Arianna Huffington: Oil Spill "Absolutely a Thousand Percent Bush-Cheney's Fault"
Monday, June 7, 2010
Today on Kresta - June 7, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on June 7
4:00 – Empire State Building Honors China - Says No to Teresa of Calcutta: Mother Teresa Campaign Continues
On August 26, the U.S. Postal Service is honoring the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mother Teresa. On February 2, Bill Donohue submitted an application to the Empire State Building Lighting Partners requesting that the tower lights feature blue and white, the colors of Mother Teresa's congregation, the Missionaries of Charity, on August 26. On May 5, the request was denied without explanation. Mother Teresa received 124 awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Medal of Freedom. She built hundreds of orphanages, hospitals, hospices, health clinics, homeless shelters, youth shelters and soup kitchens all over the world, and is revered in India for her work. Last year the Empire State Building shone in red and yellow lights to honor the 60th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Revolution. Yet under its founder, Mao Zedong, the Communists killed 77 million people. In other words, the greatest mass murderer in history merited the same tribute being denied to Mother Teresa. Bill Donohue is here.
4:20 – What is the USCCB’s Problem with Subsidiarity?
On May 21, 2010, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops released a media statement which sought to identify the way forward for Catholic engagement in the healthcare debate in light of the passage of healthcare legislation. The USCCB stresses that at the core of the bishops’ advocacy throughout the debate was a concern for three principles: (1) the protection of innocent life from the use of lethal force from conception to natural death; (2) the maintenance of conscience protections; and (3) the realization of universal access to healthcare for all, especially the poor and migrants. Sam Gregg says all this is well and good, but unfortunately, there is no mention in this text of a concern voiced by a good number of Catholic bishops throughout the debate: an assessment of whether the recent healthcare legislation can truly be said to reflect adherence to the principle of subsidiarity. He’s here to examine it.
4:40 – Baseball’s Transcendent Moment
Even if you don’t follow baseball, you may have heard the story. Last week, Detroit Tigers journeyman pitcher Armando Galarraga—whose 21-18 career record is hardly spectacular—was one out away from that rarest of baseball achievements: the so-called “perfect game.” Twenty-seven batters up and 27 down. It has been done only 20 times in major league baseball history. Galarraga had retired 26 batters when the Cleveland Indians’ Jason Donald stepped into the batter’s box. Donald then sliced a grounder to the right side of the infield, forcing first baseman Miguel Cabrera to field the ball. Cabrera threw the ball to Galarraga, who ran over to cover first. Everyone in the ballpark knew Donald was out by a half step. Everyone except umpire Jim Joyce. Joyce called Donald safe. The blown call ended Galarraga’s bid for major league baseball’s 21st perfect game. It’s what happened next – and over the next 24 hours – that we are here to discuss. Warren Smith of WORLD Magazine is here to look at baseball’s transcendent moment.
5:00 – Direct to My Desk
4:00 – Empire State Building Honors China - Says No to Teresa of Calcutta: Mother Teresa Campaign Continues
On August 26, the U.S. Postal Service is honoring the 100th anniversary of the birth of Mother Teresa. On February 2, Bill Donohue submitted an application to the Empire State Building Lighting Partners requesting that the tower lights feature blue and white, the colors of Mother Teresa's congregation, the Missionaries of Charity, on August 26. On May 5, the request was denied without explanation. Mother Teresa received 124 awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Medal of Freedom. She built hundreds of orphanages, hospitals, hospices, health clinics, homeless shelters, youth shelters and soup kitchens all over the world, and is revered in India for her work. Last year the Empire State Building shone in red and yellow lights to honor the 60th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Revolution. Yet under its founder, Mao Zedong, the Communists killed 77 million people. In other words, the greatest mass murderer in history merited the same tribute being denied to Mother Teresa. Bill Donohue is here.
4:20 – What is the USCCB’s Problem with Subsidiarity?
On May 21, 2010, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops released a media statement which sought to identify the way forward for Catholic engagement in the healthcare debate in light of the passage of healthcare legislation. The USCCB stresses that at the core of the bishops’ advocacy throughout the debate was a concern for three principles: (1) the protection of innocent life from the use of lethal force from conception to natural death; (2) the maintenance of conscience protections; and (3) the realization of universal access to healthcare for all, especially the poor and migrants. Sam Gregg says all this is well and good, but unfortunately, there is no mention in this text of a concern voiced by a good number of Catholic bishops throughout the debate: an assessment of whether the recent healthcare legislation can truly be said to reflect adherence to the principle of subsidiarity. He’s here to examine it.
4:40 – Baseball’s Transcendent Moment
Even if you don’t follow baseball, you may have heard the story. Last week, Detroit Tigers journeyman pitcher Armando Galarraga—whose 21-18 career record is hardly spectacular—was one out away from that rarest of baseball achievements: the so-called “perfect game.” Twenty-seven batters up and 27 down. It has been done only 20 times in major league baseball history. Galarraga had retired 26 batters when the Cleveland Indians’ Jason Donald stepped into the batter’s box. Donald then sliced a grounder to the right side of the infield, forcing first baseman Miguel Cabrera to field the ball. Cabrera threw the ball to Galarraga, who ran over to cover first. Everyone in the ballpark knew Donald was out by a half step. Everyone except umpire Jim Joyce. Joyce called Donald safe. The blown call ended Galarraga’s bid for major league baseball’s 21st perfect game. It’s what happened next – and over the next 24 hours – that we are here to discuss. Warren Smith of WORLD Magazine is here to look at baseball’s transcendent moment.
5:00 – Direct to My Desk
How the Holy See talks to Buddhists
At the dawn of the 20th century there were roughly 266.5 million Catholics in the world. At the turn of the 21st century, we had grown to 1.1 billion. The overwhelming majority, a staggering 720 million live in Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
The Catholic population of sub-Saharan Africa went from 1.9 million to more than 130 million during the 20th century.
Catholicism is growing worldwide for a variety of reasons. My simple point, however, is that we often feel as though we are being beat out by other "exotic" spiritualities. This myopia is pure American self-absorption and Hollywood smoke and mirrors.
Time and again, I hear people say that Buddhism is growing in strength. Indeed, compared to Catholicism, Buddhism seems influential in Hollywood. Outside of Mel Gibson, who are the Catholic superstars like Richard Gere, Sharon Stone, or Harrison Ford? Richard Gere made multiple appearances with the Dalai Lama. He, Sharon Stone and Harrison Ford assisted in financial support to help the Dalai Lama make a tour of America. Gere has a foundation to spread Buddhism in the west. A Buddhist Tina Turner and a Buddhist Goldie Hawn may be hard to square with the image of the quiescent, fat Buddha but Goldie has been one since the 1970s and Buddhism may be what saved Tina from Ike.But the future doesn't belong to Buddhism...not even in Asia.
- In 2007 there were 350 million Christians in Asia as compared to 372 million Buddhists. By the end of 2010, there should be more Christians in Asia than Buddhists- as John Allen puts it: "a mind-bending reversal of normal impressions about the continent's preferred religion."
- India's Catholc population grew from under 2 million to over 17 million, and should be at least 26 million by mid-century. This is within a hundred years.
- From 1985 to 2005 the percentage of the population in South Korea which identifies itself as Catholic more than doubled, standing today at just over 11 percent according to the 2005 census.
- In 2000 there were more Catholic baptisms in the Philippines alone than in France, Spain, Italy and Poland combined.
All of this is a tease to highlight how a truly spiritual Catholic leader greets a spiritual Buddhist community after Catholicism has successfully outgrown them in their own Buddhist homeland.
Note the complete absence of triumphalism or cant or polemic.
Note the generosity of spirit and hope for the future.
Note the prospect of working together against the works of the devil.
Note the absence of the threat of hellfire which does remain a terrifying part of our full proclamation.
But this is a simple greeting. The headier theological debates are for later. In spite of our differences, we would like to greet you on your holy day and find the common ground that we do really have. We don't have to say everything. Sometimes courtesy and kindness provide a very sweet setting for a full gospel presentation in the future.
When I read this stuff I swell with gratitude for the privilege of being Catholic, especially on this feast of Corpus Christi.
MESSAGE TO BUDDHISTS FOR THE FEAST OF VESAKH/HANAMATSURI 2010
Christians and Buddhists Respect Human Life As the Basis of Respect for All Beings
Dear Buddhist friends,
1. On the occasion of your feast of Vesakh, the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue extends congratulations and heartfelt best wishes for peace and joy to all of you around the world. May this message help strengthen our existing bonds of friendship and collaboration in service to humanity.
2. Let us take this opportunity to reflect together on a theme of particular relevance today, namely, the environmental crisis that has already caused notable hardship and suffering throughout the world. The efforts of both of our communities to engage in interreligious dialogue have brought about a new awareness of the social and spiritual importance of our respective religious traditions in this area. We recognize that we hold in common a regard for values like respect for the nature of all things, contemplation, humility, simplicity, compassion, and generosity. These values contribute to a life of nonviolence, equilibrium, and contentment with sufficiency.
3. Pope Benedict XVI, has noted that “the various phenomena of environmental degradation and natural disasters… remind us of the urgent need to respect nature as we should, and to recover and value a correct relationship with the environment in everyday life” (General Audience, 26 August 2009). The Catholic Church considers the protection of the environment as intimately linked to the theme of integral human development; and for her part, she is committed not only to promoting the protection of land, water and air as gifts destined for everyone, but also to encouraging others to join the efforts to protect mankind from self-destruction. Our responsibility to protect nature springs, in fact, from our respect for one another; it comes from the law inscribed in the hearts of all men and women. Consequently, when human ecology is respected within society, environmental ecology also benefits (cf. Encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, n. 51).
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Krauthammer on Israeli blockade; Bishops on Christians in Middle East
Today, June 6, the Vatican Information Service released the English- language summary of the "Instrumentum laboris" of the Special Assembly for the Middle East of the Synod of Bishops. With all the political unrest in the Middle East we should always keep in mind that our first concern is for the effective witness of Middle Eastern Christians. The emigration of Christians from the Middle East is leaving the Church there terribly weakened.
Dialogue with the Jews is defined as essential, though "at times not without its obstacles" being affected by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Church hopes that "both peoples may live in peace in a homeland of their own, within secure and internationally recognised borders". The document firmly rejects anti- Semitism, underlining that "current animosity between Arabs and Jews seems to be political in character" and therefore foreign to any ecclesial discussion. Christians are asked "to bring a spirit of reconciliation, based on justice and equality of the two parties. The Churches in the Middle East also call upon all involved to take into account the distinction between religion and politics". The Catholic Church's relations with Muslims also have their foundation in Vatican Council II. ... "Often relations between Christians and Muslims are difficult, because Muslims make no distinction between religion and politics - the document states - thereby relegating Christians to the precarious position of being considered non-citizens, despite the fact that they were citizens of their countries long before the rise of Islam. The key to harmonious living between Christians and Muslims is to recognise religious freedom and human rights". Christians are called upon not to isolate "themselves in ghettos and a defensive and reclusive attitude which is sometimes seen in minority groups". ... In the conflict facing Middle Eastern countries, Christians are called upon to promote "the word of truth": This is "realistic. Although efforts on behalf of peace can be rebuffed, they also have the possibility of being accepted, considering that the path to violence, taken by both the strong and the weak, has led the Middle East to nothing but failure and a general stalemate". This situation is exploited by "the most radical elements in global terrorism". The contribution by Christians, "though requiring great courage, is nonetheless indispensable" even if "too often" Middle Eastern countries "identify Christianity with the West", bringing great harm to the Christian Churches. The document also analyses the strong impact of "modernity", which "to most Muslim believers is perceived to be atheistic and immoral and a cultural invasion, threatening them and upsetting their value-system". "At the same time, 'modernity' is the struggle for justice and equality, the defence of rights". ... "Christians have a special contribution to make in the area of justice and peace"; they have the duty to "courageously denounce violence no matter what its origin, and suggest solutions which can only be attained through dialogue", reconciliation and forgiveness. However Christians must "utilise peaceful means to insist that the rights of Christians be acknowledged by civil authorities". The document then examines the topic of evangelisation in a Muslim society which can only happen through witness: however, this must be "ensured through timely, external intervention". The charitable activities of Christian communities "towards all without distinction, to the poorest and those pushed to the periphery of society, represents the clearest way of spreading the Christian message".
In its conclusion, the document points out the "great concern for the present difficulties Christians are facing, yet, at the same time express a hope, founded on the Christian faith". ... For decades, the unresolved Israeli-Palestinian conflict, disregard for international law, the selfishness of great powers and the lack of respect for human rights have disrupted the stability of the region and subjected entire populations to a level of violence which tempts them to despair. Many - Christians for the most part - are emigrating elsewhere. In the face of this challenge and sustained by the universal Christian community, Christians in the Middle East are called to respond to their vocation of service to society". Believers are called upon to be "witnesses ... aware that faithfully witnessing to Christ can lead to persecution". The Instrumentum Laboris concludes: "'Do not be afraid, little flock'. You have a mission; the growth of your country and the vitality of your Church depend on you. This will only be achieved with peace, justice and equality for all citizens!"
PV-CYPRUS/VIS 20100606 (1570)
Catholic Charities, Immigration and the USCCB
Catholic Charity Helps Immigrants Become Citizens
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) ―
Catholic Charities says it is expanding efforts to help immigrants become citizens.
The organization held a naturalization workshop Saturday in Wilmington attended by 27 families.
Catholic Charities says the workshop was made possible through a $10,000 grant from the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. which will also be used to expanding outreach in Delaware and on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
The Catholic Legal Immigration Network was started in 1988 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, who have been calling on Congress reform the immigration system.
Catholic Charities spokeswoman Paula Savini says the agency's mission is to help naturalize immigrants so they can hold jobs with confidence and live in security.
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) ―
Catholic Charities says it is expanding efforts to help immigrants become citizens.
The organization held a naturalization workshop Saturday in Wilmington attended by 27 families.
Catholic Charities says the workshop was made possible through a $10,000 grant from the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. which will also be used to expanding outreach in Delaware and on Maryland's Eastern Shore.
The Catholic Legal Immigration Network was started in 1988 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, who have been calling on Congress reform the immigration system.
Catholic Charities spokeswoman Paula Savini says the agency's mission is to help naturalize immigrants so they can hold jobs with confidence and live in security.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Famed UCLA coach John Wooden dies at 99.
"Many people simple called him the “reverend,” which was nice since he hated his famous nickname — the Wizard of Westwood.
"He was constantly reading his Bible, as well as stacks of other books, which was perfectly natural for a former English teacher who hardly ever missed church. However, try to find a picture of this man reading his Bible.
"He studied Abraham Lincoln and the person he admired the most — among those who lived during his 99 years of life — was Mother Teresa.
"However, a strange thing happens if you open up the main Los Angeles Times story about the life and death of the the legendary UCLA coach John Wooden and run some basic searches.
"Let’s try “Christian.” Phrase not found. OK, how about “Disciple”? Phrase not found. I tried those two right off, since Wooden was a lifelong member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). It isn’t very hard to learn that fact, since his church was a huge part of his life. This is even mentioned in the official mini-biography of the coach posted at the website for UCLA athletics.
"At the same time, a search for “Christian” in this obituary of record would have also turned up references to his decades of service to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (watch for tributes here).
"How about “religion” or “religious”? Phrase not found.
"OK, too specific. Let’s go very vague, with “faith” or “spiritual.” Phrase not found. Phrase not found.
"However, I do have some good news for anyone interested in the faith-based foundation of Wooden’s life, marriage, teaching and coaching. I am happy to report that The Los Angeles Times also ran a column about the coach by T.J. Simers, under the fitting headline, “John Wooden’s life was a love letter.” Here is the opening:
"To say it is a sad day would be to risk meeting him again, and getting that look from John Wooden.
"To say it is a time to be happy might not sound right, but you could hear the anticipation in his voice about this very day whenever he spoke about the chance to reunite with Nellie Riley, the love of his life. He meant so much to so many, but it was the only girl he ever dated and then married who meant the most to him — a love letter written from husband to wife on the 21st of every month to mark her death.
"On the table in his condo is a stack of inspirational sayings, which are designed to reveal a new passage every day. But it has been 25 years since anyone turned the page, Nellie the last to do so before going to the hospital and never returning.
“It says, ‘Oh Lord, make me beautiful within,”’ Wooden said in recounting the inspirational reading that still sits there today. 'She was beautiful within.'”
Check out the review of coverage at the journalistic blog http://www.getreligion.org/?p=35311
Turkey, Israel, Instability and Infertility
"Ten years ago, Turkey’s behavior would have been unthinkable. Ankara was Israel’s best friend in a region where every other neighbor wishes, to one degree or another, the Jewish state’s destruction." What has emboldened Turkey to now sound so hostile? Mark Steyn thinks he knows and, if he's right, then Catholic moral theology may be as relevant to Israel's national preservation as it is to personal salvation.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Today on Kresta - June 4, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on June 4
LIVE FROM THE RELIGIOUS BOOKSELLERS TRADE EXHIBIT
4:00 – Coached for Life
We hear a true account of how two high school football coaches molded an undistinguished group of young men into state champions in 1962, this book features a dramatic 40-year retrospective from the players themselves on how the principles instilled in them have continued to shape their lives in positive ways long after leaving the football field. The story is a testament to the profound impact leaders can have on other people’s lives, whether they are educators, coaches, business leaders, clergy, or counselors. Ed Flaherty is here to tell the story.
4:20 – Murder in the High Himalaya : Loyalty, Tragedy, and Escape from Tibet
For the last three years, award-winning investigative reporter Jonathan Green, funded partially by the Fund for Investigative Journalism and Investigative Reporters and Editors, has travelled to remote parts of the Himalaya researching the amazing story of the murder of a Tibetan nun. He introduces us to the disparate band of adventurers and survivors who were at the “rooftop of the world” that morning, as he seeks an answer for one woman’s life. This is the story that Chinese officials don't want the rest of the world to know. The investigation, uncovers a portrait of modern Tibet that raises enduring questions about morality, and how far people will go to achieve freedom.
4:40 – With Hearts Full of Joy: Following Christ the Redeemer
Jesus lived a life of announcing the kingdom of God. Some people converted upon hearing his message and others rejected him. For centuries the Church has proclaimed that the salvation Christ won for us is a gift . But what have we done with that gift? How well do we understand it? How are we living it? With Hearts Full of Joy: Following Christ the Redeemer is a book of reflections and questions on the topic of "plentiful redemption," a theme that the Redemptorists, founded by St. Alphonsus Liguori, preached to rich and poor alike. St. Liguori underwent tremendous conversion to know Christ the Redeemer. He learned that to love Christ required a conversion of mind and heart and undertook a lifestyle that would deepen his relationship to Jesus. His journey led him to walk away from a potentially lucrative career in law and embrace a lifestyle of poverty in service to the abandoned poor through preaching Christ's plentiful redemption. His legacy as a Doctor of the Church includes being the patron of confessors, the founder of what today is known as Moral Theology, and a man of deep prayer. We look at it with Fr. Matthew Kessler.
5:00 – My Sister Is Annoying: and Other Prayers for Children
Children say the most wonderful things! This book of prayers, by Fr. Joe Kempf and his furry friend, Big Al, is written the way children talk—and the way they think! My Sister is Annoying is a beautifully illustrated, fun way for children to talk to God about things that are important to them, such as the joy of playing outside, celebrating a birthday, and trying to figure out the right thing to do. Read the prayers and listen to the CD with a child you love as Father Joe and Big Al introduce these prayers read by children. My Sister is Annoying will help children—and their parents—to pray the way Jesus taught us to pray…simply and from the heart.
5:20 – My Journey into the Catholic Church
Jon Sweeney loves books. His book publishing experience includes working for a Lutheran-owned house, a Jewish-owned house, starting a multifaith trade spirituality book imprint, and editing books by everyone from Sufis and Vedantists to evangelical Christians and the Eastern Orthodox. His personal path has been anything but linear: After 20 years as an evangelical, and 21 years as an involved Episcopalian, in 2009 he became a Roman Catholic on the Feast Day of St. Francis. He values and has learned a great deal from every step. We talk about his journey to the Church.
5:40 – Kresta Comments
LIVE FROM THE RELIGIOUS BOOKSELLERS TRADE EXHIBIT
4:00 – Coached for Life
We hear a true account of how two high school football coaches molded an undistinguished group of young men into state champions in 1962, this book features a dramatic 40-year retrospective from the players themselves on how the principles instilled in them have continued to shape their lives in positive ways long after leaving the football field. The story is a testament to the profound impact leaders can have on other people’s lives, whether they are educators, coaches, business leaders, clergy, or counselors. Ed Flaherty is here to tell the story.
4:20 – Murder in the High Himalaya : Loyalty, Tragedy, and Escape from Tibet
For the last three years, award-winning investigative reporter Jonathan Green, funded partially by the Fund for Investigative Journalism and Investigative Reporters and Editors, has travelled to remote parts of the Himalaya researching the amazing story of the murder of a Tibetan nun. He introduces us to the disparate band of adventurers and survivors who were at the “rooftop of the world” that morning, as he seeks an answer for one woman’s life. This is the story that Chinese officials don't want the rest of the world to know. The investigation, uncovers a portrait of modern Tibet that raises enduring questions about morality, and how far people will go to achieve freedom.
4:40 – With Hearts Full of Joy: Following Christ the Redeemer
Jesus lived a life of announcing the kingdom of God. Some people converted upon hearing his message and others rejected him. For centuries the Church has proclaimed that the salvation Christ won for us is a gift . But what have we done with that gift? How well do we understand it? How are we living it? With Hearts Full of Joy: Following Christ the Redeemer is a book of reflections and questions on the topic of "plentiful redemption," a theme that the Redemptorists, founded by St. Alphonsus Liguori, preached to rich and poor alike. St. Liguori underwent tremendous conversion to know Christ the Redeemer. He learned that to love Christ required a conversion of mind and heart and undertook a lifestyle that would deepen his relationship to Jesus. His journey led him to walk away from a potentially lucrative career in law and embrace a lifestyle of poverty in service to the abandoned poor through preaching Christ's plentiful redemption. His legacy as a Doctor of the Church includes being the patron of confessors, the founder of what today is known as Moral Theology, and a man of deep prayer. We look at it with Fr. Matthew Kessler.
5:00 – My Sister Is Annoying: and Other Prayers for Children
Children say the most wonderful things! This book of prayers, by Fr. Joe Kempf and his furry friend, Big Al, is written the way children talk—and the way they think! My Sister is Annoying is a beautifully illustrated, fun way for children to talk to God about things that are important to them, such as the joy of playing outside, celebrating a birthday, and trying to figure out the right thing to do. Read the prayers and listen to the CD with a child you love as Father Joe and Big Al introduce these prayers read by children. My Sister is Annoying will help children—and their parents—to pray the way Jesus taught us to pray…simply and from the heart.
5:20 – My Journey into the Catholic Church
Jon Sweeney loves books. His book publishing experience includes working for a Lutheran-owned house, a Jewish-owned house, starting a multifaith trade spirituality book imprint, and editing books by everyone from Sufis and Vedantists to evangelical Christians and the Eastern Orthodox. His personal path has been anything but linear: After 20 years as an evangelical, and 21 years as an involved Episcopalian, in 2009 he became a Roman Catholic on the Feast Day of St. Francis. He values and has learned a great deal from every step. We talk about his journey to the Church.
5:40 – Kresta Comments
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Chinese hiding three million babies a year
"I am the biggest offender against the one-child policy in China!" laughed Fu Yang, a wiry and energetic 47-year-old man, as he fidgeted and poured tea. "I had seven daughters in just ten years." Mr Fu and his rather more reserved wife are among the millions of Chinese parents who risk threats, fines and even imprisonment in order to defy the country's one-child policy. The couple, who now live a prosperous life in a small village outside the southern city of Xiamen, have had to flee across three provinces and hide their children with friends in the past.
Since 1978, China’s government has limited each couple to one child in a bid to stem the growth of the world's largest population. To police the law, neighbourhood committees keep a close eye out for any pregnancies, and Family Planning officials have the power to force women to have abortions and sterilisations, as well as to monitor their contraception.
The policy does not apply to everyone. In the countryside, parents are allowed to try for a second child if their first is a girl. Couples who are both single children themselves are also allowed to have two children. A growing number of rich Chinese also pay fines in order to have a second child.
But for parents who do not comply with the law, the penalties can be harsh. Workers in state-owned companies can lose their jobs. Others face huge fines, the possible demolition of their homes, or even a prison term.
"When they eventually found out I had seven daughters, they tried to tear down our house, but fortunately I have good connections: my uncle is the head of the village," said Mr Fu. "They also wanted to fine me 600,000 yuan (£60,000). But I refused to pay them. Eventually they knocked down just a small part of my old house and I paid them 2,000 yuan," he added.
Mr Fu said that he knew several other people in his village who also had more than one child and that he had already encouraged his eldest daughter, who has recently born him a grandson, to continue to procreate. "I told her: no matter what the cost, she should have more kids," he said.
In millions of other cases, families are also prepared to take the risk and break the law, according to research by Liang Zhongtang, a demographer and former member of the expert committee of China’s National Population and Family Planning Commission.
Examining China’s census figures, Mr Liang came across discrepancies that proved the subterfuge. “In 1990, the national census recorded 23 million births. But by the 2000 census, there were 26 million ten-year-old children, an increase of three million,” he said. "Normally, you would expect there to be fewer ten-year-olds than newborns, because of infant mortality," he added.
His findings suggest that the one-child policy may not have the grim consequences that have been widely predicted. According to China’s own figures, the traditional desire among Chinese families to have a boy, coupled with the one-child regime, should produce a surfeit of 30 million men by 2020, with many parents allegedly using ultrasound to guarantee the sex of their child.
Intended Complications
The latest column from our friend Phil Lawler at CWNews.com.
Writing for US Catholic, Patrick McCormick-- a religious-studies professor at Gonzaga University-- reveals a great deal about his attitude toward Church authority as he delivers his opinions on the Phoenix abortion case.
Bishop Olmsted and the Vatican claim that every "direct" abortion is always wrong.
Bishop Olmstead and "the Vatican"-- whoever that means-- might "claim" that chocolate ice cream is superior to vanilla. But when they say that deliberate abortion is always wrong they are not asserting a claim; they are teaching.
They base their assertion on one traditional reading of the moral principle of "double effect," a reading condemning every physically "direct" attack on innocent human life, but permitting "indirect" abortions (like excising a tumor from a pregnant woman with uterine cancer) when it is the only way to save the life of the mother.
Nice. There is "one traditional reading" of Church teaching, stated repeatedly in papal encyclicals and conciliar documents. Then there's another reading, put forward by one Patrick McCormick. Which one should be follow? Hmmm; let me think.
Moreover, that "one traditional reading" is actually a command, given to us with a fairly high degree of authority: Thou Shalt Not Kill. The deliberate taking of innocent human life is never justified.
The "double effect" argument is introduced here by McCormick, as it is frequently introduced by consequentialists, to complicate the argument. It doesn't apply. One can invoke the principle of double effect if an operation has the goal of saving a woman's life, and an unintended consequence is the death of an unborn child. (The removal of an ectopic pregnancy is a prime example.) In the Phoenix case the abortion was unjustifiable because the death of the unborn child was not unintended; it was the goal of the operation. One human life was snuffed out so that another could continue.
Having muddled the argument on the killing of the innocent, McCormick turns his attention to the canonical penalty of excommunication, and asks why that penalty is reserved only for abortions. (It isn't.) Specifically, he asks:
…why then is excommunication not used to stem the scandal of priest pedophilia…
Bet you didn't see that one coming.
.. or to oppose Catholics who support unjust wars, government sanctioned torture, or the indiscriminate use of weapons of mass destruction?
Here McCormick, who found it useful to overcomplicate the argument, now oversimplifies. Has any government leader ever announced that he plans to launch an unjust war, or to use nuclear weapons in an indiscriminate manner? Of course not. The political arguments are always more complex, and so the canonical implications are not so easy to draw out. In the Phoenix case, again, Bishop Olmsted's path was clear because the doctor unambiguously announced their intention to abort the child.
After worrying over the hostilities that Bishop Olmsted's stand has aroused-- and which he has helped to encourage-- McCormick finally wonders:
…is excommunication really an adequate or even serious response?
Yes, it is. Excommunication is a very serious step indeed. It is recognized as such by anyone who recognizes the authority granted by Jesus Christ to the Catholic Church. Does McCormick? For that matter, does US Catholic?
Bishop Olmsted and the Vatican claim that every "direct" abortion is always wrong.
Bishop Olmstead and "the Vatican"-- whoever that means-- might "claim" that chocolate ice cream is superior to vanilla. But when they say that deliberate abortion is always wrong they are not asserting a claim; they are teaching.
They base their assertion on one traditional reading of the moral principle of "double effect," a reading condemning every physically "direct" attack on innocent human life, but permitting "indirect" abortions (like excising a tumor from a pregnant woman with uterine cancer) when it is the only way to save the life of the mother.
Nice. There is "one traditional reading" of Church teaching, stated repeatedly in papal encyclicals and conciliar documents. Then there's another reading, put forward by one Patrick McCormick. Which one should be follow? Hmmm; let me think.
Moreover, that "one traditional reading" is actually a command, given to us with a fairly high degree of authority: Thou Shalt Not Kill. The deliberate taking of innocent human life is never justified.
The "double effect" argument is introduced here by McCormick, as it is frequently introduced by consequentialists, to complicate the argument. It doesn't apply. One can invoke the principle of double effect if an operation has the goal of saving a woman's life, and an unintended consequence is the death of an unborn child. (The removal of an ectopic pregnancy is a prime example.) In the Phoenix case the abortion was unjustifiable because the death of the unborn child was not unintended; it was the goal of the operation. One human life was snuffed out so that another could continue.
Having muddled the argument on the killing of the innocent, McCormick turns his attention to the canonical penalty of excommunication, and asks why that penalty is reserved only for abortions. (It isn't.) Specifically, he asks:
…why then is excommunication not used to stem the scandal of priest pedophilia…
Bet you didn't see that one coming.
.. or to oppose Catholics who support unjust wars, government sanctioned torture, or the indiscriminate use of weapons of mass destruction?
Here McCormick, who found it useful to overcomplicate the argument, now oversimplifies. Has any government leader ever announced that he plans to launch an unjust war, or to use nuclear weapons in an indiscriminate manner? Of course not. The political arguments are always more complex, and so the canonical implications are not so easy to draw out. In the Phoenix case, again, Bishop Olmsted's path was clear because the doctor unambiguously announced their intention to abort the child.
After worrying over the hostilities that Bishop Olmsted's stand has aroused-- and which he has helped to encourage-- McCormick finally wonders:
…is excommunication really an adequate or even serious response?
Yes, it is. Excommunication is a very serious step indeed. It is recognized as such by anyone who recognizes the authority granted by Jesus Christ to the Catholic Church. Does McCormick? For that matter, does US Catholic?
Outrageous Statement of the Day
An MSNBC promo for an upcoming Chris Matthews special on "The Rise of the New Right" juxtaposes footage of camo-clad men shooting automatic weapons with a voice-over of Matthews saying "the Tea Party is determined to take power." This "documentary" I'm sure will provide enough idiotic quotes to fill the "Outrageous Statement of the Day" for months.
Today on Kresta - June 3, 2010
Talking about the "things that matter most" on June 3
LIVE FROM THE RELIGIOUS BOOKSELLERS TRADE EXHIBIT IN CHICAGO
4:00 – Kresta Comments
4:20 – The Grand Jihad: How Islam and the Left Sabotage America
The real threat to the United States is not terrorism. The real threat is Islamism, whose sophisticated forces have collaborated with the American Left not only to undermine U.S. national security but also to shred the fabric of American constitutional democracy—freedom and individual liberty. In The Grand Jihad, bestselling author Andrew C. McCarthy offers a harrowing account of how the global Islamist movement’s jihad involves far more than terrorist attacks, and how it has found the ideal partner in President Barack Obama, whose Islamist sympathies run deep. For years, McCarthy warned of America’s blindness to the Islamist threat, but in The Grand Jihad McCarthy exposes a new, more insidious peril: the government’s active appeasement of the Islamist ideology. With the help of witting and unwitting accomplices in and out of government, Islamism doesn’t merely fuel terrorism but spawns America-hating Islamic enclaves in our very midst, gradually foisting Islam’s repressive law, sharia, on American life. The revolutionary doctrine has made common cause with an ascendant Left that also seeks radical transformation of our constitutional order. The prognosis for liberty could not be more dire.
5:00 – Pope Benedict XVI and the Sexual Abuse Crisis: Working for Reform and Renewal
Since 1985, the Catholic Church in the United States has been living in the shadow of the clerical sexual abuse crisis. In 2002, revelations in Boston ignited an institutional nightmare. More recently, the scandal erupted in Ireland and spread across Europe. There is now a rush by some, both inside and outside the Church, to place direct blame upon Pope Benedict XVI. There is no escaping the fact that Pope Benedict, as the former head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and now as pope, has played an historically pivotal and personal role in the Vatican's response to the crisis. Pope Benedict XVI and the Sexual Abuse Crisis is a groundbreaking, critically objective assessment of the criticism facing the pope as well as a review of his real response to the victims, abusers, bishops, media, and the millions of Catholics worldwide who continue to be justifiably horrified by the scandal. The first and foremost objective for this book is the truth no matter how difficult to face and letting the pope's record speak for itself. Authors Matthew Bunson and Greg Erlandson are with us.
LIVE FROM THE RELIGIOUS BOOKSELLERS TRADE EXHIBIT IN CHICAGO
4:00 – Kresta Comments
4:20 – The Grand Jihad: How Islam and the Left Sabotage America
The real threat to the United States is not terrorism. The real threat is Islamism, whose sophisticated forces have collaborated with the American Left not only to undermine U.S. national security but also to shred the fabric of American constitutional democracy—freedom and individual liberty. In The Grand Jihad, bestselling author Andrew C. McCarthy offers a harrowing account of how the global Islamist movement’s jihad involves far more than terrorist attacks, and how it has found the ideal partner in President Barack Obama, whose Islamist sympathies run deep. For years, McCarthy warned of America’s blindness to the Islamist threat, but in The Grand Jihad McCarthy exposes a new, more insidious peril: the government’s active appeasement of the Islamist ideology. With the help of witting and unwitting accomplices in and out of government, Islamism doesn’t merely fuel terrorism but spawns America-hating Islamic enclaves in our very midst, gradually foisting Islam’s repressive law, sharia, on American life. The revolutionary doctrine has made common cause with an ascendant Left that also seeks radical transformation of our constitutional order. The prognosis for liberty could not be more dire.
5:00 – Pope Benedict XVI and the Sexual Abuse Crisis: Working for Reform and Renewal
Since 1985, the Catholic Church in the United States has been living in the shadow of the clerical sexual abuse crisis. In 2002, revelations in Boston ignited an institutional nightmare. More recently, the scandal erupted in Ireland and spread across Europe. There is now a rush by some, both inside and outside the Church, to place direct blame upon Pope Benedict XVI. There is no escaping the fact that Pope Benedict, as the former head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and now as pope, has played an historically pivotal and personal role in the Vatican's response to the crisis. Pope Benedict XVI and the Sexual Abuse Crisis is a groundbreaking, critically objective assessment of the criticism facing the pope as well as a review of his real response to the victims, abusers, bishops, media, and the millions of Catholics worldwide who continue to be justifiably horrified by the scandal. The first and foremost objective for this book is the truth no matter how difficult to face and letting the pope's record speak for itself. Authors Matthew Bunson and Greg Erlandson are with us.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Kresta Commentary: Bishops Withdraw From Alphabet Soup
The problem of multiplying acronyms, abbreviations and initialisms is compounded by our texting culture. I heard an NPR report months ago about a novelist straining to tell a story within the 140 character limit of Twitter. It's a twist on haiku, I guess. Maybe known as twaiku. "Though employment ends; consider him a mogul; his future is bright."
Believe it or not, this is relevant to recent actions of the American bishops. But for the above reasons, my remarks require a glossary.
LCCHR is the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
USCCB is the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
AMC is Ave Maria Communications
LGBTQIA is Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer, intersex and allies. (I wonder if there is a chapter at UCLA making it UCLALGBTQIA?)
NARAL is National Abortion Rights Action League
SCOTUS is Supreme Court of the United States
NAACP is National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
CORE is Congress of Racial Equality
SCLC is Southern Christian Leadership Conference
ACLU is American Civil Liberties Union
SBC is Southern Baptist Convention
SCAAA is Sub-committee on African American Affairs
SCDC is Secretariat of Cultural Diversity within the Church
SCAPA is sub-committee on Asian-Pacific Affairs
SCHA is sub-committee on Hispanic Affairs
SCNAA is sub-committee on Native American Affairs
PCMRT is Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees and Travelers
RINO is Republican in Name Only
AWGTHTGTTA is Are we going to have to go through this again
The USCCB has withdrawn from the LCCHR and IMHO, AMC is really OK with it. In fact, we are delighted, LOL.
AAMOF, AMC predicted it would just be a matter of time after news of LCCHR's LGBTIA and NARAL sympathies hit the lay faithful. They would communicate ASAP to the USCCB. The USCCB, we said, would not respond ASAP. But 1ce this got the attention of the USCCB, @ the end of the day, we'd see the obvious follow-thru.
LCCHR's support of SCOTUS nominee, Elena Kagan, seems to be the neuralgic point that forced the bishops' conference to finally scratch the itch.
Read the full commentary here...
Miami's new archbishop insists on Catholic role in public square
The new archbishop warned that a "radically secular world view wishes to reduce faith toe the realm of the private and the subjective." Catholics must resist that pressure, he said, and put forward arguments "that, while founded on the Christian Scriptures, is also accessible to human reason.”
While admitting that Catholic social teaching can seem "quite complex," Archbishop Wenski said that its fundamental thrust can be simply summarized: "No man is a problem."
Pope voices sorrow, fear after Israeli raid on 'Freedom Flotilla'
"I feel the need to express my deepest condolences to the victims of these sorrowful events that are troubling all those who are concerned with peace in the area," the Pontiff said. "I again repeat, with heavy heart, that violence does not resolve conflict but only increases its tragic consequences and generates more violence."
The Pope urged all international leaders to redouble their efforts at finding a peaceful solution to the problems of the Middle East. He said: "The Lord sustains the efforts of those who never tire of working for reconciliation and peace."
Pope names 9 visitors to investigate sex abuse crisis in Ireland
The Vatican has announced that the Apostolic Visitation to Ireland will take place this fall and has named the 9 visitors who will lead the charge. The visit, which the pope ordered and mentioned in his letter to Irish Catholics, is part of an investigation aimed at eradicating clerical sex abuse. The panel is made up of 5 archbishops and 4 religious. View this report from Rome Reports below.
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