people of every corner of the earth. But in the context of her role as Secretary of State, this statement reveals a dangerously naïve approach to international relations, rooted in the misguided doctrine of relativism that seems to have become a cornerstone of the Obama Administration’s foreign policy.

Relativism asserts that no idea or principle is of greater value than any other, no moral code more justifiable than another. Essentially, it promotes the concept that our differences are insignificant, mere semantics, as it were. Relativism apologists back up their beliefs by pointing to our shared experiences as humans, or as Clinton put it, the fact that we are genetically “99.9 percent the same.” This worldview that we are all the same and our differences are “relative” runs counter to the uniqueness of each human individual, a fundamental component of the liberal democracies philosophical underpinnings.

Allusions to this impractical worldview have been a reoccurring theme of the current administration’s first few months in power. Clinton’s recent address to the Council on Foreign Relations ran rampant with relativism and was described as a “see-no-evil-hear-no-evil speech,” in which she seemed to indicate the U.S. was simply a mere member of the global community, as opposed to the lone international hegemon it currently is.

An adherence to relativism can also explain the Administration’s apparent disdain for championing freedom and human-rights abroad.. Obama’s foreign policy has all but abandoned promoting democracy, and the president himself has suggested that democratic processes are “mere form.” Clinton, when asked, about the vast ideological differences between the United States and communist Cuba, stated, “Let’s put ideology aside; that is so yesterday.”

However, despite Mrs. Clinton’s suggestions to the contrary, the world is made up of parties who believe ideological differences are highly relevant, and who reject her assertion that “we are in this together.” The vast disparity between American values and those of Islamic extremists, for example, will not be mitigated by acknowledging that we are made of the same stuff. Some of our differences are certainly bridgeable, but down-playing those that are while ignoring those that aren’t in favor of a “global community” worldview does the U.S. no favors. Any call for global solidarity needs to be grounded in the shared value of certain ideas and principles, not merely the sequence of our DNA.

Belmont Abbey to defend truth against EEOC threat

2009-08-06T08:15:00.005-04:00

According to an article in the Gaston Gazette, Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, NC has been deemed guilty, by the EEOC, of gender discrimination and of mistreatment of faculty. The background: Upon realizing in 2007 that the health coverage provided to employees of the College covered contraceptive benefits, BAC's president Bill Thierfelder quickly moved to eliminate that provision, understanding its incompatibility with ethical and moral norms. As a private, Catholic institution, the College has the right to deny such coverage and theoretically should have faced no difficulty. Some of the faculty, however, expressed extreme discontent, and submitted a complaint against the College to the EEOC. The verdict: The decision made by Belmont Abbey to refuse coverage of contraceptive benefits only affects women, and since it has no immediate effect on men, who cannot be prescribed contraceptives, it is therefore a case of gender discrimination. Furthermore, Belmont Abbey "retaliated" against those supposedly poor, enfeebled, wronged employees who brought forth the complaint because the letter sent by the administration to faculty and staff explaining the issue listed the names of said plaintiffs.

"By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes," but let's hope Belmont Abbey will not have to fight against it alone. The issue should be close to the hearts of all interested in the preservation of morality, ethics, and the whole of society.

Fun Photo

2009-08-05T15:27:00.003-04:00

Found this fun photo via Rakes of Mallow , an ND sports blog, who got it via Bulldog Vintage.

On the left is Babe Ruth, repping the Notre Dame Fighting Irish circa 1927. Lou Gehrig apparently made the unfortunate choice of supporting the University of Southern California Trojans.

FYI, the Irish won the 1927 game at Soldier Field in Chicago 7-6 coached by Knute Rockne in front of an estimated 120,000 fans (one of the most watched games in NCAA College Football history).

The Importance of Satire

2009-08-04T16:48:00.004-04:00

From Jonathan Swift and Voltaire to Stanley Kubrick and Saturday Night Live, satire has been an important way to look from the outside at government, culture, and thought.

Here'a a little satire on the 'Cash for Clunkers' program and health care reform.

h/t to Michelle Malkin.

Health Care, Catholicism, and Conservatism

2009-08-03T12:00:00.002-04:00

Before I begin, these are my views, they are not shared by all Catholics, by all Notre Dame students, by all members of the Irish Rover, or even by everyone in my family.

You might have heard about health care reform - it's been around the news a bit when the media hasn't been too busy talking about Beer Summits or Car Sales. So I feel that as a member of and writer for Notre Dame's largest (and only) conservative, Catholic newspaper, I, or we as a staff, need to address this topic.

On the one hand, as a conservative (n.b. not a Republican necessarily), I support private solutions for their efficiency. I support smaller governments and the idea that capitalism and equality provide the best opportunity for people to succeed either in the job market or in getting adequate health care.

On the other hand, as a Catholic, I realize that the capitalist system does have its failings. Equality is a difficult thing to achieve in reality and the government is in the best position to assist those who 'fall through the cracks'.

With those two viewpoints in mind, here are some keys for healthcare:

1. Efficiency. Health care should be efficient and quality. It's no good having universal health care, if I can't get the the proper service I need when I need it. Can government-run health care provide it?

2. Transperancy. The government, both in its dealings in designing the bill and in its implementation, should be transperant. All aspects, including cost, of the bill should be debated and analyzed. It shouldn't be rushed - but honestly debated (that goes to both sides). We are talking about reforming a significant sector of the economy (over 15%) and one that affects each and every person in this country.

3. Ethics. Besides the obvious lobbying and loopholes, the new health care plan should be ethically strong. This is important not only in the legislative push to get the bill enacted, but also in the guidelines it establishes. Abortion, euthansia, etc. are all important elements to consider regarding health care, how will they be handled? Will they go hand-in-hand with being transperant and efficient?

4. Impact. What will be the economic and societal impact be with the new plan? How many jobs lost/gained? How many people will get cover that they need? Who will benefit? Who will be hurt? Where will the money go? How will new medical research be done? How will it affect doctors, hospitals, nurses, etc.? There are many things to be considered and too few are actually being examined. I understand the importance of using momentum to push through legislation (see Patriot Act 2001/2002). This is not a minor thing, how will it affect our nation?

I see those 4 as the major things to be considered. Obviously, 'Ethics' is a distinctly Catholic aspect of health-care, but it should not be slighted.

Catholic Adoption Agencies at Risk in Britain

2009-07-30T11:58:00.005-04:00

The health care vote has been pushed back to October. That fact alone suffices as a celebratory post.

Fortunately, I will not attempt to elaborate on the chaos tearing apart Congress. Rather, I'd like to comment on the recent closing of the Catholic adoption agency of the Archdiocese of Westminster in Britain. According to an article in the National Catholic Register, Britain's Sexual Orientation Regulations require adoption agencies to service any couple who applies. Rather than dissociate from the Church in order to continue functioning, as many Catholic adoption agencies in Britain have done, the Catholic Children's Society of Westminster has ceased its services to new couples. It will, however, continue to assist those children and families it previously brought together.

In an admirable statement, the agency declared, "[If] we were to continue,...we would be forced to assess same-sex couples...This would not meet our existing criterion that couples coming forward must be married as man and wife. The trustees are convinced that what is best for children is that they be brought up by married couples. This is shown by research, but it is also consonant with the teaching of the Church. In the unanimous view of the trustees, it would be totally unacceptable for our Catholic agency to act in a way that is at odds with the teaching of the Church."

Ann Widdecome, a Catholic and a member of the Conservative Party of Parliament, said of the effects of the Sexual Orientation Regulations, "We knew right from the start that the adoption agencies would close down...They cannot go against the teachings of the Church. For the sake of political intolerance, they can now longer operate."

I'd like to draw attention to that last sentence. "For the sake of political intolerance, they can no longer operate." The statement brings to mind the state of affairs in countries faced with an ever-growing protest among gay rights activists against those institutions which promote marriage as the union of man and woman. The closing of the Catholic Children's Society provides a perfect example of relativism's double standard. While the Sexual Orientation Regulations give same-sex couples the freedom to seek any adoption agency of their choice, Catholic adoption agencies are no longer at liberty to act according to conscience in servicing families. Same-sex couples are allowed to live according to their own moral code at the expense of adoption agencies seeking to practice in accord with their own beliefs.

Times like these call for continued witness to the Catholic faith. As St. Thomas More once said, "The times are never so bad that a good man cannot live in them."

Reference: CNS. "Adoption Agency Shut Down." National Catholic Register, pg. 4. July 12, 2009.

Transperancy?

2009-07-30T09:15:00.003-04:00

As Rep. Eric Cantor points out in today's Washington Post, the promises of Barack Obama and the Democratic majority, like so many others, on making the federal government more transparent appear to be falling by the wayside as our government, economy, and society are restructured along more 'enlightened' liberal ideas.

I remember intense outrage over former-President Bush's 'shadow government' as seen in noted-liberal and President Bush-critic Jon Stewart's own book America in a handy pull-out or in the word's of a Democratic senator:

"The biggest problems that we're facing right now have to do with George Bush trying to bring more and more power into the executive branch and not go through Congress at all. And that's what I intend to reverse when I'm president of the United States." -- Sen. Barack Obama, March 31, 2008

Oh wait that man is now President. Where's the accountability and transparency?

According to Michelle Malkin and the noisyroom.net, there are currently 38 non-Senate approved, non-accountable officers tasked with everything from WMDs and Mideast Peace to the Great Lakes and safe schools.

The most troubling aspect of the czar formula is its overall lack of oversight. Scrolling the list of announced appointments it appears that a shadow government of un-regulated officials now exists with many czars matching cabinet positions:

Education to Education (which is a state controlled aspect to begin with)
War/Afghanistan/Weapons/WMD to Defense
Economy/Pay/TARP/Stimulus Accountability to Treasury
Latin America/Middle East/etc. to State

What we see is a replication of the traditional posts of a cabinet with a set of officials accountable to only the President, appointed at his whim, paid well, and operating outside the normal bureaucracy to an extent unseen by any former President.

I have no problem with our nation's biggest issues - the Middle East, health care, and the current economic crisis - being dealt with directly. I am worried about accountability, transparency, the growth of bureaucracy, and the the hypocrisy shown by President Obama and his liberal followers.

Cancerous Beauty

2009-07-29T23:33:00.004-04:00

What do tanning beds, mustard gas, and arsenic have in common? According to recent reports, all three rank similarly in terms of their lethal effects on humans.

After completing a meta-analysis study looking at the carcinogenic effects of exposure to ultraviolet radiation (namely through tanning beds and other such sources), international cancer experts have determined that all types of ultraviolet radiation are carcinogenics. This finding places UV radiation in the same cancer-causing-category as tobacco and the Hepatitis B virus. Such a factoid probably is not too comforting to frequenters of tanning salons, especially considering that the risk for skin cancer "jumps by 75 percent when people start using tanning beds before age 30."

In a country (and world) that is becoming increasingly environmentally conscious and more concerned about the cost of health care (not to mention we are in the midst of an economic recession), one might think that lines at the tanning industry would take a hit following announcements such as these. But, the faker-bakers are not yet convinced seeing that the number of under-30 patrons have increased in recent years, thus making the axiom, "Beauty hurts," ring true.

The Irish Rover

Grandmother speaks out about chastity

A Philosophy on Education

Stimulating what?

Surprise! Conservatives make for the more generous donators

Nobel Prizes, Pretty worthless now-a-days

"A dark and delightful sunday afternoon read"

I'm sorry Congressman, the correct answer is "What is the Bill of Rights?"

The Map

Behold, the Triumph of the Canine Spirit!!

You know you're in Egypt when...

Obama Gets Racy

Stupak = Fail

From the Fox News Intern Desk...

Spill Coverage

The Problem of Polling

Happy 4th of July!

You know you're in Egypt when...

Let us not mock God with Metaphor

Read Claire's Book Review

Happy Father's Day...to a Donor Dad?

You know you're in Egypt when...

You know you're in Egypt when...

Excellent writing...

Good Readin'

The Watchdog's New Patron Saint

The Worship of the Institution

Arizona Immigration Law Debate

"Baby Boy Survives for Nearly Two Days After Abortion"

"Be Proud that You're a Catholic"

Arizona's Immigration Bill

More Required Reading

Sins of Admission

What to expect from health care reform

Homelessness Persists in Boston

Religion isn't so bad afterall

2010 Urbi et Orbi

Happy and Holy Easter!

Presidential Doublespeak: Easter and our Shared Sprit of Humanity

Did Fr. Ted get Healthcare Passed?

Money is the root of all evil...

Executive Order Ceremony

How A Bill Gets Made into Law

Abortion and Obamacare

The Observer Messes Up Again

Hooray for Obama (Almost)

Incentives, Incentives, Incentives

Rover Film Review: Shutter Island

A Different Approach to Gay Marriage

A New Theodicy: What If Ivan Karamazov Was Right?

Clearly "pro-choice" is an egregious misnomer

Hitler finds out the MA senate seat was lost

Catholics can still be doctors!

Rover Film Review: Sherlock Holmes

Rover Film Review: Avatar

Rover Film Review: Up in the Air

Merry Christmas!

Bias

Top 5 Albums of the Year

Conscience Clauses

New American Hero?

Fun Fact

Rover Film Review: The Blind Side

Picture of the Day

Bishops and Politics

Your Second Homework Assignment...

Production Night

Catholic Advocacy Wrong?

Abortion and the Health Care Bill

An Excellent Piece

Fox News

A Homework Assignment

Follow-Up

Finishing Up Production

Changes...

Support ND Football

There is no substitute

Rover Film Review: Inglourious Basterds

ObamaMania

Book Review: What Happened to Notre Dame?