Ironic Juxtaposition

Over at a site called Libertarianism is compassionate there is a post with the fraudulent headline "Ron Paul Supports Mary Ruwart for President". For the 99.9% of you who are clueless as to who Mary Ruwart is, she is a published writer seeking the chance to be the latest Libertarian candidate to not be elected President in November.

If I were on the Ron Paul campaign, I'd be a little miffed at this projected endorsement even though Paul knows her and has endorsed her book. Ron Paul has served in congress for years and has long since left the Mickey Mouse Club. He has spurred serious interest, raised serious cash and is currently running as a major Presidential candidate in a major party.

However, the author of this post, "Fred", then states something even worse about the supporters of Ron Paul when he writes the following:

I know many Paul supporters are hoping John McCain chokes (literally or metaphorically) before the Republican convention and Paul ends up with the nomination.

Literally? Really? Immediately after reading this I looked up at the title assertion again, Libertarianism is compassionate. Yeah, OK, sure. But we'll obviously have to take your word for it, Fred. Actually I don't know any Ron Paul-ers who wish ill on John McCain. I'm sure there are probably some. If he "knows many", that reality no doubt goes along with the territory of the small circles in which he travels.

But I think it's more likely that this is pure projection on his part. One of the positive results of the Ron Paul campaign's successes will hopefully be to mainstream Dr. Paul's good ideas while pushing out the more angry parts of what Mr. Compassion calls the "liberty movement" off the Bircher cliff. Metaphorically, of course.

Disputations Tom will have to let us know whether this is ironic or funny or both.

Good Friday

Here's some good stuff for Good Friday from Catholic Culture.

Below I reposted the poem which I had posted last year, in case you still haven't memorized it.






I am not moved to love you, O my God,
That I might hope in promised Heaven to dwell;
Nor am I moved by fear of pain in Hell
To turn from sin and follow where you trod.
You move me, Lord, broken beneath the rod,
Or stretched out on the cross, as nails compel
Your hand to twitch.
It moves me that we sell,
To mockery and death, your precious blood.
It is, O Christ, your love which moves me so,
That my love rests not on a promised prize;
Nor holy fear on threat of endless woe;
It is not milk and honey, but the flow of blood
From blessed wounds before my eyes, that
Waters my buried soul and makes it grow.
(Manual of Prayers, p. 178)

Ave Verum Corpus

Trivia: we had this piece at our wedding.

Clap for the Wolfman, baby.

Ubi Caritas

I promise, this is the last one

Crank dat tommy pwnage, dude.

Wait, this one is even better...

Television as Child Abuse

Michael Medved's Townhall.com commentary:

Parents who permit television sets in their children's bedrooms sharply increase risks for negative outcomes on a wide range of physiological, emotional, and academic measures. Collating stunning research from leading journals of pediatric and adolescent medicine, the Science Section of the New York Times concluded: "Children with bedroom TVs score lower on school tests and are more likely to have sleep problems. Having a television in the bedroom is strongly associated with being overweight and a higher risk for smoking."

One sobering study of kids between 4 and 7 showed that a TV in the bedroom increased weekly viewing by nearly nine hours--from 21 hours, to 30!

It's therefore alarming that a survey of third-graders at all income levels showed 70 percent of them with TV's in their rooms. As some of us have urged for 20 years, few policies will benefit your family more reliably than getting rid of television sets from every bedroom in the home.

Yes, please get rid of TVs in your kids' bedrooms so Michael Medved can quit talking about this subject. This habit is made all the more annoying by his being 100% correct.

Also sprach this, Mr. Z!

Heavy stuff on St. Peter's repentance

Here's St. Ambrose's heavy meditation on today's gospel.

The first time Peter denied, he did not weep because the Lord had not looked at him. He denied a second time and did not weep because the Lord still did not look at him. He denied a third time; Jesus looked at him and he wept very bitterly (Lk 22,62). Look at us, Lord Jesus, so that we might know how to weep for our sins. This shows us that even the fall of the saints may be useful to us. Peter’s denial has done me no wrong; on the contrary, I have gained from his repentance: I have learned to beware of faithless companions...

So Peter wept, and wept bitterly; he wept so hard that he washed away his offence with his tears. And you, too, if you would win pardon, wipe out your guilt with tears. At that very moment, in that same hour, Christ will look at you. If some kind of fall happens to you then he, the ever-present witness of your intimate life, looks at you to call you back and cause you to confess your lapse. Then do as Peter did, who thrice said: “Lord, you know that I love you” (Jn 21,15). He denied three times and three times he also confessed. But he denied by night; he confessed in broad daylight.

All this has been written to make us understand that no one should be puffed up. If Peter fell for having said: “Though all may have their faith in you shaken, mine will never be” (Mt 26,33), who is there to count on himself?... From whence then, Peter, shall I call you to mind to teach me your thoughts as you wept? From heaven where you have already taken your place among the choirs of angels, or from the grave? For that death, from which the Lord was raised, did not reject you in your turn. Teach us what use your tears were to you. But you taught it without delay: for having fallen before you wept, your tears caused you to be chosen to guide others, you who, to begin with, did not know how to guide yourself.

Source.

From the "Heh file"

Check out The Snob's analysis on Google's upcoming "Android" phone.

Juan Williams on Laura's show nailing Wright

Presently, Juan Williams from NPR is on Laura Ingraham's show discussing Jeremiah Wright, Obama's old preacher, and saying that Obama must respond better than he has to the hate and racism. Good for him.