About Me

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I am a Roman Catholic convert from Protestantism. My wonderful wife Tenille and I live in Louisville, Ky., with our daughter Esther, and two sons, William and Ezra. We attend Mass at the beautiful St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church on Broadway Street.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Mary Moe

I would like to turn your attention to a news article that may not be receiving much attention in the mainstream media. This story is presently unfolding in the state of Massachusetts and it has to do with a lady of 32 years of age, whose is being called simply "Mary Moe".

Mary Moe has some problems. She is schizophrenic. She is also bi-polar. According to the Powers-That-Be she is apparently unfit to be a mother. And worst of all, she is pregnant.

Now, I mentioned that this lady is mentally ill. But she hasn't always been as badly off as she is now. You see, some years ago she was expecting a little baby. She decided to abort this child. And it was following this act that Mary broke down completely, sending her into her present state. But that's alright. She simply exercised her freedom of choice, that freedom which the Supreme Court holds in such high esteem. Who could have foreseen the result? Of course, she could have kept the child, but no doubt her illness was already in existence then. I suppose it's all her fault, really. If she had dutifully practiced safer sex she would have never been faced with the awful choice of either being an unfit mother or of having a breakdown. I suppose that a troubled mother finding healing and hope through the raising of the child of her womb isn't really a thought that should cause us to lose any sleep at night.

But let us continue to the present. This poor woman has done the unthinkable, and in her worsened condition has become pregnant again. And this, my friends, is intolerable. This is heinous. This woman is the sort of person that eugenicist Margaret Sanger (the founder of Planned Parenthood) called "human weeds". The sort of person she considered to be a burden to society, and of whom she once famously said that they should never have been born at all. And this person, these persons, are breeding....

So the gods of this world, the Ones-Who-Know-Better-Than-Us, have come to the rescue. The Massachusetts State Department of Health has entered the scene with an impeccable plan. Since the mother had a breakdown after her first abortion, and since she has become pregnant again, well...of course... the obvious solution: she must also abort this child! Yes, the MDH is trying to force Mary Moe to kill her child. And this is also alright, because Mary Moe abused her contraceptive freedom of choice, and is presently unfit to be allowed freedom of choice, so the choice will be made for her this time.

Now let me tell you a little bit more about Mary Moe. Mary actually has a son. And this son was born after her first abortion. Mary's parents have custody of child. Perhaps they could also take custody of this child? Perhaps there is no need for a convenient abortion? Or perhaps this will be too much of a burden on Mom and Dad (and I suppose that there is no one else who might possibly adopt or be given custody of this child)? Well, as it happens, Mary Moe's parents have been declared as Mary's legal guardians, in order to force her to have the abortion. This is their idea as well.

There is a little more. A Family Court Judge has also ordered a forced sterilization of Mary Moe. Which is perfectly understandable. If the poor, unfit woman can't make the right choices, we need to at least make certain that she is sterile, and we won't have to deal with all this unpleasantness next time. Also an expert has declared upon examining Mary that if she were in her right mind she would want to keep the child. Which doesn't matter at all, because she isn't, and that's really all there is to it.

Finally, here is the most touching part of all of this. DMH Commissioner Barbara Leadholm said, "The Department conveyed the request of health-care providers and the parents' wishes in order to ensure the safety of a patient with severe mental illness." [Emphasis added.] Isn't it reassuring to know they care so much?

When I read all this I was torn between anger and pity, fury and tears. Who knows what this woman has endured? Who know what healing, what redemption might have come from this childbirth, for the mother and for our modern culture rushing along in its hand basket? And oh, dear God, what even greater overthrow of mind may follow another abortion? My heart is bleeding for this woman, who is being forced against her will to destroy the "flesh of her flesh" by the Ones-Who-Know-Better, by the supercilious, sanctimonious powers of false justice and false charity as they sit on their thrones of damnation. If the One above them all will call into account the idle words we have dropped, what will be the reckoning for such evil as this, in this world and the one to come?

We must pray. Pray for the souls of the parents, judges, and all of those who are trying to decide against freedom and life. Pray for the child. Pray for Mary Moe.

An appellate court has presently suspended both the abortion and the sterilization orders. But this is not over. Pray while there is still time. Pray that our courts will remember true Justice and true Charity. Pray while there is still light. Work while it is still day.

Kyrie Eleison!
Christe Eleison!
Kyrie Eleison!

Monday, January 2, 2012

Sloganeering and the Bondage of the Mind

Information, once obtained only with great effort, is now regularly force-fed to us from every source. From radio, television, internet, i-phones, magazines, and newspapers; at home, at work, shopping, jogging, dining out- we find ourselves inundated by a virtual deluge of information. The exponential increase in the amount of received information is matched by an exponential decrease in available time for reflection and serious research, and by ever shorter attention spans, leaving the modern mind at the mercy of unscrupulous sloganeers, advertisers, and the masters of headlines. The sound-byte has become our source of truth.

There are two principal negative by-products of this current sad state of affairs which are detrimental to our ability to ascertain the truth.

The first is that modern man's actions are determined ever more by emotion and  mood, and less by intellect and reflection; this results not so much in actions, as in knee-jerk reactions. Consider the present state of advertisement. Few of us have either the time or the desire to research the quality of the products which we see advertised, or to compare large numbers of competitor's prices; thus the advertiser must rely upon emotion, mood, and attention-grabbing phrases, graphics, and audio clips to sell his product. The value of a new exercise bike is of far less importance than the sex appeal of the model advertising it. The taste of the latest flavored vodka is insignificant compared with the social status of those shown drinking it in the commercial. Thus the success of advertising is really dependent on the quality of the ad rather than on the quality of the product.

The second negative by-product is the devaluing of words. The ever-increasing tendency to use words to convey emotion or mood, instead of valid information, inevitably leads to a loss of meaning and to the destruction of language. (And be warned, the destruction of language leads inevitably to the destruction of thought....) The politicians, thinkers, and world leaders of our times have apparently taken a cue from Hollywood and advertisers, and have also become past masters of slogans and rhetoric. Their illegitimate use of certain words and catch-phrases amounts to little more than language abuse. The true definitions of crucial words are obscured, shrouded in vagueness, and twisted to conform to the intentions of those using them. Worse yet, the same words are now being used by such abusers as were used by thinkers, writers, and politicians of decades or centuries ago with almost entirely different meanings. Thus, our hearts leap up and our emotions are stirred (this is the whole idea, of course) when we hear the inspiring words of yesteryear's noble ideals, little realizing that the words and ourselves are being steadily robbed of meaning.

While words can convey a variety of emotions to us, one of the principal emotions underlying this present atmosphere of propaganda is snobbery. Freedom of choice, tolerance, and sensitivity (to use but a few examples) are all perfectly noble words that are frequently used to cover the most ignoble actions and programs. Yet their value in terms of snob appeal is immense. Those who buy into such catch-phrases are made to feel themselves as decent, broadminded, liberal persons. Those who oppose them can be easily shown to be little better than close-minded, boorish, prejudiced jerks. But perhaps it is time for us to shrug off the ignominy and insults, and carefully consider the actual meanings, intentions, and philosophies behind these words and phrases.

What is the meaning of freedom and what is its value and purpose? What relationship does this actually have to "freedom of choice"? How are we to understand the noble principles of duty, honor, and patriotism? What is their relation to dehumanizing methods of military training, unjust wars, and illicit means of interrogation? How do we define equality, and what is the scope and limits of natural human rights? What is the bearing of these concepts on adoption and the institution of marriage? What about separation of church and state? Democracy, liberal, conservative, liberty? Fulfillment, self-expression, lifestyle, personal choice, love?

If we hope to be a people of truth and justice; if we desire to help our neighbors, country, and world; or if we simply long to think clearly, it is imperative that we seek to penetrate the meanings and intentions of the words, ideals and philosophies regularly presented to us. We must shake off the subjective emotionalism of headlines, catch-phrases, and slogans. We must strive to free ourselves of the effects of propaganda, and learn to think on our own two feet again. We have allowed for far too long politicians, journalists, educators, lobbyists, and the heads of government boards to think for us. Let us take back our language and our intellects and pursue the truth. Only then will we know the true meaning of freedom, for it is the truth that sets us free.