The Tapeworm Letters, #10

“My dear Hollywood,

• When you find yourself mystified by a public policy position of our little network, and its mouthpiece the USCCB, it is helpful to recall this principle: someone offstage has prepared the script. Those in the public eye, either our willing or unwitting allies and dupes, are just reading it.

• So it is with the subject of your latest inquiry, our position on illegal immigration (or, as we have christened it, “immigration reform”). Two names should suffice to set those bloodhound research instincts of yours in motion. The first: Bella Dodd, and more specifically, her testimony in 1953-54 before the House Un-American Activities Committee regarding the Communist Party’s infiltration of the Church.

• And the second? Saul Alinksy, socialist community organizer par excellence, whose life was dedicated to the acquisition of power for the “marginalized,” a Machiavellian anti-Machiavellian, if you will. Or course, as per our usual arrangement, you will never see either of these names exposed to the public as clues to the source of our policy. What you will see instead are certain stock words and phrases which attempt to portray the illegals as victims with a just cause, such as “human dignity,” “earned legalization,” “immigrant community,” and “compassion.” As you know, one of our oft-used, tried-and-true techniques is to coat the bitter pill in a deceptive outer layer: something sweet, something noble, something which tugs at the heartstrings, something which begets guilt!

• But what is that bitter pill? My dear boy, once again I remind you that it is the intent of our hidden benefactors to destroy the American self-image, the American identity, the cohesiveness and integrity of American culture (along with the rest of western civilization), so that, having been brought low by a steadily progressing internal disintegration and corruption, this nation may take its place in our Brave New World.

• And the deceptive outer coating? Oh, the humanity, the suffering, the anxiety of these poor folk! Oh, their willingness to take their lawful place in American society, if only they knew how! Oh, the service they render to our economy! Oh, the price they pay – not to mention the taxes!

• Oh, what knee-slapping anarchist entertainment!

• But two caveats accompany my counsel. First, it is my own preference to studiously avoid the company of these New World-ers (though scrupulously obeying their wishes), as I sense their promotion of our way of life is completely expedient, making you and I ultimately expendable. Second, they are, to put it kindly, rather one-dimensional to the point of crudity in their obsession with “revolution.” Give me a few arias from Gounod’s Faust and a glass of 2005 Chardonnay Grand Reserve, and away with their scheming sleepless nights!

• Moreover, they have a tendency to make use of allies and dupes who are not at all well-endowed with the skills that you so nobly possess – so deficient, in fact, that their maladroit efforts are prone to backfire. I refer you, for example, to that ham-fisted attempt at a sound bite from Tommy Wenski, who, as he concludes that illegals are not breaking the law but are being broken by it, so transparently turns reason on its head as to make the whole effort laughable! Poor Tommy should be writing commercials for GEICO, not playing Saul Alinksy on behalf of the Mexicans!

• Yet all is not lost, for our brethren always find a way to outweigh the clumsy with the slick, particularly through the deceptive manipulation of statistics. Especially subtle are our citations of taxes paid, crime rates, net benefit to the economy, and the healthcare burden. I will not insult your intelligence, my fine friend, by explaining to you how each of these citations utterly fails to counter the myth to which it is purportedly addressed – I am quite confident you can decipher that mystery at your own leisure. In fact, for your own good, I insist on it!

Your affectionate shepherd TAPEWORM”

• Miscellanea Catholica

• “The Communists learned that the clergymen under their control served as a useful “respectable face” for most of their front activities. In this way the name of religion was used to spearhead the odious plots hatched by the agents of anti-religious Soviet communism.” – Manning Johnson, testimony before The Committee on Un-American Activities House of Representatives, 83rd Congress, First Session July 7 and 8, and July 13 and 14, 1953. http://www.crossroad.to/Quotes/communism/communism.htm
• Welcome to the tribe, Newt.
• Here is one of the behaviors necessary to maintain the hegemony of “official versions.”

• The Golden Age of American Innocence

• The Iron Horse Says Farewell
• The Babe vs. The Big Train
• Satchel
• Jackie
• The Catch
• Joltin' Joe
• The Shot Heard 'Round the World
• Farewell to Ebbets Field
• The Polo Grounds
• The House that Ruth Built

The Tapeworm Letters, #9

“My dear Hollywood,

• There comes a time in the life of all men who aspire, as we do, to greatness, when the most delicate of subjects must be broached. In our case, this delicacy is rendered even more complex by the nature of our relationship. Yet we shall confront it together, without qualms, for the good of our brotherhood.

• I have noticed your repeated laudatory references to one of your altar boys, and I cannot help but conclude that you have rather favorable designs on him. I have faced this with a countenance befitting my position - that is, with a certain stoic resignation, albeit tinged with jealousy. In light of the unfortunate events of recent years, what is most urgent for you, my friend, is to avoid scandal, to bide your time until the lad reaches legal manhood. But “biding time” is by no means a passive occupation. Gutta cavat lapidem non vi sed saepe cadendo!

• The position in which you find yourself is analogous to a subplot involving two characters in that popular yet completely puerile cinema series “Star Wars,” whose paper mâche heroism you no doubt took in as a youth. I refer to the seduction of Anakin Skywalker to the dark side of the Force (dark side, indeed!) by the Emperor Palpatine, aka Darth Sidious – which, though hopelessly clumsy in portrayal, did employ valid psychology. Therefore, in your developing relationship with the boy, you will assume the role of the Emperor, while the boy plays – albeit unknowingly - the part of Anakin.

• Your first and most productive tool, which was the very key to the Emperor’s success, is the careful use of flattery to induce him to rely on you for counsel. You will however studiously avoid compliments directed to his physical qualities, no matter how inspiring and admirable they may be. No, focus on his character and his intellect, his talents, his achievements in school or in sports, his devotion to his duties as a server.

• Ideally you will hit upon something at which he excels, yet which you suspect may compromise him at some point in the future, and cause him great frustration or even agony. For example, is he an outstanding football player, yet finds himself benched in favor of another, whose father has contributed more to the Booster’s Club? Does he bring home excellent grades that are met with utter indifference by his parents? Is he fatally attracted to some winsome young thing who just happens to have serious character flaws and numerous bad habits?

• Only after you have gained his confidence with your posture of understanding and support –a process which may take a year or two – can you begin to initiate the emotional intimacy that prepares the real relationship. That intimacy allows both of you to be vulnerable – a vulnerability which in turn opens the door to a discussion of certain of your friends (real or fictitious) who have certain habits, and which will ultimately culminate in your own confession. A tearful confession, perhaps?

• In closing, my dear boy, I do not envy you this arduous courtship, but I perceive that you relish the challenge of recruitment and, of course, la chasse! I once felt as you do, but the maturity of years has cooled somewhat my sense of adventure, and I prefer to remain within our little network. Such self-imposed restrictions do, after all, provide me with a reasonable sense of fidelity…

Your affectionate Shepherd TAPEWORM”

Miscellanea Catholica +Father Zuhlsdorf offers a special prayer of mortification to bear some of our Holy Father’s suffering regarding the developing schism over the SSPX reconciliation. Miscellanea Americana +Swingin' the Alphabet +Who's On First? +The Mirror Scene +The $99,000 Answer: Part I Part II Part III +Jack and Groucho +Do You Trust Your Wife?

The Tapeworm Letters, #8

“My dear Hollywood,

• The draft of your Common Ground homily is satisfactory in some respects, but quite obtuse in others. Your rhetoric is by and large much too timid - I chalk that up to your inexperience as a priest, while presuming that it does not spring from any lingering guilt!

• You see, dear boy, the secret to our success is boldness. Our orthodox enemies have grown smug, fat and lazy from constantly wrapping themselves in the mantle of tradition, or what is left of it, and so are easily outmaneuvered and outwitted. While they are lulling themselves into utter torpor reciting their Offices and Rosaries, we, the Swamp Foxes of the Church, are fully awake, always devising the next subversive scheme, the next power grab, the next “liturgical time bomb” (as one of our enemies put it so well) with which to establish our Counter-Tradition. Audentes fortuna iuvat!

• Yet, if we face facts honestly (a scenario which, ordinarily, we should avoid like the plague), we must admit that all our efforts to date have produced only isolated bits and pieces of our new mansion. Bernardin, Pilarczyk, Mahony, Weakland, de Chardin, Kung, Rahner, McBrien, Chittister – they and countless more valiant warriors have given us a wall, a ceiling, a room…but who has laid the cornerstone of Counter-Tradition? Even Ratzinger has failed us! Here is a man who, as a Prince of the Church, gave us the Counter-Syllabus, but did he follow up with the cornerstone? No! He quietly tip-toed back into the camp of the enemy! He did the same thing when he ascended to the Throne. Look at his first appointments: Levada, Neiderauer, Wuerl – a perfect score! But then what? Like a pendulum, he swings back into orthodoxy. We cannot count on him.

• My young apprentice, we don’t need someone who swings both ways - we need our cornerstone. And that, I say without hesitation, is your vocation!

• Lest you, in your relative innocence, fail to grasp the true scope and enormity of this task, let me clarify what I mean by the cornerstone. I mean that our position must be formulated so that it can be inserted into the teachings of the Magisterium, be pronounced ex cathedra, appear in the next edition of the Cathechism! No more being thwarted by “pastoral” Councils, or “theological speculations,” or “ethical nuancing,” or the like. If our way of life is sacred, if the Word become flesh is an affirmation of our bodies and our instincts, then must it not become irrevocably enshrined in the sacred deposit of faith?

• While we are temporarily indulging ourselves in this dangerous scenario of facing facts honestly, I now admit one more thing: I have written you an entire missive yet failed to offer a single specific comment on your draft! I hope that my abysmal performance serves as a lesson to you – but there is still something important you may take away from my failings. That is, the passion with which I have addressed this subject should have infected you and inspired you to imitate it, to carry it forward, to stand upon it and elaborate.

• This passion is the very thing your homily is missing, for if you are not a passionate revolutionary, then a successful revolutionary you shall not be.

Your affectionate Shepherd TAPEWORM”

• MISCELLANEA CATHOLICA

+We already knew your true colors, Father Thomas Reese. No need to remind us of your infidelity.

+Now that the media kangaroo court has tried and convicted SSPX Bishop Williamson and our Holy Father, has anyone been wondering why the Jews (or more accurately, the Zionists) have been acting like Muslims? Is this hair-trigger hysteria over the Holocaust now the Zionists’ equivalent of perceived slights against the Prophet Mohammed?

+Speaking of Zionists, our readers may be interested in this website: http://jewsagainstzionism.com/. In fact, they may be VERY interested in it...

+We applaud and support Archbishop Pilarczyk in his criticism of the University of Cincinnati’s descent-into-the-gutter program known as “Sexploration.” However, we should point out, Your Excellency, that it is difficult to speak with authority when you have a long and disturbing history of abusing, misusing, or failing to use that authority on this very subject – in your own back yard.

• MISCELLANEA AMERICANA

+Frank Sinatra +Der Bingle +Lena Horne +Judy Garland +Tuxedo Junction +Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B

Commentary: "A Tangled Web"

+This is a response to Pepperdine Professor Douglas Kmiec’s "A Tangled Web: the Election & the Blogosphere," which appears in the January 16 issue of Commonweal. We begin with a few general observations, followed by some exploration of them:

• Mr. Kmiec is openly and unabashedly mesmerized by Barack Obama.

• Mr. Kmiec’s understanding of his obligations regarding his Catholic faith has been completely distorted by and subjugated to his hero-worship of Obama.

• A double standard is employed throughout this article. Mr. Kmiec repeatedly deplores what he apparently considers to be savage, personal attacks against him, yet as he deplores this, uses pejorative language which is equally inflammatory.

• One of Mr. Kmiec’s two themes is that “right-wing bloggers” (see: pejorative language) have politicized his support of Obama, using the abortion issue to “drive a wedge” between the Vatican and the new administration. Yet it is Mr. Kmiec himself who attempts to politicize the issue.

• The second of Mr. Kmiec’s themes is that he is a victim of “right-wing bloggers.”

• Mr. Kmiec has also politicized the Eucharist.

I. Hero Worship

• One explanation for the apparent anomaly between Kmiec’s presence in the Reagan Administration and his effusive support and admiration for Obama is this: Mr. Kmiec finds himself irresistibly inspired by good communicators, no matter what their political stripe. Yet one has to wonder how Mr. Kmiec found himself happily installed among Reaganites in the first place, given his stated esteem not only for Obama, but for FDR, JFK, and RFK (all good communicators) as well.

• The tempting conclusion to be drawn here is that Mr. Kmiec is swayed by style over substance – a conclusion that is supported by the embarrassing emptiness of his arguments – and so is dazzled by orators who seem to appeal to unity, to “common ground,” to selflessness and service to country. To which we can only say, we hope that Presidential actions match the candidate’s rhetoric. But we have to ask this: if Mr. Kmiec is so deeply drawn to public figures who espouse civic idealism, why is he not even more attracted and committed to the spiritual ideals of the Catholic Church?

II. A Double Standard and the Victim Mentality

• This piece may be accurately characterized as one long howl of indignation and hurt at being challenged, questioned and called names, as if Kmiec’s purity of character and motives are above reproach. The writer’s choice of terms to describe his critics’ behavior is revealing: “animosity,” “unrelenting personal attacks,” “lack of civility,” “highly concentrated rhetorical venom,” “tormentors,” “personal contempt,” “vilification,” “scurrilous remarks,” “demonizing me,” “blog calumnies,” and of course, the ever-popular “right-wing bloggers.”

• Not one of these right-wing demons is named, nor a definition of “right-wing bloggers” offered, nor any of their “calumnies” specified - but given the unrelenting self-pitying tenor of this article we may safely speculate that Mr. Kmiec’s enemies list includes any and all critics, and that The Flying Buttress will soon be added to the list. But why do we point to a double standard?

• We have already cited his pervasive use of inflammatory language to decry inflammatory language. Here, though, is how Kmiec justifies his use of the word “boneheaded” to criticize Obama’s support for FOCA: “…we all occasionally speak too glibly for our own good…” and “honest, substantive dissent.” Is this furtive glance in the mirror the extent of your examination of conscience, Mr. Kmiec? May we then use the term “boneheaded” to describe your fawning support for the most radical elected representative of the culture of death in American history?

III. A Self-Serving Political Fantasy

• Mr. Kmiec’s “wedge” scenario (“…the attempt to use FOCA to drive a wedge between the church (sic) and the incoming administration…”) is just dismally vacuous nonsense. Mr. Obama’s voting record, his recorded statements and his chronic history of affiliation with radicals has already opened a bottomless chasm between his administration and the Church – a chasm into which any wedge would fall harmlessly as it dropped deep into darkness.

• Does Mr. Kmiec only understand the world in terms of political motives? Is this why he feels compelled to impute a religious question to such motives? Is he just attempting to gain the upper hand over his critics by cheapening their point? Or is this really a straw man which he can then use to flatter himself? (“Having drawn the blogs’ Machiavellian FOCA gambit into the open…”)

• The criticism of Mr. Kmiec stems from one thing and only one thing: his public and insistent infidelity to his faith. There is nothing “political” about this infidelity, yet Mr. Kmiec attempts to make it political. So who is politicizing the issue?

IV. The Sacred Deposit of Personal Waivers

• Mr. Kmiec admits that “FOCA runs contrary to the pursuit of the common good,” yet this fails to diminish his fervor for Obama, as if Obama’s repeated promises regarding this demonic legislation were a minor exception to an otherwise commendable platform. He further glosses over the barbaric horror of FOCA by dismissing Obama’s commitment as a “one-time pledge of support.” Kmiec has also stated, elsewhere, that he believes Obama wants to reduce the number of abortions.

• Reduce the number of abortions? How is that reflected in this statement, which went up on the White House website as soon as Obama was sworn in?

• “President Obama understands that abortion is a divisive issue, and respects those who disagree with him. However, he has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women’s rights under Roe v. Wade a priority in his Adminstration. He opposes any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court’s decision in that case.”

• (So much for the inaugural theme of “unity”!) The cold reality of the situation is that abortion has been the centerpiece of Obama’s radical leftist beliefs throughout his political career, and will continue to be so. If Mr. Kmiec requires further proof, perhaps he would be kind enough to consult Obama’s immediate reversal of the Mexico City policy.

• Note also that although Mr. Kmiec admits that FOCA “runs contrary to the common good,” he fails to acknowledge that it is anathema to Catholic teaching, which just happens to be the foundation of the common good. Not only fails to acknowledge it, but then has the temerity to state that he voted for Obama because of his Catholic faith! What Catholic faith is it, Mr. Kmiec, that can so casually ignore the very core of Obama’s professional life: his affirmation of the culture of death? And what Catholic faith is overridden by an “alluring gift of inspiration”?

• Kmiec cites Archbishop Burke’s description of the Democratic Party as “the party of death” for its embrace of abortion, but instead of taking this to heart, Kmiec finds it “hurtful” to his father and to “millions of...lifelong Democrats.” In other words, the affirmation of Catholic teaching, and His Excellency’s solicitousness for souls, is now “hurtful” and a source of resentment! This is the selfsame attitude of the homosexual radicals, who find Catholic teaching about their disorder to be offensive, hateful, and discriminatory.

• (By all means, Professor, urge your father and millions of Democrats to continue to ignore the truth, and to condemn it, as long as it makes them feel better. After all, the human race, and Democrats in particular, have outgrown the need to be instructed by the Church.)

• As it turns out, Archbishop Burke has plenty of company in his “hurtful” crusade. A few citations from that company:

• Fr Matthew Habiger, Human Life International: “It is a scandal that Catholic politicians vote for bills which fund or otherwise advance abortion. They should be named, publicly shamed and admonished so that they can cease their evil and return to God. To vote for such a candidate is to willfully participate in that candidate's choices and deeds. It is a sin, and must be repented.”

• Bishop Rene Gracida: “...the issue of voting for a pro-abortion candidate is primarily a moral issue rather than a political issue. Therefore, every Ordinary has an obligation to teach the people entrusted to his pastoral care without ambiguity that a Catholic cannot vote for a pro-abortion candidate.”

• Bishop Robert Vasa: “...when candidates for office in these United States make bold assertions that they have every intention of working to assure that the alleged right of a woman to kill her pre-born child is either preserved or even expanded, many Catholics seem to think that it would be morally acceptable to vote for such a candidate as long as they somehow miraculously excised the candidate’s pro-abortion mindset out of the equation. A vote for such a candidate, like it or not, is likewise a vote for the firmly held abortion position; it is inseparable from the person.”

• Kentucky Bishops’ Pastoral Letter of 1/22/08: “Catholics cannot vote for a political candidate that takes a position in favor of an intrinsic evil, such as abortion, unless there is a morally grave reason to do so.” (Mr. Kmiec, is the exhibition of inspiring oratory a morally grave reason?)

• Bishop Joseph Martino, Pastoral Letter of 10/4/08: “Being “right” on taxes, education, health care, immigration, and the economy fails to make up for the error of disregarding the value of a human life. Consider this: the finest health and education systems, the fairest immigration laws, and the soundest economy do nothing for the child who never sees the light of day. It is a tragic irony that “pro-choice” candidates have come to support homicide – the gravest injustice a society can tolerate – in the name of “social justice.”

• But Professor Kmiec doesn’t care to form his conscience by the words of faithful clergy. No, he would rather turn to those infamous members of the Lavender Mafia, Cardinals Mahony and McCarrick, for political and emotional support.

V. The Eucharist as a Weapon?

• Mr. Kmiec’s response to every corrective action and teaching of the Church directed at him is to take it as a severe blow to his ego and reputation, and an offense to his feelings (again, a reaction identical to that of the homosexual radicals). Thus it is predictable, though tragic, that he should describe the denial of the Eucharist as a “weapon” to punish him.

• No Mr. Kmiec, the Church has not punished you. You have already punished yourself by voting for a notoriously unrepentant pro-abortion candidate and foolishly assuring others that they may do so. You have placed your soul in grave danger by these actions. What the Church does in denying you the Eucharist is to ensure that you do not receive Communion while in a state of mortal sin. Therefore, this action actually protects you from further harm to your soul!

• But why hasn’t that simple fact occurred to you? It is because you do not think as a Catholic thinks, which is to consider first and foremost what is good for his soul. As your article demonstrates, you only think of what is good for your reputation; consequently your words reek of egotism and narcissism.

• Furthermore, being denied the Eucharist is not an invitation to “discussion,” it is an invitation to Confession and penance. But rather than face this, the Professor suddenly drags those of other faiths into the picture, who “do not see themselves as bound by the Magisterium.” Why this non sequitur? When did this become a matter involving other faiths? The answer is that it never did: this is just another evasive maneuver produced by pride.

• In conclusion, we assure Professor Kmiec that we do not presume to effect a change of heart and mind in him, though we do implore him to humble himself before his Creator in the Confessional and repair the damage he has done to his soul and the souls of others. Mr. Kmiec, it is indeed a tangled web we weave - when we seek to deceive ourselves. Has it once occurred to you that you could be completely, irrevocably, unmistakably, absolutely and finally…WRONG?

• No, we write this in order to resist the efforts of those who attempt to reconcile the culture of death with the teachings and the sanctity of the Catholic Church. There can be no rapprochement between the sanctity of life and the evil of disposable life. No rapprochement, no détente, no compromise, and, ghost of Joseph Bernardin, no common ground.

Epilogue

• Let’s not forget to address the periodical who solicited Mr. Kmiec’s self-pity, self-absolution and evasion of responsibility and then had the poor taste and bad judgment to publish it, thus lowering Catholic discourse to the level of the Oprah Winfrey Show. If our readers hadn’t already concluded that Commonweal was no friend of the Church, they should surely be convinced of it after reading Kmiec’s piece. Or should we just portray them in the same idiom and spirit employed by Kmiec: as a left-wing propaganda sheet?

The Tapeworm Letters, #7

“My dear Hollywood, I have a little extracurricular assignment for you, one which will provide not only a welcome change of venue, but quite a bit of pleasurable socializing. I would like you to represent me at the next conference of the Common Ground Initiative. A word to the wise is necessary, however, about this excursion. Once the news gets out about your trip, you will no doubt encounter all manner of harsh criticism of this project from certain members of your parish, who will unfailingly take every opportunity to revel in rigidity. For example: “Common Ground is just a means for liberals to obtain prominence and legitimacy for their positions.” Or, “the Church already has common ground in its Scriptures and Traditions, as reflected in the Catechism.” Or, “dissent cannot be dialogued away, and to attempt to do so is to engage in mutual deception.” We may safely dismiss these criticisms as not only mean-spirited and polarizing, but completely inconsequential, as they are parroted by people of no influence who cling desperately to outmoded patterns of thought. You must not allow their petty nagging to wear you down, but you will be required to arm yourself against them in a convincing manner – not only to maintain harmony in your parish, but, on a much more important level, to demonstrate to our little network that you have the intellectual capacity to be successful in our Conciliar world. After all, my real purpose in sending you as my emissary is to introduce you to the highest levels of our brotherhood, a move which will ultimately accrue benefits for us both. Toward that end, I want you to prepare a homily on this topic, approved by me beforehand, which you will not only deliver to your parish, but which I will forward to the Common Ground Committee. In this homily, you will elaborate on the following themes: § The Church is in crisis because the modern world has swept by her; § The Church must respond to this crisis with honesty and imagination, not with rigid defensiveness and internal bickering; § This honesty and imagination is the basis for rebuilding a venue within which our differences may be addressed constructively; § All dialogue will take as its starting point a consensus about “the big picture” – i.e. the essentials of our faith – and our accountability to those essentials. Now, if I have gauged your subtlety of perception correctly, you will have already discerned my use of the phrases “honesty and imagination” and “the big picture,” and the term “accountability.” None of these are typical of the traditional Catholic lexicon, which instead hobbles about on such archaic terms as “Scripture” and “Tradition” and “fidelity.” Your task and ours, my dear Hollywood, is to gently coax the Church, festina lente, away from this Neanderthal orientation and towards a process and a terminology to which the real world can relate. Only by adapting to the world can we be a leavening force in that world! I will have more to say on this once I have reviewed your draft.

Your affectionate Shepherd Tapeworm”

• MISCELLANEA AMERICANA

• Mansions of the Lord
• Battle Hymn of the Republic
• Railroadheritage.org
• Chesapeake & Ohio Historical Society
• Passenger Railroads of the 1930s and 1940s
• Car Art by David Snyder

On "The Things that are Caesar's"

+This week The Flying Buttress takes a little political detour, in order to dissent – while dissent is still permissible – against the prevailing manufactured euphoria regarding the imminent presidency of Barack Obama. +Conventional wisdom holds that we are on the brink of a historic event: a member of a once-enslaved race ascending to the White House. And historic it is. But there are other equally historic dimensions to this event. For example:

• America may well have a president who is prohibited by the Constitution from holding this office because he is not a natural-born citizen. Numerous lawsuits, including some initiated by Democrats, have been filed over Obama’s true birthplace and lack of valid birth certificate. Members of his own family claim he was born in Kenya. Is Obama a usurper? Will we ever know, or will the evidence continue to be suppressed by him and others?

• The foremost elected promoter of infanticide in American history was essentially voted into office by the moral turpitude of Catholic laity, religious and clergy, who dismissed or ignored the public warnings of some (but not nearly enough) priests and bishops and instead voted for the Utopian mirage of “racial healing.” Did this happen because of the casual Conciliar cafeteria mentality, the prideful attitude that every individual knows better than the Magisterium, and the worldly confidence that sin and its consequences really aren’t anything to worry about? Or did everyone forget that only Christ, not a politician, can bring peace?

• More than sixty-three million Americans voted for “change,” responding affirmatively to a candidate who portrayed himself as the righteous advocate of the disenfranchised, the virtuous warrior against corruption, the apostle of hope, the outsider who would clean house and who would end our military adventures in the Middle East. Yet:

• This media-polished and media-buffed illusion is nothing more than a product of the corrupt Chicago political machine, a machine whose corruption we can deduce even with only a glimpse at the tip of the Blagojevich scandal. “Change”? “Outsider”?

• This media-polished and media-buffed illusion has populated his Cabinet and administration with Clinton re-treads and Bush holdovers, and it has become apparent that “change” means a third Clinton administration. “Change”? “Virtue”?

• This media-polished and media-buffed illusion will not only NOT withdraw the United States from the so-called “War on Terror” in the Middle East, he will intensify our entanglement! “Change”? “Hope”?

· This was perhaps the first presidential election in American history where neither major candidate was qualified by experience to serve in the office for which he ran. · It was the first presidential election in American history where the media openly worked to promote one major candidate and openly worked to subvert the other. · It was the first presidential election in American history where one candidate raised nearly a billion dollars (see our second “Miscellanea” link for the source of much of this money). · It may have been the first presidential election in American history where hundreds of thousands of votes (a conservative estimate) were registered and cast illegally, thanks to an organization (ACORN) who received more than $800,000 from the Obama campaign. · And finally, it is the first presidential election in American history where the winning candidate has a long rap sheet of close associations with radical socialism, communism, black liberation “theology,” and domestic terrorism.

+There is a Lutheran Church on the east side of Cincinnati which has displayed the following outdoor sign since November 5th:

“THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN. NOW GOD WILL SPEAK.”

+The Protestants, as usual, are largely far ahead of us in assessing the coming danger. And the coming danger can be discerned by evaluating its mouthpiece, Barack Obama. Obama is a serviceable prop, a prop not only for corrupt self-interest and business as usual, but also for an entrenched and powerful international criminal syndicate that serves neither America, nor her sovereignty, nor her Constitution, nor her foundation in the morality of Judeo-Christian civilization, nor her citizens.

+America, in fact, is not only economically bankrupt from war, Wall Street, and Washington, but as this past election proves, she is politically and morally bankrupt as well, and we therefore suggest to you that the most historic dimension of all of January 20th, 2009 will be this:

AMERICA AS WE KNOW IT WILL SOON BE...HISTORY.

~ Miscellanea Catholica ~ +Obama and the Laughable Beast +George Soros Funds the Catholic Left +The University of San Francisco provides abortion coverage +Catholic politicians funded by abortion lobby +Beware the book "Conversations with God." ~ Miscellanea Americana ~ +This week we begin a new section dedicated to recalling the optimism, innocence and traditions of the American culture and character that flourished before the cynical depravity of liberalism destroyed it, and to help inspire our readers to fight against the coming hegemony of the Satanic tyranny known as the United Nations/New World Order. +The Stars and Stripes Forever +Anchors Aweigh +The Longest Day March +The Caissons Go Rolling Along +The US Air Force Song +The Marines' Hymn

Ring Out, Wild Bells

Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky, The flying cloud, the frosty light; The year is dying in the night; Ring out, wild bells, and let him die. Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow: The year is going, let him go; Ring out the false, ring in the true. Ring out the grief that saps the mind, For those that here we see no more, Ring out the feud of rich and poor, Ring in redress to all mankind. Ring out a slowly dying cause, And ancient forms of party strife; Ring in the nobler modes of life, With sweeter manners, purer laws. Ring out the want, the care the sin, The faithless coldness of the times; Ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes, But ring the fuller minstrel in. Ring out false pride in place and blood, The civic slander and the spite; Ring in the love of truth and right, Ring in the common love of good. Ring out old shapes of foul disease, Ring out the narrowing lust of gold; Ring out the thousand wars of old, Ring in the thousand years of peace. Ring in the valiant man and free, The larger heart, the kindlier hand; Ring out the darkness of the land, Ring in the Christ that is to be. -Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Hodie Christus Natus Est

O magnum mysterium Et admirabile sacramentum et animalia viderunt Dominum natum jacentem in praesepio. O beata virgo, cujus viscera meruerunt portare Dominum Jesum Christum. Alleluia! -Tomas luis de Victoria The Flying Buttress wishes our readers a Christmas filled with His grace, holiness, peace and joy.