Points to Ponder:

DO NOT yield to every impulse and suggestion but consider things carefully and patiently in the light of God's will. For very often, sad to say, we are so weak that we believe and speak evil of others rather than good. Perfect men, however, do not readily believe every talebearer, because they know that human frailty is prone to evil and is likely to appear in speech.

Not to act rashly or to cling obstinately to one's opinion, not to believe everything people say or to spread abroad the gossip one has heard, is great wisdom. [Thomas a Kempis]

Points to Ponder:
(On Various Subjects From Tim Russert)

The primary responsibility of the media is accountability of government, whether it's about lying under oath, which upset Democrats, or the mismanagement of responding to a hurricane, which happens to upset Republicans. [On Government]

Shouldn't the mayor of New Orleans and the governor of New Orleans bear some responsibility? [On the Katrina Mess]

Whatever the criticisms and the after-action report may be about what was right and what was wrong looking back, what would be a horrible tragedy would be to distract ourselves from avoiding further problems because we're spending time talking about problems that have already occurred. [On the Iraq War]

On the Passing of Tim Russert:

This is a subject I have intended to comment on for a while...

Journalist Revitalized Washington Talk Shows (The Washington Post)

I was not a junkie of the show but I did watch Tim Russert on Meet the Press though nowhere near as much as I should have. And while I have noted before on many occasions{1} my contempt of journalism and the mainstream media in general{2}, none of those statements applied to Tim Russert who (agree with him or not) was someone who did journalism the old fashioned way. The tributes to Russert are from people across the political spectrum and not without reason: he was (to quote Rush Limbaugh) "the closest thing to an objective journalist at any of the networks, totally honest."

Rest in peace Mr. Russert and may God comfort your family in their time of grieving.

Notes:

{1} Of particular not is this thread when discussing the subject of Deep Throat:

On the Subject of "Deep Throat", the Correlative Ramifications Thereof, Etc. (circa June 1, 2005)

{2} See the thread in footnote one. I have particularly in mind this excerpt which while applying to the lions share of journalists in no way whatsoever applied to Tim Russert:

The depravity to which the journalistic profession has fallen since the days of Watergate can be to some extent pinned on Woodward and Bernstein...not as much them personally as what they ushered in in the aftermath of the Nixon resignation.[...] The journalistic profession has become one where you "make it" by finding someone whose reputation you can destroy. Ethics are often not a factor, indeed morals and ethics often get the screw from journalists who are trying to "make it" and then (for those who "make it") the same tactics are utilized to try and stay "on top." The same is the case with the legal profession and the political profession: oftentimes those who "make it" do so by screwing other people. So the parallel to prostitution is an apt one. The only difference of course is that prostitutes are somewhat honest about it. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa June 1, 2005)]

{3} [Lord] remember Tim Russert. In baptism he died with Christ: may he also share his resurrection, when Christ will raise our mortal bodies and make them like his own in glory. [Eucharistic Prayer III: From The Roman Missal under Masses for the Dead]

Points to Ponder:

Hear much, leave to one side that which is doubtful, and speak with due caution concerning the remainder. See much, leave to one side that of which the meaning is not clear, and act carefully with regard to the rest. [Confucious]

U.S. Senate report cites intelligence flaws in lead up to Iraq war

Just a snippet before I comment...

WASHINGTON: President George W. Bush and his aides built a public case for war against Iraq by exaggerating available intelligence and ignoring disagreements among spy agencies over Iraq's weapons programs and Saddam Hussein's links to Al Qaeda, according to a Senate report long delayed by partisan squabbling.

The report accuses Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and other top officials of repeatedly overstating the Iraqi threat in the months before the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, and playing on American fears in emotional aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Okay now, here it goes folks.

To start with, I covered the revisionism on these matters four years ago in two postings prior to the 2004 election. Here they are for those who may be new to this reading audience since that time:

"Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain" Dept. --On Democrat Lies and WMD's (circa August 4, 2004)

"Pay No Attention to the Man Behind the Curtain" Dept. --On Democrat Lies and WMD's Revisited (circa August 5, 2004)

And to supplement those reminders, consider this text from the very same Senator Jay Rockefeller delivered on the floor of the US Senate on October 10, 2002. A small snippet seems appropriate to remind readers who have forgotten so here goes...

We cannot know for certain that Saddam will use the weapons of mass destruction he currently possesses, or that he will use them against us. But we do know Saddam has the capability. Rebuilding that capability has been a higher priority for Saddam than the welfare of his own people -- and he has ill-will toward America.

I am forced to conclude, on all the evidence, that Saddam poses a significant risk.

Pardon those of us familiar with history if we view Sen. Rockefeller's attempts to run from his past statements and whitewash the past noxious to say the least. But enough on that for now.

Calumny in the Blogosphere

Hats off to Fr. Orsi for covering a subject of no small importance which we at Rerum Novarum have written on often over the years. The only problem with his treatment is that he does not mention that anonymous bloggers who do not sign their names to their work are not the only culprits of what he outlines but there are also (i) those who do sign their names, (ii) those who sign their names and are in their own spheres people of influence, and (iii) those who enable the latter sorts while criticizing others for the same failings that their "chosen allies" possess.

In short, it does not deal with the double standards so prevalent in apologetics today or mention the names of certain enablers of those who act as Fr. Orsi outlines (such as Karl Keating) or those who act as Fr. Orsi does who sign their names to their own work (such as Mark Shea or Dale Vree).

But those criticisms aside, it is a good piece and hopefully can be a spark to get the fire going on getting these egregious and long-neglected problems in apologetics on the way towards correction. Maybe then, many who used to affiliate themselves with such endeavours would not remain embarrassed to anymore. Hope springs eternal on the latter in my mind anyway.

Miscellaneous Threads Worth Noting:

There will be more in the coming days but as today is the birthday of someone celebrated by the left as a "freedom fighter", it seems appropriate to touch on that as well as another ideological ally of sorts. First the "birthday boy" though...

Should Che be an icon? No

Here is a small taste to whet the appetite:

Since the Soviet Union was too soft for his tastes, there were only two countries that Che found truly admirable: Maoist China and Kim Il Sung's North Korea. He bragged that there was "not a single discrepancy" between Mao's world view and his own. As Che was happily fawning over Mao in the flesh in Beijing, in the surrounding countryside there was an epidemic of mothers cutting off the flesh from their inner thighs to feed it to their starving children. The programme that caused this biting hunger – the mass collectivisation of the farms – represented "true socialist morality", Che said. The dictator killed 70 million people in the end, cheered on by his guerrilla friend at every stage.

The so-called "Cultural Revolution" in China was an unmitigated disaster and provided one of a long list of case studies in why marxism cannot work.{1} Considering the number of fawning mindless sychophants who "celebrate" the life of Che Guevara, a bit of a reminder of the Che of reality (as opposed to leftist fantasy) seems in order and the above thread contains a good synopsis of why no one truly concerned about people could in any way "celebrate" such a man any more than they could "celebrate" the "humanitarian spirit" of Josef Stalin, Mao Tse Tung, Pol Pot, or Adolph Hitler. And in the same company as Che and the aforementioned murderers, let us look at a modern ideological brother of their's; namely one Robert Mugabe...

Now the opposition takes up arms in Zimbabwe

Just a taste...

Since Mr Mugabe – the only president Zimbabwe has ever known – was pushed into second place by Morgan Tsvangirai in the first-round ballot of the presidential election, the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) says more than 60 supporters have been murdered and thousands more threatened in a well-oiled operation to rig the second round of voting.

This is the sort of thing you get with the Mugabe's and Chavez's of the world: no different than what you got with the Mao's and the Che's of the world. Yet those who lionize the Che's, Mao's, Pol Pot's, Stalin's, and Castro's of the world also play various forms of the "Bush is Hitler" card and the notion that Bush is somehow a worse leader than their idols. Here is the difference between the two in a nutshell folks:

In the case of the present president as well as virtually any of his predecessors{2}, you could within reason and the lions share of circumstances protest their governance and not have to worry about being thrown in jail or worse. But with the Che's and the Castro's and the Mao's and the Chavez's of the world, that opposition gets you jailed or worse.

And that is the bottom line folks as to why while I can respect those in conscience who do not agree with me politically in many respects{3} that I cannot say the same for those who involve themselves in the hypocritical double standards of defending modern marxists regardless of the masks under which they choose to parade under today. It is a foundation of morality as well as basic logic and ethics to not make of others standards that you ignore or excuse in others. I have written on this matter many times before in a variety of mediums and may revisit this theme again in the coming weeks. However, for now that is all I plan to say on it.

Notes:

{1} Those who are similarly fawning over Sen. Barack Obama as someone who will supposedly bring "change" should consider what sort of "change" he is talking about because he is promising nothing new whatsoever.

{2} Emphasis on the words "virtually all" and no, I do not have Clinton in mind as one who was not.

{3} The issue here is not and never has been whether or not they agree with me -indeed if they act charitably and ethically then there is no problem whatsoever. [Excerpt from an Email Correspondence (circa June 10, 2008)]

I will be sketching out my thoughts on various news stories of the past few days over the weekend but at the moment I am getting through the roughest three day stretch of the year. With that in mind and as I am not too talkative at the moment, I want to simply request from my readers to please pray for my father.

Thank you in advance for your generosity in this regard.

On Mike Mentzer's Passing and His Influence:
(Musings of your humble servant at Rerum Novarum)

As yesterday was the seventh anniversary of the passing of Mike Mentzer, a few words on this individual whom many readers to this weblog may not be aware of seems fitting. The influence he has had upon your host have been touched on occasionally and to your host he will always be someone we remember fondly.

To start with, I never met Mike Mentzer. Nor was I following his competitive career prior to his early termination of it in 1980 at the age of 29 for reasons I do not want to go into now.{2} As I noted in years past,{3} my awareness of Mike Mentzer came from a book a late friend obtained for me{4} in a trade for another book I had back in high school. Most of the book Jeff (RIP) got for me was full of the usual incoherent irrational gibberish common to the field in question.{5} However, I found myself transfixed by the parts pertaining to Mike Mentzer. His physical appearance (along with that of his younger brother Ray) coupled with the logic behind their approaches{6} to training appealed to me though (admittedly) it took me a while to set aside my foundational presuppositions on the subject at question and consider the radically different way they were proposing.

Though I dabbled with it a bit over the years coming out of high school, it was not until I was in college a couple of years and after additional study on human physiology that I decided to really put the theory Mentzer espoused into practice and set aside everything I had been "taught" on these matters from other sources. I did this and with a training partner set about within a very short span of time radically transforming my physical appearance. I noted some of this in a weblog entry back in 2003 after I ran across part of my old training journal and took a bit of a birthday indulgence reminiscing on the matter at the time.{7}

As I go off of memory now, I believe I noted in that thread how despite my intentions of approaching the matters in the radically new way I had been studying that I nonetheless had a few presuppositions which were holdovers from the other training paradigm. These factors resulted in achieving far less than my training partner and I could have otherwise achieved despite the fact that what we accomplished was nothing short of spectacular and by all "conventional wisdom" was not possible.

For a variety of reasons -including a back injury suffered in 1996{8} and few knee injuries suffered in the years 1997, 1998, and 1999 coupled with the events of real life not being much help at the time- training took a backseat for me for a number of years. However, I did continue in a variety of ways to study the principles involved and I have found diverse contexts with which to apply the basic principles involved to a variety of seemingly disconnected subjects.

I may write on that factor at some point in the future but I want at the moment to remember Mike Mentzer (d. 6/10/01) and his brother Ray (d. 6/12/01) -the latter often overshadowed by his brother's gifts and achievements but also successful and an original thinker in his own right. But tomorrow is another day of remembrance for me so I will leave it at this for now except to note that the notion of an "Anonymous Christian"{9} in some respect could be said to probably apply to Mike and Ray Mentzer in my mind even though they were both Objectivists as well as atheists. I will perhaps cover that at some point in the future but at the moment wanted to remember them both, acknowledge their positive influence on me in a few key areas, and pray that the Lord show the graciousness to them that they showed to so many others.

Notes:

{1} Unless I am quoting from something I wrote previously of course.

{2} Maybe another time if I feel so inclined but not today.

{3} But cannot recall offhand exactly where I said it.

{4} Truthfully and in retrospect, I think he stole it.

{5} Namely, weight training and fitness.

{6} The late (d. 2007) Arthur Jones quoted in the side margin of this weblog was the individual whom Mike Mentzer obtained and further refined the basics of productive exercise from. (Mike always gave Jones tremendous credit for setting him on the right path so it seems appropriate for me to note it here since indirectly Jones did the same for me.)

{7} "Turn Back the Clock" Dept. (circa October 21, 2003)

{8} See footnote eight.

{9} This is a controversial theological term which has many possible interpretations. I do not intend at this time to explain what I mean by its usage here.

Points to Ponder:

No talk of peace, justice, truth, or virtue is complete without a clear understanding that certain individuals, movements, and nations must be met with measured force, however much we might prefer to deal with them peacefully or pleasantly. Without force, many will not talk seriously at all, and some not even then. Human, moral, and economic problems are greater today for the lack of adequate military force or, more often, for the failure to use it when necessary. [Fr. James V. Schall SJ]

The National D-Day Memorial

Remember those who sacrificed so we could live free.

Ahmadinejad says Israel will soon disappear

Though having been called either a "Zionist" or a "Zionist tool" before -not because I write a lot on Israel or take Israel's side all the time on the whole conflict with the the Middle East in general or the Palestinians in particular- but simply it would seem because of a principle I have which is pretty intrinsic to my outlook on life in general{1}- it seems appropriate to address it briefly in lieu of this link being given attention by your host.

The reason for this link is not only what Ahmadinejad himself says in it (and says often) but what Senator Barack Hussein Obama has said he intends to do with the Iranian president. He wants to have a sit down and try and reason with Ahmadinejad and not a few are claiming this shows statesman-like qualities by the junior senator from Illinois. Pardon those of us who see something completely different from what Obama's supporters would claim on this matter.

For folks, can we can simply sit down and talk with someone such as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and expect to see any actual hope of progress??? I ask this because Ahmadinejad is the fella that Senator Obama says he would "sit down with" should he be elected president. What could he possibly gain from such a gesture??? It is profoundly naive to believe that you can get anywhere positive with someone who wants to see you dead.

Whatever one might say about Sen. Clinton being president{2} one thing is for sure: she would not be this naive. I really hope voters can get through his eloquent speaking style and see just how dangerous giving credibility to the leader of a nation that sponsors terrorism really is. Whatever problems one might have with Sen. McCain -and I have noted a few on this weblog in recent months that I have{3}- his unwillingness to do what Sen. Obama suggests is a huge feather in his cap.

Notes:

{1} I do not actually (hardly at all). However, I do take a very simple approach to the subject of Israel: they would be foolish to play nice with people who wish to see them destroyed. That does not mean progress cannot be made but enemies who vow your death should renounce such views and demonstrate that they take those renunciations seriously or else to hell with them.

{2} And Lord knows I have said many times I could not support her for president.

{3} Click on the tag labeled "John McCain" on this post for details on this.

Points to Ponder:

Barack Hussein Obama just resigned his family from their church of twenty years.

It took two decades for the man to realize he didn't want to be associated with the people he had associated with for two decades.

How long would it take President Barack Hussein Obama to figure out the difference between America's friends and enemies across the globe? [Lane Core Jr. (circa June 1, 2008)]

Revisiting the Subject of High Gas Prices in a Slowing Economy in an Election Year:
(Musings of your humble servant at Rerum Novarum)

Having just paid the most I have ever paid for a gallon of gas today{1}, I was thinking again about the issue of gas prices -having written on this matter twice before on this weblog. Readers interested in the rationale behind why what most recommend for fixing this problem would not work may find these two threads to be of interest:

On the High Gas Prices and the Economics Therein (circa September 10, 2005)

Miscellaneous Musings (circa May 30, 2007)

As those are both two lengthier treatments (with the second one building a bit on the first), with this one I want to remind readers of those threads and propose a simple schema for getting this gas issue under control both for long term as well as short term.

For the long term, we need more refineries as I said in both of those postings. We will never increase supply of gas and thus lower prices without increasing our refinery capacity. That about 20% of our gas comes to us from overseas refineries should tell us that something is seriously problematical here.

So the building of a few more refineries should be green lighted as soon as possible to be built within the next year. Furthermore, the environmentalist lobby needs to be made to stuff it up their pieholes and this should be done outside of EPA guidelines. The addition of refineries will alleviate the pinch in the supply chain and enable us to refine all of our own gasoline. That means less "dependence" on foreign refineries. The next step is drilling.

We need to drill more in ANWR and along our coastlines. Again, the environmentalists need to stuff it in their pieholes on this because this whole notion of us being "dependent on foreign oil" is a sham and everyone knows it. But even with these things should they happen would be a year, two years, or three down the road. What can be done in the immediate short term for alleviating the economical pinch??? Simple, there is the issue of gas taxes.

I know I said gas taxes should be rolled back about fifty cents a gallon back in the 2005 posting and at least fifty cents or more in last year's posting. But frankly, I am not in that good a mood anymore. Roughly half of the price of a gallon of gas is federal and state taxes. And there is no shortage of governmental waste at both federal and state levels. I therefore propose not a stupid "gas tax holiday" to save 18 cents a gallon as Senator McCain and Senator Clinton have endorsed but instead a rolling back of all gasoline taxes until at least the time that the other measures of a long term nature can be implemented if not indefinitely. That alone would half the price of gas from where it is now.

Before I hear any complaints about how this would create or inflate budgetary deficits, I do not believe for an instant that our lazy "public servants" either at the state or federal levels cannot find budget cuts to alleviate the additional deficit that would result. We all know they can they are just too lazy or otherwise beholden to selfish special interest groups. But the common good should in the mind of any person with a normal intact functioning brain and a conscience take precedence over individual whims. And on this matter the health of the whole economy and the offsetting of a potential recession this year means doing something that could impact prices on goods all across the board.

Everything that is tangible requires fuel to get where it needs to go to be sold so the cost of fuel impacts the cost of everything you can imagine.{2} I will not go into the whole ethanol controversy pertaining to fuel at this time{3} except to note that this is another area which impacts the cost of every gallon of gasoline.

It is funny to think how five years ago I bristled at the notion of paying even $2.00 a gallon{4} but when all factors are accounted for,{5} $2.00 a gallon is really not that unreasonable. But as long as there is no attempt to get a solid and realistic short and long-term plan executed to deal with the rising costs of fuel, the likelihood of the slowing economy becoming a recession increase dramatically. And any politician who would let this happen for the sake of political advantage would deserve in my mind to be taken out back and shot. But I digress.

Notes:

{1} $4.18 a gallon: only the third time I have exceeded $4.00 a gallon thus far and certainly not the last I am sure.

{2} But of particular focus is the cost of diesel gas and I say this as someone who does not own a diesel fueled vehicle. Diesel fuel affects the entire trucking and shipping industry and at $5.00 a gallon in areas, this is a major factor in the inflation of consumer goods across the board -though most people do not realize it because not as many drive diesel vehicles or consider that most semis which ship products to stores are powered by diesel fuel.

{3} I want this post to be reasonably economical after all.

{4} My reason was mainly knowing how much of that cost was gas taxes also along with how that money was wasted at the state and federal levels. But it also was remembering how much cheaper gasoline used to be.

{5} A subject beyond the intention of this posting though I may write on it another time.

In doing a bit of perusing some of the weblogs we read most often, it was brought to our attention by Beth at the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy about an injustice being committed in Yemen. She asked readers to review the site of someone named Jane for more details so we are linking to it now for the benefit of the readers of this humble weblog.

In reviewing those threads, we were reminded of the very sorts of freedoms often taken for granted at times in America and in other places-a bit of which we wrote on recently in a Memorial Day remembrance. And while we are not sure how much it will help, we have nonetheless sent a letter and affixed our names to the petition for freedom of speech in Yemen hoping that somehow it may be of assistance to this brave journalist as well as his fellow countrymen even if only in the form of moral support.

It is our hope here at Rerum Novarum that other readers either from America or other nations where freedom of the press is in varying measures recognized will also send some letters and sign the petition also: a small step perhaps but better than doing nothing at all.

On Memorial Day:
(Musings of your humble servant at Rerum Novarum)

[Prefatory Note: This was mostly composed yesterday in a few spare moments but I was not able to arrange and finish it until just now. -ISM]

A day like yesterday is supposed to be different from the average day -though to many it was another day off of work or another barbecue or whatever. What is often forgotten or otherwise given short shrift is recognizing the purpose of the national holiday before us -something I will try and briefly articulate here for those who may be interested.

The American Revolution was unique in the course of the modern world in that it was the first revolution founded on ideas as opposed to the arbitrary whim of one sovereign or another. I have explained my view on the matter of ideas before including the seriousness of them before in these words:

[A]s far as I am concerned, arguing for a position on its intrinsic merits or lack thereof utilizing the tools of reason and logic is a serious business and far too many of a sophistic bent either do not realize this or they fail to take seriously the principle that ideas are serious things. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa June 26, 2006)]

Though intended generally speaking as a posting on enunciating certain universal or general principles, that posting was also addressed or otherwise highlighted a particular individual at a given period in time.{1} But that point aside, my intention of raising the issue again is to point out the principle espoused above as well as the importance of ideas that people should have pertaining to them.{2}

The ideas that the United States of America was founded on were ones that those who asserted them were willing to fight and die for. New Hampshire today has as its state slogan "live free or die" and that sums up what the Founders had in mind when they summed up before affixing their signatures to the Declaration of Independence the following solemn formulary:

[F]or the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor. [LINK]

One can judge the seriousness of an idea by the willingness of its proponents to suffer for their advocacy of it. I have explained before the seriousness of ideas that people should have{3} and why as long as there are people of principle and ethics, there will always be recognition of the "sacred right of insurrection" (cf. Chesterton) as a corrective in the event that nothing else is viably feasible.

But I do not intend to note the importance of upholding that right at all times -even if its usage at a given time can and should be subject to dispute. Nor do I intend to point out as I have at other times why the idea of outlawing war completely has as its logical corollary the inability to resist totalitarianism in its many faces: not a few of which are unrecognizable to the casual person. All of that is for another day. Yesterday was a day for remembering those who have through use of that sacred right down through the generations made the ultimate sacrifice and preserved for us Americans the nation we have today.

The framing of the Constitutional form of government we have today -however neglected some of its precepts happen to be in given epochs{4} including the present day{5}- was achieved through vote and not through a military coup. This is a fascinating part of history particularly when you consider that the Founders were not of one mind on many matters.{6} And while I intend to post soon a thread written many months ago on some of what we need to regain a proper sense of politically in America{7}, memorial day and reflections on its significance are not a day of going into those sorts of details. Nor is it the time to recognize the marvelous system we have devised here overall{8} except at best indirectly. Instead, we should be recognizing those who have fought and died to insure that we continue to exist and as much as possible subsist{9} as a nation.

Words fail me to be able to sum up with adequate gratitude my profound esteem for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice so that I can live in what is still the freest nation on earth. Maybe that is all I can ultimately say except of course to ask that the Merciful Lord grant unto them all a place of refreshment, light, and that peace which the world cannot give. I will end now with a reworking of a prayer I posted back in 2006 on the anniversary of Pearl Harbor{10} and hope that those reading this post take it to heart every bit as much as I do.

Father, remember in your mercy all who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom and security of others both recently and in years past. We have in mind with this petition those who lost their lives on 9/11 and in the current fight against religious zealotry much as in years past who fought the monsters of totalitarian communism and its twin leftist scourge fascism. and all who have kept this nation secure and free from the time of her founding. In your mercy, grant peace to all your children in every nation on earth. We praise you and thank you in Jesus' name. Amen.

Notes:

{1} I do not intend to revisit any of that posting from the personal angle: something I want to note here so that readers do not email me on that matter.

{2} People have fought for ideas, they have died for ideas, and this has not only not changed in the present but these things still occur. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa June 26, 2006)]

{3} Therefore, what someone is willing to involve themselves in (should they set foot into the arena of ideas) should be focused on primary or serious matters and not secondary or ancillary griping. What interests me is the discipline of the dialogue.

I am willing to consider for engagement on various and sundry issues anyone else who shows a similar concern for what that entails. I am also interested in productive dialogue which means getting beyond the useless back and forth exchanges[...] where no one is willing to put their foundational presuppositions on the line and reapprise them at regular intervals. The latter is a process that by its very nature must involve respecting the faculties of reason and logic. That means one has to consider from time to time not only if the arguments they use to advance their position are good ones or not but even if their position itself is actually correct. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa June 26, 2006)]

{4} To note two of the threads from our archive on this matter for purposes of demonstration in order from oldest to newest:

On Slavery and the Founding Fathers of America (circa April 17, 2007)

On Being Fair to Historical Figures in General and Revisiting the Subject of Slavery in American History (circa October 25, 2007)

{5} On Fundamental Rights, Common Law Principles, and Abortion (circa February 1, 2007)

{6} For example, the subject of slavery (see the threads in footnote four).

{7} This thread I have mentioned many times over the months having in store for posting as well as previously when it was being either conceived of or written.

{8} Despite certain flaws which I could point out another time that are in need of constant focus for improvement thereof.

{9} There is a distinction with a difference between something that exists and something that subsists: a topic for another time perhaps.

{10} Prayer in Remembrance of the Soldiers of Pearl Harbor (circa December 7, 2006)

Remembering Chris:

As I noted late last week, I planned to touch on this subject on the anniversary of Chris' birthday but it seemed inappropriate to do so in light of the passing of my great aunt two days before. And if I did a remembrance thread on every day of the year where there was someone in my family in recent years who had passed on -either their birthday or the anniversary of their passing- then that would involve a lot of postings and a lot of depression. For that reason, I touch on very few of them regularly and others occasionally except on the annual All Souls remembrance where quite the list is posted.

Chris was a special case for me though due to a variety of reasons -the closeness of our tie for one and the way in which our lives played out for another. I could say more but will instead note the previous threads below for your perusal if interested. And while each has some different material in it than the others, the thread from 2005 is the most complete of the threads -encapsulating some of my remembrances of him when he was alive and also though the passing of time has helped somewhat with regrets that in some form or another I will probably always have. Without further ado...

Musings on Chris DiSomma's Birthday (circa May 23, 2007)

Remembering Chris DiSomma a Year After His Passing (circa December 11, 2006)

Remembering Chris DiSomma Three Days After His Passing (circa November 26, 2005)

Let these threads serve as a cautionary tale for those who put off tomorrow what they could do today so far as reconciliations go with others. Oh and rest in peace amigo until we (hopefully) meet again in a much better place!!!

Eternal rest grant unto Chris' soul oh Lord and let thy Perpetual Light shine upon him. May his soul rest in peace with all the souls of the faithful departed through the Mercy of God. Amen.

I did not figure on posting anything additional today but this thread is in the spirit of what I posted earlier this week with regards to my great aunt Ann as well as what I noted is on tap for probably tomorrow. Nonetheless:

Maria Sue Chapman, R.I.P. (2003-2008)

As Michelle Malkin notes in the above posting, set aside politics when reviewing what she writes above. Lots of prayer request today at Rerum Novarum but virtually no one prays enough anyway -including your humble servant who needs to do more of his share in this department as well.

While I do not want it to overshadow the previous note of the passing of my great aunt, I should note that today would have been the birthday of my oldest childhood friend Chris. He passed on in late 2005 and I may note something on this anniversary sometime tomorrow if I feel so inclined to. At that point, we should be clear for a resumption of ordinary blogging until the next remembrance of passing persons -a subject I am sure does not help with blog stats but in the words of Rhett Butler "frankly, I don't give a damn." What purpose is a weblog, journal of thoughts, or whatever if one does not use it to speak their mind???

Anyway, the usual musings, mutterings, and other such matters will resume probably after tomorrow...thank you for your patience and prayerful generosity in the meantime.

My maternal great aunt Ann Ripplinger passed on two days ago at the age of 91. She was the younger sister of my maternal grandmother Mary Kanski (d. 9/25/01) the aunt of my maternal uncle David Kanski (d. 5/19/02), and the older sister of my great aunt Hattie Denny whose husband Mel passed on in early 2004 (1/25/04). I will not depress readers of this entry with a full list of those who have passed on in my family the past eight years as it would make for a depressing read -only compassion for the family and for the deceased in prayer particularly on this occasion Ann and her closest family.

[Lord, please] remember Ann Ripplinger, whom you have called from this life. In baptism she died with Christ: may she also share in his resurrection. [Roman Missal Eucharistic Prayer 2: From Masses for the Dead]