Danger, Will Robinson and anybody who values the right to life

I can’t say this better than the Susan B. Anthony List did, so I’m going to quote the paragraph (see below) about Dawn Johnsen’s nomination to Assistant Attorney General, and link to their Action Alert (see more Action Alerts) so you can see this for yourself. And, please, after you finish reading, take action. And share this with your friends, family, prayer groups, everybody you know. This is important. This is really, really important. I’m eating lunch in Savannah prior to heading back out on the highway to make the trip home, but I saw this in my email and knew I had to stop everything to share it with you.

Leaving Savannah

My doggie and I are leaving Savannah today. I got some photos (click thumbnails below to see larger images) of one of the many parks around town (including a cool raiinbow that appeared amidst a fountain) and of the cathedral in downtown historic Savannah.

The right to life, a brief video to watch and to share

I watched a very short video tonight after arguing with some people on YouTube about embryonic stem cell research, the right to life of every human being, and why embryonic stem cell research is a waste of valuable time, money, and effort, and intrinsically immoral and unethical too. (The “donors”—the embryos—are destroyed to get the stem cells. Adult stem cell research has been very positive and does not result in the death of the donor.) I think part of the problem is, some folks just don’t know what the heck an embryo is. Or a fetus, for that matter. Some of them can’t tell the difference between a cell (which is much more complex than most people realize) and a developing human being, which is what an embryo is and what a fetus is too.

Step on my blue suede shoes if you want to, but lay off my internet

I just read this article entitled Obama Surrendering Internet to Foreign Powers and I’m sure my blood pressure got dangerously high. I’ve got the “step on my blue suede shoes all you want to, but lay off o’ my internet” blues! I have to have my internet, preferably uncensored by any political party or union of nutty nations, thank you very much.

Shelter from the storm

My doggie and I sought shelter from the winter weather during our trip home from the March for Life in DC by hanging out at a beach in South Carolina. I posted a few photos on my Flickr page. I haven’t sorted through them all yet. I’ll post more as I get to them. Right now I’m going to eat another chocolate-covered cream-filled doughnut and call it a night.

Scott Hahn is coming to Birmingham!

As if getting to participate in the March for Life in Washington DC wasn’t exciting enough, one of my friends called me on Sunday to let me know that Scott Hahn is coming to Birmingham on March 3 at Samford University. (Samford is a Baptist university! How’s that for coolness?). And she already signed me up. She knows what a Hahn fan I am. Reading his books and listening to his talks helped me answer the call to come home to the Catholic Church. When my friend expressed interest in the Church, I recommended Hahn titles to her, gave her some talks to listen to, and the rest was history. She was received this past September. Woohoo! Welcome home, buddy; you know who you are! And thank you for being proactive and getting me registered for the big day! =)

I overheard members of the press at the March for Life in DC

I moved through the crowds in Washington DC on Friday, January 22 2010. People streamed up and down both sides of the streets on every block as I searched for a parking place and as I trudged toward the park where the rally was already in progress. Pro-life people were everywhere. Notice I do not call us “anti-abortionists” or “anti-abortion activists”. The pro-life movement is not only about abortion and is not merely a negative “against something”; it is rather a positive “for something”. For life. For many different aspects of life. For the life of every human person. This is a serious cause and deserves serious treatment by the press. But here is what I heard as I reached a street corner and waited for the light to change. A man (wearing a nice fancy camera) walked up to a woman (also wearing a nice fancy camera) and said, “Oh, AP is here!” A second passed before I realized he meant the press, but then I turned and saw that they both wore press passes around their necks along with their cameras. They were discussing how they were going to cover the March. Apparently neither one of them cared much for the assignment (I say this because of the rather dismissive way they both laughed while they talked) and they were going to finish it off as fast as they could. She said she was going to take a few shots, then one of a building and call it quits. The Smithsonian was right next to the park where the rally was held, so that may be the building she was talking about. Well, at least I didn’t hear them call us any names. Could have been worse, I suppose.

Massive turnout for the March for Life in DC

I just finished editing a bunch of photos of the March that took place earlier today. We had freezing rain and sleet this morning but it slacked off as I was heading to the rally. There were pro-life marchers everywhere I looked. I mean everywhere! I uploaded some photos to my Flickr page. I didn’t even try to lug around my Canon Rebel; these were all taken with a little Canon PowerShot SD780 that I bought right before I made the trip. It’s an okay little camera. The main thing I like about it is its size and weight: it’s small enough to fit in my top jacket pocket and fits in the palm of my little bitty hand. :)

More photos on my Flickr page in my March for Life 2010 DC set.

Why did I drive nearly a thousand miles to march in the freezing rain

I didn’t have to drive nearly a thousand miles to get to Washington D.C. Nope, I could have driven about 750 miles to get here, but I made an unexpected (and unnecessary) detour when I took I-75 instead of I-40 outside of Knoxville. (Sigh.) But that was a minor problem and one solved by backtracking (and a little fuming and venting). The problem of the trampling of the right to life is not so easily solved. But without this basic and foundational right, no other right is possible or even exists. Without the right to life, you have no rights whatsoever. And if we deny that right to anyone now, we are putting nails in our own coffins in the not-so-distant future. Nails in coffins for ourselves and our children and our parents and our friends.

On the road, Washington DC, Days 1 and 2

I had planned to post an update last night before I got some much-needed sleep, but, of course, there was no internet signal in my room with the free Wi-Fi. Today I’ve got a decent signal but I had to buy a day-pass to log on. I know! I couldn’t believe it either. Dang, I haven’t paid for internet in so long, I nearly fainted when I had gotten all my stuff out of my car (who’da thunk so much stuff would fit in there?!), got it all arranged, introduced my dog to the doggie playground area very close to the room—only to find out that internet is offered but not for free. Argh! Well, annoying as that is—and it is, terribly—I’m much too tired to even think of hunting for another place to stay tonight. Tomorrow’s the big day, the reason I’m here, and I have to get ready for it. Have to prepare myself for marching in freezing rain and wind. At least, that’s what the forecast was last time I heard it.

Thoughts on the day before the journey begins

I’ve been getting the car serviced and cleaned out in preparation for the journey to DC tomorrow. Spent a little more than I’d hoped; 50,000 mile check up. Argh. But I feel better knowing that everything’s okay. The car hasn’t been this clean since before I took my first road trip in it a few months after I got it. Oh, how spotless I kept it back then. Hopefully I can keep it clean this time too. Somehow, though, letting dogs and friends and friends with dogs ride in the car seems to ensure a handy supply of dirt, debris and dog hair coating everything. And I’ve been known to spill a drink or two in it myself. And then there are the cup holders. Or should I say, the drink holders? The spaces that are supposed to hold the cups but which all too often end up holding what has leaked through the cups, ugh, what a mess!

The Right to Life is The Civil Rights Issue of Our Day

Dr. Alveda King is the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and works closely with Priests for Life in the Silent No More Awareness Campaign. I hope I get to see her while I’m in Washington D.C. this weekend. That’s right, I just booked my room and I’m planning the rest of my trip now. I’ll be heading up there either tomorrow or early Wednesday. I can’t tell you how excited I am. I was just a little kid when Dr. ML King was marching for the civil rights of black Americans. I am greatly looking forward to marching in solidarity with his niece in the civil rights movement of today: the right to life of every human being from conception (preferably natural, though once a life has begun, that life is sacred, no matter the circumstances of his or her beginning) to natural death. Join us in Washington to tell Congress: NO abortion in health care! (See video below from Stop the Abortion Mandate on YouTube.)

Come to Washington to tell Congress: NO abortion in health care!

Saul Alinsky On Means and Ends, and the end of ethics

It’s been a while since I’ve written about Saul Alinsky and his book, Rules for Radicals, the apparent playbook for our brave new administration with its motto, “Change We Can Deceive In”. And I have to tell you, I’m forcing myself to do this. I’m forcing myself to open this book again and read from it because I promised you I would share with you what I had found and I’m keeping that promise. But I don’t want to. I don’t want to read any more of it. But it’s important that you know what it says. Because it’s important that you know what is going on in Washington. In our states, our cities and towns. In our colleges and universities. You have organizers in your community? Do you think that’s a good thing? Do you know that “organizer” is a code word and does not mean what you think it means? Do you know that “Change We Can Believe In” is a slogan that could have come right out the pages of Alinsky’s book?

On the massive earthquake in Haiti

I was at the Diocesan office downtown Tuesday trying to donate some money to Catholic Charities (the local office, not the national one, I trust Bishop Baker to be a faithful Catholic) but the door was locked. They go to lunch midday and I always forget about that. Later that night I got back home and turned on the Weather Channel and what do I see but news of an earthquake in Haiti. I had no idea. It happened an hour or two after my unsuccessful attempt to donate. Now I’m glad I couldn’t get in because I had an opportunity to note on my donation that I want it to be used specifically for Haitian disaster relief. Please consider donating to the cause and please be careful to whom you give your hard-earned dollars. I went straight to my parish office as soon as I could, and was told to mail it to the Diocese instead. For anyone in Northern Alabama (or elsewhere who’d like to be sure their dollars will be used wisely, responsibly and helpfully), here’s the address:

Catholic Diocese of Birmingham Alabama
PO Box 12047
Birmingham AL 35242

Make your check payable to the Diocese and please make a notation that it is to be used for Haitian Disaster Relief. Thank you and may God richly bless you! Peace be with you.

Ready to March for Life, more reviews in the works

We’re having our annual March for Life this weekend here in Birmingham (national March for Life is next weekend). I’ve been getting ready for it, ordered a sign to carry and a shirt to wear that may get here in time. If not, I’ve got others. I bought a Catholic Warrior, Defending the Faith t-shirt and a 100% Catholic t-shirt yesterday up at the EWTN gift shop. Bought a bunch of pro-life bookmarks and some signs a while back from Heritage House. My Saul Alinsky review is still in the works. I left my book bag at home today or I’d post something on it now. But I don’t want to work from memory. Suffice it to say that I’ve added more books to the reading list since the last time I posted. Added more history books and several books on evolution and atheism, including titles by Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion) and Darwin (a hardback volume entitled Evolutionary Writings,

Merry Christmas, unto us a Savior is born

I’m away from home spending Christmas at a relative’s house near the Gulf of Mexico. The weather has been stormy all day but seems to be calming down now. Just wanted to take a brief moment to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and to encourage you to hold fast to the faith. Here in the wee hours of Christmas morn, unto us a Savior is born.

Physicians say Planned Parenthood misled women with absurd and scientifically erroneous information

In a new sting, Planned Parenthood workers are caught redhanded lying to women about the dangers of pregnancy and the safety of abortion. Read the full article. Watch the video below. Or watch it at LiveActionFilms on YouTube.

URGENT Webcast on Dec 15 about Senate crisis

I received the following Action Alert in my email a few minutes ago. Due to its staggering importance, I’m posting it here in full. As the original message requested, please forward this URGENT message to your friends, family members, co-workers, and fellow believers, and I am asking that you send it to every person of good will you happen to know too! Thank you for reading and for responding to this crisis. (The information below is quoted from StopTheAbortionMandate.com)

Trying on a new look for the Advent season

I really just wanted a theme with a main column and two sidebars, and with the free blog, the pickin’s are pretty slim. I like the themes by Andreas Viklund, though most of my favorite ones by him are not offered here. Argh. So I’m trying this one for now, for the layout and for the Advent/Christmas colors it provides. I’m using purple right now since it’s the liturgical color of Advent for weeks 1, 2, and 4, pink or rose being used for week 3. (Some communities use blue instead of purple since purple is also the color used in Lent.) I’m trying the snow effect too. For now. It may prove too annoying to keep it for long. Let me know if it bugs you. I don’t mind turning it off.

See the video that YouTube censored, Planned Parenthood in Birmingham AL

Regular readers of Catholic Heart and Mind will remember that I took part in our local 40 Days for Life prayer vigil outside Planned Parenthood in Birmingham. While there I learned that the facility was under investigation and I heard that they had been filmed by Lila Rose as part of an undercover operation, but I’m told they were already in trouble before that. Tonight I found the video about that same Planned Parenthood facility! I’m watching it now. Wow.