Today on Kresta - May 5, 2009

Talking about the "things that matter most" on May 5

3:00 – Soft Despotism. Democracy’s Drift
In 1989, the Cold War abruptly ended and it seemed as if the world was at last safe for democracy. But a spirit of uneasiness, discontent, and world-weariness soon arose and has persisted in Europe, in America, and elsewhere for two decades. To discern the meaning of this malaise we must investigate the nature of liberal democracy, says Paul Rahe, and he joins us to do so. He argues that many early political thinkers anticipated the modern liberal republic's propensity to drift in the direction of “soft despotism”—a condition that arises within a democracy when paternalistic state power expands and gradually undermines the spirit of self-government. Such an eventuality, feared by Tocqueville in the nineteenth century, has now become a reality throughout the European Union, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. So Rahe asserts, and he explains what must be done to reverse this unfortunate trend.

4:00 – New Survey Shows U.S. Religious Giving to Developing Countries at $8.6 Billion
A national survey of U.S. religious giving from congregations of all denominations to the developing world, combined with other data, found that religious congregations gave $8.6 billion to the developing world in 2007. The Index is the sole comprehensive guide to the sources and magnitude of private philanthropy from U.S. foundations, corporations, private and voluntary organizations, volunteers, colleges and universities, and religious congregations to the developing world. This year’s Index finds that these sources contributed a total of $36.9 billion in 2007, over one and one-half times U.S. government aid for the same period. We look at the significance of such numbers with Carol Adelman of the Hudson Institute.

4:20 – Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan
Horse Soldiers is the dramatic account of a small band of Special Forces soldiers who secretly entered Afghanistan following 9/11 and rode to war on horses against the Taliban. Outnumbered forty to one, they pursued the enemy across mountainous terrain and, after a series of intense battles, captured the city of Mazar-i-Sharif, which was strategically essential if they were to defeat the Taliban. The bone-weary American soldiers were welcomed as liberators, and overjoyed Afghans thronged the streets. Then the action took a wholly unexpected turn. During a surrender of six hundred Taliban troops, the Horse Soldiers were ambushed. At risk were the military gains of the entire campaign: if the soldiers perished or were captured, the effort to defeat the Taliban might be doomed. Until now, the full story of the Horse Soldiers has never been told. Doug Stanton is with us in studio.

5:00 – Kresta Comments

5:20 – Exorcism and the Church Militant
Exorcism is a part of the Catholic Church that is still very little known, but very real nonetheless. Fr. Tom Euteneuer has faced the devil, and that the devil is real and walks among us. "The manifestation of demons can be very frightening, but you never have to be afraid of the devil because we always have the power of Christ to deal with him," he said. Fr. Euteneuer is an exorcist and says his work will be increasing after Pope Benedict XVI recently announced his intention to greatly expand the practice of exorcism, in a matter the world hasn't seen in centuries. Fr. Euteneuer is with us to look at Exorcism and the Church Militant.

ND Response Steps It Up

The Latest Announcement from ND Response:

"ND Response has received official permission to hold a prayerful and constructive demonstration on the South Quad of the University of Notre Dame between 11am and 4pm on the day of Commencement. The students of this coalition would like to extend an invitation to all those interested in joining us on campus on May 17th as we respectfully give witness to Notre Dame's Catholic identity and pro-life principles. An official schedule for this demonstration will be posted on NDResponse.com in the next 48 hours."

Below is the incredibly powerful YouTube Video NDResponse has released.

How The Swine Flu Pandemic Began

How Swine Flu (or the more politically correct H1N1) spread from pigs to humans. Now you know!!!

Obama, Catholics and the Latest Numbers

There is a lot of mixed news in the new Pew Research Center poll on Obama and Catholics, but one significant stat shows that weekly attending white Catholics are noticeably more negative toward Obama's performance compared with earlier this year. In fact, a plurality of this group (45%) now disapproves of the job Obama is doing, more than double the figure in February (20%). And weekly attending white Catholics now express significantly lower approval of Obama's job performance compared with their less-observant counterparts (43% vs. 63%). Can anyone say NOTRE DAME??? I highly recommed you read the report. Lots of interesting information that we will be pursuing next week on the show. I'll leave it at that and call it a tease. :)

Strange Timing To Make Such a Significant Move

Southern Catholic College in Dawsonville, founded four years ago to serve Georgia’s growing Catholic population, plans to affiliate with a controversial conservative religious order.

The Legionaries of Christ will have a controlling interest on the college board and be chaplains, said school President Jerry Ashcroft. The deal, announced April 20, could be completed by June.

Read more...

Today on Kresta - May 1, 2009

Talking about the "things that matter most" on May 1
Best of Kresta in the Afternoon

3:00 – Testimony
Fr. Ed Fride, pastor of Christ the King Parish in Ann Arbor, MI, has been a Congregationalist, atheist, Charismatic Christian, and more before finding the fullness of faith in the Catholic Church. He is with us to discuss his journey from disbelief, to yearning for truth, to the Catholic Priesthood.

4:00 – Columbine: 10 Years Later
Last week we commemorated 10 years since the Columbine massacre. In a new remarkable account of the April 20, 1999, Columbine High School shooting, journalist Dave Cullen not only dispels several of the prevailing myths about the event but tackles the hardest question of all: why did it happen? Drawing on extensive interviews, police reports and his own reporting, Cullen meticulously pieces together what happened when 18-year-old Eric Harris and 17-year-old Dylan Klebold killed 13 people before turning their guns on themselves. The media spin was that specific students, namely jocks, were targeted and that Dylan and Eric were members of the Trench Coat Mafia. According to Cullen, they lived apparently normal lives, but under the surface lay an angry, erratic depressive (Klebold) and a sadistic psychopath (Harris), together forming a combustible pair. They planned the massacre for a year, outlining their intentions for massive carnage in extensive journals and video diaries. We take an in-depth look.

5:00 – The Moral Premise: Harnessing Virtue and Vice for Box Office Success
How is a successful film created? Stan Williams argues that The Moral Premise is the single fundamental element that is found in all successful movies. His book explains how the Moral Premise creates great motion pictures that resonate with large audiences. He joins us in studio to discuss it.

5:40 – Kresta Comments

US Rep. Ron Paul, M.D. Agrees With Al on Swine Flu Hysteria

Take a deep breath - without a mask - and listen to Ron Paul put this into perspective. Then go back and read our post from Tuesday on this topic.

Obama on FOCA at press conference last night

Is is just me or did he not at all answer the question? While I am happy that he seems utterly unwilling to push in any way for FOCA to be placed on his desk, what does it say about that man that he told a Planned Parenthood gathering during the campaign "Well, the first thing I'd do as president is, is sign the Freedom of Choice Act"?

"All of Humanity Under Threat"

The World Health Organization has warned that "all of humanity is under threat" from a potential swine flu pandemic and called for "global solidarity" to combat the virus. Let's review: 8 dead in Mexico. 1 dead in U.S. (from Mexico). The annual death toll attributable to influenza and its complications averages 20,000 annually in the United States alone. The latest scare comes from the London Telegraph. Meanwhile Joe Biden says to stay off of planes and subways. To which NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg says: I'm riding the subway to prove it's no problem.

Tony Blair Lectures Pope

A key policy advisor has left his job at the foundation established by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, amid reports of a disagreement about Blair's public criticism of the Catholic Church. Blair, who became a Catholic after leaving office, has told homosexual activists that he thinks the Church needs to change its teachings on matters of sexuality. His adviser, William Chapman, reportedly found that Blair's public remarks made it difficult if not impossible to enlist support from senior Church officials.

More from the UK Telegraph here.

Fr. Jenkins in Tough Spot / Decided No Laetare This Year

Judge John T. Noonan Jr., the 1984 recipient of the Laetare Medal, has accepted an invitation to deliver an address in the spirit of the award at Notre Dame’s 164th University Commencement Ceremony on May 17. His speech will be in lieu of awarding the medal this year.

Read the text of the announcement from Notre Dame here.

It appears that the Laetare Medal has been given continuously since 1883. This will be the first year since its inception that there will not be a recipient although I don't know if it has ever been refused before.

Also, it seems obvious that Fr. Jenkins was unable to find anyone to either receive the medal or would appear as a "balance" to President Obama after he vowed immediately after Glendon declined that Notre Dame would bestow the medal on someone else.

I interviewed Noonan back in 1998 on a book he wrote on religious liberty and liked him. Before Roe v. Wade he was considered a pro-life thinker and I would be interested in knowing more about the history of his convictions if anyone can feed me a few tips.

Today on Kresta - April 30, 2009

Talking about the "things that matter most" on Apr. 30

3:00 – The Moral Premise: Harnessing Virtue and Vice for Box Office Success
How is a successful film created? Stan Williams argues that The Moral Premise is the single fundamental element that is found in all successful movies. His book explains how the Moral Premise creates great motion pictures that resonate with large audiences. He joins us in studio to discuss it.

3:40 – Kresta Comments

4:00 – MI Congressman Thaddeus McCotter Condemns “Cruel, Forced Bankruptcy” of Chrysler
Chrysler will file for bankruptcy after talks with a small group of creditors crumbled just a day before a government deadline for the automaker to come up with a restructuring plan, President Barack Obama said today. The Obama administration said it had hoped to stave off bankruptcy for the nation's third largest automaker, but it became clear that a holdout group wouldn't budge on proposals to reduce Chrysler's $6.9 billion in secured debt. Clearing those debts was a needed step for Chrysler to restructure. We talk to US Congressman Thaddeus McCotter of MI to look at what this means and what the future holds for Chrysler.

4:20 – Seeing Through Cynicism: A Reconsideration of the Power of Suspicion
We live in a cynical age. Cynicism is in the air we breathe; it is a cultural norm; it is the default setting and lens through which many of us view the world. Why is cynicism so pervasive? What does it promise? How does it work? And what does it deliver? Dick Keyes probes the intellectual and cultural underpinnings of cynicism in its modern and postmodern manifestations. In analyzing our cynicism toward individuals, institutions and God, he gives cynicism the scrutiny it deserves, arguing for its merits as a tool for discernment while pointing out its limitations.

5:00 – 3,562 Miles – Across America – 12 States - Souly Walking
Jon Leonetti and Jesse Weiler believe there is no greater life to be lived than a life in God. Where we no longer set our gaze on the world, but rather embrace the love and peace that our God is continually offering us. A life immersed in the love of God is important. So important that they have decided to walk over 3,500 miles, Ocean to Ocean, across America, stopping to speak at church’s, school’s and youth gatherings a long the way. They are walking to raise awareness in the hearts of young people all across America on the importance of living this life in Christ. They are asking their generation to live life in a new way. A life no longer focused on the empty promises of this MTV generation, but a life now that is focused on the promise of fulfillment, immersing ourselves in the Love of God. We catch up with them in Denver, CO.

5:20 – Month of Mary Begins Tomorrow / Praying the Rosary for Inner Healing
With the Month of Mary beginning tomorrow, we turn our attention to the Blessed Mother and the power of the rosary. Fr. Dwight Longenecker is here to help us discover the parallels between our lives and the Mysteries of the Rosary while experiencing the healing graces of Our Lady. Where our lives are characterized by trauma, stress, pain, or sadness, this ancient contemplative prayer can bring acceptance, understanding, and joy.

Demographics and Depression

"Three generations of economists immersed themselves in study of the Great Depression, determined to prevent a recurrence of the awful events of the 1930s. And as our current financial crisis began to unfold in 2008, policymakers did everything that those economists prescribed.

"Following John Maynard Keynes, President Bush and President Obama each offered a fiscal stimulus. The Federal Reserve maintained confidence in the financial system, increased the money supply, and lowered interest rates. The major industrial nations worked together, rather than at cross purposes as they had in the early 1930s.

"In other words, the government tried to do everything right, but everything continues to go wrong. We labored hard and traveled long to avoid a new depression, but one seems to have found us, nonetheless."

The head of the Federal Reserve Board, Ben Bernanke, is one of the world's foremost economic historians of the Great Depression. But is this a crisis outside the lesson book of the Great Depression?

Champions of free markets and fiscal conservatives have been reduced to sitting on the anxious bench agonizing about their marginalization. Started under the Bush administration the panic is in full throttle with Conservative thinkers increasingly recognizing that the movement which claims the smile of Ronald Reagan now looks as grim as it did under the scowl of Barry Goldwater. Do Conservatives have anything new to offer than warmed over platitudes. David P. Goldman, associate editor of First Things wades into some deep, dark waters.

Swine WHO?

To follow up on the posting from yesterday on the media's attempt to keep us all in a constant mode of fear and hysteria - most recently on the supposed swine flu pandemic - we now hear from the World Health Organization. Those numbers of 150 dead in Mexico you keep hearing about. Not so much. WHO says the actual number is 7. That's right - 7. But be sure to keep tuned to your favorite 24-hour news network, because you may be number 8!

Racist Recession?

Unemployment among blacks is entering Depression era numbers. The latest seasonally adjusted U.S. Bureau of Labor unemployment statistics reveal that blacks have an unemployment rate of 13.3 percent compared to 7.9 percent for whites. For black men over 19 years of age it's even worse. Who is responsible?

Anthony Bradley writing for Acton Institute has some worthy thoughts on a vexing and what many fear is an intractable problem.

Today on Kresta - April 29, 2009

Talking about the "things that matter most" on Apr. 29

3:00 – It Happened in Italy: Untold Stories of How the People of Italy Defied the Horrors of the Holocaust
We hear one woman's discovery---and the incredible, unexpected journey it took her on---of how her grandparent's small village of Campagna, Italy, helped save Jews during the Holocaust. Elizabeth Bettina discovered, much to her surprise, that her grandparent's small village, nestled in the heart of southern Italy, housed an internment camp for Jews during the Holocaust, and that it was far from the only one. We follow her discovery of survivors and their stories of gratitude to Italy and its people. And we explore the little known details of how members of the Catholic Church assisted and helped shelter Jews in Italy during World War II.

3:40 – April 29, 1992 – Rodney King Verdict / Riots
“All men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights” wedded the American soul to the concept that freedom comes from our humanity, not from the government. But American governments legally suspended the free will of blacks for 150 years, and then denied blacks equal protection of the law for another 150 years. How did this happen in America? How were the Constitution and laws of the land twisted so as to institutionalize racism? And how did it or will it end? Judge Andrew Napolitano takes a no-holds-barred look at the role of the government in the denial of freedoms based on race.

4:00 – Baptized By The Pope
Heidi Sierras had been preparing for it for more than a year, and two weeks ago it happened: The 29-year- old CA woman was baptized by Pope Benedict XVI in Rome's St. Peter's Basilica, followed by confirmation and her first Eucharist as a new member of the Catholic Church. "I feel complete now," she said after the service. "I felt empty before, but now I am complete." The pope baptizes as many as seven people a year, representing the seven continents of the world. Sierras represented North and South America. She shares her experience.

4:20 – The Untold Story of Joe Hernandez: The Voice of Santa Anita
Dr. Rudolph Alvarado's compelling and in-depth biography captures the story of Joe Hernandez, a Catholic Mexican-American, who despite his ethnic background became thoroughbred horse racing's greatest race caller at a time when most Mexicans were being repatriated due to America's Great Depression. This biography uncovers the extent to which Hernandez went to fit into this Anglo-American dominated world, and reveals that Hernandez's impact on the sport of thoroughbred horse racing went far beyond that of being a race caller. The book comes with a CD of Hernandez's most famous race calls, some of which we will play for you as we talk with Rudy.

5:00 – Direct to my Desk

Today on Kresta - April 28, 2009

Talking about the "things that matter most" on Apr. 28

3:00 – TBA

3:20 – Sen. Arlen Spector (R-PA) Jumping the Aisle
Veteran Rep. Sen. Arlen Specter disclosed plans today to switch parties, a move intended to boost his chances of winning re-election next year. "I now find my political philosophy more in line with Democrats than Republicans," Specter said in a statement posted on a Web site devoted to Pennsylvania politics and confirmed by his office. With Specter, 79 and in his fifth term, Democrats would have 59 Senate seats. Al Franken could make it 60. PA Political Scientist Paul Kengor is here for the analysis.

Watch live video from Kresta In The Afternoon's channel on Justin.tv
3:40 – Mary Ann Glendon Refuses ND Honor / Notre Dame Alumni Confirm $8.2 Million In Withheld Donations
Former Ambassador to the Vatican and Harvard prof Mary Ann Glendon has declined Notre Dame's prestigious Laetare Medal and will not stand on the same platform with President Obama during the Notre Dame commencement exercise. Fearing that her actions might be misunderstood or interpreted maliciously she publicly released her rejection letter to Fr. Jenkins yesterday. Meanwhile, organizers of ReplaceJenkins.com, an online effort urging alumni and donors to the University of Notre Dame to withhold donations, announced yesterday that they have personally confirmed over $8.2 million in withheld donations as a part of their national outreach effort. Several of the largest gifts include estate bequests to the University that have been removed from donors’ wills. We talk with Greer Hannan, one of the student leaders of NDResponse, and David DiFranco of ReplaceJenkins.com

4:00 – Kresta Comments

4:20 – Mortal Follies: Episcopalians and the Crisis of Mainline Christianity
It's not that the dignified and rarefied old Episcopal Church quit believing in God. It's that the God you increasingly hear spoken of in Episcopal circles is infinitely tolerant and given to sudden changes of mind--not quite the divinity you thought you were reading about in the scriptures. William Murchison is here to tell the story of the Episcopal Church's mad dash to catch up with a secular culture fond of self-expression and blissfully relaxed as to norms and truths. An Episcopal layman, Murchison details how leaders of his church, starting in the late 1960s, looked over the culture of liberation, liked what they saw, and went skipping along with the shifting cultural mood--especially when the culture demanded that the church account for its sins of "heterosexism" and "racism." Episcopalians have blended so deeply into the cultural woodwork that it's hard sometimes to remember that it all began as a divine calling to the normative and the eternal.

5:00 – Testimony
Fr. Ed Fride, pastor of Christ the King Parish in Ann Arbor, MI, has been a Congregationalist, atheist, Charismatic Christian, and more before finding the fullness of faith in the Catholic Church. He is with us to discuss his journey from disbelief, to yearning for truth, to the Catholic Priesthood.

Nuns Ruin Women's Sex Lives

Cosmopolitan Magazine's new Executive Editor seems to have little regard for a civil tone - at least when it comes to Catholics. Nicole Beland was asked by a reader in her final "Men's Health" column, "My sexually repressed wife can't even say 'sex' without whispering. How can I help her open up?"

To which Beland replied, "It's not easy to undo damage caused by years of exposure to Catholic-school nuns or overly conservative parents. She may need therapy to accept that sex can be a wholesome and glorious thing . . . Every positive thing you say about sex will undo some of the negativity she's been brainwashed to feel her whole life."

She subsequently got into a war of words with our friend Bill Donohue at the Catholic League. Maybe Ms. Beland needs to read the myriad of studies available that show greater sexual satisfaction in marriages that adhere to Catholic Moral Teaching on matters of sexuality.

"Premarital sexual involvement is also a predictor of lower marital satisfaction (Kelly & Conley, 1998 Larson, 2000; Popenoe & Whitehead, 1999; Waite & Gallagher, 2001). In men, premarital sex even predicts later extramarital sex (O'Connor, 2001). Couples who did not engage in sexual activity before marriage report greater sexual fulfillment after marriage (LaHaye & LaHaye, 1994; Waite & Gallagher, 2000)."

Swine Flu and Sex: A State of Perpetual Arousal

After finishing Monday's broadcast I went home to a 7 year old boy bursting with T-Ball success and a plate of exceptional chicken cacciatore and the good company of my wife. Within minutes panic broke out when Fox News' Shepherd Smith entered the room.

Immediately he warned of the coming Swine Flu epidemic. Chaos had seized Mexico.

Being the parochial thinker that I am, my attention only settled down when he shifted to the United States. Then I sat riveted, spaghetti hanging out of my shocked mouth. My seven year old pleading precociously for a vaccine. The Department of Homeland Security assured us that the President was following the threat and had already prepared for a "pandemic". [Aren't there other 'threats' they should be preparing for?].

Nearly forty Americans had reported Swine flu like symptoms and the "most brilliant and brightest" medical minds were solving the problem. Everyone was commanded to wash their hands, don't touch their eyes or mouth, avoid travel, stay away from doctors or hospitals where many diseases dwell.

Don't worry, Smith soothed us, we've faced this before. Why back in the 1930s 1 whole person died and a national panic spread across the land. Later we invented a vaccine. Now we have almost rid the land of the scavenger. Since the thirties a full 3 people have died. As he raved on I became aware that this story wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

Only one person had entered the hospital. BUT HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE IN DISTRESS BECAUSE OF SWINE FLU IN AMERICA? MILLIONS BECAUSE OF FOX NEWS' REPORTING. Only one person has been hospitalized. The few dozen others with symptoms are recovering nicely at home. Nobody has even approached death. IN THE TIME THAT SMITH REPORTED ON THIS dozens of Americans had been in fatal auto accidents.

Many people have found Fox News a voice of fresh air because it has been more conservative politically and religiously than other networks. This was an underserved market. Fox's magic, however, derives from keeping the viewer perpetually aroused by fear, sex, patriotic sentiment or conservative indignation.

FOX plans to hold viewers' attention by portraying a world always in a state of war and uncertainty. The news works best when it keeps you living in a state of perpetual fear and arousal, emotionally vulnerable and driven by sentiment. This renders viewers more susceptible to commercial and political appeals.

It's a disgraceful manipulaton of audience and a wicked abuse of trust. Read Intermirifica from the Second Vatican Council, the decree on social communications. It's a bit dated but its principles are solid and would revolutionize broadcasting.

The hackneyed line "If it bleeds, it leads" is just an old symptom of today's much more sophisticated attempt to sustain viewer attention in the 24 hour news cycle. Increase the level of threat from crime, weather, terrorism, illness, natural disaster or other tragedy. Leave people dependent on your outlet for news alerts. Always report breathlessly and with a tinge of panic in your voice. Heighten urgency and uncertainty and then promise that you are on the job ready to bring another dose of infotainment to allay the fears. It is the salt-water effect. Fox promises to inform you even as they increase your sense of dismay.

I managed to finish my meal but not the digestion. You've now gotten a picture of my brain secreting thought like my liver was secreting bile. Those swine!

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Glendon to Jenkins: I won't be used

Former Ambassador to the Vatican and Harvard prof Mary Ann Glendon has declined Notre Dame's prestigious Laetare Medal and will not stand on the same platform with President Obama during the Notre Dame commencement exercise. Fearing that her actions might be misunderstood or interpreted maliciously she publicly released her rejection letter to Fr. Jenkins. Here are a few quotes but read the whole thing to get a sense of tone.

"First, as a longtime consultant to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, I could not help but be dismayed by the news that Notre Dame also planned to award the president an honorary degree. This, as you must know, was in disregard of the U.S. bishops’ express request of 2004 that Catholic institutions “should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles” and that such persons “should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.” That request, which in no way seeks to control or interfere with an institution’s freedom to invite and engage in serious debate with whomever it wishes, seems to me so reasonable that I am at a loss to understand why a Catholic university should disrespect it.

"Then I learned that “talking points” issued by Notre Dame in response to widespread criticism of its decision included two statements implying that my acceptance speech would somehow balance the event:
• “President Obama won’t be doing all the talking. Mary Ann Glendon, the former U.S. ambassador to the Vatican, will be speaking as the recipient of the Laetare Medal.”
• “We think having the president come to Notre Dame, see our graduates, meet our leaders, and hear a talk from Mary Ann Glendon is a good thing for the president and for the causes we care about.”

"A commencement, however, is supposed to be a joyous day for the graduates and their families. It is not the right place, nor is a brief acceptance speech the right vehicle, for engagement with the very serious problems raised by Notre Dame’s decision—in disregard of the settled position of the U.S. bishops—to honor a prominent and uncompromising opponent of the Church’s position on issues involving fundamental principles of justice."

Congratulations to Dr. Glendon for refusing to be used as Obama's foil. She, no doubt, had been invited to serve as a "balance" and to show how Notre Dame welcomes all points of view. She said, "I will not be co-opted." Now it's up to the students to rise to the occasion and avoid being co-opted.