After the defeat of the amnesty bill...

(UPDATED FOR CORRECTIONS)

The Republican Establishment (especially in the Senate) have no idea how close they came to losing their conservative base. Oh, they may have finally come around after yesterday's vote to kill that joke of an immigration bill. But I really don't think they know how badly they played out this whole thing. If it weren't for the likes of Senators Sessions, DeMint, Cornyn, Vitter, as well as a decent number of conservative House members, there may well have been a mass exodus from the Republican Party by concerned conservative voters.

A bit of background about myself --- up until 1992, I was a registered Democrat. I was a Democrat-in-name-only (DINO) because, unfortunately, living in Philadelphia at the time meant that Republicans have practically no voice or influence. In the main elections, though, I voted for the likes of Reagan and Bush Sr.

My last vote as a registered Democrat was in the '92 Democratic Presidential Primary. I was already keen on the Clinton nightmare that was to come if he became president, so I voted for Jerry Brown as a protest vote (it helped that he also voiced a flat-tax plan). Immediately after that primary I changed my affiliation to the Republican Party.

But, unlike some people in politics, I'm a principles-over-party kind of guy. Others are party-over-principles types. Sorry... I just don't drink that Kool-Aid. If the Republicans in the Senate had allowed that ill-conceived immigration to pass and President Bush signed it, I was seriously thinking of leaving the Republican Party.

No, I was not going to go back to the Democrats (they're even worse). I was going to remain a Republican until I could vote for either Duncan Hunter or Fred Thompson in the presidential primary, and then I was going to switch my affiliation to the Constitution Party. I'm not a fan of their isolationist stance in their party platform, but the vast majority of their positions are the closest to my conservative views on issues. I would, obviously, still vote for any good conservative candidate in the main elections from whatever party they may be affiliated.

Call me what you want, but that's how frustrated I was with the Republican Party. And I would hazard a guess that there are a LOT more conservatives out there who have similar feelings.

There needs to be a committed return to the conservative principles that were the foundation of Reagan in the 80s and the Congressional Republicans of '94:

* Continue lowering taxes (especially for the middle class)
* Serious & streamlined tax reform
* Serious and real reductions in spending (that means spending actually being less than previous years)
* Strong national defense/military
* Effective prosecution of the global war against Islamic terrorists
* Secure the borders (that means building the full fence, new detection & surveillance technologies, and a marked increase in the number of border agents patrolling all points of entry)
* Real immigration reform without amnesty (see previous post for details on this issue)
* Aggressive prosecution of businesses that break the laws (from Enron-types to those that hire illegal immigrants)
* Reduction in the overabundance of regulations
* Free but fair and equitable trade with other countries (including China)
* Open up ANWAR, and the Pacific & Gulf coasts to drilling and build new refineries
* Expanding aggressive, results-based R&D in alternative energy sources
* Serious reduction of our dependence on foreign (especially Middle Eastern) oil
* Continued federal judicial appointments in the mold of Scalia, Thomas, Rehnquist, Alito & Roberts (Federal Appeals Courts as well as U.S. Supreme Court)

and, of course, last but most certainly not least...

* Firmly and consistently Pro-Life and Pro-Family (on issues such as abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, cloning, gay marriage, etc.)

A friend has been ordained a Deacon...

Last weekend, my friend John Barry (from my Wednesday morning men's bible study group) was officially ordained a deacon of the Catholic Church. He and another member of my parish (Fernando Flores) were two of 60 men who went through the mass/ceremony which was held at the Santa Barbara City College football field with Cardinal Mahony presiding.

This high of a number is unprecedented because they normally only ordain about five to eight deacons per year in this region. Five years ago, they decided to try something different for the Santa Barbara region of the archdiocese. They removed two restrictions: 1) they no longer required the wives of the candidates to attend all of the classes over the 4-5 years of study, and 2) they no longer required that all candidates be bilingual. The immediate result was a nearly 10-fold increase in ordinations in this first class under the new rules. In contrast, the L.A.-area region had only seven new deacons this year, operating under the old regulations. Card. Mahony stated that he would like to see the new regs eventually expanded to cover the entire archdiocese.

It was a gorgeous day, beginning with the typical June-gloom overcast weather that eventually gave way to the warm sun, with the Pacific Ocean in the background. Quite a significant number of parishioners and family members attended, as did a good number of the men from my bible study group. Afterwards, we went back to John and his wife's house for a nice, relaxing after-party. Needlessly to say, we are all proud of John and Fernando as it has been a long road of study, prayer, and sacrifice for these men to take on this new responsibility.

Our prayers remain with these two fine and upstanding Catholic men as they begin their walk down this consecrated life of service.

10 Points for the Republican Party...

In the middle of the whole immigration bill fiasco I received an e-mail from the Republican Party requesting that I fill out a questionnaire and add any additional comments. Below are the comments I added to their questionnaire. As the old saying goes: "Ask and ye shall receive."

10 Points for the Republican Party

1) Border security (fence built in full with installation of new surveillance & detection technology at the border, dramatically increased number of border agents & national guardsmen patrolling ALL borders - north, south, Gulf, Atlantic and Pacific coasts),

2) No amnesty under any disguise or play on words. Illegals who are felons should be deported with the assurance that their country of origin will incarcerate them for the full term of their sentence. If not, then we keep them in prison here, but will bill their host countries for the expense. Illegals who don't want to become U.S. citizens, get deported. Those who DO want to become citizens, go back to their home country and "wait in line" just like everybody else.

3) Immediate and aggressive prosecution of businesses that hire illegal immigrants (the Republicans MUST do this in order to prove that they are not in the back pockets of big business!),

4) Drop the "jobs Americans won't do" meme. It's a load of B.S. Illegals are taking jobs away from legal immigrants, and suppressing wages in the process,

5) No new visa types, such as Y- or Z-visas (not necessary). Instead, streamline the current bureaucratic mess that is the current state of legal immigration, and make it more efficient. This includes better and more efficient background checks of both legal and illegal immigrants and visitors when the enter the country, or when (illegals) are caught. This also means ending the so-called "sanctuary" policies of certain cities (such as in Los Angeles) which prevents local police from doing their jobs when they come across/capture and illegal.

6) Make English the official language of the U.S.

7) Energy dependence! This means drilling in ANWAR, as well the Pacific and Gulf coasts, in-place extraction of shale oil in the Montana/Wyoming/Utah areas, further R&D on fusion and fuel cell technologies, building new oil refineries and expanding existing one. Drastically reduce dependence on oil imports from all Middle Eastern countries in the process,

8) Full and unequivocal support for the GWOT (this includes Iran, Syria, as well as Iraq and other countries). Clear, detailed plans for dealing with all "hot spots" around the world,

9) Remain firm, committed and unequivocal on Pro-Life and Pro-Family issues: No to abortion, No to homosexual marriages, No to embryonic stem cell research,

10) CUT THE FRIGGIN' SPENDING!!! Meaning that total spending for the next fiscal year will be LESS than the previous year... by a significant amount. Also, STOP THE PORK/EARMARKS (both Republican as well as Democratic). And continue to REDUCE TAXES, ESPECIALLY FOR THE MIDDLE CLASS.

Bonus Point: REAL FAIR TRADE WITH COUNTRIES SUCH AS CHINA!

Memories of Ocean City, Maryland...

When I visited family and friends back east last month, I took a day to drive down to Ocean City, MD, for a part of the day. It was my first visit to that great little beach town in 15 years. My college buddies and I would spend lots of time down at various places at the Jersey shore (Avalon, Sea Isle City, Stone Harbor, Wildwood). But, in the summer of '86, a few of the guys mentioned this place called Ocean City in Maryland, and we decided to give it a shot. We fell in love with the town so much that we continued to vaca down there every summer up until '92 (in '93 a few of us vaca'ed in California, and in '94 I moved to CA). We'd head down to Ocean City for a weekend or a full week, at least once if not two or three times each summer (even though we'd continue to spend time at the Jersey shores, as well).

We used to stay at either the Tidelands (at 5th & the beach), the Wellington (at 9th & Baltimore), and the Monticello. The Tidelands was, at the time, a dump of a place for $20/night, but we didn't care. Since then, the place has gone "upscale" as the Tidelands Caribbean Hotel & Resort. (Yikes!)

We used to hit quite a few night clubs during those summers... Scandal's near 65th Street (a large, all-wood, barn-like interior with a balcony in the back, and a full-sized stage for live bands to perform)... Samantha's at the back of the 45th Street shopping center (many memories there)... the Playpen near 69th Street by the bay side (they used to go overboard with the fog machine, the music volume bled your ears, and they were notorious for seriously lacking A/C in that place)... Graffitti's on 17th Street... the Paddock at the south end of town for live rock bands... Tiffany's (a preppy little place connected to a hotel or restaurant on 24th Street, I think, that my friend Phil used to like going to)... and of course the Purple Moose Saloon on the boardwalk.

Of them all, Samantha's and Scandal's were the best clubs for hoppin' night life! Let's just say that Labor Day weekend in '88 will live in infamy for me and my friends!!! 'Nough said. Almost all of those clubs have either closed down, changed names, or moved. Samantha's was the first to close in '90. Tiffany's and Graffitti's are gone. Scandal's moved in the old Samantha's location before closing in '05. But the Paddock is still open, and the Purple Moose is still on the boardwalk (and DJ Batman, who used to do the "Best Body on the Beach" contests is STILL there! What is he now... 65?... 70 years old??... geez!).

For munchies.... Soriano's... Thrasher's French Fries (hold the vinegar... yuck)... the Dough Roller for breakfast, pizza on the boardwalk near 5th Street!!! (I forget the name of the place)... Dumser's Dairy (for custard ice cream like Dairy Queen)... Dayton's Chicken for the BEST fried chicken and soft shell crabs, on the boardwalk by the pier at South Division Street... and the Bull On The Beach for awesome bbq roast pork and roast beef sandwiches.

What I loved best about OCMD was that it was clean, it had a little bit of everything for everyone, and you had all sorts of people from all walks of life -- different cultures, backgrounds, ethnicities, incomes, all ages from babies to octogenarians, single people, families -- and everyone had smiles on their faces.

P.S. I forgot to add one more memory of OCMD...... always seeing the beautifully done Christian-themed sand sculptures at the beach by North Division Street. From what I read, the job of doing them has been handed down over the years (Chuck Ritchley Sr. and Randy Hofman are two of the men who've done them in OCMD).

Here's a link to Randy Hofman's website.

Follow-up to yesterday's post...

John Hawkins, over at RWN, summarizes the post mortem of the failed Senate immigration bill. His last "P.S." is very telling:

PS #2: I also asked my source why he thought so many Republicans had been supporting such an incredibly unpopular bill. He gave three reasons:

First off, there was what he referred to as the "Rovian School of thought," which says that passing this bill would capture the Hispanic vote for the GOP for decades to come.

Next up, there's the "Chamber of Commerce" vote. He says these Republicans were heavily influenced by business groups that want cheap labor no matter what the cost is for the rest of the country.

Then there was the last group, the smallest group in his opinion, who were willing to sign onto a terrible bill just so they could say they were part of a big reform that had bipartisan support.

We can be thankful for the strong, conservative leadership of Senators DeMint, Sessions and Coburn for helping to kill this terrible bill.

On Illegal Immigration...

Okay... first things first... on the oft-repeated phrase that illegals are "doing jobs that Americans won’t do":

• I have a relative who put helped put herself through college by cleaning peoples’ houses for five years. in other words... that annoying phrase is a load of B.S.

• Remember the post-Hurricane Katrina construction jobs that many citizens from the northern portion of the country headed down south to fill? But they were turned away because the jobs were filled already by illegal aliens.

• Remember the recent raid on several Swift & Co. Meat Packing plants in six states because of their hiring illegal aliens. Subsequently, they posted job opportunities at $18/hour --- and were overrun with vast numbers of applicants willing to take the jobs that were previously unavailble to them.

• Less than 10% of agriculture (i.e., strawberries, grapes, etc.) requires humans to do the picking. The fast majority of agricultural work is done mechanically.

• Costs will not drastically increase if actual U.S. citizen farm workers did this work vs. illegal farm workers (fuel costs has a much greater affect on overall costs).

• The Juan vs Jose analogy (a legal first generation migrant farm worker vs. an illegal immigrant). Illegal immigrants severely diminish job opportunities for legal immigrants, and also suppress the available wages for legal immigrants when the few jobs do become available.

• Then there is the strain (fiscally as well as administratively) on key social services such as hospital/medical and education systems due to the fact that most illegals do not have health benefits, nor are they paying local/state/federal income taxes (with the exception of sales taxes from their extremely low income level).


What needs to be done?

First, fully enforce the laws that are already on the books!!! This includes:

• Building the full fence on the southern border (double fence with road in between), plus upgrade of technology for remote/underground/infrared detection and surveillance, etc. (for northern as well as southern borders).

• Increase # of border agents & port inspection agents (all borders: north and south, Atlantic, Pacific and Gulf coasts).

• Aggressively investigate, prosecute and fine businesses that are hiring illegals. The worst and repeat offenders should be first in line to be investigated and prosecuted.

NOTE: On that last point --- once the illegal job hiring market dries up it would cause an automatic natural exodus of a large portion of illegals who have no interest in becoming U.S. citizens, and who will head back to their countries of origin on their own.

• Full integration of background check information into a central database.

• Full background checks with reasonable timeframes for said checks (not just within 24 hours). Checks go through all available channels, authorities and agencies: local, state, federal, international.

• City sanctuary policies revoked (e.g., L.A. not allowing it’s police officers to inform the feds when they come across any illegal).


Next?

• Political asylum opportunities on a case-by-case basis.

• Close scrutiny on anyone who may have links, ties or sympathies to any terrorist agenda.

• Any illegal immigrant convicted with a felony is automatically deported at the expense of the receiving country.

• Any remaining illegal immigrant must choose whether to become a U.S. citizen or to return to their country of origin.

Those that choose to become a U.S. citizen must:

a) learn to speak, read and write English

b) go through the standard procedures to become a citizen

c) pay a fine for having come here illegally and not having paid income taxes (this fine is to be paid either as a lump sum or as an automatic deduction from their paychecks until said fine is paid in full).


In addition, the following “trigger” automatically goes into effect:

For every illegal immigrant who is to become legal, there should be a commensurate reduction in new legal immigrants who are allowed to become a U.S. citizen.

For example: Supposing there are 10,000 illegal immigrants from Italy – my own ancestry came from that country. Let’s say that 2000 are felons who get automatically deported. Let’s then say that, of the remaining illegals, 1000 want to return to Italy. This leaves us with 7000 illegals who want to become U.S. citizens. But suppose that the U.S. only allots 3500 legal immigrants from Italy each year. That means that for the next two years NO legal immigrants are allowed into the U.S. from Italy.

If any country takes issue with this procedure, they have the right to choose one of two options: either except this procedure as is, or take back all of the illegal immigrants from their country and have them “get in line” like the rest of the potential legal immigrants who are already waiting in line.

There must be a cut-off date set (in the past, not the future) as to who is allowed to take this opportunity to become a U.S. citizen (e.g., if a person has been in the U.S. prior to Jan 1, 2007). Any illegal immigrant after said date is automatically deported unless political asylum issues are involved.

No new increases in the number of “legal” immigrations per year for each country. In other words, if in 2006 we allow up to 5000 people from a given country to apply for U.S. citizenship, this benchmark cannot be increased until at least two years after the U.S. has fully absorbed any current illegals from said country who officially become legal citizens through the above stated processes.

No new types of visas (e.g., Y and Z visas) are to be created. They are unnecessary. In fact, current procedures, documentation and visa types/applications need to be streamlined and simplified.


IT AIN'T THAT HARD TO DO! It stops businesses that are currently hiring illegals from breaking the law. It opens up jobs for legal citizens to get, and at a just wage. It deports illegals who are hardened criminals. It returns back to their countries of origin other illegals who have no interest in becoming citizens. It allows those who DO want to become citizens to do so in a proper and systematic way, and it requires a natural assimilation into society. It also gives them a better opportunity to grow economically as they will now be paid legal wages and benefits by U.S. businesses. With them getting benefits and paying taxes in these legal jobs, there will be less of a financial strain on medical/hospital and education services in the communities they reside.

UPDATE: To add one more point to all of the above --- in order to get to the root of the problem of illegal immigration, you need to address the fact that certain countries are being run by corrupt regimes and/or failed governments. They are not doing what is necessary to improve the social & economic conditions for their citizens, otherwise there would be no need for such a regular and massive exodus. Pressure must be put on those troublesome countries to correct their problems, diminish their corruption, and implement true democratic reforms. Various types of incentives can be dangled in front of these countries as an enticement so that both sides can benefit from an overall improvement of their respective societies.

Also, here is a link to Sen. Sessions' "20 Loopholes" in the current (and abominably bad & misguided) Senate Immigration Bill that (for the time being, as of tonight's failed cloture vote) has been taken off the table. It's more like a TKO than a pure KO for the bill, and it may rear it's ugly head again in the future.

Blogging break...

I'll be taking a blogging break for a couple weeks, as I'm flying back east to visit family and friends, so I will be sans internet access for the most part. I'm taking two books with me: Dale Ahlquist's "Common Sense 101: Lessons From Chesterton" (it's been patiently waiting for me to read it after I had Dale sign it for me last September), and Italo Calvino's fantastical novel "If On a Winter's Night a Traveler" (a favorite of mine, and I felt it's time for me to read it again).

I should be back to blogging towards the end of the month, posting a few more times on some more local artists. I've also been wanting to post some movie-on-DVD reviews, but haven't gotten around to typing them out. I'd recommend a nice little small-budget flick "10 Items Or Less" with Morgan Freeman and Paz Vega. It's a sweet and funny, slice-of-life/chance meeting movie that will have you laughing many times throughout the brief 82 minutes. NOTE: Foul language is a bit loose in this film, but not bad enough to detract from the nice little story and some wonderful performances.

Local Art & Artists ~ Part 6 (Rivas and Maldonado)

David Rivas peeks through his camera lens in a unique way. He calls his art abstract chromogenic photography. "Blue" was one of his first pieces, and it was selected by the City of Ventura to be used as banners throughout the Ventura Harbor area. "Prince" is another fascinating piece.

Ricky Maldonado is known for his geometrically detailed pottery, such as "Alien Mardi Gras", "Seed Jar", and "Blue Moon".

Local Art & Artists ~ Part 5 (Gerardo Segismundo)

Gerardo Segismundo is a bundle of laughter from the Philippines. I met him last autumn during the previous Artwalk (his art was displayed at several locations), and it was a joy to briefly get to know him. He was always drawing and painting as a kid, but his father wanted him to enter the medical field. He continued his creative outlet on the side, and friends & family members encouraged him to refine his artistic craft.

I love this guys work! It's at times subtle, and at other times vibrant. I'll let the artwork speak for itself: (in order) "Dancer (2)", "River's Quiet Moment", "Ventura Mission (11)", "Raptor (1)", and "Farmers (2)".

Local Art & Artists ~ Part 4 (Beirne, Zwers, Peterson and Kirk)

No, they are not a law firm. They are four artists listing among many at the "Focus on the Masters" web site.

Catherine Beirne works with various mediums, but the first item featured below (entitled "The Emperor") is oil on Canvas.

Gerald Zwers is both a painter and a sculptor. His watercolors focus on local landscapes, such as the untitled piece shown below. So far, very little of his work is listed on the web.

The third artist is Linda F. Peterson. A very engaging woman whom I had the chance to meet in person last weekend. She's a photographer, and some of her featured works are manually-manipulated prints. The item listed below (entitled "Coffee Shop") is the finished product of an intricate process. She starts with a Polaroid photo and lets it fully develop, cool and set for a few days. She then places it on a heating pad, and begins to minutely manipulate the emulsion of the photograph with various stylus'. She then lets it set & cool, then scans it and makes limited edition high-quality prints of the finished product.

Norman Kirk has been around for a long time, and is in a class all by himself. He tends to work mostly (though not exclusively) with watercolors. Last Saturday, I viewed one portrait of his entitled "Mission Padre" that was absolutely breathtaking. I'm only able to find a very small sample of his work online (none of which does him justice). The last item, below, is entitled "Dr. Pierce's Golden Medical Discovery".

Local Art & Artists ~ Part 3 (David Blackburn)

David Blackburn has mastered woodworking to an intricately beautiful art form, whether it be a Manzanita Root & Cherrywood box or a "Heritage Chest" (both featured below), a gnarled bowl, classy humidor, organic sculpture or a one-of-a-kind piece of furniture. All of his pieces are custom-made works of art.

Local Art & Artists ~ Part 2 (Seco and Len Steele)

Next up are two artists currently featured at Accolades Gallery.

First is large-scale acrylic painter, Seco, who's canvases center on the theme of classical music concert performances. Below are a couple samples.

The second artist is ceramic potter, Len Steele. Again, two samples are shown, below. (Unfortunately, not pictured are these gorgeous vases that have a shiny bronze neck with a matte cobalt blue base finish... they're just gorgeous.):

Local Art & Artists ~ Part 1 (Lee Hodges)

Three times a year, on a Saturday afternoon and evening, downtown Ventura transforms itself into an exhibition of various works of art from artists residing in the county. Dozens of local businesses, eating establishments, galleries & museums, and sidewalk stands put up on display for all to view some wonderful creations of artistic beauty. Some of the artists themselves will be there so that you can meet them, ask questions about their lives and their creations, or even buy a favorite piece that you know would be just perfect in your living room or den.

I've been wanting to post about these ArtWalk events over the past year, but I kept putting it off. There was yet another one just last Saturday, so I'll be posting about some of these incredible artists and linking to their websites.

First up is Lee Hodges, whom I've met on several occasions. Her acrylic and mixed media creations are Christian-themed, and are powerfully sublime. Below is my personal favorite, "Time of Decision". Below that is one of her most famous pieces, "Jacob's Dream":

Presidential Primaries Predictions here...

You heard it here first!

The Republican & Democratic candidates for President in the November 2008 General Election will NOT be any of the current cast of frontrunners: Not Guiliani, McCain nor Romney for the Republicans... not Hillary, Obama nor Edwards for the Democrats.

Although I'm currently keen on Duncan Hunter on the (R) side...

... the Republican and Democratic candidates will be battling for the state of Tennessee:

Fred Thompson (R) and Al Gore (D). The two former Senators from the Volunteer State.

Why? When you really think about what each of those six other candidates (individually as a complete package) have to offer, and then contrast that with what the base of each party is longing for (if not demanding of) in their potential candidate... and then really take a good look at the two guys I've mentioned... it becomes self-evident.


Remember, you heard it here first.

On Presidential Primaries...

I know I'm getting waaaaaaaay ahead of the game on this, but I had to toss this out there.

[sarcasm alert] Gee, the New Hampshire primary is soooooooooo important because we all know that Henry Lodge (over Goldwater in ‘64), Ed Muskie (over McGovern in ‘72), Gary Hart (over Mondale in ‘84), Paul Tsongas (over Clinton in ‘92), Pat Buchanan (over Dole in ‘96), and John McCain (over Bush in ‘00) all went on to become their respective party nominees.

And, what about the Iowa caucus? Hmmmmm... Ed Muskie, again (over McGovern in ‘72), “Uncommitted” (over Carter in ‘76... those Iowans might've been onto something there!), GH Bush (over Reagan in ‘80), Dick Gephardt (over Dukakis in ‘88), Bob Dole (over GH Bush in ‘88), and Tom Harkin (over Clinton in ‘92).

In other words..... oh puhleeeeease. The New Hampshire primary and Iowa caucus are only important to ego-centric politicos of those two tiny states (proving their self-importance whenever any other state sets primaries too close to theirs that they throw a hissy fit and cry that they'll move their dates as far back as November in order to keep their precious stature and importance in determining/crowning who they think should be prez).

The more that the process can change so that a wider variety of citizens from a larger swathe of the country can choose who are the best candidates for their respective parties (rather than handing that power to a select few) all the better. Anybody from the majority of the states knows that, unfortunately, their votes rarely count in the primaries because the nominees for both parties are already decided well before they ever get the chance to vote.

The general election is done on one day without any logistic problems for the candidates or the voters. There is absolutely no reason why the primaries cannot be held all on one day as well.... or, at most, on four/five dates over a two-month or less period.

Turkey is as Turkey does...

Steven Ray has recently been in Turkey for the filming of the last volume of his highly successful and informative "Footprints of God" video series, entitled "Apostolic Fathers: Handing on the Faith". You can read his blog notes about the experience in six successive posts: #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, and #6. While Steven and his crew were there, the senseless slaughter at Virginia Tech occurred. He stated in his third post,

"People often ask us if we are afraid to travel in Israel and Turkey. Are you kidding? I feel very safe here. I am wondering if I feel safe coming back to the USA!"

That was on the 18th. The following day was this news item:

"Three employees of a publishing house that distributes Bibles were murdered Wednesday in the latest attack against Turkey's Christian minority.

The three victims - a German and two Turkish citizens - were found with their hands and legs bound and their throats slit at the Zirve publishing house in the central city of Malatya, reported The Associated Press.

The publishing house has been the site of previous protests by nationalists accusing it of proselytizing in this 99-percent Muslim but secular country, reported Dogan news agency. Zirve's general manager said his employees had recently been threatened."

Additional news and details about the incident can be found here and here.

All of this being just the latest in a long, long series of murderous acts over many, many years from the hands of the Muslim world gives one pause. It also makes Ray's fourth post even more powerful.

"From my window just now, I counted no less than nineteen minarets! What are minarets? They are the tall slender towers above an Islamic mosque from which the muezzin calls the faithful to prayer... What happened to the churches?...

"[The] Hagia Sophia—the Church of Holy Wisdom... was the glory of Christendom and for over a thousand years it had the largest dome — until St. Peter's was built in Rome... But when the Muslims conquered Contantinople they defaced the church, painted over the golden icons of our Blessed Mother and turned the spectacular church into a mosque. The crosses came down and the minarets went up.

"It has been predicted that within fifty years Europe’s skyline will change. It will become a Muslim empire. Steeples will come down and minarets will go up. No longer will you hear bells – you will hear muezzin wailing from the balconies of slender minarets. And America?"

He summarizes:

"Oh, so you don't believe it can happen to us? Neither did the Byzantine Empire, the powerhouse of Christianity in the East! But, the East fell to Islam and the West may fall as well. Maybe not by military might, but by religious indifference, population control, and secularism. Islam can overtake us by persistence, population growth, and religious fervor.

What was once part of a powerful Christian Empire is now 99% Muslim. Out of a population of about 75 million, there are only 60,000 Christians (Catholic, Orthodox, Protestants, etc.). The past screams to us but will we listen."

Via the Meandering Monk, Fr. Stephanos, comes this post for some further perspective (reminding us that Turkey has been wanting very much to join the European Union). Additionally, Sandro Magister has a thought-provoking insight into the problems within the Muslim world.

Kasparov vs. Putin (Round One)

Way back in March of 2005 I had posted an article about former World Chess Grandmaster, Garry Kasparov, intending to retire from chess tournaments in order to consider a run against Russian President Putin sometime in the near future. Well, Putin may not be running for re-election in 2008, but he's already "thrown the first punch" against Kasparov (as per this article):

President Vladimir Putin ordered the FSB to combat extremism ahead of parliamentary elections in December and a presidential poll in March next year, which he is barred from contesting. Putin boosted the FSB's budget by about 30 percent and told a Jan. 31 meeting of security staff that they had a key role to play in keeping order through the election cycle.

Kasparov and former Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov organized marches against Putin in Moscow and St. Petersburg over the weekend that ended in Kasparov's arrest. Some 9,000 police were deployed at the Moscow rally, which ended with baton-wielding officers breaking it up. Kasparov said that 400 were arrested. Police put the figure at 130.

The article continues:

"About 75 percent of all officials in Russia today" have links with the FSB or police, Kasparov said. Putin made his career in the KGB, serving for several years in East Germany, and briefly headed the FSB. "Extremist charges are under the umbrella of the FSB," not the regular police, Kasparov said.

The Other Russia, a loose coalition led by Kasparov and Kasyanov, plans to hold more marches, perhaps in several cities simultaneously, Kasparov said. He said this would be a challenge to police, which deployed people from several regional forces for the April 14 march in Moscow.

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied the Kremlin sees Kasparov as an extremist, while adding that he couldn't comment on the FSB investigation into his activities.

Additional articles about the incident are in the New Zealand Herald, Twin Cities Newspaper (registration needed), Times OnLine (UK), and The Independent (UK). What's interesting is that this article via Yahoo News quotes former Soviet Union leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, as opposing Kasparov and the protesters and supports Putin.

Is that another Cold War chill in the air that I feel? *brrrrrrrrr*

U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Partial Birth Abortion Ban...

This is just a small step, but at least it's a step in the right direction. The Supreme Court of the United States today has upheld the partial birth abortion ban with a slim 5-4 vote. Justice Kennedy was the swing vote this time around. But, in order to make further strides, three things need to (must) occur from this point forward:

1) The eventual replacement of at least one if not more of the existing liberal judges on the court (Souter, Breyer, Ginsburg and Stevens),

2) A President who will continue to nominate constitutionally sound-minded, pro-life justices for any future vacancies (Stevens turns 87 next week, and Ginsburg has battled cancer in recent years),

3) A Senate with enough constitutionally sound-minded, pro-life members with a filibuster-busting majority who will vote to confirm said new justices.

The current make-up of the Senate will make it difficult for Bush to nominate such a justice should an opening occur between now and January 19, 2009. Come January 20, 2009, we'll need the beginnings of a serious a change in the Senate, as well as a President Duncan Hunter or President Fred Thompson.

Divine Mercy Novena ~ Day 9

"Today bring to Me the Souls who have become Lukewarm, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. These souls wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out: 'Father, take this cup away from Me, if it be Your will.' For them, the last hope of salvation is to run to My mercy."

Most compassionate Jesus, You are Compassion Itself. I bring lukewarm souls into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart. In this fire of Your pure love, let these tepid souls who, like corpses, filled You with such deep loathing, be once again set aflame. O Most Compassionate Jesus, exercise the omnipotence of Your mercy and draw them into the very ardor of Your love, and bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond Your power.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon lukewarm souls who are nonetheless enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Father of Mercy, I beg You by the bitter Passion of Your Son and by His three-hour agony on the Cross: Let them, too, glorify the abyss of Your mercy. Amen.

Divine Mercy Novena ~ Day 8

"Today bring to Me the Souls who are in the prison of Purgatory, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice."

Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said that You desire mercy; so I bring into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls in Purgatory, souls who are very dear to You, and yet, who must make retribution to Your justice. May the streams of Blood and Water which gushed forth from Your Heart put out the flames of Purgatory, that there, too, the power of Your mercy may be celebrated.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in Purgatory, who are enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. I beg You, by the sorrowful Passion of Jesus Your Son, and by all the bitterness with which His most sacred Soul was flooded: Manifest Your mercy to the souls who are under Your just scrutiny. Look upon them in no other way but only through the Wounds of Jesus, Your dearly beloved Son; for we firmly believe that there is no limit to Your goodness and compassion. Amen.