Catholic hospitals and life issues

JAMA publishes little research blurbs either too short or too weak for prime time in the back of the journal as "Research Letters." March 19, 2019, vol. 321, no. 11 has one that Catholic hospitals should note. . . they are coming for you. First an ominous note on how Catholic hospitals increased by 16% between 2001 and 2011, and then a search to see if Catholic hospitals mentioned in their websites and mission statements that they were Catholic, so patients knew ahead of time about the Church's moral teaching on the "reproductive" and end of life care.

I make 2 observations here. One would have to know zip nada zilch about Christianity and Catholicism to miss it since 79% had the word "Saint" in their name. And 77% of the ones that didn't have Saint, had Jesus, Christ, or Gospel in their name. And if you don't know the Catholic Church's position on contraception, sterilization, abortion and euthanasia, you really should, since it's about the only church in America that actually has strong documents on life issues.

Also, the paper was funded by a grant from the Society of Family Planning, an organization that advocates for abortion and contraception and which is lobbying for new guidelines for facilities (clinics, offices) that offer abortions (or maybe in this case working up to battling facilities that DO NOT offer abortions).

Also, 3 of the 6 the articles cited are by one of the authors, Maryam Guiahi who seems very concerned about Catholic hospitals and "reproduction." I looked up her name, and found a much more extensive article on this topic (it's common to reuse and massage information so you can show more publications on your vita). In another one of her articles, "Mystery callers phoned 144 clinics nationwide that were found on Catholic hospital websites between December 2014 and February 2016, and requested appointments for birth control generally, copper IUD services specifically, tubal ligation and abortion." When pro-life people do that sort of research, they end up in court and sometimes jail.

She has a cottage industry in just her many publications for finding "concerning" behavior and rules in Catholic hospitals. The Left has driven the Catholic Church out of the adoption business; it wouldn't surprise me if her research is much more sinister.

Voting by non-citizens

This pre-Obama, pre-Trump article (from July 2008) on voting by non-citizens is interesting, well thought out, and shows how times have changed in 11 years. In the old days,  the onus was on the illegal behavior of the non-citizen and how it disenfranchised American voters. Now the writer would just be a white supremacist for suggesting illegal aliens and legal aliens shouldn't vote.

https://www.heritage.org/report/the-threat-non-citizen-voting?

The evidence is indisputable that aliens, both legal and illegal, are registering and voting in federal, state, and local elections. Following a mayor's race in Compton, California, for example, aliens testified under oath in court that they voted in the election.[8] In that case, a candidate who was elected to the city council was permanently disqualified from holding public office in California for soliciting non-citizens to register and vote.[9] The fact that non-citizens registered and voted in the election would never have been discovered except for the fact that it was a very close election and the incumbent mayor, who lost by less than 300 votes, contested it.[10]

Some interesting points of view of Walk Aways

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zRk68cLg_A  Dylan Roth, a Walk away from Evergreen University

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6KWMmvCDuA  Tracy Scott, a 48 year old black woman who had never voted

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrUOFi4PoR0  First generation American, Latina,  who supports Trump because she believes Obama was a bad president and Democrats want her to be a victim.

Our Constitution was bathed in prayer

“America is a nation founded and nurtured on prayer. However, according to a recent Pew Report, prayer in America has “gone rogue.” In other words, anything goes: from spirit drumming to mystical chanting. People across the USA are praying, but most confess they are merely addressing “someone out there.”

“We always pray for you, that our God…may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith.”  2Thessalonians 1:11

In 1787, about five weeks into the Constitutional Convention, the framers were frustrated in their attempts to draft the U. S. Constitution. Benjamin Franklin challenged them to return earnestly in prayer to God on behalf of their nation. He asked, “If a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured that ‘except the Lord build the House, they labor in vain that build it.’”

God is still shaping America’s future in the hearts of those who seek Him. Today, pray specifically for those blindly praying to “someone” that they may discover the true identity of God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ; placing all hope for themselves, and for America, in His great power. “ 

Recommended for Further Reading: 1 Timothy 2:1-8

The Presidential Daily Prayer Briefing

George Orwell was a prophet—today’s MeToo movement and the Left 3.0

From the book “1984:”

"The aim of the Party was not merely to prevent men and women from forming loyalties which it might not be able to control. Its real, undeclared purpose was to remove all pleasure from the sexual act. Not love so much as eroticism was the enemy, inside marriage as well as outside it. "

"Sexual intercourse was to be looked on as a slightly disgusting minor operation, like having an enema. This again was never put into plain words, but in an indirect way it was rubbed into every Party member from childhood onwards. There were even organizations such as the Junior Anti-Sex League, which advocated complete celibacy for both sexes. All children were to be begotten by artificial insemination (artsem, it was called in Newspeak) and brought up in public institutions. "

"The Party was trying to kill the sex instinct, or, if it could not be killed, then to distort it and dirty it. " "And as far as the women were concerned, the Party's efforts were largely successful."

Orwell was a genius. https://www.shmoop.com/1984/repression-quotes-2.html

Joe Biden doesn’t get it

But Janice Fiamengo does. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhAir7sJ3ys  She has carefully looked at the Creepy Uncle Joe videos of his “inappropriate” behavior with women and girls, and sees nothing alarming.  She regrets that some conservatives are using this to go after him—or even some who want something other than a white male running for the DNC.

What she does announce is how Biden supported all the anti-male regulations, behaviors and law suits of the Obama era. For that she wants an apology from him. She knows the rage to condemn will keep expanding, no matter how innocent or how often the men apologize. It won’t end.  The Left eats its own.  All the publicity will only encourage women to accuse Biden.  It’s a set up.

His actions are far more serious than a nose bump or hair smelling.  He was on the feminist bandwagon early.  Co-author of Violence Against Women Act (excludes men from being victims, and has ruined many lives).  More than a billion dollars have been poured into Women’s organizations that accuse men; the single most disastrous piece of legislation in the U.S.

As vice president he was an advocate of strong arming men in colleges who were denied all basic U.S. rights for citizens.  He’s joined the anti-white male movement. He has suggested tearing down the legal system and rebuilding along feminist lines.

Janice wants an apology for creating male misery, not for innocent touching.

How did we get to this mess? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlVTNVFvryc  A little history.

Morehouse to accept women who think they are men

In the name of inclusiveness, the nation's only all male black college will be accepting women who think they are men. Black women have historically had a much higher rate of college entry and graduation than black men. 71 percent of master’s degrees and 65 percent of all doctorates awarded to black students go to black women. Why do they need to take up slots intended for black men when there are plenty of co-ed schools? Why not just make Morehouse co-ed?

https://ux.detroitnews.com/story/news/nation/2019/04/13/morehouse-college-transgender/39341305/

Inside a fabulous library of 65 years ago.

Be still my heart. A librarian's stroll down memory lane, a bibliophile's paradise, a film made in 1956 of la Bibliothèque nationale de France (the National Library of France) in Paris. Much of it looks like the inside of the library at the University of Illinois where I worked as an undergrad, graduate student and a professional librarian (in Slavic studies). I can almost hear the creak of the elevator, smell the dust and mold, and feel my shoulders ache from lifting heavy volumes. And yes, librarians did wear high heels and dresses in those days. We wore lab coats to go into the bowels of the beast to look at the latest arrivals from Russia and Europe. If you've ever worked in a large, magnificent library you must see this film.

https://aeon.co/videos/a-bibliophiles-paradise-the-national-library-of-france-in-a-classic-documentary-from-1956  (21 minutes)

Advice from another old man

1. Have a firm handshake.

Because nothing beats a good first impression.

2. Look people in the eye.

Build your self-confidence, and build others' confidence in you.

3. Sing in the shower.

Change your mood and inspire positivity.

4. Own a great stereo system.

Because music is one of the biggest influences on our emotions.

5. Keep secrets.

Otherwise, you'll quickly lose others' trust.

6. Never give up on anybody.

Miracles happen every day.

7. Always accept an outstretched hand.

No man is an island.

8. Be brave. Even if you're not, pretend to be.

Because no one can tell the difference.

9. Whistle.

Same reason as No. 3.

10. Avoid sarcastic remarks.

Snark may get you laughs, but it will also lose you friends.

11. Choose your life's mate carefully.

From this one decision will come 90 per cent of all your happiness or misery.

12. Make it a habit to do nice things for people who will never find out.

It's the giving that makes you happy. Not the credit.

13. Lend only those books you never care to see again.

Save yourself the frustration.

14. Never deprive someone of hope.

It might be all that they have.

15. When playing games with children, let them win.

Maybe not always...but enough to help them feel the joy of triumph.

16. Be romantic.

Because love makes the world go 'round.

17. Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know.

It'll pay rich dividends.

18. Loosen up. Relax.

Except for rare life-and-death matters, nothing is as important as it first seems.

19. Don't allow the phone to interrupt important moments.

It's there for our convenience, not the caller's.

20. Be a good loser.

Or everyone will hate you.

21. Be a good winner.

Or everyone will hate you.

22. Think twice before burdening a friend with a secret.

Especially if you want it to remain a secret.

23. When someone hugs you, let them be the first to let go.

Unless the hug is unwanted.

24. Be humble.

A lot was accomplished before you were born.

25. Keep it simple.

'Nuff said.

26. Beware of the person who has nothing to lose.

And always help if you can.

27. Don't burn bridges.

You'll be surprised how many times you have to cross the same river.

28. Live your life so that your epitaph could read, "No Regrets."

Easier said than done...but try your best.

29. Be bold and courageous.

When you look back on life, you'll regret the things you didn't do more than the ones you did.

30. Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them.

Same reason as No. 16.

31. Remember no one makes it alone. Have a grateful heart and be quick to acknowledge those who helped you.

Same reason as No. 7.

32. Take charge of your attitude.

Don't let someone else choose it for you.

33. Visit friends and relatives when they are in hospital, even if you can only stay for a few minutes.

You won't regret it.

34. Begin each day with some of your favorite music.

Same reason as No. 4.

35. Once in a while, take the scenic route.

You'll often find more joy in the journey than the destination.

36. Answer the phone with enthusiasm and energy in your voice.

Same reason as No. 17.

37. Keep a note pad and pencil on your bed-side table.

Because the best ideas can strike at 3 a.m.

38. Show respect for every job, regardless of how trivial.

Because the job does not make the person.

39. Send your loved ones flowers. Think of a reason later.

Same reason as No. 16.

40. Make someone's day by paying the toll for the person in the car behind you.

You'll make your own day, too.

41. Become someone's hero.

Because everybody needs one.

42. Marry only for love.

It's the only way to survive the challenges to come.

43. Count your blessings.

It will make you happier.

44. Compliment the meal when you're a guest in someone's home.

This makes you happier, too.

45. Wave at the children on a school bus.

It will remind you that children are the future. And help them see that you know that, too.

46. Remember that 80 per cent of the success in any job is based on your ability to deal with people.

So if you haven't learned how, start now.

47. Don't expect life to be fair.

But no matter what, never lose hope.

Found at website https://www.eqapplied.com/bariso/sage-advice-from-an-80-year-old-man who says it’s been around the internet for some time.

Advice from A Wise Old Man

-Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.
-Keep skunks and bankers at a distance.
-Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
-A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
-Words that soak into your ears are whispered… not yelled.
-Meanness don’t jes’ happen overnight.
-Forgive your enemies; it messes up their heads.
-Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
-It don’t take a very big person to carry a grudge.
-You cannot unsay a cruel word.
-Every path has a few puddles.
-When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
-The best sermons are lived, not preached.
-Most of the stuff people worry about ain’t never gonna happen anyway.
-Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
-Live a good, honorable life… Then when you get older and think back, you’ll enjoy it a second time.
-Don‘t interfere with somethin’ that ain’t bothering you none.
-Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a Rain dance.
-If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin’.
-Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
-The biggest troublemaker you’ll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin’.
-Always drink upstream from the herd.
-Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
-Lettin’ the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin’ it back in.
-If you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of some influence, try orderin’ somebody else’s dog around..
-Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he’ll just kill you.
-Most times, it comes down to common sense.

More on Reparations by Booker

Booker on Reparations: “Since slavery in this country, we have had overt policies fueled by white supremacy and racism that have oppressed African-Americans economically for generations,” Booker said in a statement on Monday, according to Fox News. “Many of our bedrock domestic policies that have ushered millions of Americans into the middle class have systematically excluded blacks through practices like GI Bill discrimination and redlining.”

Someone needs to remind Booker that these policies were put in place by his party, Democrats, who for decades attempted to block Republicans' civil rights legislation. Democrats were behind Jim Crow, the KKK, terrorism by lynching, separate but equal (which some blacks are now bringing back), overt discrimination based on color, quota system in college enrollment, open borders to allow competition for jobs, voter fraud with illegals crossing out their voting rights, and now systematic killing of generations of black babies beginning in the 1970s. Even the minimum wage was put in place to keep blacks from under cutting whites in a tight labor market. Clever guys, those Dems. They don't teach these things during Black History Month. Or that free blacks owned slaves at a higher rate than whites in the south.

Military dog stamps

I’m looking forward to seeing the military dog stamps (scroll down). I send about 500 cards a year and am always looking for handsome stamps.  During one of our Veterinary Medicine Librarian meetings in San Antonio we took a bus to an Air Force base and watched the dogs being trained. https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2019/0129-updates-to-2019-stamp-program.htm

“Military Working Dogs

The Postal Service honors the nation’s brave and loyal military working dogs with this new booklet of 20 stamps. Each block of four stamps features one stamp of each of the following breeds — German shepherd, Labrador retriever, Belgian Malinois and Dutch shepherd — that commonly serve in America's armed forces. The background of each stamp features a detail of a white star. A star appears in the center of each block. The stylized digital illustrations are in red, white, blue and gold to represent the American flag and patriotism. The art was created by DKNG Studios. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamps.”

Do we really need the federal government for common sense?

"The U.S. Senate’s Judicial Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, led by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), will host a hearing, titled “Stifling Free Speech: Technology Censorship and the Public Discourse,” which will address whether social media giant Twitter and other tech companies are censoring conservative speech, including the hit pro-life movie UNPLANNED." (Carmel Communications)

Do we want the government directly involved in managing a private business like cable stations and social media companies? Are they now public utilities? Cities and states stifle religious expression and thought through local regulations and laws (bakeries, restaurants, flower shops)--does the federal government need to pile on another layer? Are there tax adjustments the government can make to companies who violate our freedom of expression and religion?

Poor are getting rich

"The poor in the world are getting rich at a rate that is absolutely unparalleled in all of human history. I think a large part of that is happening in Africa. By the way, here’s another lovely piece of news, the child mortality rate in Africa is now the same as it was in Europe in 1952. That’s an absolute miracle. It’s insane that that’s not front-page news, right? That within a lifetime. And the fastest-growing economies in the world are also there." Jordan Peterson, Heritage Foundation,

https://www.dailysignal.com/2019/04/08/jordan-peterson-explains-what-draws-people-to-socialism/

Cory Booker and reparations

I wonder if Cory Booker's reparations bill carries heavier tax penalties for Hispanic Americans since it is their ancestors who introduced slavery to the Americas in the 15th and 16th centuries. He appears to be about 95% European, so I suppose he'll get less as he tries to vote himself a raise? And since there are millions of African Americans whose families immigrated during the 20th century, will Booker propose a test--or will they have to pay more since their ancestors sold other Africans to the Europeans? Barack Obama has no ties at all to pre-Civil Rights era America.

Free blacks in the U.S. southern states owned slaves at a higher rate than whites, most of whom were too poor to own any property. Free blacks in the U.S. voted in the 1700s--they voted for the Constitution! But Democrats have traditionally put in place laws and regulations to hold blacks down or decrease their numbers, especially the Jim Crow laws and abortion clinics. About 40% of black pregnancies end with abortion. How about reparations from the DNC for that, Senator Booker?

Today, there is more world wide slavery than during the 18th century transatlantic slave trade--much of it still African. Children are forced to work in mines in Africa so Mr. Booker can have a cell phone. Perhaps the Senator should come up with a plan to free them instead of trying to undo the results of the Civil War which freed the slaves.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/04/09/cory-booker-introduce-slavery-reparations-bill-senate/3409097002/

Are you Red Pilled?

Red Pill refers to the 1999 “The Matrix” when the main character chooses to take a pill that will wake him to reality no matter how painful. Former Democrats often refer to themselves as “red pilled”.

If you are  not red pilled you are getting your news almost exclusively from CNN, MSNBC, Twitter celebs, leftist memes on FB, and you read uncritically Vox, Daily Breast, WaPo, NYT or some form of academic drivel. You’ve accepted without question lies about Trump created from edited video and audio about Charlottesville and MS-13; you accept his jokes and humor as factual; you believe biology is fluid and gender a social construct; you fall for the SJW virtue signaling and AOC’s version of climate change which requires Socialism; you may even accept Open Borders and quote the Bible (except for that part about the Cross).

Come on—take the red pill—you’ll feel better when you heal. It only hurts your pride, and you may lose a few friends.

That other Vlad evaluates the Candidates for 2020

A note on April 1 from Lenin about the Democrat candidates: "Skinny boychik with fake Spanish name, the one from Texas with rich wife who stares at him like Renaissance painting– is he old enough to vote? Looks like kids in Red Army ended up as horsemeat during Siege of Leningrad. Yes, I was gone by then, but I watch. Would be good scoutmaster or director of afterschool program at local YMCA. But president? Maybe chess club if he knows rules."

And more.

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/lenin-evaluates-democratic-candidates-for-2020/?

The Democrat platform for 2020

The 2020 campaign and platform for the Democrats, based on recent behavior of those in Congress and those who have declared:

1. Open borders.
2. Pack the polls with ex-felons, 16 year olds, and illegals.
3. Destroy the electoral college so Democrats can legally win all future presidential elections with 4 states they packed with #1 and #2.
4. Implement the Green New Deal so the public sector control and influence is greater than the private sector--aka socialism.
5. Infanticide and late term abortion for any reason.
6. Abortion's progressive outcome, euthanasia for the inconvenient, ill, disabled and elderly.
7. Ratchet up the hate, fear and distrust with more identity politics and intersectionalism.
8. Reparations for slavery.
9. Destruction of first and second amendments, with more regulations, more laws, especially on religion, speech, and assembly on college campuses which then infects the whole society as academe has been doing for 50 years.
10. Find more charges to bring against the President and his family.

During the campaign, because it pleases the gullible and fattens the purse, the emphasis will be #1 (worded in compassionate and Biblical terms), #7 and #10. The others are really distasteful for most Americans and will need to be more incremental with more changes in the language with talk of core values, ethics, etc., the best double speak they can find.

Why have Democrats abandoned Israel?

"[Hypocrisy and arrogance] can be found throughout the relationship between Democratic leadership and Israel/Jews since the 2018 election. Since its inception in 1948, America, and especially the Democratic party has been allied with Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East. But with the new media popularity of Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib, and Omar, the leadership of the Democratic party has surrendered their values in favor of making these three freshmen representatives happy. Although all three have clearly and repeatedly demonstrated anti-Semitic behavior, especially Omar, the Democratic leadership has turned over the persona of the party to them in hopes of acquiring a younger base of voters.

These three women have defined Israel as “evil” and an “apartheid regime”, compared Gaza terrorists to civil rights activists, and idolized Louis Farrakhan, one of the most vocal and horrific anti-Semites of the last forty years. And yet, instead of apologizing for their behavior and making it clear that their words and actions are not representative of the traditional values of the Democratic party, the leadership has done the exact opposite. Instead of making amends, they have embraced these freshmen, even putting the most vocally anti-Semitic Omar on the House Committee on Foreign Relations. Speaker Pelosi poses proudly with them on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, and Senator Schumer pulled back support of an anti-BDS bill in January that would have supported Israel as a result of their pressure. When a bill was proposed to condemn anti-Semitism and the hatred espoused by especially Omar, the bill was watered down to include all hatred without taking Omar to task personally." (Rabbi Michael Barclay of Temple Ner Simcha in Westlake Village, Calif) https://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=bf141dbbd818f4f933816b13a=&idbd6e379

What is the role of non-profits?

The Special Olympics is in the news right now.  Betsy DeVos suggested budget cuts, and since it isn’t a government agency, she recommended cutting the $15 million it gets from the federal government.  I didn’t know they got any—but I should have.  It’s a worthy organization, doing a lot of good, and we contribute. For the last 50 years, the federal government has been “bullying” the non-profits, while also providing a large part of their funding.

"Until recently, our understanding of the development of the welfare state in advanced industrial coun­tries assumed that the hallmark of a progressive welfare state was a large public sector that regulated the private sector to a small residual role. In this view, the United States with its smaller public sector and larger private nonprofit sector com­pared unfavorably. The government contracting with nonprofit agen­cies calls the prevailing view into question. In the recent period, government has used nonprofit agencies to expand the boundaries of the welfare state in the United States in a host of service categories - from child abuse to domestic violence to homelessness. The result is a welfare state that is more expansive than would be the case if policy makers relied solely on the public sector." Political Science Quarterly, vol 104, no.4 1989-90.

This article is 30 years old, but the points still hold true--except for that part that non-profits don't have the bloated salaries of government workers. It wouldn't surprise me if the non-profit heads aren't making more than comparable level of government employees.

There is a revolving door in DC for one party's pooh-bahs to move to a non-profit when out of power, then be called back when they regain power. This really ballooned under GHW Bush--"Thousand points of Light."