Archive for May, 2009
Pepsi Does it Right
Posted by John Romano in Politics, Reviews on May 29, 2009
Pepsi has released “Pepsi Throwback.” For about eight weeks this spring, Pepsi will be available without dreaded corn syrup. The name is clearly aimed at Generation TMZ’ers. The delicious caramel-colored nectar however, is a gift for us all. No more hunting down kosher or Mexican bottled soda for a non-corn syrup shot of low value carbs. Well, at least for the next few weeks.
Pepsi states that the soda is available for 8 weeks starting on or around April 20. I have yet to find it on the left coast yet. Disappointing indeed.
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The Political Catholic Current Affairs Round-Up (5/26/09)
Posted by Joe Reciniello in The Catholic Politician on May 27, 2009
Papal Pilgrimage To Isreal Ends With a Bang
Benedict declared his intentions in the clearest of terms. “First, to those who still dispute Israel’s right to exist as a state, Benedict stated: “Let it be universally recognized that the State of Israel has the right to exist, and to enjoy peace and security within internationally agreed borders.” Yesterday Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had requested that the Pope denounce Iran on Israel’s behalf, especially regarding Iran’s repudiation of Israeli statehood. While avoiding mentioning Iran by name, Benedict lost no time in doing just that. Moving on, he stated: “Let it be likewise acknowledged that the Palestinian people have a right to a sovereign independent homeland, to live with dignity and to travel freely. Let the two-state solution become a reality, not remain a dream.”
Benedict made an impassioned appeal: “No more bloodshed! No more fighting! No more terrorism! No more war! Instead let us break the vicious circle of violence. Let there be lasting peace based on justice, let there be genuine reconciliation and healing.”
The three great religions of the world, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all share Abraham as their common father. In Catholic circles, Abraham is remembered as the “Father of our Faith”. Like in all “big families”, sometimes members disagree and do not get along. So sad, when we all share a common humanity and will all one-day return to the same Creator that made and loves each us all.
Lack of forgiveness is at the center of the Middle East problem. So many times the world has looked to a multitude of people and things to solve the tensions between the three great religions, all sharing Jerusalem. Instead of looking to were the source of the hatred lies, in the hearts of men. Each person must find forgiveness in his or her heart. I believe the Pope’s pilgrimage to the Holy Land stressed the importance of this needed forgiveness between all people in Israel and the Middle East.
In the Christian faith, Christ tells the faithful:
“Father, forgive us our trespass, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
May God bless all three great religions sharing the Holy Land; Christians, Jews, and Muslims. May we all learn to live in peace and love one another as God loves each of us personally.
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Keeping The Doctor Away
Posted by Rudy Grahn in Politics on May 22, 2009
I don’t feel terribly sorry for the GOP at this point, and consider their recent losses a direct result of their ideas and their implementation of them. To watch the battles of ideology and positioning taking place within the Grand Old Party brings a smirk to many on the left, and a wince of recognition for the rest. While my years in the wilderness left me hoping to see a day where the party of George W Bush might eat its own, I can’t say the actuality has been what I’d hoped. Revenge fantasies rarely play out satisfactorily.
I have watched with some sadness the plight of radio host Michael Savage, who finds himself banned from entering the UK by the head of their Home Office, Jacqui Smith under the pretext that he represents a threat to the peace of her country for his incendiary rhetoric. Without question, Dr. Savage represents the red meat wing of right wing talk radio, and many of his ideas are either beyond the pale for me, or are expressed in ways that would make many who agree with him wince. Most people of good will would likely find themselves bristling from at least something on the Savage Nation if they listened long enough, and if one focused solely on the extremes of his program, it isn’t a total surprise that he’s found himself in trouble on this scale.
California Looks to Defeat “Socialist” Ballot Measures
Californians head to the polls on May 19th to vote on five special measures named 1A-1F. Each is designed to increase taxes and/or make budget shenanigans easier for the state to pull off. Elected officials in California love budget shenanigans like most of us enjoy a warm summer evening.
Arnold Schwarzenegger did an amazing bit of fear mongering in California this week about the consequences of not passing the measures. Arnold’s transformation from tax-cutting tough guy to the Sacramento version of a “Valley of the Dolls” wife these last five years has been nothing less than extraordinary.
From the Los Angeles Times:
“He (Schwarzenegger ) spoke of closing fire stations and reducing engine crews, releasing nearly 40,000 prison inmates, slashing $3.6 billion from education and laying off tens of thousands of school employees, borrowing billions from local governments and making further cuts to healthcare programs.”
40,000 criminals will be unleashed on California communities if you don’t pay up! Basically, Arnold has turned the California Government in to an old school protection racket. As Edward G. Robinson: “California, you’re going to pay the money, see! Or the boys will come and get ya, see.” Just change the “see” to an Austrian “ja” and California to Kali-fornia and you have what is going on today.
Notice how it is always things like fire stations, law enforcement and education that will get cut. How about cutting things like the $75,000 the Bay Area Air Quality Management District paid New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman for a speech? Peanuts in the grand scheme, I know. How about these other examples?
From the state California Performance Review via SaveCalifornia.com:
“The Legislative Analyst’s Office has put the estimated loss due to fraud in the Medi-Cal program at $1.8 billion annually. Some other estimates go as high as $3 billion.”
And:
“According to the California Legislative Analyst’s Office, “The average cost to incarcerate an inmate has more than doubled over the past 20 years from about $19,000 in 1988-89 to about $49,000 in 2008-09, an average annual increase of roughly 5 percent.”
This overspending problem was escalated in 2002, when Democrat Gov. Gray Davis gave the prison guards’ union a massive 33.76% pay hike and shut down five private prisons that threatened the union’s monopoly.”
Are education cuts and a threatened crime spree really the only way Sacramento can save money or trim spending? Really, Governor?
When Arnold was elected governor, Californians of all stripes thought they had found a fiscal warrior in the statehouse. Instead, California’s budget has risen from just over $100 billion (on revenues of $98.7 billion) in 2004-05 to roughly $135 billion this year with a $40 billion deficit. State revenues from 2004 aren’t off that much; it is the spending that has led to the huge deficit.
Arnold has stated that Obama needs team players. Well, California needs a leader.
So yes, let’s be the party of NO in California on May 19th and reject measures 1A-1F. If you think California is still worth fighting for, May 19th is the day to show it.
The Political Catholic Current Affairs Round-up (5/14/09)
Posted by Joe Reciniello in The Catholic Politician on May 15, 2009
PROTECT RELIGIOUS SPEECH
Senator Edward Kennedy and Senator Patrick Leahy have introduced a hate crimes bill that parallels the House version. Catholic League president Bill Donohue wrote to them today about his concerns. The following is the text of his letter:
The driving force behind the Matthew Shepherd Hate Crimes Prevention Act is the desire to provide additional penalties to criminals who assault homosexuals because of their sexual orientation. Without commenting on the propriety of hate crimes legislation in general, the central problem with this bill is its chilling effect on religious speech.
To be specific, the bill would criminalize religious speech that was critical of homosexuality if it were linked to a crime against a gay person. How do I know this? Because when the bill was considered in the House, that is exactly what Rep. Louie Gohmert was told when he raised this issue. While assaulting anyone, independent of sexual orientation, is rightly considered a criminal offense, the prospect of criminalizing religious speech that proscribes certain sexual practices is beyond worrisome—it is downright dangerous.
The First Amendment protects freedom of speech and religious liberty, both of which are jeopardized under this bill. The chilling effect this legislation could have on the right of the clergy to address sinful behavior flies in the face of the spirit of the First Amendment. Surely there are ways to protect homosexuals from being singled out by anti-gay thugs without trespassing on the constitutional rights of priests, ministers, rabbis, imams and others. Accordingly, language that would accomplish this end should be included as an amendment.
First let me state that the Catholic Church, without question upholds the human dignity for all men and woman who actively live, as well as who have homosexual tendencies. With that said, the homosexual lifestyle is viewed by the Jewish, Muslim and Christian faithful worldwide as not being in accordance with the Natural Law and amoral. There is a big difference between voicing disapproval of ones behavior and respecting the humanity of the person. This fact is nothing new and is common knowledge but that is not the central issue surrounding the bill Senators Kennedy and Leahy recently proposed. The issue is while homosexual men and women without question should be offered protection under the law from acts of violence, the idea that religious speech, which condemns homosexual practices, should also be protected under the First Amendment. If we as Americans believe in freedom, it has to be a belief that spans across the board.