Tom will be in New York tonight "helping" FDNY firefighters who worked at ground zero to "detox".
Now, as a Christian I have obvious disagreements with the philosophy and beliefs of scientology. But also, as a Christian and an American I don't believe that a person should be prevented from offering to help people in need of help. That said, the firefighters union (International Association of Fire Fighters), the FDNY administration, and the city government should make sure that the individual firefighters are not being preyed upon and taken advantage of in their time of need.
I don't want to rush to judgement as to the sincerity of Tom Cruise and the Scientologists who are there putting on the event. But if they are being dishonest then I hope those previously mentioned organizations do their jobs and discredit Tom, Scientology, and take the appropriate legal action. Who knows, Tom's next movie may be jailhouse theatre.
Pyro
4/19/2007
The Wheels of Justice
I'm a big fan of St. Thomas More (Sir Thomas More for those who don't believe in the Communion of Saints), so maybe that's why modern day attorneys and our justice system usually make me want to vomit.
Everybody who commits a crime ends up with a lawyer who attempts to have their client excused from justice due to circumstances beyond the clients control. Usually the defended is painted as some sort of poor helpless victim who no longer has a free will or is otherwise unable to be held responsible for his or her actions. Such is the case with the pastors wife being tried for murdering her husband.
Some of the things that she claims happened to her may very well be true. Does that mean that she can't be held accountable for her actions? What if she had gone and shoplifted? If you are treated poorly does that mean that you have license to do whatever you want?
Justice systems in Western society have become an industry. We need a philosophical return to the belief that Justice is the administration of deserved punishment or reward.
Pyro
Everybody who commits a crime ends up with a lawyer who attempts to have their client excused from justice due to circumstances beyond the clients control. Usually the defended is painted as some sort of poor helpless victim who no longer has a free will or is otherwise unable to be held responsible for his or her actions. Such is the case with the pastors wife being tried for murdering her husband.
Some of the things that she claims happened to her may very well be true. Does that mean that she can't be held accountable for her actions? What if she had gone and shoplifted? If you are treated poorly does that mean that you have license to do whatever you want?
Justice systems in Western society have become an industry. We need a philosophical return to the belief that Justice is the administration of deserved punishment or reward.
Pyro
4/16/2007
Remember the tomb of Jesus?
Remember a month or so ago when James Cameron of "Titanic" fame had this high publicity "documentary" on the Discovery channel where the burial tomb of Jesus and his family had been discovered. Jesus' "wife" Mary Magdalene was there with him of course...
Well, it seems that a bunch of the rats are jumping ship and the whole thing is being debunked by the very scientists who went on t.v. raving about the discovery.
Just goes to show that advertising money will tempt otherwise good networks to put out shotty work just in time for Christian Holy seasons like Lent, the Triduum, Advent, and Christmas. Now, where are all the anti-muslim programs during their holy days? I guess t.v. executives are just a bunch of cowardly bullies. Slap a Christian and you get the other cheek. Slap a Muslim and your house gets burned down, if your lucky.
Well, it seems that a bunch of the rats are jumping ship and the whole thing is being debunked by the very scientists who went on t.v. raving about the discovery.
Just goes to show that advertising money will tempt otherwise good networks to put out shotty work just in time for Christian Holy seasons like Lent, the Triduum, Advent, and Christmas. Now, where are all the anti-muslim programs during their holy days? I guess t.v. executives are just a bunch of cowardly bullies. Slap a Christian and you get the other cheek. Slap a Muslim and your house gets burned down, if your lucky.
School Shooting
A terrble tragedy at Virgina Tech results in dozens dead and dozens seriously injured.
What will come of it? I'm not sure but I suspect what we'll hear is all the usual suspects getting up on soap boxes and banging on drums. The "guns kill people" crowd will use it as yet another example of why all guns should be outlawed. The NRA people will remind everyone that someone had to pull the trigger. The shooter will turn out to be either; a spurned and/or abused homosexual, a pissed of member of a love triangle, a person who couldn't handle some bad grades, a "radical Muslim extremist", a rejected applicant to the school.
It sounds like a scene from one of Clancy's books where the terrorsists start attack poorly defended and high population targets like shopping malls.
Whatever the story ends up being there are 22 (as of right now [1000 hrs]) people senselessly murdered and thousands of lives forever scarred. Sin is a terrible thing.
I pray for the repose of their souls and for the families that are left here to suffer the loss.
What will come of it? I'm not sure but I suspect what we'll hear is all the usual suspects getting up on soap boxes and banging on drums. The "guns kill people" crowd will use it as yet another example of why all guns should be outlawed. The NRA people will remind everyone that someone had to pull the trigger. The shooter will turn out to be either; a spurned and/or abused homosexual, a pissed of member of a love triangle, a person who couldn't handle some bad grades, a "radical Muslim extremist", a rejected applicant to the school.
It sounds like a scene from one of Clancy's books where the terrorsists start attack poorly defended and high population targets like shopping malls.
Whatever the story ends up being there are 22 (as of right now [1000 hrs]) people senselessly murdered and thousands of lives forever scarred. Sin is a terrible thing.
I pray for the repose of their souls and for the families that are left here to suffer the loss.
3/27/2007
Open -vs- Closed Communion
I recently had a story relayed to me that I haven't been able to shake from the front, or at least from near the front, of my mind. A man who is a fallen away Catholic recently experienced the death of his father. The man, his wife, and son attend a traditional style Presbyterian church. His father had remained Catholic and the family had a funeral Mass per the father's wishes. The man, his wife, and their two children attended the Mass. When it came time for Communion they all presented themselves for reception of the Eucharist, notwithstanding the explanation from the priest as to who is welcome, (and who isn't welcome) to receive Communion. The priest also explianed that those who were not eligible to receive Communion could present themselves for a blessing by standing in front of the priest with their arms crossed in front of their chest.
The man describes what his two children, (an early 20's daughter and teenage son), experienced when presenting themselves. The daughter, (I don't know what her religious profession is, but I know it isn't Catholic) presented herself for reception of the Eucharist. The priest proclaims, "the Body of Christ", to which she replies with silence. The two have an awkward several seconds which ends with the priest asking, "are you Catholic?". The daughter replies, "no". The priest then touches her shoulder and moves her on so the next person in line can have their turn.
The son then presents himself, again awkwardness. The son actually is given communion but fumbles with the Host and at the chalice when receiving Christ's precious blood. The Dad and Mom were upset with how their daughter was treated and thought the awkwardness of their teenage son and the fumbling was mostly humerous. They both also received communion.
What this whole story drove home for me is how ignorant people are about what different Christian traditions profess and sadly what their own tradition professes, be they; born Protestant's, born Catholic's, fallen away Catholic's now Protestant, the non-Christians, the non-religious. People in the United States behave as if they are entitled to receive whatever they want. The ultimate authority is themselves. It's as if they say, "if what you say contradicts my viewpoint, then you are wrong and an idiot because I know better". They pick and choose what news agency to watch based on their political and social ideology (I'm guilty). And if told that they are not welcome to receive something that they believe they should be able to recieve, they behave as if they are being assaulted.
I wouldn't want to receive communion in a Church that was not Catholic, (ya ya, there's always the discussion of what "catholic" is but in this instance I mean Catholic) or that did not have a valid priesthood. Because without the valid priesthood you can believe all day long that the Eucharist is the body, blood, soul, and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, (and you'd be correct) but, the Eucharist only exists where there is a true priest (one ordained by someone who is a bishop in apostolic succesion). And if you believe in the true presence, (that's where the substance of the bread and wine cease to be bread and wine and are instead TRANSsubstantiated into the real body and blood of Christ) then to recieve communion where there isn't a true presence is tantamount to denying Christ or committing adultry.
For someone who only believes in the symbolic presence, there wouldn't be much to keep them from receiving the Eucharist in a church with Apostolic succession (Catholic and Orthodox), except for the desire to honor the customs of those communities. At best they would think that their Catholic and Orthodox cousins are simply too literal in their reading of Scripture. At worst they would think that their Catholic and Orthodox cousins are silly superstitious morons who go through their faith life on automatic pilot never giving anything theoligical a second thought. The fact that you are told that you are not welcome to receive communion because you aren't in communion is just mean and insensitive I guess.
Here's what is printed in the prayer books (misals) used by the congregation during Mass regarding the reception of Communion.
For our fellow Christians:
...Because Catholics believe that the celebration of the Eucharist is a sign of the reality of the oneness of faith, life and worship, members of those Churches with whom we are not yet fully united are ordinarily not admitted to holy Communion. Eucharistic sharing in exceptional circumstances by other Christians requires permission according to the directives of the diocesan bishop and the provisions of canon law (Canon 844, 4).
Members of the Orthodox Churches, the Assyrian Church of the East, and the Polish National Catholic Church are urged to respect the discipline of their own Churches. According to Roman Catholic discipline, the Code of Canon Law does not object to the reception of Communion by Christians of these Churches (844, 3).
For those not receiving holy Communion: All who are not receiving holy Communion are encourage to express in their hearts a prayerful desire for unity with the Lord Jesus and with one another.
For non-Christians: We also welcome to this celebration those who do not share our faith in Jesus Christ. While we cannot admit them to holy Communion, we ask them to offer their prayers for the peace and the unity of the human family.
The man describes what his two children, (an early 20's daughter and teenage son), experienced when presenting themselves. The daughter, (I don't know what her religious profession is, but I know it isn't Catholic) presented herself for reception of the Eucharist. The priest proclaims, "the Body of Christ", to which she replies with silence. The two have an awkward several seconds which ends with the priest asking, "are you Catholic?". The daughter replies, "no". The priest then touches her shoulder and moves her on so the next person in line can have their turn.
The son then presents himself, again awkwardness. The son actually is given communion but fumbles with the Host and at the chalice when receiving Christ's precious blood. The Dad and Mom were upset with how their daughter was treated and thought the awkwardness of their teenage son and the fumbling was mostly humerous. They both also received communion.
What this whole story drove home for me is how ignorant people are about what different Christian traditions profess and sadly what their own tradition professes, be they; born Protestant's, born Catholic's, fallen away Catholic's now Protestant, the non-Christians, the non-religious. People in the United States behave as if they are entitled to receive whatever they want. The ultimate authority is themselves. It's as if they say, "if what you say contradicts my viewpoint, then you are wrong and an idiot because I know better". They pick and choose what news agency to watch based on their political and social ideology (I'm guilty). And if told that they are not welcome to receive something that they believe they should be able to recieve, they behave as if they are being assaulted.
I wouldn't want to receive communion in a Church that was not Catholic, (ya ya, there's always the discussion of what "catholic" is but in this instance I mean Catholic) or that did not have a valid priesthood. Because without the valid priesthood you can believe all day long that the Eucharist is the body, blood, soul, and divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, (and you'd be correct) but, the Eucharist only exists where there is a true priest (one ordained by someone who is a bishop in apostolic succesion). And if you believe in the true presence, (that's where the substance of the bread and wine cease to be bread and wine and are instead TRANSsubstantiated into the real body and blood of Christ) then to recieve communion where there isn't a true presence is tantamount to denying Christ or committing adultry.
For someone who only believes in the symbolic presence, there wouldn't be much to keep them from receiving the Eucharist in a church with Apostolic succession (Catholic and Orthodox), except for the desire to honor the customs of those communities. At best they would think that their Catholic and Orthodox cousins are simply too literal in their reading of Scripture. At worst they would think that their Catholic and Orthodox cousins are silly superstitious morons who go through their faith life on automatic pilot never giving anything theoligical a second thought. The fact that you are told that you are not welcome to receive communion because you aren't in communion is just mean and insensitive I guess.
Here's what is printed in the prayer books (misals) used by the congregation during Mass regarding the reception of Communion.
For our fellow Christians:
...Because Catholics believe that the celebration of the Eucharist is a sign of the reality of the oneness of faith, life and worship, members of those Churches with whom we are not yet fully united are ordinarily not admitted to holy Communion. Eucharistic sharing in exceptional circumstances by other Christians requires permission according to the directives of the diocesan bishop and the provisions of canon law (Canon 844, 4).
Members of the Orthodox Churches, the Assyrian Church of the East, and the Polish National Catholic Church are urged to respect the discipline of their own Churches. According to Roman Catholic discipline, the Code of Canon Law does not object to the reception of Communion by Christians of these Churches (844, 3).
For those not receiving holy Communion: All who are not receiving holy Communion are encourage to express in their hearts a prayerful desire for unity with the Lord Jesus and with one another.
For non-Christians: We also welcome to this celebration those who do not share our faith in Jesus Christ. While we cannot admit them to holy Communion, we ask them to offer their prayers for the peace and the unity of the human family.
3/14/2007
Rock Creek Residential Design
Hey, If you are in the market for a good value on a custom home design, check out this web site. It's from a friend of mine who started up a home business. He has been designing homes for years and finally decided that he should get paid to do it. There are at least a dozen people I know who live in a home, or had their home remodeled by him.
His business is called Rock Creek Residential Design. The link is...
www.rockcreekdesignonline.com
or click here Rock Creek Residential Design
Pyro
His business is called Rock Creek Residential Design. The link is...
www.rockcreekdesignonline.com
or click here Rock Creek Residential Design
Pyro
3/11/2007
A tale of two protests
So I've been taking part in a protest vigil outside of a local planned parenthood. This protest vigil coincides with the 40 days of lent. After the article ran in last Sunday's Kitsap Sun there were several letters to the editor promoting each viewpoint on the abortion debate. The paper then posts the letters in their blog site and people are free to comment on other peoples letters.
As a person who is pro-life, I have taken part in numerous anti-abortion protests. Every one of them has been peaceful, lawful, and quiet on the part of the protestors. Some times we say communal prayers out loud. Most of the time we just silently hold signs which read; "Adoption, the loving option", "Stop Abortion". "Choose Life", "Jesus Loves Children", "Pray for an end to abortion", you get the point. We 100% of the time stay on public property and do not impede any other persons ability to freely travel through our area. The worst things I have ever seen at one of these protests is when a passerby screams obscenities at us or even throw things at us. There have on rare occasions been police officers parked within our view, but they have always remained in their vehicles. We usually have a police car drive by during the course of the protest, probably because of some complaint called in to 911. We are protesting a law which has made the killing of children inside their mother's wombs legal. Over 3,500 of these killings occur every day in the United States!! We peacefully protest. Sometimes in silent prayer, other times praying out loud together as occurs in church.
Here is another protest story. There are a few people who believe that all war is wrong. And there are many people who believe that the United States' occupation of Iraq after invading them and overthrowing their brutal dictator is wrong. There are constant reports in the press of anti-war protests and rallies. I notice that a significant number of these protests involve protestors being arrested. They get arrested for blocking traffic, trespassing, assault... name something disorderly and they seem to get arrested for doing it. Here's a recent example from an ongoing protest in Tacoma. Around 3,500 American military members have been killed in the last 5 years during this war/occupation. That's around the same number that are killed every day because of legalized abortion. Why is it that when protestors are from the political left there are high rates of violence committed by the protestors, and when the protestors are from the political right there are very very rare instances of violence perpetrated by the protestors?
Pyro
As a person who is pro-life, I have taken part in numerous anti-abortion protests. Every one of them has been peaceful, lawful, and quiet on the part of the protestors. Some times we say communal prayers out loud. Most of the time we just silently hold signs which read; "Adoption, the loving option", "Stop Abortion". "Choose Life", "Jesus Loves Children", "Pray for an end to abortion", you get the point. We 100% of the time stay on public property and do not impede any other persons ability to freely travel through our area. The worst things I have ever seen at one of these protests is when a passerby screams obscenities at us or even throw things at us. There have on rare occasions been police officers parked within our view, but they have always remained in their vehicles. We usually have a police car drive by during the course of the protest, probably because of some complaint called in to 911. We are protesting a law which has made the killing of children inside their mother's wombs legal. Over 3,500 of these killings occur every day in the United States!! We peacefully protest. Sometimes in silent prayer, other times praying out loud together as occurs in church.
Here is another protest story. There are a few people who believe that all war is wrong. And there are many people who believe that the United States' occupation of Iraq after invading them and overthrowing their brutal dictator is wrong. There are constant reports in the press of anti-war protests and rallies. I notice that a significant number of these protests involve protestors being arrested. They get arrested for blocking traffic, trespassing, assault... name something disorderly and they seem to get arrested for doing it. Here's a recent example from an ongoing protest in Tacoma. Around 3,500 American military members have been killed in the last 5 years during this war/occupation. That's around the same number that are killed every day because of legalized abortion. Why is it that when protestors are from the political left there are high rates of violence committed by the protestors, and when the protestors are from the political right there are very very rare instances of violence perpetrated by the protestors?
Pyro
3/10/2007
Should I let the kids see that movie...
How many times do parents ask themselves that question? Hopefully it happens several times a month. We live in an electronic culture and full length films and T.V. shows are often just a mouse click away, or even just an iPod away. Hopefully as parents, we scrutinize each show for it's moral and social value and weigh the possible impact it will have on our children before we let them watch something. This is not always easy as there are many obstacles to a parent diligently accomplishing this. I will go through some of the common challenges a parent will typically face and give some suggested ways to overcome them.
1. LAZINESS: This obstacle makes the supposition that on some level you understand that there are certain philosophies, subjects, uses of language, and human activities that children should not be exposed to. Laziness always comes with a payoff. The payoff for laziness is the serving of ones selfishness. The feeding of that desire to seek your own personal pleasure above even the welfare of your own children. In the movie decision realm, laziness is most often manifested in following manner and with this motivation be it conscious or unconscious; If I let the kids watch that movie... then I will be free to do what I want without being interrupted.
How to overcome laziness? Make the conscious, deliberate decision to take action. Laziness (sloth) always begins with a temptation. Fight the temptation by acting out the opposite virtue. Prudence in this instance is the opposite virtue, Prudence being: an intellectual habit enabling us to see in any given juncture of human affairs what is virtuous and what is not, and how to come at the one and avoid the other. Secular society recognizes this to a certain degree with it being manifested as follows. When confronted with the need to make a decision people are told to "make a list" of all the pros and cons of the decison. In todays society though one thing is left out, the fact that there is an objective right and wrong. So what's right is left up to the subjectiveness of the individual which can lead to quite a conundrum.
Bottom Line: practice prudence taking into account the objective nature of right and wrong.
2. IGNORANCE: This obstacle can be difficult to overcome. Ignorance is unfortunately a word that has been corrupted in our times. It is viewed as a synonym of stupid. It is not the same as stupid however, it simply means that you lack information or knowledge. Stupid would be if you had information and failed to act appropriately on it either because you were lazy or because you just couldn't apply the knowledge due to limited capacity to process thought. I don't believe there are many truly stupid people in this world. I do however believe that there are many ignorant ones, some are intentionally ignorant, some unintentionally, and others are manipulated into ignorance.
The only way to defeat ignorance is to get informed. The word informed is very important.
Inform: 1320, "to train or instruct in some specific subject," from L. informare "to shape, form, train, instruct, educate," from in- "into" + forma "form." Sense of "report facts or news" first recorded 1386. Informative "instructive" is from 1655. Informer "one who gives information against another" (especially in ref. to law-breaking) is from 1503.
Thus to defeat ignorance we must shape and train our minds through education. This is best done by studying from a source that recognizes the existance of an objective right and wrong in moral philosophy.
3. REBELLION: This is when the inmates run the prison, the sheep herd the shepherd, the tail wags the dog, the kid's dictate activities in the home. Our children, (and us parents) are fed a steady diet of new age psychobabble geared toward "building up" a childs self esteem. This is accomplished by encouraging democratic style decision making in the home where subjects are to be discussed ad-naseum. For decades we've been encouraged to only say positive things to our kids and redirect things away from the horrible absolutism that the word NO represents. Children need, and are happier with, well informed energetic parents who are decisive and fair. I read a recent report where the problems associated with being obsessed with oneself and the entitlement mentality that goes along with it has gone up dramitically over the past two decades. It was postulated that this was a result of the "self esteem building" philosophy that has taken over our education system is responsible for this.
Children are going to complain when they get told no. That's just the way it is. So what... life contains many opportunities to be disappointed. Why deprive our children of the education in how to handle disappointment appropriately? If they make a big production out of getting told no, (throwing a fit) then deal with appropriately by grounding them, giving them extra chores... whatever. The parents need to be in charge. If there's a power vacuum, it will get filled by someone.
I recommend this website for reviewing films. It will help you make the decision as to whether or not a film is appropriate for your children to watch.
Pyro
1. LAZINESS: This obstacle makes the supposition that on some level you understand that there are certain philosophies, subjects, uses of language, and human activities that children should not be exposed to. Laziness always comes with a payoff. The payoff for laziness is the serving of ones selfishness. The feeding of that desire to seek your own personal pleasure above even the welfare of your own children. In the movie decision realm, laziness is most often manifested in following manner and with this motivation be it conscious or unconscious; If I let the kids watch that movie... then I will be free to do what I want without being interrupted.
How to overcome laziness? Make the conscious, deliberate decision to take action. Laziness (sloth) always begins with a temptation. Fight the temptation by acting out the opposite virtue. Prudence in this instance is the opposite virtue, Prudence being: an intellectual habit enabling us to see in any given juncture of human affairs what is virtuous and what is not, and how to come at the one and avoid the other. Secular society recognizes this to a certain degree with it being manifested as follows. When confronted with the need to make a decision people are told to "make a list" of all the pros and cons of the decison. In todays society though one thing is left out, the fact that there is an objective right and wrong. So what's right is left up to the subjectiveness of the individual which can lead to quite a conundrum.
Bottom Line: practice prudence taking into account the objective nature of right and wrong.
2. IGNORANCE: This obstacle can be difficult to overcome. Ignorance is unfortunately a word that has been corrupted in our times. It is viewed as a synonym of stupid. It is not the same as stupid however, it simply means that you lack information or knowledge. Stupid would be if you had information and failed to act appropriately on it either because you were lazy or because you just couldn't apply the knowledge due to limited capacity to process thought. I don't believe there are many truly stupid people in this world. I do however believe that there are many ignorant ones, some are intentionally ignorant, some unintentionally, and others are manipulated into ignorance.
The only way to defeat ignorance is to get informed. The word informed is very important.
Inform: 1320, "to train or instruct in some specific subject," from L. informare "to shape, form, train, instruct, educate," from in- "into" + forma "form." Sense of "report facts or news" first recorded 1386. Informative "instructive" is from 1655. Informer "one who gives information against another" (especially in ref. to law-breaking) is from 1503.
Thus to defeat ignorance we must shape and train our minds through education. This is best done by studying from a source that recognizes the existance of an objective right and wrong in moral philosophy.
3. REBELLION: This is when the inmates run the prison, the sheep herd the shepherd, the tail wags the dog, the kid's dictate activities in the home. Our children, (and us parents) are fed a steady diet of new age psychobabble geared toward "building up" a childs self esteem. This is accomplished by encouraging democratic style decision making in the home where subjects are to be discussed ad-naseum. For decades we've been encouraged to only say positive things to our kids and redirect things away from the horrible absolutism that the word NO represents. Children need, and are happier with, well informed energetic parents who are decisive and fair. I read a recent report where the problems associated with being obsessed with oneself and the entitlement mentality that goes along with it has gone up dramitically over the past two decades. It was postulated that this was a result of the "self esteem building" philosophy that has taken over our education system is responsible for this.
Children are going to complain when they get told no. That's just the way it is. So what... life contains many opportunities to be disappointed. Why deprive our children of the education in how to handle disappointment appropriately? If they make a big production out of getting told no, (throwing a fit) then deal with appropriately by grounding them, giving them extra chores... whatever. The parents need to be in charge. If there's a power vacuum, it will get filled by someone.
I recommend this website for reviewing films. It will help you make the decision as to whether or not a film is appropriate for your children to watch.
Pyro
3/06/2007
The College of William and Mary at Virginia
Read a recent news article regarding a compromise on the display of a cross in the chapel at the university. The short story is that William and Mary (sorry for the Wikipedia link) took a cross down from where it has been displayed since 1940 in the campus chapel. There has probably been a much longer history with the cross or other similar religious display as the college was founded in 1693 with it's main thrust being a divinity school for the Anglican Church.
This whole situation seems to me to be a manufactured problem. Why would someone going into a chapel on a campus which has over a 300 year tradition of being affiliated with a christian church feel discriminated against due to finding a cross in the chapel? That would be like going to a Native American museum and complaining about all the "indian stuff" inside.
Somebody has an agenda, and the president of the college is either a co-conspirator or he lacks the backbone to stand up against troublemakers.
Pyro
This whole situation seems to me to be a manufactured problem. Why would someone going into a chapel on a campus which has over a 300 year tradition of being affiliated with a christian church feel discriminated against due to finding a cross in the chapel? That would be like going to a Native American museum and complaining about all the "indian stuff" inside.
Somebody has an agenda, and the president of the college is either a co-conspirator or he lacks the backbone to stand up against troublemakers.
Pyro
3/04/2007
level III sex offender at church
This Lutheran church is having to make a big decision on what their actions should be. A level III sex offender is wanting to attend services for the stated reason that it will help him to get better.
What should they do? What is their obligation?
I think I lean toward allowing his attendance at the Sunday service. I would have some stipulations such as:
1. he would have to sit in the front row
2. he would not be allowed to talk with any children
3. he would have escorts assigned to him
4. he would be required to be in the presence of his escorts 100% of the time
5. he would be required to be escorted to and from his vehicle
6. he would have to show monthly proof to the pastor that he was actively receiving mental health treatment
7. he would have to agree to allow his computer to be picked up from his home at any time for the purpose of reviewing his internet activity
8. he would be required to provide/allow his phone records to be reviewed whenver requested
maybe I'm going overboard, but if he's sincere then these things shouldn't be a problem. And the offender can look at all these things as part of his penance for his sins
Pyro
What should they do? What is their obligation?
I think I lean toward allowing his attendance at the Sunday service. I would have some stipulations such as:
1. he would have to sit in the front row
2. he would not be allowed to talk with any children
3. he would have escorts assigned to him
4. he would be required to be in the presence of his escorts 100% of the time
5. he would be required to be escorted to and from his vehicle
6. he would have to show monthly proof to the pastor that he was actively receiving mental health treatment
7. he would have to agree to allow his computer to be picked up from his home at any time for the purpose of reviewing his internet activity
8. he would be required to provide/allow his phone records to be reviewed whenver requested
maybe I'm going overboard, but if he's sincere then these things shouldn't be a problem. And the offender can look at all these things as part of his penance for his sins
Pyro
3/02/2007
"The rest of the story"
It seems that Switzerland accidently invaded neighboring Liechtenstein
The funny thing to me however, (and it didn't get reported in the news), is that upon hearing the news, France immediately surrendered!
Pyro
The funny thing to me however, (and it didn't get reported in the news), is that upon hearing the news, France immediately surrendered!
Pyro
Accountability
With all the news about top officials going down in flames over the Walter Reed Scandal it causes me to wonder.
How many times over the last 10 or 15 years have these same problems been pointed out by lower level personnel? How many times have the grunts been told to "shut up" and quit complaining? How many times has someone had the idea to fix up the place or maintain things better only to be shut down or ignored? I see it happen all the time, whether it be in the military, a para-military organization (like fire departments or police departments), or regular corporate America.
The problem is simple, GOOD IDEAS HAVE RANK. If you aren't high enough in rank or seniority, your idea isn't good, it's whinning or making waves. If you are high enough in rank or seniority, all of your ideas are good, even the really really dumb ones!!
Now of course I'm being slightly sarcastic. There are good organizations all over the place. The thing they have in common is that they value everyone in the organization and recognize that the genesis of many good ideas is not from the top down but instead, from the bottom up.
Too bad the folks in the Army and at Walter Reed didn't see fit to do something about an obviously unsatisfactory condition until they got caught. I don't praise the news media very often, and Lord knows they will be circling this story like a bunch of vultures, but the Army deserves two black eyes over this one.
Pyro,
How many times over the last 10 or 15 years have these same problems been pointed out by lower level personnel? How many times have the grunts been told to "shut up" and quit complaining? How many times has someone had the idea to fix up the place or maintain things better only to be shut down or ignored? I see it happen all the time, whether it be in the military, a para-military organization (like fire departments or police departments), or regular corporate America.
The problem is simple, GOOD IDEAS HAVE RANK. If you aren't high enough in rank or seniority, your idea isn't good, it's whinning or making waves. If you are high enough in rank or seniority, all of your ideas are good, even the really really dumb ones!!
Now of course I'm being slightly sarcastic. There are good organizations all over the place. The thing they have in common is that they value everyone in the organization and recognize that the genesis of many good ideas is not from the top down but instead, from the bottom up.
Too bad the folks in the Army and at Walter Reed didn't see fit to do something about an obviously unsatisfactory condition until they got caught. I don't praise the news media very often, and Lord knows they will be circling this story like a bunch of vultures, but the Army deserves two black eyes over this one.
Pyro,
2/25/2007
Reason #74,368,746,798,421,957,694,375,096 that labor unions are still necessary
Teacher’s Trial Begins TodayBy Rusty Garrett
TIMES RECORD • RGARRETT@SWTIMES.COMA lawsuit over whether teachers should be paid for time spent monitoring students outside the classroom will go to trial today in Crawford County Circuit Court.Judge Mike Medlock will preside over the case filed by former Coleman Junior High School civics teacher Steve Jones against the Van Buren School District.The suit, originally filed in 2003, claims Jones and other teachers were not paid for non-instructional duty time that they were required to work. It has been certified as a class-action suit.A 2003 law requires teachers be paid additional compensation if they work more than 60 minutes of non-instructional time in a week. Lemley said there is a dispute over whether passing periods — the three to seven minutes between classes — and before and after school duty and lunch duty are noninstructional time.After the Van Buren School Board voted to fire Jones in 2006, the suit was amended to include a wrongful termination claim. Jones was fired for missing a meeting in 2005 and leaving a meeting early in 2006.The termination issue will be tried at a later date.Attempts between Jones’ attorney Brian Meadors and Kevin Lemley, the lawyer representing the school district, to negotiate a settlement ended Feb. 13 when the school board voted 6-0 against accepting an offer that would have involved a $400,000 payment by the district.Lemley told board members the plaintiffs have contended a decision in their favor could cost the district more than $2 million.The trial will begin at 9 a.m. in the new circuit courtroom in the remodeled county courthouse annex on Fourth Street.
I'm no huge fan of public school teacher unions but.... it sounds as if this school administration thinks it's o.k. to not pay workers for required hours of labor (meetings, training, whatever you want to call it). I'll bet all the salary employees claim "comp time" for these meetings and take extra 3 day weekends once they've banked enough!
Pyro
TIMES RECORD • RGARRETT@SWTIMES.COMA lawsuit over whether teachers should be paid for time spent monitoring students outside the classroom will go to trial today in Crawford County Circuit Court.Judge Mike Medlock will preside over the case filed by former Coleman Junior High School civics teacher Steve Jones against the Van Buren School District.The suit, originally filed in 2003, claims Jones and other teachers were not paid for non-instructional duty time that they were required to work. It has been certified as a class-action suit.A 2003 law requires teachers be paid additional compensation if they work more than 60 minutes of non-instructional time in a week. Lemley said there is a dispute over whether passing periods — the three to seven minutes between classes — and before and after school duty and lunch duty are noninstructional time.After the Van Buren School Board voted to fire Jones in 2006, the suit was amended to include a wrongful termination claim. Jones was fired for missing a meeting in 2005 and leaving a meeting early in 2006.The termination issue will be tried at a later date.Attempts between Jones’ attorney Brian Meadors and Kevin Lemley, the lawyer representing the school district, to negotiate a settlement ended Feb. 13 when the school board voted 6-0 against accepting an offer that would have involved a $400,000 payment by the district.Lemley told board members the plaintiffs have contended a decision in their favor could cost the district more than $2 million.The trial will begin at 9 a.m. in the new circuit courtroom in the remodeled county courthouse annex on Fourth Street.
I'm no huge fan of public school teacher unions but.... it sounds as if this school administration thinks it's o.k. to not pay workers for required hours of labor (meetings, training, whatever you want to call it). I'll bet all the salary employees claim "comp time" for these meetings and take extra 3 day weekends once they've banked enough!
Pyro
The Reason labor unions are their own worst enemy #1,992,883,575,884,888,548,848,584
A 73-year-old man died of a heart attack in North London in January, perhaps assisted by a delay in responding by the London Ambulance Service. According to The Sun, the nearest crew could not be called because European Union labor rules prevent disturbing the crew for any reason during the first 20 minutes of their half-hour break. [The Sun (London), 1-6-07]
How much ya wanna bet this rule is already changed?
How much ya wanna bet there are people arguing that what happened wasn't wrong?
Pyro
How much ya wanna bet this rule is already changed?
How much ya wanna bet there are people arguing that what happened wasn't wrong?
Pyro
2/24/2007
Links
I'm in the process of rebuilding my links that I lost when I had an "accident" while editing my blog. Here is a short explanation of each of the links:
1. Google; if you don't know what this is, you shouldn't be on the internet.
2. Catholic Exchange: a site that has news, articles, faith formation and such.
3. Mark Shea: An author who writes lots of short essays, full length books,
and runs a blog called Catholic and Enjoying it. He is an adult convert
from an Evangelical background.
4. Communio: A trade magazine for theologians. The who's who of theology
write for this including former Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Benedict XVI),
Hans Urs Von Balthazar, Hildebrand ... you get the drift.
5. EWTN: The largest Christian broadcasting entity in the world with 24/7
TV and radio.
6. National Fellowship of Catholic Men: site with things of interest
regarding living a faith filled life for men.
7. Our Lady Star of the Sea, Bremerton: My Church's website
8. Catholic Answers: Catholic apologetics site. Their radio program which
is broadcast on EWTN radio was instrumental in helping me to
understand the truths of the Catholic faith.
9. Coming Home Network: a site with lots of essays written by converts
where they describe their journeys from other Christian traditions, non
Christian religions, and even athiests. They also have a radio program on
EWTN called "The Journey Home". The site is run by a convert who used
to be a pastor in a Presbyterian church.
10. Official Vatican Website: lots of stuff at this English language site. You
can even read through everything that every Pope from the last couple of
hundred years has written.
More links to follow as I rebuild my list.
Pyro
1. Google; if you don't know what this is, you shouldn't be on the internet.
2. Catholic Exchange: a site that has news, articles, faith formation and such.
3. Mark Shea: An author who writes lots of short essays, full length books,
and runs a blog called Catholic and Enjoying it. He is an adult convert
from an Evangelical background.
4. Communio: A trade magazine for theologians. The who's who of theology
write for this including former Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Benedict XVI),
Hans Urs Von Balthazar, Hildebrand ... you get the drift.
5. EWTN: The largest Christian broadcasting entity in the world with 24/7
TV and radio.
6. National Fellowship of Catholic Men: site with things of interest
regarding living a faith filled life for men.
7. Our Lady Star of the Sea, Bremerton: My Church's website
8. Catholic Answers: Catholic apologetics site. Their radio program which
is broadcast on EWTN radio was instrumental in helping me to
understand the truths of the Catholic faith.
9. Coming Home Network: a site with lots of essays written by converts
where they describe their journeys from other Christian traditions, non
Christian religions, and even athiests. They also have a radio program on
EWTN called "The Journey Home". The site is run by a convert who used
to be a pastor in a Presbyterian church.
10. Official Vatican Website: lots of stuff at this English language site. You
can even read through everything that every Pope from the last couple of
hundred years has written.
More links to follow as I rebuild my list.
Pyro
Lenten Reflection
So... I'm part of a group that is keeping a 40 day vigil during Lent on the sidewalk at a Planned Parenthood site. The vigil hours are from 8:00 AM till 8:00 PM. We had the typical responses from passing motorists which consist of; 5 honks and thumbs up for every 1 honk and middle finger/cursing. We even had a guy come up and give us all coffee and hot chocolate. My hour just happened to end at the same time that the Parish about 3 blocks away began Confessions. There was a nice handout that the priest gave that I will share with you here on my blog. Not sure where the reflection comes from, so I just want to give credit to whoever the unnamed source was.
Whatever Lenten practices we undertake, it is important to remember their purpose. Lenten practices are not about losing weight or finaly stopping smoking, but they are about deepening our baptismal identity as children of God and members of the Body of Christ. "If you are [children] of God"... this is the identity conferred upon us at baptism. This is the identity out of which we enter into our own Lenten desert. This is the identity out of which we face our own worst temptations. By rmaining faithful to who we are -- God's children, members of the Body of Christ -- we can resist temptations and grow in our relationships with God, self, and others.
Traditionally, Christian penance has always included three prongs: fasting, prayer, and almsgiving (charity). This suggests to us that penance isn't a matter of "giving up" something, nor is it a single act -- even if performed faithfully over a long period like forty days. Christian penance has as it's purpose genuine conversion of life, so that at the end of Lent when we renew our baptismal promises we are able to do so with full throat, well aware of our own wonderful identity as sons and daughters of God. The new life we celebrate at Easter cannot happen without our dying to ourselves, without our going to Jerusalem with Jesus and willingly embracing whatever death is in store for us. For that is the road to new life. That is the road we travel during Lent.
Have a blessed Lent
Pyro
Whatever Lenten practices we undertake, it is important to remember their purpose. Lenten practices are not about losing weight or finaly stopping smoking, but they are about deepening our baptismal identity as children of God and members of the Body of Christ. "If you are [children] of God"... this is the identity conferred upon us at baptism. This is the identity out of which we enter into our own Lenten desert. This is the identity out of which we face our own worst temptations. By rmaining faithful to who we are -- God's children, members of the Body of Christ -- we can resist temptations and grow in our relationships with God, self, and others.
Traditionally, Christian penance has always included three prongs: fasting, prayer, and almsgiving (charity). This suggests to us that penance isn't a matter of "giving up" something, nor is it a single act -- even if performed faithfully over a long period like forty days. Christian penance has as it's purpose genuine conversion of life, so that at the end of Lent when we renew our baptismal promises we are able to do so with full throat, well aware of our own wonderful identity as sons and daughters of God. The new life we celebrate at Easter cannot happen without our dying to ourselves, without our going to Jerusalem with Jesus and willingly embracing whatever death is in store for us. For that is the road to new life. That is the road we travel during Lent.
Have a blessed Lent
Pyro
2/23/2007
Out of Hibernation
Well, It's been quite some time since I consistently posted in my blog. I will be trying to get back in the habit of posting something every day. It takes a certain time commitment to keep a blog current and I stopped making the time to blog. Well, with Lent upon us I suddenly have some time back in my schedule and along with other things I'll be using some of it to blog more frequently.
I learned yesterday of a disturbing event in Sante Fe, New Mexico. Basically, it seems that an individual (or individuals) hid alarm clock/CD players in the Church which activated about halfway through the service on Ash Wednesday (a special Holy Day). The CD's played recordings of people cursing, swearing, and making sexually explicit sounds.
In my search for news stories or commentary regarding this incident I have been extremely underwhelmed. The perpetrators are referred to as "pranksters" and every story I could find had only bare bones facts. None of the in depth reporting or digging for information, as in the Anna Nichole Smith train wreck. If Her story had been treated the same way, this is all we would have seen; "Anna Nichole Smith died today after being transported by paramedics to an area hospital. Cause of death unknown. Anna Nichole is survived by her daughter and mother." I believe the cause of this indifference is a deep seated, somewhat unconscious prejudice/bigotry towards Christianity in general and the Catholic Church in particular by the main stream media (MSM).
Here are my questions:
1. If an ACLU, NAACP, GLBTA, or (insert organization that traditionally supports liberal politics) meeting was interrupted/disrupted in such an offensive manner what would the press coverage have been?
2. Interfering/obstructing a group from peaceably assembling is a civil rights violation isn't it(1st amendment)?
3. Denying a group from the free excercise of their religion violates their civil rights doesn't it (1st amendment)?
4. Is singling out a group based on their religion (this event occured at the Cathedral Church which is essentially the headquarters for Catholics in the region) and assaulting them or violating their civil rights considered a hate crime?
I won't hold my breath waiting for the ACLU to express their outrage over this incident.
Pyro
I learned yesterday of a disturbing event in Sante Fe, New Mexico. Basically, it seems that an individual (or individuals) hid alarm clock/CD players in the Church which activated about halfway through the service on Ash Wednesday (a special Holy Day). The CD's played recordings of people cursing, swearing, and making sexually explicit sounds.
In my search for news stories or commentary regarding this incident I have been extremely underwhelmed. The perpetrators are referred to as "pranksters" and every story I could find had only bare bones facts. None of the in depth reporting or digging for information, as in the Anna Nichole Smith train wreck. If Her story had been treated the same way, this is all we would have seen; "Anna Nichole Smith died today after being transported by paramedics to an area hospital. Cause of death unknown. Anna Nichole is survived by her daughter and mother." I believe the cause of this indifference is a deep seated, somewhat unconscious prejudice/bigotry towards Christianity in general and the Catholic Church in particular by the main stream media (MSM).
Here are my questions:
1. If an ACLU, NAACP, GLBTA, or (insert organization that traditionally supports liberal politics) meeting was interrupted/disrupted in such an offensive manner what would the press coverage have been?
2. Interfering/obstructing a group from peaceably assembling is a civil rights violation isn't it(1st amendment)?
3. Denying a group from the free excercise of their religion violates their civil rights doesn't it (1st amendment)?
4. Is singling out a group based on their religion (this event occured at the Cathedral Church which is essentially the headquarters for Catholics in the region) and assaulting them or violating their civil rights considered a hate crime?
I won't hold my breath waiting for the ACLU to express their outrage over this incident.
Pyro
12/03/2006
12/01/2006
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