Truth Makes a Comeback

Truth Makes a Comeback by MSW.  MGB: Fox and MSNBC are not entirely equivalent, as MSNBC does not simply regurgitate DNC talking points the way Fox is an organ of the RNC.  While MSNBC is partisan in its leanings, it is not a wholly owned subsidiarity of the party is generally supports.  The odd thing is that Romney the technocrat may just do the best thing rather than the partisan thing if elected, especially with regard to tax policy - however if he will do the same thing Obama would do anyway, there is no need to change horses.  The chief question, then, is whom Romney is lying to and why?  Will he forget his base or is he simply making a good show of losing?

Abusing the Memory of Pope John Paul II

Abusing the Memory of Pope John Paul II by MSW. MGB: Caritas in Veritate also comes out strongly for unions, with Benedict joining John Paul in this.

Boehner's Intro of Dolan

Boehner's Intro of Dolan by MSW. MGB: I am sure the Cardinal's handlers insisted on an empty stage, which is traditional for the closing benediction. It is amusing that it turned out to be much ado about nothing.  One wonders if the Cardinal had any words on the preferential option for the poor for Boehner later on or in the near future - although given the way the election is likely to turn and the lack of legislative days left in the House, it will likely not matter.  Boehner will not keep the Speakership and if so will likely retire.  Cantor may just lose - his challenger is actually very strong. If Pence succeeds as Minority Leader, the GOP is doomed into a libertarian ideology that will make it unable to govern ever again.  I don't think the Cardinal agrees, since he has already corrected Ryan on these grounds. Unlike Ryan's own bishop, Rome will notice if Dolan publicly defies the teachings of the Church on this by not paying due heed to Caritas in Veritate, which actually condemns the retrenchment of social security systems (big government, not our particular program) - George Weigel's red pen to the contrary.

Romney's Night

Romney's Night by MSW.  MGB: The convention started bad with the RNC walking all over the procedural rights of the Paul delegates and turned into a bad PR event.  It is no wonder that part was only available on cable, as it was meanness personified.  They then had speakers concentrate on themes based on falsehoods, with a Vice Presidential speech so over the top that even the FoxNews invited liberal blogger called it out as a lie.

I actually watched the pre-broadcast portions for about an hour, including the semi-pathetic triumphalism of the Salt Lake City Olympians.  After that, I was reading NCR and blogging on it.  My decision was not a mistake and from what I understand of the ratings, I was not alone in it.  It seems only the party faithful actually watched, which is probably a good thing for the GOP - although there is no getting around the debates coming up with the same candidate they have now, prepared by the same non-professional staff of long time retainers.  It will be sad.

The highlight seems to be the Eastwood comedy bit, although the irony that the statement that Romney needs to go blank himself got howls from the delegates seems lost on people and a bit Freudian.

TNR's Cohn Takes on Ryan's Veracity

TNR's Cohn Takes on Ryan's Veracity by MSW.  MGB: Again, I did not watch as I had more important things to do than being lied to (and I am not watching Romney now for the same reason).  This morning, however, was entertaining as I was posting YouTube videos on sites analyzing Ryan's veracity.  There are several really good songs entitled Liar - with the Rollins Band having one that is the most applicable.  You can watch it at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vgQalXaIxs  Cheryl Crow has what should be the new GOP theme song, which you can watch at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiYE5e8gXRY

CACG Highlights Fr. Clete

CACG Highlights Fr. Clete by MSW.  MGB: I agree, very well done and very timely when Austrians seem to be dominating the GOP.  We have not yet recovered from the Bush years and his defanging of the Department of Labor.  This will take some time to fix.  I had a labor day column 3 years ago that focused more on the Church and Catholics as employers.  You can read it at http://www.examiner.com/article/happy-labor-day-3   It mostly still holds up.

Bill Donohue Makes My Day

Bill Donohue Makes My Day by MSW.  MGB: Bill is best ignored and the new Archbishop should forget about the culture wars for a while and reflect on whether he has a problem with alcohol or not and whether he should join not a few of his brother priests in the recovery community - or at least be smart enough to hire a driver if he can't face the deeper questions.  He should also try to stay out of the media for a while.

As to the issue of gay marriage, it will likely be heard by the high court, although if it is not, at least those states with domestic partnerships will be forced to offer marriage under the 9th Circuit's recent ruling.  A different dynamic exists for the Church - as families of gays who can be married civilly will demand some kind of religious blessing.  The Church as employer will also have to warm up to respecting gay unions.  If they respect civil and non-Catholic religious marriages of their employees, they cannot suddenly object to the same unions just because both spouses are gay without actually being bigoted (since in the former case such unions are not considered valid - at least for Catholics).

The Church needs to look beyond the literal language, which comes from Genesis and likely was written during the exile (not by Moses or even in Solomon's court with the Yahwist text) and realize that when a couple becomes one flesh, this is a legal term having to do with the primacy of the chosen union over the family of origin.  This especially applies to gay couples and given the Church's spotting history in respecting such couples autonomy in crisis moments (things seem better now), it would be an act of reparation to quit fighting.

Sarah Posner Doesn't Want the Nuns

Sarah Posner Doesn't Want the Nuns by MSW.  MGB: If the Nuns make her uncomfortable, that's a good thing.  As for these particular sisters, or sisters generally being bad on LGBT issues, especially when it comes to providing services with love, I suspect that Sarah is off her rocker (I am also sure there are more than a smattering of gay people in the consecrated life - whether that includes any of the nuns on the bus is none of anyone's business except the Abbess).

Fr. Jim Martin Feels Left Out

Fr. Jim Martin Feels Left Out by MSW.  MGB: Apt verses, however the distinction is the government has the power to do something about income distribution.  Abortion, not so much.  When the Libertarian Socialist Party forms, MSW can come and speak as a member.  He can even argue with me about the abortion plank.

Catholic Dems Can't Take "Yes" For An Answer

Catholic Dems Can't Take "Yes" For An Answer by MSW.  MGB: I am pleasantly surprised by cautious.  It depends on what he says.  I hope he also takes time to listen, and the members of the Catholic press who still apologize for the Church's position on Roe do likewise.  Hopefully someone will take the time to explain to him that abortion is a legislative issue in a very limited context - one that will never be tried because his forces would oppose the necessary accommodations to equal protection having to do with criminality and tort reform - and how objecting to the police power required to protect embryos as people can be rightly resisted as a bridge too far when there are better alternatives for reducing abortion.

Sr. Anne Montgomery, Plowshares leader against nuclear weapons, dies

Sr. Anne Montgomery, Plowshares leader against nuclear weapons, dies RIP Sister Anne.  Getting the bishops to listen may just have gotten rid of MAD, since after the letter, Reagan changed the targeting policy to take civilian targets off the table and got the Soviets to do the same.  She may have had more to do with a safe environment for Communism to fall than Pope John Paul II ever did.

Opening Night for the GOP

Opening Night for the GOP by MSW.  MGB: I did not watch as I had a PTA Executive Board meeting.  I would not have anyway.  This is all propaganda.  What I did watch was the earlier proceedings of convention business where the rules were adopted by steamroller, including keeping objecting state delegations out of the hall, failing to call for a roll call vote on what sounded like a few close voice votes (the final Paul vote tally shows no danger the establishment would have lost) and the pettiness of not mentioning Paul vote totals after changing the rules to make sure his name could not be officially entered into nomination.  Simply being nice may have ensured good will in the party.  What happens bespeaks a meanness that should not be allowed to run the country. It is no wonder they put all of these activities on at times where most of the public could not see them.  This may be the real story coming out of this convention.

Happy Feast

Happy Feast by MSW.  MGB: I like Gary Wills treatment of him.  He is certainly more complex than many portray him, who often stop at and misunderstand the Confessions.  Of course, in light of current biblical scholarship, he could never make the same points today - and doctrine needs to adjust accordingly.  Still, he did very well with what he had to work with.

More from Vox Nova

More from Vox Nova by MSW (with links).  MGB: Sadly, conservatives never read contradictory information, even when it is the truth (especially when it is the truth).  While liberals do that too, they are not so egregiousness about it.

Dear Republican Catholics

Dear Republican Catholics by MSW.  MGB: P.S., Please work for a real way to reduce abortions and find some common ground on the questions of legality, rather than using the issue for fundraising and electoral politics.

Cardinal Dolan to pray at close of both parties' conventions

Cardinal Dolan to pray at close of both parties' conventions  Smart move.  Unexpected.  Now watch the right wing indignation!

Liberal Federalism

Liberal Federalism by MSW.  MGB: While subsidiarity certainly applies, county governments acting independently of states is not really federalism.  In all states, counties are a creature of the state government.  They are not sovereign in their own right.  I would much prefer federalizing Medicaid for Seniors and then tying the remainder of the program for the poor to case managers for people on unemployment, disability, advanced training and in adult education - with all four offered and required to have some form of training appropriate to their abilities and needs, which they would be paid to attend and with clients getting the same insurance (on the taxpayer's dime) offered to the employees of the case manager.

In many cases, this would be Catholic Charities or a newly created adult education system operated by the Church (an area currently lacking).  In other words, I would go lower than state and county government for these services - right to training and case management providers (all of whom may be religious in time).  Of course, for the Church to get this kind of money a few changes need to be made to how things are run.  Such institutions should no longer be the personal property of the bishop.  Rather, all should be shifted to take advantage of the development of the non-profit corporate model.  I simply don't trust a feudalistic model any more and neither will the rest of the country (especially while Bishops are appointed by a foreign government and not elected by the local church - as was ancient practice - now that would be subsidiarity in action!).

Jeb Bush Is Right: Stop Blaming W

Jeb Bush Is Right: Stop Blaming W by MSW.  MGB: The real culprits are Newt Gingrich, Larry Summers and Bill Clinton for lowering the capital gains tax rate in 1997, which led to an investment boom and crash, as well as the inflation of revenue collections that allowed George W. Bush to pursue an ill advised tax cut doubling down on the Clinton Era cuts in 2001 and 2003.  Obama and Biden bear some of the blame as well for letting those cuts stay around in 2010 (again, Larry Summers likely had something to do with this) rather than letting them expire to late Clinton levels).

Why are the tax cuts on dividends and capital gains bad?  Because they reward corporate  "Job Creators" with 85 cents on the dollar for cutting labor costs (controlling wages, automating plants, sending jobs to China) and earning themselves both bonuses and favorable treatment on carried interest and dividend/stock compensation.  It is amazing the degree to which CEOs put their personal finances ahead of the long term well being of both the workers and the economy - and even their own shareholders.  Because every worker is a customer, George W. Bush's Fed Chairman was forced into an accommodating monetary policy where people who did not share the productivity they generated through wages had to borrow more money to keep spending (with leveraged deals again benefiting those "job creators" with more money than before due to low tax rates).  The reason the economy has not come back - aside from GOP resistance to increase public works and state level public service spending - is that tax rates are still so low that it does not pay the rich to increase labor costs.

While some of the blame does indeed go to Clinton, Summers, Obama and Biden - the vast majority was earned by W - and it must be noted that Romney will continue to double down on these errors.

Papa Luciani Speaks

Papa Luciani Speaks  by MSW.  MGB: I suspect we would have had a vernacular Mass, but it would have been a straight translation rather than a paraphrase - akin to what we have now.  Blessed John XXIII was picked because he was old and all of the Popes have been foretold by St. Malachy - including this one, the next one and none after that.  Whether these prophesies are valid or not, there is some evidence that they have some currency behind Vatican walls - hence Blessed John Paul II's attempt to purify the Church for the last days (as opposed to a more realistic recognition that perhaps the Archbishop of New Rome is at least co-heir, if not sole heir, to St. Peter after all.  My bet is on the latter and in the current Pope taking us in that direction.  All these things, as all things, are in God's plan.  They work out as intended.  Those thinking otherwise need to talk to the Jesuits about spirituality and do some exercising.

Why Romney's "Joke" Was Vile, Not Funny

Why Romney's "Joke" Was Vile, Not Funny by MSW.  MGB:  I'm sure Mitt was hitting back over a joke told earlier in the week, as vague, about the dog on the top of the car.  There is a difference between telling a joke about an embarrassing incident and one about your opponent's origins.  This highlights Romney's history as one of the mean kids in his youth - a trait Obama may or may not have shared, but Barack can still tell a joke better and often follows the dog on top of the car joke with the dog as lunch.  I don't see Romney really mastering self-deprecating humor - not a good trait in a President.

Dems For Life: The Politics

Dems For Life: The Politics by MSW.  MGB: I hope this event gets noticed and that the role of the Susan B. Anthony fund in removing pro-life Democrats from office in swing districts in the last cycle is highlighted.  Sadly, the abortion issue seems to be all about politics and not about solutions.  If this gathering can both point that out and commit to real solutions - which would be inconvenient for the GOP who are advantaged by the status quo, than it might do some good.  This would be especially the case if they can convince the USCCB and some of the Catholic press that they are being used on this issue for GOP political purposes.

As for marriage, doctrine was actually evolving before the election of Blessed John Paul II and his direction to now Pope Benedict to stop the road to progress.  If gays and lesbians are wonderfully made rather than disordered and all people have a right to a sexual existence because sexuality is a God given thing - then the next obvious conclusion is that gay marriage is much more preferable than keeping all gay sexuality in the realm of the sinful.  This is the case both before the law (as the spouses of gay children should have the same rights in extremis as the spouses of heterosexual children vis-a-vis the family of origin of any child when the child cannot speak for themselves - for they too are of one flesh) and within the Church - who could help families in these situations rather than trying for a very much unneeded deathbed confession for something that really is not a sin for them.

USCCB: Read This Please!!!!!

USCCB: Read This Please!!!!! by MSW.  MGB: Important reading for anyone who thinks that Rand, Hayek and von Mises are permissible outlooks for Catholics.

LifeSiteNews: Craven Pro-GOP Reporting

LifeSiteNews: Craven Pro-GOP Reporting by MSW.  MGB: It is more honest than you are willing to admit.  The pro-life movement is entirely about Republican electoral politics, hence the lack of progress.  Overturning Roe won't happen - even the Church can't force Catholic justices to toe the party line without inviting recusal from all of them.  If they can't force the hand of the bishops, the fixation on presidential appointments and Catholic voting is a sham.  Likewise, supporting a Human Life Amendment is the political equivalent of looking busy and doing nothing.  An Act of Congress to recognize life legally earlier than birth is certainly possible, but it has long been concluded that the problems of criminality and liability cannot be overcome if you make first trimester embryos people.  The exceptions are problematic because Planned Parenthood would use them as cover, enforcement would be worse and compromise that limits recognition to the start of the second trimester or supported viability would be rejected by the pro-life rank and file.  Democrats would eagerly support a legislative compromise, mostly because it would cut the heart out of the GOP if the issue were settled.

Oldie & Goodie on Ayn Rand

Oldie & Goodie on Ayn Rand by MSW.  See the link.  I am currently reading Michael Harrington's final work, Socialism, where he explains the failure of the electorate to vote itself into the revolution of the proletariat as Marx expected.  It seems like these folks are arguing with the long dead Marx as well as mouthing the equally dead Rand.

Taking its medicine does the Vatican some good

Taking its medicine does the Vatican some good by John Allen on Oregon sex abuse case.  MGB: I am sure appeals are forthcoming.

Kookier Than Akin

Kookier Than Akin by MSW.  MGB: Fear not. This is simply the Paul supporters asserting themselves.  The question is whether this is a sign that they are getting their way on these issues in exchange for making nice or a sign of a muscular attempt to steal the nomination from Romney for Dr. Paul.  More will be revealed on Monday when there is a roll call on the credentials committee report.

Dolan at the GOP Convention

Dolan at the GOP Convention by MSW.  MGB: Only in America is it possible to spin an attempt to give an exemption to Churches that was not existing before into an attack on the Church.  While Axelrod can be blamed for wanting to bait the bishops, the fact that they took the bait is all their fault and shows that they are badly staffed.  Sadly, the bishops elected as their chair the bishop most likely to take it hook, line and sinker.  Any coverage of this that does not mention that all preventative care has had to include contraception since December 2000 is journalistic malpractice.

The fact that Dolan was hooked into this controversy has implications into how the bishops are chosen and staffed.  For all we know, Dolan and the staff could have seen the situation clearly, however the climate of fear begun by Pius X and, according to Rembert Weakland, is still dominant in clerical culture, makes honesting impossible in all relationships.  It does seem, however, that his Excellency is among the true believers whose participation is necessary to keep fear alive in the hierarchy.  It would be better to have the priests, the people, or elected deacon administrator in each parish chose the bishops rather than the Nuncio and the Vatican.  I bet this would not be an issue in that case.

Interesting Polling Numbers on White RCs

Interesting Polling Numbers on White RCs by MSW.  MGB: I suspect that if these people were told the truth about what the government can and can't do about abortion and about fiscal policy, they would overwhelming not support Romney.  The Church should be ashamed for abetting the GOP in extending a decades long scam on this issue.

Contra William McGurn on Ryan

Contra William McGurn on Ryan by MSW.  MGB: The question is not whether we have the moral duty to protect the unborn but the power to do so.  Until that dynamic is fully appreciated by the Church, they are abetting the Republican Party in an electoral and fundraising scam.  As I have said previously, there is little a Catholic politician can do to protect the unborn - unless of course he or she is willing to make compromises having to do with the equal protection issues that arise from trying to regulate first trimester abortions by making the embryo a person and how that relates to miscarriage.  Democrats will draw the line at the start of the second trimester nine ways to Sunday, provided reasonable measures are taken to account for situations where the fetus has no chance of life (and prudence and charity say to end the pregnancy sooner than later) or the pregnancy will kill the mother if not ended.  Republicans, however, will never make the needed compromises nor are they able to devise the needed exemptions in a first trimester bill.  UNTIL SUCH A BILL EXISTS, CATHOLIC POLITICIANS NEED VENTURE NO OPINION ON IT!

In contrast, the government does have the power to fight poverty, which flows from its powers to tax incomes and see to the general welfare.  There is a moral responsibility to do so and Pope Benedict is very clear that dismantling the current systems are regrettable.  While such systems can certainly be improved, they cannot be abandoned.  Voters and politicians who go that route are committing sin, which is also a sin against life if changing or abandoning these systems (like, for example, inserting a lifetime limit on benefits - which Santorum actually claims credit for doing) results in a higher likelihood of abortion (or even contraception).

Cardinal Dolan & GOP Nat'l Convention

Cardinal Dolan & GOP Nat'l Convention by MSW.  MGB: It has never been any secret that he was in this camp.  It is a non-issue and is even illuminating in understanding what he is stressing.  Of course, it kind of removes the wizards curtain from the great and powerful Oz.  The interesting question for the Church is whether the problem is that he is a Republican partisan or that he damages his credibility by letting everyone know it?

Obama: Culture Warrior?

Obama: Culture Warrior? by MSW.  MGB: According to Romney and his campaign, Obama is preaching class division.  If only that were true.  For example, Romney says that the health care law hurts the middle class.  If Mitt is talking about the new taxes on non-wage income for families making over $250,000  a year, then we know what the problem is - since the top 2% are wealthy in almost everyone's book - save Romney's.

Cong. Akin & the Pro-Life Cause

Cong. Akin & the Pro-Life Cause by MSW.  MGB: There is no chance any constitutional amendment on life will pass, partly for that reason.  Anyway, it only takes a simple majority to pass a bill moving legal recognition of unborn life earlier.  The movement seems unwilling to really do this, at least not in the way that  overcomes some very real objections.  Until they offer such a bill that deals with such objections in a way most can agree with - and by most, I mean overwhelming majorities, not just 51%, the movement cannot be considered serious and it is no surprise that Ryan and Akin rise to the top.

R & P on Ryan

R & P on Ryan by MSW.  MGB: As usual, this debate over life issues ignores the key issue - that there is no abortion law and that until the movement really gets into the weeds of how to have Congress move the date of legal protection earlier while not doing violence to the concept of equal protection, there is nothing for Catholic politicians to support or oppose -and the bishops' focus on it is part of a Republican fraud.

Why Church is WalMart

Why Church is WalMart by MSW.  MGB: The Church is still run as essentially a feudal system, with bishops retaining lordly property rights in many respects (although there are socialist enclaves as well).  While Wal-Martization should not be a goal, extracting the property from the hierarchy would be a good thing for the Church and free those in ministry to focus on preaching the Gospel.  A revival of the office of deacon as those who professionally administer (rather than being assistant priests) is sorely needed.

HHS Mandate & Chief Justice Roberts

HHS Mandate & Chief Justice Roberts by MSW.  MGB: It has always been the case that the large group phenomenon means that no one insurance payment or tax payment has any effect on any one abortion.  This is simply stated in Fagothy's Right and Reason, the ethics text in most if not all Catholic minor seminaries.  I've been saying this for a while.  Also of note is the fact that all insurance coverage of preventative services has included contraception since December 2000 when the EEOC said it must.  The only issue is eliminating the co-payment.  Any exemption to some parts of the Church is a walk back of that requirement (which did not apply to self insurance and still won't under the accommodation).  It is not at all unreasonable, however, for the government to draw lines on what is and is not a Church function for employment law purposes.  It does so all the time.  If it did not, Blue Cross could be a Church and decide what it wants to not cover based on any religious exemption.

Legitimate Rape?

Legitimate Rape? by MSW.  MGB: His biological explanation is akin to creationism.  He is undoubtedly drawing a distinction between rape with violence by a stranger and spousal rape (although these can also be violent), rape via alcohol and other forms of date rape where she says no but does not resist and rape by sexual harassment.  This bespeaks the guilty conscience of many men who do these things and do not believe themselves to be rapists, even when they are.

His political career is over, as are the chances that the GOP will win a majority in the Senate.  Giving the seat to Claire means that the "no toss ups" map on Real Clear Politics is 51 to 49 if the election were held today (which discounts the fact that Nebraska, Nevada, Indiana, Wisconsin, Arizona and Texas just may go Democratic as well - with both Maine Senators and Senator Murkowski eventually voting with the Democratic caucus in order to get chairmanships and be part of the solution.

Dems for Life

Dems for Life by MSW.  MGB: The term "pro-life" is so loaded with ambiguity nowadays that it is practically meaningless and its proponents unserious, acting mainly for electoral advantage among the uninformed.  For this reasons, Democrats can call themselves pro-life, even though this violates the main priniciple of the National Right to Life Committee - which is that it is an electoral issue to support the Republican Party with money, volunteers and votes.  If they pro-lifers want to be serious (in either party), they need to overcome the following issues:

First off, there are too many states (and indeed, to many liberals in the House) to ever make a Human Life Amendment a realistic option.

Second, Roe will never be overturned judicially, nor is doing so ever an electoral issue.  Justices cannot be directed to vote in a certain way - even Catholic Justices by the Church.  If access to Eucharist were threatened to any such Justice, all Catholic Justices would be honor bound to recuse themselves from the issue and it could never be heard.  If the Bishops can't force a result, neither can a President, so the idea of using appointment to get there is absurd.

Also on Roe, overturning it on Originalist grounds also overturns much in the way of equal protection jurisprudence, including the decision that states that Hispanics are a separate group and not White People to whom equal protection does not apply.  Supporting the gutting of the 14th amendment is not a Catholic view, or should not be.  Any effort to send the decision to the states would have the same effect and be as fractious as having slave and free states. Again, not acceptable (nor effective, because people could travel for an abortion - and still often have to for medically necessary procedures in the second trimester).

Again on Roe, overturning it by overturning privacy would likely make the bishops happy, since they like the idea of the state getting back into the control of sodomy and birth control - but that is more of a police state than I am willing to accept just now.  Privacy does not mean simply making a matter non-public - but it is about the right to personal decision-making.  It is essentially allowing the tyranny of the mob to intrude in the most personal matters.  I do not accept the proposition that Catholicism means mob rule, even by a Christian mob.

This leaves to strategies.  The first is an Act of Congress to use its enforcement powers under the 14th Amendment and its sovereign power as a national legislature to move legal personhood to some point earlier than birth.  The Court has used its delegated authority under the Civil Rights Act of 1875 to move it to viability - and reinforced the tie to the 14th Amendment by calling partial birth abortion the equivalent of infanticide and thus birth. How far Congress goes is limited by the principle of Equal Protection under law.  If first trimester embryos (fetushood comes at the second trimester) are people, then killing them must be the same thing as killing a child or an adult.  Going back to pre-Roe days where abortion was a crime all its own is not an option ever again.  First trimester embryonic recognition also complicates miscarriage, since every such even would be liable for criminal investigation by the authorities s a legal person has died and to tort relief for the same reason.

Any legal exemption would give Planned Parenthood and other providers an out they can drive a truck through (for example, miscarriages would spike and could not be investigated if other miscarriages cannot be) and having no exemptions would simply end prenatal care until the second trimester, damaging women's health and the rights of other embryos to medical care.  The alternative is to draw the line at 13 weeks of gestation (or 15 since the last period) and hope that people may one day see the start of the heartbeat at week six as a reasonable marker.  The beginning of regulative development at gastrulation is a good marker to say the soul is present, but unless the complications having to do with equal protection are dealt with (and if you can, you are smarter than I and most in the pro-life movement), this is not going to happen.  If you do come up with a bill that takes care of these exceptions that does not do violence to equal protection, Catholic politicians would be bound to support it.  Without such a bill, however, there is no obligation to support ANYTHING criminalizing abortion.

The reason the pro-life movement is profoundly unserious is because it is unable to ever come up with such a bill or accept a second trimester dividing line, which would settle the issue and end their ability to use it for electoral purposes or fundraising.  It would also likely lose the support of the hard care supporters who will not accept anything less than life being protected from the moment of conception (which is also an unserious belief because ensoulment cannot happen until gastrulation because of 1.twinning, 2. the ability of non-viable hybrids to develop until then - and there are no Dog-Boys in Heaven and 3. because only the mother's DNA is involved in development until that point - which must imply that her life force (or soul) is still controlling development as a part of her body).

Catholic Pro-Life Democrats have the added advantage of pushing for other ways to protect life that are profoundly serious - such as mandating health care for pregnancy on the public's dime and generally supporting social services and tax credits for growing families - although it could be more serious by joining the Center for Fiscal Equity in calling for a federal refundable Child Tax Cut of $500 per month, per child - paid through either personal income taxes (but with wages by changing withholding) or as an offset to a VAT-like Net Business Receipts Tax paid by employers and channeled directly to workers and their families with pay (thus cutting refund anticipation usury out of the system.  Ending the lifetime limit on welfare benefits, switching TANF from work readiness to basic literacy and making it a path to real career (not just low wage job) training or even higher education and paying literacy trainees at a much higher minimum wage (say $12 an hour) would also be profoundly serious, seriously Catholic and very much in support of the seamless garment of the Gospel of Life.

Ideology & Issue Role Reversal

Ideology & Issue Role Reversal by MSW.  MGB: This nation has always had a debate between the owners and the owned, whether it be capitalism or slavery where the issue took place.  Often, capitalism supported direct southern slavery.  It was only when it could not that the civil war became possible.  Likewise, tax policy has gotten so extreme - or rather enough people have noticed that it has, that some kind of ideological correction is necessary.  Of course, the powers that be on the left want the correction to be as small as possible, since both parties are bought and paid for.  The climate of extremism on the right could upend the whole coalition by self-immolating, which could allow the emergence of a new major party that does not buy the duopoly - something that might actually bring about change and a more "Catholic" economics.  Of course, I don't expect the media to cover this until they have to, because they are part of the problem.  Apparently, one must be funded to get noticed.  As for subsidiarity, any time it is mentioned it must be pointed out that without solidarity, it is simply a buzzword for libertarians trying to sound Catholic.

The White House needs to get off the Medicare issue - since I suspect the GOP only brings it up to inoculate itself to make Ryan palatable.  It needs to focus on Medicaid instead, especially in Florida.  Indeed, it should be bold and propose that Medicaid for long term care be turned into a separate program and entirely federalized.  This would offer such a stark contrast to Ryan's block granting scheme that even Florida Republicans will be voting for Obama.  Since nursing home chains are often interstate, it even meets the requirements of subsidiarity.

On Wisconsin!

On Wisconsin! by MSW.  MGB: Not only have I not seen Morlino's views in Catholic moral theology, it is hard to find them in economics. It is good of the bishop to at least take responsibility for his failures as a teacher of Catholic economic and social teaching.  Perhaps they should both dispose of their copies of all books by Ayn Rand and enter a period of vocational and moral discernment in a quiet place out of the public eye (and reread Caritas in Veritate and previous encyclicals).

Peter Singer & Christian Ethics

Peter Singer & Christian Ethics by MSW.  MGB: It is not the moral status of the fetus that is really in doubt, but the status of the first trimester embryo.  No one is a fetus until the second trimester.  Where the Church needs to meet the modern world in understanding is to realize that the question is not at all the guilt or innocence of the fetus or embryo but the danger it poses to the physical, psychological and economic well being of the mother and the family.  Indeed, the same decision criteria are evidenced in how to deal with other issues of deadly force, like euthanasia, war, self defense and capital punishment.  We do not have the right to decide on someone's fate because they are guilty or innocent.  Rather, we can only act to prevent a greater harm.  The question then becomes, what is the greater harm and what is the best way to mitigate it.

If we really wish to discern the essentials for Catholic moral theology, we will not fetishize the fate of every fetus - especially if the pregnancy will almost certainly prove harmful to the mother when the child itself has no chance of survival due to some defect.  No amount of danger is moral to save a child that is fatally flawed with no prognosis of ever surviving to birth.  God does not expect us to turn off our brains and expect him to be an ogre.  Nor is it reasonable to expect that the optimum remedy of abortion is to make it dangerous through the criminal law.  What does honor the teachings of Christ is to create a society where abortion is never necessary for family well being - with a just wage and a nurturing society that truly welcomes children economically was well as emotionally, including when the parents are high school students.  This insistence on adoption rather than enabling the formation of young families also plays into the desire for abortion as an option.  For many, it is more natural to terminate the child than give it up. For these mothers, it is better to offer as an equally reasonable option a supportive structure to keep the child, marry the father and pursue both of their futures.

Part of the problem with our discussion on abortion is that we approach it without first discerning the nature of the soul, so we examine the issue with one eye blind.  Neuroscience teaches us that the soul is not lodged in the consciousness, somehow guiding our thoughts.  Our brains act first and our consciousness is our experience of having thought.  As Catholics, we do not believe in the resurrection of the consciousness or the brain, but of the entire body.  The locus of the soul must therefore be our entire bodies - each and every cell.  Indeed, the obvious candidate is that life force which begins at gastrulation to guide our development (which is not evident before then) and which continues until death - resulting in entropy fairly quickly.  Of course, theologians won't go there at the risk of challenging the hierarchy's preconceived notions on conception.  A little moral courage is called for here among theologians.  Once one quits seeking a way to validate Church teaching, one may at last find the truth.

The entire question of transplantation will soon be overcome by advances in stem cell research and the growing of new organs using cadaver cartilage and the person's own stem cells.  Keeping people alive to harvest their organs will no longer be required.

As for Euthanasia as a compassionate option, St. Thomas More settled that question from a natural law perspective in his Utopia.  He saw no objections to it.  Moral cowardice in relieving pain and preventing harm is not the virtue the Church thinks it is.  Some of this comes from a glorification of suffering as expiation, which is a total misunderstanding of why Christ suffered.  He did not do so to satisfy the anger of God or man, but to experience the human emptiness that is endemic to the human condition.  Suffering's value is to find awareness of human powerlessness and the need for God.  Beyond that, it is needless torture.

Lightning Strikes

Lightning Strikes by MSW.  MGB:  I suspect that it is best to trust the voters not to chose gridlock over progress in these difficult times, which means a repudiation of Tea Party candidates in the House, Senate and Vice Presidency, including in Indiana, Texas, Connecticut and Nebraska (note I just forecasted two Democratic holds and two pickups).  Note to readers, see the Ryan v. Ryan piece - it should be a gem.

Dolan Responds to Critics

Dolan Responds to Critics by MSW.  MGB: Congratulations on getting rain, even if it was a Derecho (saw it on the news Tues nite).  Please cover as a related story any response to Cafardi's column last week.  This should be interesting from all sides, unless they simply ignore him.  Another reason Romney needs to release his taxes (or maybe the reason he won't).

Lies, Lies, Lies

Lies, Lies, Lies by MSW.  MGB: The its a Christian nation from the founding folks got caught in a big lie, again.

More Dissent on the Right

More Dissent on the Right by MSW.  MGB: The right wing is still under the absurd delusion that people who can barely read can pull themselves up by their boot straps and be the next Mitt Romney, even though it has never occurred. More likely they like a system where poor black and white women remain in ample supply to care for the bodily needs of elderly rich white people in old age.  There is a disturbing trend in TANF education to direct people into training as medical assistants on the way to being LPNs.  It seems, however, that their career paths never get to being an M.D., or even the general literacy to become an R.N.  As for the future of Medicare, people are right to be concerned and the right wing is right to be scared.  Eventually people with a voice and power will realize that medical costs are not going up so much as medical prices - and that either single payer or regulation of health care monopolies in the public interest will be necessary to counter the monopoly power of both big drugs and big for profit hospital chains.

Catholic Conversation Project

Catholic Conversation Project by MSW.  MGB: If theologians felt comfortable writing effectively on the nature of the soul in light of modern advances in neuroscience and embryology, they could better advise the Church on such things as contraception and much of the nastiness of the last year can be avoided.  Also, the reminder of how theology used to be conducted explains why the bishops can't cope with the way the discipline is conducted now - however in a generation the bishops will be those who are much more comfortable with the new state of affairs because they won't give them a second thought.  They will also be comfortable with gay marriage and the new role of women.  Unless all clear thinking is weeded out by the hierarchy, which I doubt is possible, the Church will indeed change with time  - and without the world coming to an end.  (Revelation never happened in the first century and it won't in the twenty-first either).

More on Ryan

More on Ryan by MSW. MGB: Dubuquers will ultimately vote Democratic, especially if the laws challenging the mandate continue to be dismissed because they are not ripe because the final rule is not issued.  Once some of us make clear to Catholic Obama supporters that this shows these suits were a partisan stunt designed to manipulate their votes, enough will come around (since this is, in fact, the truth).  I first voted in Dubuque when going to Loras College.  I know my former fellow voters.

Dolan Gets An Earful

Dolan Gets An Earful by MSW.  MGB: The defense of Dolan by Cafardi in NCR over the weekend is even more interesting.  Will Scatenato be pro-life enough to demand to see Romney's tax return to see if it contains recent dividend income (or share ownership of) Stericycle - who is now carting away dead fetuses from abortion clinics?  You can't really cooperate with abortion any more fully than dealing with the bodies.  What bodies are buried in Mitt's tax returns?

The Ryan Selection & The Shape of the Election

The Ryan Selection & The Shape of the Election by MSW.  MGB: Responding in reverse order:

Ryan and other Catholic libertarians and liberals alike need to come to grips with the fact that Catholic Social Social Teaching demands a kind of libertarian socialism, with social safety nets replaced by something better, rather than gutted to force people to enter the workforce for low wage jobs or stay on welfare unless disability keeps them there (and even they need rehabilitative care to be empowered to work if possible).

The social welfare program that needs to be highlighted is not Medicare but Medicaid.  Block granting this program will affect seniors now - not the future seniors who are now 55 or younger.  Given state budget constraints, the cuts to Medicaid in the legislation will turn most nursing homes into Hell holes or simply force more families to care for their loved ones who need more skilled care, often keeping one spouse (usually the female) out of the workforce. While that may raise male wages, it won't nearly be enough to offset income losses.  The real problem is not health costs at all, but health prices, and forcing people to pay more won't fix that if for profit hospitals and drug companies operate in a monopolistic market.  Only regulation as a public utility will do that (or single payer).  Neither Romney nor Ryan will go for either solution.

Resisting the criminalization of abortion is not supporting an intrinsic evil, especially since abortion was not made legal by an act of legislation, but by the action of the Court. Even if Presidents or Churches tried to direct justices or potential justices to overturn Roe, that would simply force them to recuse themselves - especially if Lori or Wuerl tried to direct their votes using denial of Communion as a tool to do so.  If the Church can't lay down the law - the drive to appoint someone based on these conditions is equally flawed (and potentially seditious if discipline is used to force Catholic politicians or voters).  What is of more concern is whether Mitt Romney still gets any dividends from Stericycle.  Bain sold their shares, but we need to see his complete tax records to see if he is getting a dividend (and has any voting power).  If so, then Romney is directly cooperating with abortions by owning a firm that does so.  If he is getting blood money, this is much worse than differing from the opinion of bishops on how to decrease abortion.  Indeed, the bishops need to be careful about associating with the National Right to Life Committee, which is clearly an adjunct to the Republican Party and has an interest in keeping passions high and solutions absent in order for the issue to remain electorally and financially useful.

New gung-ho archbishops known for aggressive style

New gung-ho archbishops known for aggressive style The conservatives are having their last hurrah.  Sadly, they are bullying their staffs into giving them horrible advice, especially regarding the HHS policy, which will not be ripe until next year when the final rule is issued - showing clearly that the entire effort is an electoral publicity stunt.  No one who was going to vote for Obama will change their mind given the ham handedness of this, especially not the Catholic women who are the backbone of the Church.

Paul Ryan: Champion of Dissent

Paul Ryan: Champion of Dissent by MSW.  MGB: Ryan faces the more immediate question of how he reacts to what Cafardi unearthed yesterday from last March's Huffington Post that showed that Romney had been the largest stock holder when Bain turned Sanicycle from a small firm to the major force in the disposal of dead fetuses from abortion clinics.  If that is not direct cooperation with abortion, nothing is.  Does Romney still get a cash flow from this?  If not, when did it stop?  There is a major difference in dissenting from the Bishop's support of the GOP's National Right to Life Committee and owning a firm that directly cooperates with abortion.  Has Ryan sold out for the Vice Presidency?  Someone should ask - or he will never do a one on one interview.

Obama Derangement Syndrome

Obama Derangement Syndrome by MSW.  MGB: Some of these people hate Obama so much that if you proved to them that Romney materially cooperated with actual abortions by hauling away the dead babies for profit, they would still ignore it - even though according to their own theology, they would be excommunicate for doing so.

John Allen Nails It

John Allen Nails It by MSW.  MGB: The Center-Left in Christianity would be much better off if you covered us.  The problem is, a center left economy or theology makes no one rich or powerful - which is a sign of its transcendence, truth and holiness.  If you wish to know why it is not being covered adequately, look in a mirror and then read my web page and mention me in your posts once in a while (and many of the other ones who come from the same perspective but who are not "funded").

Abp Lori on Intrinsic Evil & Voting

Abp Lori on Intrinsic Evil & Voting by MSW.  MGB: Someone needs to give the Archbishop Nick Cafardi's article from today.  There is a major difference between supporting someone who knows it is impossible to overturn Roe judicially and will take great care in doing so congressionally (states can't do it) and someone who profited from being the largest single shareholder in a company that was paid to remove dead fetuses from abortion clinics.  I cannot imagine more material cooperation with abortion than that - can you?  More importantly, how will all of those Paul supporters who are embedded Romney delegates respond to coverage of this fact?

Taking Exception: Robert Blair Kaiser

Taking Exception: Robert Blair Kaiser by MSW.  MGB: Those who don't agree that what NETWORK does is pro-life have an economic agenda against it.  They full well understand the impact, they simply don't want to accept a seamless garment of life if it impacts their views on punishing the undeserving poor.  Whether it was Vatican II itself or its spirit that justifies people thinking for themselves, epsitomologically, it is still true.  The Vatican only has the power we give it.  Once the faithful realize this, there will be renewal in the Church.  The binding power of the heir of Peter is entirely relativistic.  It is not that the heir to Peter is never wrong, its simply that those who take his word for what is true won't be held responsible if the Pope or the Archbishop of Constantinople and New Rome is wrong.  Let go of your superstitions and embrace reality.

Which presidential candidate is truly pro-life?

Which presidential candidate is truly pro-life? by Nicholas Cafardi.  MGB: If this gets picked up by the main stream media, it will kill Romney's campaign.  Making millions off of the abortion industry should definitely be regarded as a down check.  It would still be nice, however, if people in the know, like Cafardi, would honestly detail the bankruptcy of the Pro-Life movements strategy on overturning Roe and detail what actually can be done - including the obstacles (which mainly come from within the pro-life movement due to its inability to compromise or deal with the equal protection concerns of giving citizenship to first trimester embryos).

Anti-Gay Persecution in Uganda

Anti-Gay Persecution in Uganda by MSW.  MGB: In the unlikely event that God sends plagues as a warning, let the Ugandans view the recent Ebola outbreak as a judgment by God upon their efforts to persecute gay people. I suspect Romney is also rather reasonable on this issue (Massachusetts Mitt is peaking out).  He is certainly no member of the Family.

Questions for Catholics for Romney

Questions for Catholics for Romney by MSW.   MGB: I don't think many right wing Catholics will pay these points any mind, even though he is absolutely correct on all of them, especially his understanding of abortion and gay marriage.  He seems to repeat MSWs evidence on Romney funding abortion in Massachusetts, which no GOP challenger ever mentioned (likely because they knew the die was cast and that he would be the nominee).  I still think that the Romney campaign is so inept they have to be throwing this deliberately.

"Please Let It Be Ryan"

"Please Let It Be Ryan" by MSW. MGB: The conservative gambit to win the Senate and White House is less likely to bear fruit than running supporting moderation and competence, especially if the economy stays about where it is now.  GOP donors may see beyond the spin and insist on a deal that results in long term tax and entitlement reform prior to the election, which would essentially be acknowledging that the GOP has no chance this November.  The really rich Republican donors have much more to lose if faced with Democratic majorities in both houses, which effectively neuter any Romney initiatives, the ability to advance these being extremely unlikely given how Virginian, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Wisconsin and Florida are leaning.  Unless the GOP steals the election through voter suppression, this election is almost over.

Veepstakes

Veepstakes by MSW.  MGB: Rubio, whom you did not mention, would be a GOP caricature of the Latino voters that would widely miss the mark with most Latinos, much in the same way Palin was their version of women voters.  Ryan may as well be picked, because he will lose his district anyway and it would help highlight how much the GOP plan will hurt seniors and the poor.  Portman, like Mitch Daniels, were Bush OMB directors and can be tied to why the economy is hurting so badly.  Jindal is too ethinic for the GOP base, causing it to stay home (and like Ryan, too young).  This leaves Pawlenty as a default candidate, although Perry may be the essential person to attract Evangelicals who are still not so excited about Romney (and if Latinos turn out - may be essential for keeping Texas in the GOP column and averting an Electoral College embarrassment worthy of Mondale).  In the end, in order to keep the peace at the GOP convention, Rand Paul may be the nominee.  There are many more Ron Paul supporters among the Romney delegate pool than anyone knows (by the time Romney's operation figured this out, it was too late).  They can make a mess of the convention - starting with the platform and maybe even changing the rules to allow an open vote on the first ballot - in which case Paul could steal the nomination (and wreck the GOP, whose base will not like having their chosen candidate denied).

Morning's Minion on Weigel

Morning's Minion on Weigel by MSW.  MGB: Rather well done by Minion.  Most people set their political/social opinions in stone in their early 20s (those of us who are more educated in policy and politics are a bit more adaptable).  It is no surprise, therefore, that the older FoxNews set is not terribly amenable to evidence.  The world in which they made up their minds no longer exists, including the cosmic conflict between Marxist-Leninism and the American way.

Dolan on LCWR

Dolan on LCWR by MSW. MGB: The argument is made that the LCWR examination has as much to do with punishing some of them for speaking honestly on health care reform as anything else (although honesty on the possibility of women's ordination might also be a reason).  The Cardinal does not get a pass for countenancing this disruption in terms of the normal progression of reform - it is counter-revolution at best and it won't be successful.  There was a time when local ordinaries had the secular power to make Vatican protection essential.  Today, they have no such power so Sisters really could simply ignore them with little effect. Indeed, the answer is not making the Sisters behave, but defanging the bishops of any right to interfere with their good work.  A laity led investigation into the conduct of bishops is what is long overdue.

Romney & Solidarnosc: Not So Fast

Romney & Solidarnosc: Not So Fast by MSW.  MGB: Which shows that Lech and Solidarity are not always the same thing.  Lech is grateful to Reagan and gracious to visitors.  Of course, the union does not vote and the photo-op will convince no one who was not already in Romney's corner.

Henneberger on Religious Politics

Henneberger on Religious Politics by MSW.  MGB: Medical societies are also among the preeminent private associations.  The administration is not pushing some social agenda by considering contraception as basic preventative healthcare (especially when often the goal is not pregnancy avoidance as a primary goal).  Rather, it is the medical establishment that considers this care essential.  It would be social engineering - or worse is pandering - to disregard their deliberations in this matter.  There is a point where the Church's water need no longer be carried.  This is one of those points.

Bp Cupich on Same Sex Marriage

Bp Cupich on Same Sex Marriage by MSW.  MGB: Delightfully refreshing.  Seattle has always had exemplary clergy and have not been careerists seeking positions in Rome and the red hats to match.  As importantly, because Washington state is in the Ninth Circuit, having civil unions that are equivalent to marriage and not recognizing marriage is not considered constitutional, so the referendum is largely a wasted effort.  If the pro-marriage side loses at the ballot box, they will win easily in federal court.  At some point, the issue will be settled nation-wide, likely along the lines of the District Court in San Francisco.  The challenge for the Church is not the possibility of the state imposing marriage equality upon them as ministers, but rather how they must respond as employers to gay civil marriages - which are no more or less immoral than purely civil heterosexual marriages - which the Church does not recognize sacramentally but seems to have no problem with as an employer.  By far the greater challenges are the desire by Catholics for change within the Church - and that includes a largely gay clergy that is likely more than willing to solemnize gay unions at the request for families - and add their voices to the drive to end celibacy so that they can marry themselves.

MSW versus LifeSiteNews

MSW versus LifeSiteNews by MSW.  MGB: Methinks they doth protest too much, although no partisan hack likes to be called out, so of course they would respond.  Sadly, there are bishops who would put life issues above all other doctrine, while not first going to great pains to understand how legal abortion actually works in this country (it is almost never a crime - nor is it the result of legislation - there is no "abortion law" unlike in Europe).  Most pro-life rhetoric, whether in politics or the Church, is wasted breath without first understanding the basics.  It is a distraction because there are only very limited things that can be done (and no strategy to do those things - as pursuing an effective strategy would require compromises that would alienate the pro-life base).  In short, such organizations are usually fundraising scams - and sadly they rope in Catholic prelates and commentators who aren't willing to face the truth about the issue in the United States.

LifeSiteNews Attacks Dolan

LifeSiteNews Attacks Dolan by MSW. MGB: That kind of hyper-partisanship is best ignored, especially if you are giving it space you could be giving to reporting on my web page.  These folks are fringe and they are desperate because they know that most have given up on their issue - or at least to their approach to it.  Moderation is not their friend - nor does it earn them donations.

Chick-fil-A

Chick-fil-A by MSW.  MGB: As someone who worked both weekend days while in high school, I would have benefited from a Sabbath law.  Having that extra $200 when I started college was not worth the effort of working on Sunday while going to school full time.  I don't agree with mayors playing hardball with franchises due to the owner's angst on how God will deal with a tolerant society.  He probably should have realized that airing his views would have an impact - everyone has an iPhone nowadays.  Regardless, his view is hardly unique.  You can hear echos in it in the rally held on the Hill yesterday predicting that religious freedom is irreparably harmed because employers have to cover without co-pays the same contraceptive coverage they have been providing since December 2000.  God is not about to smite us for being tolerant of homosexual couples receiving legal recognition for the relationships they have been having for all of human history.  All that is changing is that the law is now treating them reasonably rather than with superstition.  Indeed, I believe that God is on the sign of treating gay families with respect and tolerance.  Indeed, I am sure that if He is angry about this issue at all - that anger is directed at Catholic Hospitals who encouraged families to deny the rights of gay spouses to attend to their loved ones in times of extremity - hoping that the gay child would somehow repent of their homosexuality - when in reality no such repentance is necessary.

Thumbs Up & Thumbs Down

Thumbs Up & Thumbs Down by MSW.  MGB: Kathleen is buying Ryan's line and not the Church's.  Reference Mann and Ornstein's analysis on equivalency by the media to understand why.  As far as Indiana, the news is encouraging and hopefully the trend will be repeated nationally, starting in Texas and including Arizona and Maine.  I am all for giving Obama a 60 vote majority in the Senate.

Yet More Bad News for Romney

Yet More Bad News for Romney by MSW.  MGB: This is largely old news.  This is largely an update of the work TPC did during the primary process.  Of course, half of GOP voters are leery of anything not done internally, or of any economic analysis at all.  Considering how badly their economic ideas are, you really can't blame them for resisting the truth and trying to discredit it.  The other sad fact is that it is a good bet that Obama will continue the status quo Bush tax cuts, essentially giving us a third term of Bush as far as the economy goes. Obama needs to realize that it is more important to the economy to raise taxes on the wealthy than preserve tax cuts for the rest of us, as that will shake money out of speculation and put it in the economy - as well as taking away the incentive to reduce labor costs with management pocketing most of the savings.  The higher taxes are on dividends and capital gains/carried interest, the less an incentive to cut wages and send jobs overseas (or lose them to robotics).

Bad Poll Numbers for Romney

Bad Poll Numbers for Romney by MSW.  MGB: This is mostly about how Obama's ads are better than Romeny's and Rove's.  The real test will be how the state polls line up after and during the three October debates.  Of course, what these poll results do tell us is that if the election were held today, Obama would win the Electoral College and probably the popular vote.  The GOP convention won't help Romney much unless he can negotiate a peaceful solution with Ron Paul's folks.  I suspect that if Rand is not named as the VP nominee after the election, it will be an interesting convention, in the way the Chinese curse defines interesting.

HHS Mandate (Mostly) Takes Effect

HHS Mandate (Mostly) Takes Effect by MSW.  MGB: This article is misleading off the bat, because it does not state that the lawsuits are in the process of being dismissed because they will not be ripe for litigation until the rules are finalized. This indicates to anyone looking close enough to the conclusion that the whole publicity effort for "religious liberty" is entirely electoral and an example of why the bishops need to sever ties with the National Right to Life Committee -which is essentially the religious wing of the Republican Party.  Until they do, everything they say on the topic is suspect.  As for negotiations happening quickly, given what I just said, I suspect the bishops are rooting for Romney and won't negotiate in good faith until the inevitable re-election of the President.  This issue will have no impact on that result, as the bishops have played it badly in a baldly partisan manner.  They can and are being ignored. This is good, because they are wrong.  Luckily, Obama will be around longer in his presidency than Dolan will be in his.

Vatican newspaper says Melinda Gates 'off the mark' on contraception

Vatican newspaper says Melinda Gates 'off the mark' on contraception  Melinda's problem is she believes Eugenics is the answer to poverty.  For once, I agree with the Vatican on this. Economic history shows that overpopulation and rural exodus to cities are the chief drivers to industrialization.  We can't keep Africa a theme park.