Blogging Around

Why Isn't a Show Funny?
Largely because of unwillingness to take a stand which should be no surprise at all. As we just saw illustrated on 3rd Rock from the Sun last night (2nd season of a series that is holding up amazingly well over time), sometimes the best comedy comes from being willing to alienate people in order to make a point.  Why don't the network executives understand this? Double Exposure deconstructs The Middle, which I'd never heard of before. Now I understand why. Keep an eye out in the last bit because several excellent shows are recommended for your viewing pleasure instead.

The jokes that don't revolve around Frankie complaining often contain baffling lapses in logic. For instance, when Frankie is taking a bath because of her bad back, nine-year-old Brick wanders in and she asks him to turn on the hot water. Brick reminds her that he is not allowed to use the hot water (bringing up some disturbing questions about how he takes showers) but he turns on the hot water anyway. When Frankie asks he to turn it off, he winds up turning it up because apparently hot water faucets are so different than cold water faucets that when given two options of how to turn it off, he repeatedly chooses the wrong one.

Preach Always. If Necessary, Use Words.

By God’s grace, I am learning to trust the wisdom of the Church. By God’s grace, I am learning to rely on the Holy Spirit.

By God’s grace, all is redeemed.

Glory be to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit
as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be
world without end.
Amen.

Elizabeth Esther has a really wonderful story that left me glorying in God's goodness and the Holy Spirit's quiet, subtle ways. I myself have had many occasions to thank Him for nudging instead of bludgeoning and this story is a wonderful example. Don't miss it. Via The Wine Dark Sea.

Thank you Archbishop Gomez
This is what it means to have a trustworthy shepherd. Joanne McPortland expresses my feelings exactly in her post.

Tonight, Archbishop Jose Gomez broke his silence on the recently released documents concerning efforts by his predecessor, Cardinal Roger Mahony, to cover up instances of clergy abuse. Like me, Archbishop Gomez found the documents “brutal and painful reading.” He did not stop at repugnance, however, but in a letter to the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, assigned accountability...

Catholic Bishops of Colorado Respond to Catholic Hospitals’ Claim of Unborn Twins Personhood
Frank Weathers at Why I Am Catholic does an excellent job of tracking the call and response from the hospital and bishops, as well as pointing to a thorough story on the case.

A couple of days ago, my blog neighbor Deacon Greg Kandra shared a news item about a Catholic hospital in Colorado that is a defendant in a wrongful death lawsuit. The story is noteworthy because the Catholic hospitals’ legal defense team argued that while the patient (who died seven years ago), Lori Stodghill, was indisputably a person, they noted that under Colorado law, her unborn twins, 28 weeks of gestation at the time of death, are not considered persons.

As you might imagine, given the Catholic Church’s belief that human life, and thus personhood, begins at conception, this line of defense has been seen as a controversial one. 

The Real Reason to Criticize Roe
Fascinating article from Public Discourse, found via Frank's post above.

Actually, Roe did not introduce legal abortion to the United States; it did something even worse. Prior to Roe, legal abortion existed, but so did a large, vigorous pro-life movement, and that movement was beginning to win the public debate on abortion. Roe deprived the pro-life movement of its legal victories and allowed abortion to become more available to poor and minority women. It subverted the democratic process and led to a partisan polarization that only grew worse with time. Perhaps worst of all, it nullified the pro-life movement’s constitutional arguments and enshrined in case law a constitutional interpretation that deprived the unborn of any constitutional rights.

Recall Abortion
Since we seem to be on the subject of abortion, new book that just came out: RECALL ABORTION: Ending the Abortion Industry's Exploitation of Women. I don't have time to read it but it looks at the subject from an interesting standpoint.

The book is unique in that it examines abortion as a product, demanding a "recall" for the harm done to women. It is a very compelling and well-organized compilation of information and testimonies.