The best way to use your starpower!

Bella Star Eduardo Saves Five Unborn Babies' Lives
By Tim Waggoner
LOS ANGELES, September 30, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Participants in a 40 Days for Life vigil held on Saturday outside the Family Planning Associates abortuary in Los Angeles were given a massive boost of inspiration when Bella star Eduardo Verastegui arrived unannounced to take action in spreading the pro-life message.
With the vigil being held outside the busiest abortion facility in Los Angeles, leader John Anthony says he was aware of the trials he and his team faced, but said his prayers were answered with the arrival of Eduardo.
"Eduardo arrived a little after 8 am and did not stop counseling, praying and encouraging women to choose life for their babies - with love, tenderness, humility and compassion - until a little after noon," said Anthony. "God is good - five babies were saved that morning!"
Incredibly, Eduardo's presence was enough to convince eight nurses in the abortuary to approach him: "The day had a dramatic ending when eight nurses from the clinic came outside to meet Eduardo!" He spoke with the nurses and gave them copies of his new Spanish language pro-life video, "Dura Realidad."
"Please pray for these precious turnarounds," Anthony asked, "and for the conversion of all clinic workers and for Eduardo - what a courageous witness and backer of courageous words with action!"
40 Days for Life, which is a community-based campaign that draws attention to the evil of abortion through prayer, fasting, vigils and community outreach, is taking place in 170 cities in the US and Canada between September 24 and November 2 of this year.
Source: http://40daysforlife.com/

Special Needs parents are watching Sarah Palin

You bet we are, it's the first time since Brownback and Kennedy introduced the Prenatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act in 2005 that we feel we have an advocate in high places.
GO Sarah GO!
Read the entire article here.

Que Viva Bishop Jaime Soto!

What a surprise was in store for a Long Beach California gathering of active homosexuals involved in 'ministry". Bishop Jaime Soto told them, in loving terms the truth about their sinful lifestyle. What a magnificent shepherd, who loves his sheep enough to gently correct them and lead them to truth. I hope he gives Courage (pun intended) to other bishops to do the same, notably on Long Island. "This is true for all of us. It is also true for men and women who are homosexual. We are called to live and love in a manner that brings us into respectful, chaste relationships with one another and an intimate relationship with God. We should be an instrument of God's love for one another.
"Let me be clear here," said the bishop. "Sexual intercourse, outside of the marriage covenant between a man and a woman, can be alluring and intoxicating but it will not lead to that liberating journey of true self-discovery and an authentic discovery of God. For that reason, it is sinful.
"Sexual relations between people of the same sex can be alluring for homosexuals but it deviates from the true meaning of the act and distracts them from the true nature of love to which God has called us all. For this reason, it is sinful." (To read Bishop Soto's speech in its entirety, '>click here.
Contact Bishop Soto here.
HT Life Site News

Vote for Sarah Palin in this PBS poll

Do you think she's a qualified candidate for Vice President?
Tell PBS you think so here. Last time I checked, it was tied.

International proponents of the Culture of Death close in for the kill

This happens to be the feastday of the Archangels.
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.Protect us from the wickedness and snares of the devil. Here are some of Old Nick's friends at work in the world.

The UN will celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights this December 10th. To celebrate this occasion, radical pro-abortion groups intend to present the UN General Assembly with petitions calling for a universal right to abortion. The largest, richest and most powerful pro-abortion groups are even now planning their attack on the unborn at the General Assembly.
Campaigns are being waged right now by International Planned Parenthood Federation and Maire Stopes International, the two groups responsible for more abortions than any other groups in the world. Both are beloved of the powers that be at the UN; and their efforts to promote an international right to abortion are welcomed by many UN Member States, perhaps most of the UN bureaucracy, and powerful US foundations that give millions to promote abortion at the UN and around the world. We must stop them this December.
I am writing to ask you to sign a petition calling on UN Members States to interpret the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as protecting the unborn child from abortion. Did you know that the Universal Declaration calls for a right to life? Did you know that UN committees now interpret that as a right to abortion? We can stop them. Please go HERE to sign the petition which we will present at the UN on December 10th, the celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. At the very least we must match what the pro-abortion advocates will present to the UN that day! They will present thousands and thousands of names. WE MUST MATCH THEM!
Go HERE to sign the petition and then please send this email to all of your family and friends. Our goal is to present 50,000+ names to the General Assembly. We need your help right now to block the pro-aborts from making huge progress for abortion at the UN. We are going to run this campaign for the next six weeks. There is plenty of time to get this petition to everyone in your address book and all around the world. This is an international right. Please help us now. Imagine the look on their faces when we slam down 50,000 names! Be a part of that. Sign the petition HERE and send this all over the world.
Yours sincerely,
Austin Ruse
PresidentC-FAM
(The only pro-life group working exclusively on UN social policy)

Cardinal Rigali's letter to Congress

Cardinal Justin Rigali issued a warning to Congress about the Freedom of Choice Act, called "FOCA" which Obama promises to pass as the first act of his presidency if elected.
If this doesn't scare you out of voting for Obama, I doubt anything will.
The operative language of FOCA is twofold. First it creates a "fundamental right" to abortion throughout the nine months of pregnancy, including a right to abort a fully developed child in the final weeks for undefined "health" reasons. No government body at any level would be able to "deny or interfere with" this newly created federal right. Second, it forbids government at all levels to "discriminate" against the exercise of this right "in the regulation or provision of benefits, facilities, services, or information." For the first time, abortion on demand would be a national entitlement that government must condone and promote in all public programs affecting pregnant women.
Read the entire letter at Catholic Culture.

Pastors endorse John McCain from pulpit defying IRS

Why aren't I surprised that they didn't endorse Barack Obama?
Because to do so would be business as usual; Democrats have been flaunting that statute forever. It was started by a Dem, and it's for Republicans.
Such brave men of God will need our support when the IRS pounces.
Read entire story here.

Let's Pray for Sarah Palin

from a friend

Since her example of pro-life witness has already helped my favorite bill fly through Congress where it has been stuck since 2005, and since she is under unfair personal attack from members of the media, Sarah deserves my prayers.
I signed this pledge.

Maybe during 40 Days for Life as you pray for a prolife candidate to win the election, you can sign up as well, here on Pray for Sarah Palin.

Trouble in the Abortion Capitol of the World

from David Bereit
This fall's 40 Days for Life campaign in New YorkCity has already documented 7 children saved fromabortion due to the peaceful vigils......
And the abortion industry is furious.
On the first day of 40 Days for Life, the pro-abortion Speaker of the New York City Council held anews conference outside city hall with executivesfrom Planned Parenthood, NARAL, the New York CivilLiberties Union, and one of the city's largestabortion chains (which is currently the focus of a 40 Days for Life vigil.)The purpose of the press event -- to attempt to silence pro-life prayer and free speech outside abortion facilities by proposing a restrictive15-foot "buffer zone" around all abortion centers inNew York City.
The proposed bill would also allow abortion workersto file harassment charges against pro-lifers as well as "ease the burden of proof" currently necessary to prosecute on harassment charges, according to the press release issued by the New York City Council.
This measure flies in the face of both freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.The proposal also appears to target Chris Slattery,who directs 40 Days for Life campaigns in the Bronx and Queens and has a history of effective pro-life activism as president of Expectant Mother Care-EMC FrontLine Pregnancy Centers.
Slattery said, "Volunteer street counselors oftenhurt abortion businesses by successfully and peacefully dissuading abortion patients from enteringtheir sites when offered free help, education, medical care and housing."
Chris Slattery has fought similar battles before and is well known for refusing to back down from abortion industry attacks, and he certainly isn't backing down in this case, either. Slattery told the media he will vigorously oppose the legislation. "Within minutes of learning of this new proposed bill on Wednesday, I contacted David Bereit, and we have begun assembling a crack legal team and activist support network for a full scale counter-attack against this unfair, biased and blatantly unconstitutional bill," he said.
********************ACTION NEEDED********************
Please contact the New York City Council immediately at (212) 788-7116 or use the online form posted at:http://snipurl.com/3vsoy
Ask them to stop the proposed "clinic access" billthat attempts to silence 40 Days for Life and otherpro-life efforts.
*****************************************************LEARN MORE... *
40 Days for Life press release: http://snipurl.com/3vtgw *
NYC council press release: http://snipurl.com/3vthi
We're honored to stand with Chris and his NYC 40 Daysfor Life team, and hope you will also stand with themby making the call or sending the e-mail today

Freedom Sunday

For decades, churchgoers and pastors alike have cowered in fear of the IRS coming down on them for whispering anything political anywhere near a church. Yet I saw President Clinton, the night before his re-election in a church, where the pastor put his arm around him saying, "Let's get political". One and only one church has been brought up on charges of getting political, because it ran an anti-Clinton ad in it's newspaper during the elections. This is gross misuse of the IRS for partisan purposes, but that was the hallmark of the Clinton administration.
Thirty pastors around the nation have had enough! They are endorsing a candidate from the pulpit this Sunday and daring the IRS to come after them. They are doing things the Democrat way, by civil disobedience leading to arrests, then a court case. They are calling it "Freedom Sunday".
Good for them! I hope some Catholic priests follow, remembering that it was the churches which began both the abolition and civil rights movements. Fr Neuhaus said on his comments about Archbishop Chaput's new book, "Render Unto Ceasar" that if people of faith do not express their views in the public square, it is dangerous to our democracy.
The entire prohibition of mixing politics and religion came not from the Founding Fathers who held church services in the Capitol Buidling, but from LBJ who wanted to silence Baptist preachers who opposed his election. It's time to speak out, people of God, and stand for truth, regardless of the consequences.

Prenatally Diagnosed Conditions Act Passed!

from Citizen Link
The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed the Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act (S. 1810), which will provide up-to-date information to families that receive adverse prenatal genetic diagnoses.The bill, which now heads to President Bush's desk, would supply families — prenatally and up to the baby's first birthday — with a connection to support services and networks that can offer assistance.“Passage of this bipartisan bill in both the Senate and House is a great victory for expecting parents who learn that their unborn child may be born with a disability,” said Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., who co-sponsored the bill with Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.

Subtitled: Eduardo Verastegui's Dura Realidad (Hard Truth)

Eduardo is showing the same video I have posted a link to under "Time to Take the Gloves Off". I pray he reaches the Spanish speaking community who is supporting Obama. This is very important; most Latinos are pro-life and have limited media access; largely the Spanish channels which are pro-abortion and pro-Obama.

Send one of these to your Congressmen this election season!

By clicking here and filling out the online form, you automatically generate this letter to your Congressman, even if you don't know his name.
Do it for Trig Palin.

Representative Timothy H. Bishop
I write to you today to urge your support for the House version of S.1810, the Prenatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act.It was recently passed in the Senate and now will go to the House.This bipartisan bill was sponsored in the Senate by Senators Brownback and Kennedy would provide parents the resources they need to make informed decisions about their children.Certainly it is a shock when an unborn child is given a difficult diagnosis. That's why this bill is so important.
Parents need support and education at this time more than ever.I'm sure you can agree that people with disabilities live full and fruitful lives. But they need to be given a chance at life first. Ninety percent of unborn children with the diagnosis of Down Syndrome are aborted. The statistics are similar for other prenatally diagnosed conditions.
Please lend your support and vote in favor of this bill. You'll be helping parents in a time when they need it most.Thank you for your consideration. I would appreciate a reply to my letter.
Susan B. Anthony List Activist
Sincerely
Leticia Velasquez

Brother Augustine is "Silent No More"

Moving testimony from a Franciscan Friar of the Immaculate about his lost fatherhood.

Senators Brownback and Kennedy celebrate the passage of their bill

WASHINGTON -

the officical press release

U.S. Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA)celebrated Senate passage of the Pre-natally and Post-natally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act, legislation which would require that families who receive a diagnosis of Down syndrome or any other condition, pre-natally or up until a year after birth, be given up-to-date information about the nature of the condition and connection with support services and networks that could offer assistance.
"I am very pleased that the legislation co-sponsored by Sen. Kennedy and me passed the Senate," said Brownback. "This bill will greatly benefit expecting parents who receive the sometimes overwhelming news that their unborn child may be born with a disability. This legislation will provide parents with current and reliable information about the many options available for caring for children with disabilities." The Pre-natally and Post-natally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act would provide for the expansion and further development of a national clearinghouse on information for parents of children with disabilities, so that the clearinghouse would be better equipped to assist parents whose children have recently been pre- or post-natally diagnosed. The bill also provides for the expansion and further development of national and local peer-support programs. The bill also calls for the creation of a national registry of families willing to adopt children with pre- or post-natally diagnosed conditions.
"One of the hardest moments in the life of an expectant mother is when she receives news that she is going to have a child with special needs," said Melissa Wagoner, spokeswoman for Senator Kennedy. "Access to the best support and information about the condition, and the quality of life for a child born with that condition, can make all the difference to a woman trying to make an informed and difficult decision. Senator Kennedy believes this kind of support is a vital element to strengthening a true culture of life in America."
Currently, 90 percent of children pre-natally diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted. That percentage is similar for children pre-natally diagnosed with other conditions such as spina bifida, cystic fibrosis and dwarfism.

Well done, Senators! This is true bipartisanship.

Trig Palin and Christina Velasquez and their mothers applaud your efforts!

BREAKING NEWS: Brownback bill passed!!!

Thanks be to God, and all of you who have taken action, we have taken one more step towards giving babies with Down syndrome, currently aborted at a rate of 90% a better chance of making it to birth by giving their parents access to the truth.
Sen Sam Brownback, a pro-life Kansas Republican and co-sponsor of the bill, told LifeNews.com he's glad the Senate approved it.
“This bill will greatly benefit expecting parents who receive the sometimes overwhelming news that their unborn child may be born with a disability," he said. "This legislation will provide parents with current and reliable information about the many options available for caring for children with disabilities.”
from Life News.com
The truth of the positive lives lived by people with Down syndrome,
the truth that treatments are being discovered to help the cognitive abilites of these children
the truth that there is a waiting list of parents waiting to adopt babies with Down syndrome
The passage of the Kennedy Brownback bill in the Senate is a triumph for the truth.
Will the House now pass this important legislation?
Read the entire article here on Life News.com

Gianna Jessen is getting to Obama

As one of my favorite commenters said, "It's rough when a fetus comes back to confront you". Obama wants to put the infanticide issue to rest, by accusing John McCain of lying in a recent commercial, yet this has nothing to do with John McCain. It's the baby who would not be aborted, Gianna Jessen who won't go away. And Obama is losing Evangelical Catholic votes because of it. Keep it up, Gianna, the babies are counting on you!
Read Jill Stanek's column on Gianna at World Net Daily.
Go to her organization Born Alive Truth.org to donate funds to help spread the truth that Obama does in fact support the death of newborn babies. I hope this campaign is as effective as the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth was in sinking the John Kerry candidacy.

New book on the true story of Padre Pio's stigmata

These revelations have been released in a book titled "Padre Pio Sotto Inchiesta: l''Autobiografia Segreta'" ("Padre Pio Under Investigation: The 'Secret Autobiography'"). The volume is prefaced by Vittorio Messori and edited by Father Franceso Castelli, historian for the beatification cause of Pope John Paul II and professor of modern and contemporary history of the Church at the Romano Guardini Institute for Religious Sciences in Taranto, Italy.Until the publication of this book, many assumed that Padre Pio -- whether for reasons of modesty or because he thought himself unworthy of the charisms he had received -- had never disclosed to anyone what happened on the day he received the stigmata.
Read the entire story at Catholic Online.

Irish abortion ban under fire in International Court

from the Family Research Council.
In a case that some are calling the "Roe v. Wade of Europe," Ireland's abortion ban is being hauled before the European Court of Human Rights by three Irish women who traveled to Britain to obtain abortions. Claiming their "rights" were violated by Ireland's pro-life law, these women are pressing to bring abortion-on-demand to the Emerald Isle. With the help of FRC and the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), Irish officials will have some overseas help defending the ban. This week, the court granted us permission to intervene as a third party. We're proud to be working with ADF in a case of such international importance. As ADF's Benjamin Bull said, "This case is not only pivotal to Europe; it's pivotal to America. With greater frequency, the U.S. Supreme Court looks across the ocean to see what other countries are doing when considering its own cases."
That's exactly what will happen if Obama wins. We will become subject to the will of International Courts. Not to mention the radical justices that will be appointed to the Supreme Court.

Take action on Prenatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act

Contact your senator here and tell them to support Senate bill 1810 to give parents expecting a child with Down syndrome proper information on support groups, adoptive parents, medical advances, and the happy life that our children enjoy.
Senator Brownback gave this moving testimony last Thursday on the floor of the Senate.(when you click on this link the player will display the time of the speech on the upper right hand corner. Senator Brownback spoke from 1:05 ET)
He tells the story of Thomas Vander Woude who gave his life to save the life of his 20 year old son Joseph who fell into a cesspool. Joseph has Down syndrome.

Prolife bloggers, take a bow!

from American Life League
Because of the wide-spread attention you gave our ALL Report on Planned Parenthood's DISGUSTING website www.takecaredownthere.org, the story made its way onto the main-stream media.
You can see our ALL report on it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NLUfVWpCKo and here: http://www.allreport.blip.tv/#1128425. The resulting bad publicity forced Planned Parenthood to remove ALL of the offensive videos!
This is the New Media in action! When you draw as much attention as you did to the nastiness of Planned Parenthood, the drive-by media can no longer ignore what's going on.

Kudos to all of you for making this a big deal, and Glory be to God for His grace, aiding in our struggle.
Keep up the good fight. We forced the enemy to retreat, now let's press on!
God Bless you all, and thank you for everything you do for the babies!
--Michael Hichborn

Petition to You Tube to pull host desecration videos

from America Needs Fatima
So far, over 5,000 people have sent a petition to YouTube asking them to pull 40 Host Desecration videos from their site.If you've already sent yours -- THANK YOU!
May God reward you.
If not, there still time to do it.GO HERE to send stop Host Desecration e-petition to YouTube.And please pass on this important petition to your fiends and family.
In case you got an error message after clicking the send button, don't worry. It was sent for you. We logged the errors and individually resent those messages to YouTube.

To make this petition effective, I need to mobilize more Catholics. So please send your best gift to help me spread this petition over the Internet today. If thousands more Catholics speak up, I think YouTube will pull the 40 Host desecration videos.
GO HERE to send stop Host Desecration e-petition to YouTube.
God bless you!
Robert E. RitchieExecutive Director
P.S. – Please go here to send your petition to YouTube. Thank you!

Gay choir directors and the Catholic Church

Creative Minority Report has a story on an openly gay choir director who was fired from a Catholic parish.
I have just received word about a similar situation in the troubled parish of Our Lady of Lourdes in Massapequa Park, Long Island. Peter Rapanaro, the new choir director was the director of the play, "My Big Gay Italian Wedding," the off-Broadway production which Rapanaro directed in 2003, revolves around two gay men, one Italian and the other Polish, who get married in a Catholic church with a priest upon the insistence of the Italian mother, and is replete with pedophile priest jokes, references to sodomite sex, and vile language.
9/24 UPDATE since I've become the target of hateful emails. The comments in blue are from the website "Modern Priest" and do not necessarily relflect my opinion I will state, however that Peter Rapanaro is in no way appropriate to work anywhere near a Catholic Church on the basis of his play production, "My Big Gay Italian Wedding" which you can view scenes from on YouTube through this link. Warning: the video contents are sexually explicit. I stopped watching it in disgust.
There are no words to express my sorrow at this outrage. . .
HT Modern Priest

Are you participating in 40 Days for Life?

A timely reminder from my friend Elizabeth Kathryn Gerold Miller who blogs at The Divine Gift of Motherhood.

During October we celebrate Respect Life Month. The 40 Days for Life program is a time of fasting, prayer, and increased vigil and community outreach for the pro-life cause.

The Official 40 Days for Life starts on September 24 and ends on Nov. 2.]

This year a group of us have decided to take it to the next level, praying fervently for the election of a pro-life President and Vice President. We will act during the 40 Days for Life as we would during Lent, making sacrifices, and eating on Wed. and Fri. as we would on Fridays during Lent. We will continue this fast until the Presidential Election.

I encourage everyone to look at the website to find out what kick-off events might be going on in a city near you for 40 Days for Life. Also, keep in mind the gospel for this week. The owner of a vineyard went out to find laborers at 9:00, 12:00, 3:00, and 6:00. At the end of the day, those who started work in the evening were paid as much as those who started working in the early morning. “Your ways are not my ways. . .Last shall be first, and first shall be last.” I always took this passage to mean our final reward in heaven would not be dependent on how long in life you served Christ; as long as you turned to Him in the end you would receive everlasting life. But in the context of this time of prayer, I interpret it to mean that you can join in the fast as any time. Keep telling your friends about it, and even if they join in at day 39 or 40 their prayers will do the Lord’s work.

I will be participating in my local effort in Norwich, CT, and will be posting on it here.

Barbara Curtis wants to share this cartoon on Sarah Palin

This is what Democrats think of woman politicians who don't tow the line on abortion.

I would like to see a follow up cartoon of a shotgun totin' Alaskan pioneer woman blasting those media wolves away, defending her family's honor.

Rangel Calls Palin Disabled

What an insult to the disabled to have this word bandied about for effect!
Take it back Wrangel!

What happens when you have a VP candidate who is a pro-abortion Catholic?

You lose 16 points in the polls to a pro-life ex-Catholic VP nominee. Seems that Catholics aren't as gullible as Obama and Biden think.
Before the national political conventions, presidential contenders Barack Obama and John McCain were about splitting the votes of white Catholics who attend church weekly. That was a weak showing for the GOP's Senator McCain; in 2004, President Bush carried this group 3 to 2.
McCain, however, has now opened a 16 percentage point lead among these Catholics, according to a poll released Thursday by the Pew Research Center.
Good for the Catholic blogosphere!
Good for talk radio!
Good for the pro-life movement!
Despite overwhelming support in the mainstream media, pro-life faithful Catholics don't care what religion you call yourself, they want to know how you live your life, Senator Biden.

I wonder if there is any truth to the rumor that Obama is throwing Biden under the bus for Hillary. At least she'll bring the women back, he hopes.
Read the entire article at the Christian Science Monitor.

Down syndrome is being discussed everywhere

I get daily Google alerts about Down syndrome. Since Sarah Palin's candidacy, the numbers of news items about Down syndrome has grown around 500%. This is all good; we who are parents of these extraordinary children know that the more you know about our kids, the more comfortable you will feel with allowing them to live in society.
Zenit News Service quotes a Washington Post article about the high abortion rate when Down syndrome is diagnosed.
Pewsitter has an outstanding post on the Election and the Eugenics Issue.
Senator Sam Brownback, a Catholic convert, has been trying to capitalize on this trend by getting a unanimous vote on the Prenatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act. Sen Bernie Sanders from Vermont was the lone dissenting vote.What part of saving the lives of unborn children through educating their parents does Sen Sanders object to?
Here is Senator Brownback's moving speech on the floor of the Senate.

Update on Kennedy Brownback Bill from NDSC

NDSC and NDSS Urge the Down Syndrome Community to Take Action Today!
Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act - ANOTHER CRITICAL VOTE SOON!
The development of up-to-date, accurate and evidence-based information should never be a partisan issue.
The Senate may soon hold another critical vote on S. 3297, the Advancing America's Priorities Act, a package of 35 bills which includes the Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act (S. 1810), introduced by Senators Kennedy (D-MA) and Brownback (R-KS). This may be the first of several votes on S. 3297. However, this first vote likely will determine whether the Senate passes the Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act this year!
Therefore, please contact your Senators immediately and tell your friends, family, colleagues - and everyone you know - to do so as well. Urge your Senators to vote YES on S. 3297. Even if you already have contacted your Senators this week, your outreach is still needed. We want to fill Senator's inboxes and make it clear that they must pass the Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act this year.
Letters you can personalize and send to your Senators are available in the Advocacy Action Center of the NDSS website, here: http://capwiz.com/ndss/home/. If you don't know the names of your Senators, don't worry. The Advocacy Action Center automatically will identify them for you and enable you to contact them directly from the site.
Talking Points

Please use the following talking points when you call your Senators' offices today:

I am a of the Down syndrome community calling to urge my Senator to vote YES on S. 3297.

The two national organizations, National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) and National Down Syndrome Congress (NDSC), representing over 400,000 individuals with Down syndrome and their families, also support the passage of this bipartisan legislation.

The S. 3297 bill includes, Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act, which is a bipartisan compromise that will promote and develop up-to-date, evidence based information and materials for parents who, increasingly in the 21st century, receive a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome and other genetic conditions.

This is a nonpartisan issue that affects all of our children and adults with Down syndrome and their families.

The development of up-to-date, accurate and evidence-based information should never be a partisan issue.

Obama responds to Gianna Jessen

Who's afraid of Gianna Jessen? Answer: Barack Obama Updated: Gianna responds

By Michelle Malkin
Gianna Jessen is the powerfully eloquent survivor of abortion who recently appeared in the ad above challenging Barack Obama's opposition as state senator to the Illinois Born Alive Infants Protection Act.
I hear from a source that WKYC-TV in Cleveland has confirmed Obama is running an ad responding to the BornAliveTruth.org ad featuring Jessen. Says my source:Obama's campaign told the Associated Press they would only be running "low-profile radio ads and campaign mailings." They deliberately misled the media to portray a false sense of low-key campaigning. The fact is this issue is a problem for Obama, his record is clear and Gianna Jessen is a living manifestation of the fact that many babies do survive abortions and need medical protection and care. Obama voted against such protection and care four times in the Illinois State Senate while the U.S. Senate passed an identical bill 98-0.

The Obama response ad is scheduled to run on WKYC-TV at the following times today, and is probably running in other markets in Ohio:

4:10pm during Ellen

5:09pm during Dr. Phil

7:35pm during Entertainment Tonight

So much for low-profile. I'd say this is panic-mode politics from The One.Who's afraid of Gianna Jessen? Answer: Barack Obama.You think the AP will write a follow-up correcting its water-carrying spin?Statement from Gianna Jessen:Mr. Obama is clearly blinded by political ambition given his attack on me this week. All I asked of him was to do the right thing: support medical care and protection for babies who survive abortion - as I did 31 years ago. He voted against such protection and care four times even though the U.S. Senate voted 98-0 in favor of a bill identical to the one Obama opposed. In the words of his own false and misleading ad, his position is downright vile. Mr. Obama said at the recent Saddleback Forum that the question of when babies should get human rights was above his pay grade. Such vacillation and cowardice would have left me to die if his policies were in place when I was born. Thank God they were not.


Statement from Jill Stanek:

It is despicable, repulsive and beneath contempt that Barack Obama would attack Gianna Jessen. She is a courageous abortion survivor and living miracle who would not be with us today if Obama's policies had been in place when she was born. Mr. Obama continues to mislead the American people on this issue, he voted four times against medical care and protection for babies who survive abortions in the Illinois State Senate, while the U.S. Senate was voting 98-0 to pass an identical bill. Mr. Obama needs to come forward and tell the American people that he understands people like Gianna Jessen, and that he will support and enforce Born Alive Infant protections -- that these are living, breathing human beings who have come into our world and deserve protection in the law and should receive medical care at health care facilities. These babies have the same rights as the rest of us.

If you could please send the below contact information to every media outlet in your area of the country this will help get the word out.

WKYC-TV in Cleveland confirms Obama is running an ad responding to the http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0014dBEScPe4gfXA7nHv8rjij0ZQc8_SBZg1dzveXrkfLkljcYcslbqeY-KcBPvwba5uPk6Wk6P2g1sRrIcGEvSpeSqjOXxxi2V_n34B75Tb0zk1JziX37ONM5Q_GmsdvpK ad featuring abortion survivor Gianna Jessen. Watch it for yourself here, 15 seconds in, as the second commercial. The Associated Press reported the Obama campaign was only running "low-profile radio ads and campaign mailings." The fact is this issue is a problem for Obama, his record is clear and Gianna Jessen is a living manifestation of the fact that many babies do survive abortions and need medical protection and care. Obama voted against such protection and care four times in the Illinois State Senate while the U.S. Senate passed an identical bill 98-0. The Obama response ad is scheduled to run on WKYC-TV at the following times today, and is probably running in other markets in Ohio: 4:10pm during Ellen5:09pm during Dr. Phil7:35pm during Entertainment Tonight Jill Stanek of BornAliveTruth.org and Gianna Jessen are available for interviews as Obama puts the abortion issue front and center - he has just announced he will be doing a "faith, family and values" tour in Ohio next week.

Arina O. GrossuCRC Public Relationsagrossu@crcpublicrelations.com

703.683.5004 ext. 104

Transcript:"I'm Barack Obama and I approve this message John McCain's Attacks: "the sleaziest ads ever", "truly vile"Now, votes taken out of context accusing Obama of letting infants die? It's a despicable lie. Even the bill's Republican sponsor said it's untrue. Obama's always supported medical care to protect infants. McCain? He's running on a platform to ban abortion, even in cases of rape and incest. Sleazy ads.Anti-choice.That's John McCain."

PZ Meyers on the rampage again

This time he's attacking prolife pharmacist MikeKoelzer, owner of Kay Pharmacy in Grand Rapids, Michigan, stopped selling contraceptive products in 2002. He's been featured in The Washington Post and on ABC World News for his views on abortion-causing drugs. Myers' latest screed of religious intolerance on his blog Pharyngula incited an all-out internet attack against Koelzer. Threats and hate mail inundated Koelzer's e-mail after he inadvertently sent Myers a speaking invitation.
Read the entire story on Life Site News.

Trig Palin may hurt the abortion industry

A great post from Opine Tree about the true motives behind Dr Lalonde's fear that the fact that Trig Palin is alive may be bad for women.
It makes one wonder how much money the OB associations receive from the abortion industry. They are putting up another 30 million to defeat John McCain since he announced Trig's mother as his running mate. Just another business investment.
HT Life News

Simple math: get parents involved = fewer abortions

Family Research Council Releases New Study on Successful Abortion Reduction Legislation
Washington, D.C. -Today, Family Research Council released a study demonstrating which state level parental involvement laws are most effective in reducing abortions among minors. The study is the first comprehensive analysis of minor abortion data from nearly all 50 states between 1985 and 1999. Overall, the findings indicate that when a state enacts a parental involvement law, the abortion rate falls by an average of approximately 13.6 percent.
The study is available on www.frc.orgFamily Research Council Fellow and study author Dr. Michael J. New, assistant professor of political science at the University of Alabama, had this to say:"This study is the first of its kind to compare different types of parental involvement laws. The study finds that more protective parental involvement laws result in even larger declines in abortion rates. Laws that require parental consent instead of parental notification reduce the minor abortion rate by about 19 percent. Furthermore, laws that mandate the involvement of two parents, instead of just one parent, reduce the in-state abortion rate by approximately 31 percent. Minnesota and Mississippi laws are among the most effective in reducing abortion rates among minors."This study shows that parental involvement laws are an important causal factor in this decline in the overall abortion rate among minors in the United States, which has fallen by close to fifty percent between 1985 and 1999. Currently about 36 states have a parental involvement law on the books, but some are more effective than others in their ability to reduce the incidence of abortion."
"The overwhelming evidence in support of parental involvement laws should be a boon to legislators everywhere."

Sarah Palin has busted more than the 'glass ceiling'

She's changing the way people see Republicans, pro-lifers, and special needs parents.
Read this powerful article at Catholic Exchange.

Brownback to introduce our bill today: Take Action!

9/19 UPDATE:
Senator Brownback DID introduce the bill yesterday for an unanimous vote (if any one Senator objected, the bill was not approved) and the lone vote of protest was Sen Bernie Sanders of VT. He is in the tank for Harry Reid who wants this now popular (thanks Trig Palin) bill to be attached to his omnibus spending bill.
This, Senator Brownback's office informs me, is how to kill a bill.

Why don't you let Sen Sanders know how you feel about his killing a bill which would provide information and support to parents expecting a child like Trig Palin? Click here.

We have received word that Senator Brownback (R-KS) will bring up the Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act at 1:00 pm TODAY.
They have asked us to call the following Senators:
Lieberman (I-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Webb (D-VA)
Casey (D-PA)
Please contact these Members' Offices and encourage them to say something on the Senator Floor in support of the bill today.
The Capitol Switchboard number is (202)224-3121
Please ACT NOW!
The Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act will provide funds to develop accurate, up-to-date materials and information for families that receive a diagnosis of Down syndrome or other genetic conditions so that parents can make informed decisions.
It's time to take advantage of all the buzz created by Sarah Palin's son Trig. Let's help parents expecting a child with Down syndrome overcome their fear and understand the reality of life with a special child.

Setting the record straight on Sarah Palin

The Dems are in full meltdown mode about Sarah Palin as she closes the gap in the polls. So, naturally, they resort to gutter politics. Hacking Sarah's email, spreading ugly rumors about her pregnancy, trying to create "Troopergate", calling Bristol's cell phone. . .
but what bothered me the most was a piece from someone allegedly from Alaska, living in Ireland, who accused Sarah of slashing funding for special needs children. This is aimed at those of us in the disability community who are lining up to vote for McCain-Palin because of her promise to help our children if she is elected.
THIS IS PATENTLY FALSE.
Newsweek sets the record straight.
No Cut for "Special Needs" Kids
It's not true, as widely reported in mass e-mails, Web postings and at least one mainstream news source, that Palin slashed the special education budget in Alaska by 62 percent. CNN's Soledad O'Brien made the claim on Sept. 4 in an interview with Nicolle Wallace, a senior adviser to the McCain campaign:
O'Brien, Sept. 4: One are that has gotten certainly people sending to me a lot of e-mails is the question about as governor what she did with the special needs budget, which I'm sure you're aware, she cut significantly, 62 percent I think is the number from when she came into office. As a woman who is now a mother to a special needs child, and I think she actually has a nephew which is autistic as well. How much of a problem is this going to be as she tries to navigate both sides of that issue?
Such a move might have made Palin look heartless or hypocritical in view of her convention-speech pledge to be an advocate for special needs children and their families. But in fact, she increased special needs funding so dramatically that a representative of local school boards described the jump as "historic."
According to an April 2008 article in Education Week, Palin signed legislation in March 2008 that would increase public school funding considerably, including special needs funding. In particular, it would increase spending for certain special needs students that Alaska calls "intensive needs" (students with high-cost special requirements) from $26,900 per student in 2008 to $73,840 per student in 2011. That almost triples the per-student spending in three fiscal years. Palin's original proposal, according to the Anchorage Daily News, would have increased funds slightly more, giving intensive needs students a $77,740 allotment by 2011.
Education Week: A second part of the measure raises spending for students with special needs [the intensive needs group] to $73,840 in fiscal 2011, from the current $26,900 per student in fiscal 2008, according to the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development.
Unlike many other states, Alaska has relatively flush budget coffers, thanks to a rise in oil and gas revenues. Funding for schools will remain fairly level next year, however. Overall per-pupil funding across the state will rise by $100, to $5,480, in fiscal 2009. ...
Carl Rose, the executive director of the Association of Alaska School Boards, praised the changes in funding for rural schools and students with special needs as a "historic event," and said the finance overhaul would bring more stability to district budgets.
According to Eddy Jeans at the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, funding for special needs and intensive needs students has increased every year since Palin entered office, from a total of $203 million in 2006 to a projected $276 million in 2009.
Those who claim that Palin cut special needs funding by 62 percent are looking in the wrong place and misinterpreting what they find there. They point to an apparent drop in the Department of Education and Early Development budget for special schools. But the special schools budget, despite the similar name, isn't the special needs budget. "I don't even consider the special schools component [part of] our special needs funding," Jeans told FactCheck.org. "The special needs funding is provided through our public school funding formula. The special schools is simply a budget component where we have funding set aside for special projects," such as the Alaska School for the Deaf and the Alaska Military Youth Academy. A different budget component, the Foundation Program, governs special needs programs in the public school system.
And in any case, the decrease in funding for special schools is illusory. Palin moved the Alaska Military Youth Academy's ChalleNGe program, a residential military school program that teaches job and life skills to students under 20, out of the budget line for "special schools" and into its own line. This resulted in an apparent drop of more than $5 million in the special schools budget with no actual decrease in funding for the programs.

Two innocents killed for every successful search and destroy mission

Is this the latest front on the war on terror. Maybe.
Sadly, however, it takes place down the block from you at your local obstetrician's office. In the insurance-paid, March of Dimes reasearched , ACOG-sanctioned search and destroy mission for unborn babies with Down syndrome, two 'innocent' babies (those with the proper number of chromosomes) are killed for every 'guilty' child who has one chromosome too many to be loved in our society. Read the article here.
This is considered a tragedy. Sure it is. Whenever a baby is killed in his mother's womb it is a tragedy. But the cruel irony is that few consider it a tragedy when this mission is successful, in one of three cases, and the right baby is murdered. The one who didn't deserve to live. That's why the Italian mother of twins aborted both her twins, because the first time the doctor killed the wrong child.
When does this insanity end?!
HT Life Site News

Franciscan Friars Vocations Video

One of the Friarys of this amazing order is a short ride from my new home.
Watch the video and you will soon understand why their inner peace and unity with God is so irresistable, we just had to live near the Friary and share their prayer life.

Oprah and All Her Works and All Her Empty Promises

Here is a guest post by one of my favorite priests: Fr Tom Euteneuer of Human Life International. Like Fr Corapi, he has a gift for pinpointing the lies most of us swallow whole from the Culture of Death. Thanks to his searing honesty and the gift of his priesthood, Fr. Tom enables us to see how captive we are, and how much we need Jesus Christ and His Church.
I feel sorry for Oprah because of her terrible childhood, and ask the Lord to have mercy on her as she is imperiling her soul by leading millions of American women into the death trap of New Age pseudo-spirituality. I am also appalled at her duplicity at refusing to host Sarah Palin and the authors of a book called "Gifts: Mothers Reflect on how Children with Down Syndrome Enriched Their Lives". She only appears to be loving and fair which makes her influence more insidious.
Lord, please deliver us from our foolhardy dependence on false idols of our culture.
From Fr. Tom Euteneuer
Of late I am increasingly frightened by something I see happening in our culture: it is the seeming superficial-ization of everything in American life to the point of absurdity and deception. The prime culprit of course is the ubiquitous mass media (especially 24-hour cable programming and the internet) and its constant dumbing down of the American consciousness to the lowest common denominator of the most tantalizing sound bites and images. The other bad boy is the interminable chatter/commentary by clever cultural sharpshooters: it's so bad sometimes that it makes me wonder if we can actually pull ourselves out of our co-dependence upon charlatans. What makes my priest's heart so heavy is that I think our society is going down the path of deep spiritual degradation, and it doesn't look like this trend will be ending any time soon. Certainly not in an election season.
Case in point: Oprah. Our country's richest woman is easily one of the most spiritually bankrupt people in America and also one of the most shockingly popular. How does a New Age con artist like Oprah get so many people to literally adore her? She did not make $260 million last year by feeding people solid food. She deals in fads, feelings and frauds - it's that simple - and apparently she is very effective at convincing people to follow her well-packaged crock of nonsense. Of a recent political speech, she admitted fawningly that she had "cried her eyelashes off" when she heard it, and I am sure her crocodile tears were persuasive to her vast audience. For people schooled in the truth, the reaction would be very different: I saw the same speech and could barely keep myself from throwing up, but they don't pay me $260 million a year.
When asked why she refused to interview her anointed one's political opponent, she balked and got caught in a nasty public relations double-bind which is what usually happens to people who play games with their own popularity. Her refusal would have been easier to swallow if she had just said simply that she didn't like the other candidate and didn't want her on the show; that we can accept! But then again, basic honesty is probably above Oprah's pay grade. The truth is that Oprah has put her social clout to partisan political use, and when she was called on to be fair, she just couldn't admit that she was playing the political hack.
I do think Oprah's menace is fundamentally spiritual though, and that it feeds off the growing spiritual superficiality of the American populace. Its treachery is not to be underestimated. Oprah not only believes in but forcefully advocates pernicious New Age trends like Helen Schucman's A Course In Miracles and Eckhart Tolle's terrible esoteric movement that is trampling down Christian values and opening up a spiritual vacuum in the hearts of millions as we speak. Having the life sucked out of our souls by spiritually bankrupt "celebrities" is a slow spiritual death, to put it mildly. However, Oprah is just the worst case scenario of what is reaching epidemic proportions in a personality-obsessed, spiritually infantile and media-saturated culture. The most popular show in American prime-time is not called "American Idol" for nothing: we are literally becoming a nation of idol-worshippers.
What can we do about all the deceptive cultural garbage clamoring to fill our vulnerable souls? Well, the Church has always had the answer and never ceases to instruct us in the discipline that will bring our souls down that "narrow way" of Christ. We are to "reject Satan and all his works and all his empty promises" - that would include all his idols too. We are to consume the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth and say "yes" when we mean "yes" and "no" when we mean "no." As Jesus said, "everything else is from the devil."

=Sincerely Yours in Christ,
Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer,
President, Human Life International

Obama's Abysmal Pay Grade

a guest post by political cartoonist John Francis Borra
Barack Obama never lets us forget he's a "person of faith." At the same time, he refuses to accept the scientific fact that life begins at conception. Just like Joe Biden, he wants voters to believe that the point at which life begins is a matter of faith. Why? Because for the moral relativist, faith is synonymous with truth-- and truth is whatever you make it. This stratagem is the origin of Obama's bombastic and falsely humble response to Rick Warren's question concerning the beginning of life and human rights. It's also an indication of how little regard Obama has for whatever he calls "faith."

Needless to say, Obama's pay grade comment was no more than an effort to obscure the untenability of his position. But ask one of today's Catholic school kids when life begins and you'll get a clear, concise and truthful answer. If Barack Obama refuses to acknowledge irrefutable facts that even children do, what's he doing in a position of responsibility? And if he has so utterly little regard for his neighbors, how well suited can he possibly be to make decisions regarding their welfare?

While Sarah Palin has never been to Washington, she has something Obama and Biden both lack-- respect for human life. If this is not a quality that trumps all others when choosing our chief executives, it should be.
John Francis Borra
veritatis@eaglecom.net

used with permission

Abortion survivor speaks to Obama

from the Catholic League
Gianna Jessen and Jill Stanek of BornAliveTruth.org have released a video that features an appeal by Jessen to Sen. Barack Obama asking him to support health care for infants who have been born alive following a botched abortion. Jessen is a 31 year-old who survived a saline abortion; Stanek is the nurse who blew the whistle on infants being allowed to die in a utility room following induced-labor abortions (she was fired from Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois for doing so).

When Obama was in the Illinois State Senate, he blocked all legislation designed to provide health care for infants who survived an abortion. The language of the Illinois bill, in its final version, was identical to the language of the federal bill that was passed unanimously and signed into law by President Bush. Though that bill made it clear that nothing in the legislation could be construed to overturn Roe v. Wade, it still wasn't enough to satisfy Obama.

To see this 30-second video, click here.

On May 15, Catholic League president Bill Donohue appeared on "Fox and Friends" saying there had been a media cover-up of this issue. He now sounds off about this classic video:

"Abortion is not just another issue for Catholics. As Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput has said, it is a 'foundational issue.' Amazingly, the issue that this video addresses is beyond abortion"it is infanticide. Why Obama, who advocates universal heath care, would exclude babies who survive an abortion from his plan is mind-boggling. Guess the politics of inclusion draws a line when it comes to these kids.

"Moreover, if anyone wants to continue to deny that abortion involves human life, let him take a good look at Gianna Jessen: She is living proof that the entire pro-abortion agenda is based on a lie. Perversely, those who support 'choice' are the very ones who continue to deny the Jessens of this world that very right. And there are millions of such Jessens."
Photo credit: AIR MARIA

My favorite rabbi approves of Sarah Palin

Orthodox Jewish Rabbi Yehuda Levin is best known for being the highlight of March for Life in Washington, DC every year with his hilarious and outspokenly honest, searingly prolife keynote speeches, which he ends with the blowing of the shofar to begin the March.
That's why he's my favorite rabbi.
Here's his opinion of VP candidate Governor Sarah Palin.
"In reality, says Levin, the addition of Sarah Palin to the presidential ticket is good news for the pious Jewish community, saying that Sen. McCain's choice of a running mate "was certainly a gift from God," and comparing Palin's courageous stand for life to that of the holy women in the Bible. I agree!
"This phenomenal woman, pro-life, pro-normal marriage ... a woman's woman, somewhat of a reflection of the Jewish midwives in the book of Exodus, who stood up to the evil Pharaoh, and despite his anti-baby decree, they kept the babies alive.
"You go, Governor Palin! Keep championing a Godly agenda of a return to millennia-old standards of decency."
Read the entire article on Life Site News.

Great election coverage at Catholic Fire

I'm proud to be a friend to blogger extraordinaire, Jean, at Catholic Fire. Her coverage of the election is outstanding, don't miss it.
UPDATE:
I just did a search "Catholics for Sarah Palin" and discovered another Catholic blog with great political coverage: The Catholic Knight.
I sometimes feel guilty about missing so many important issues on this blog, but I just moved and I do have a family, so please help me out and go to these blogs to get what I miss.
Thanks

New Brochure on Down syndrome for Expectant Parents

A press release from Concerned Women for America

State Director Anne Downey launches an informational resource for new parents

Washington, D.C. — Concerned Women for America (CWA) of New York today launched an international project aimed at reducing the 90 percent abortion rate for babies diagnosed with Down syndrome. This new project, developed in consultation with the major Down syndrome groups in America, makes available a free informational brochure titled, “When you’ve learned that your baby may have Down syndrome … There is help and hope!” The brochure offers reassurance to families facing a prenatal diagnosis and provides them with a list of resources and support groups to help them learn more about their baby’s opportunities. At the companion website, DownSyndromeBrochure.com¸ the brochure is available in English and Spanish for free download or for ordering of printed copies at a nominal charge. Eventually, CWA of New York intends to offer the brochure in many different languages and with country-specific versions, such as a French version listing agencies and resources in France.The brochure is timely because of a December 2007 practice bulletin issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) which states, “After the diagnosis of a chromosomal abnormality, the patient should receive detailed information, if known, about the natural history of individuals with the specific chromosomal finding. In many cases, it may be very helpful to refer the patient to a genetic counselor or clinical geneticist and national groups such as The National Down Syndrome Society (www.ndss.org) or National Down Syndrome Congress (www.ndsccenter.org) to help the patient make an informed decision.”

The brochure will allow busy OB/GYN doctors and others to provide expectant mothers with easy-to-read information.The brochure features the photographs of children and young adults with Down syndrome and their family members. Anne F. Downey, Esq., State Director for CWA of New York, says, “The brochure features the faces of a number of children and adults with Down syndrome. Each of the persons featured in the brochure came to me in a special way and has his or her own wonderful story to tell. In the photos you can see the joy that these young people and their family members have. Just looking at them, you can see that there truly is help and hope.”Medical professionals, disability groups and others wishing to obtain the brochure in large quantities may contact State Director Downey for special arrangements.Concerned Women for America is the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization.
I submitted this photo for inclusion in this brochure. Our family does have a wonderful story to tell about life with a child with Down syndrome. I try to tell it every day at Cause of Our Joy.
We had no idea how popular this subject would be when the brochure came out.
Isn't God's timing great?!

Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity under attack in India

Militant Muslims aren't the only threat to peace. Violent Hindus have been torturing and murdering Catholic clergy, and plan to commit more violence against them, accusing the Missionaries of Charity of kidnapping and converting infants.
Mother Teresa's orphanages are famous for taking unwanted children, unusually girls from families where they face almost certain death, thanks to the banned but common dowry customs. It takes 15 years for an Indian family to save up the $15,000 marriage dowry for a girl, so subsequent girls are normally aborted or killed at birth. Mother Teresa began orphanages to halt this practice decades ago, but her merciful work is now under threat from militant Hindus, who seem to have the Indian police on their side.
Blessed Mother Teresa, pray for us!
Read the entire article here.
HT Life Site News

Republican surge during Dem convention

WHY did John McCain's number's surge during the Democratic Convention?
Did voters see something which turned them off?
This plus the Trig Palin Effect on Catholic voters is on National Review.

What's at stake in the election: (it's the Supreme Court, stupid!)

Ann Coulter, well known for pithy remarks once told a Republican politician that you can go against every conservative principal; spend money, start new programs, even go soft on terrorists, but give us strict constructionist justices on the Supreme Court.
We who are active in politics know who runs this country. That's why the fact that Fordham is honoring Justice Breyer who voted pro-partial birth abortion is particularly agregious.
Pat Buchanan with his typical eloquence, tells us what would be the effect of an Obama Biden regime on the since most important issue for Catholics, Evangelicals and people of conscience: human life.
The reason this election is the last chance for life is the Supreme Court. For it alone -- given the cowardice of a Congress that refuses to restrict its authority -- has the power to reverse Roe, and because that court may be within a single vote of doing so.
Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, Sam Alito and Chief Justice John Roberts appear steeled to overturn Roe and return this most divisive issue since slavery to the states, where it resided until January 1973.
And John Paul Stevens, the oldest and perhaps most pro-choice justice at 88, is a likely retiree in the next four years. And there is a possibility Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, at 75, a survivor of cancer, could depart as did Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
Thus, in the first term of the next president, there is a strong probability that one or two of the most pro-Roe justices will leave the bench. Replacement of even one of these two liberal activists with a jurist who has a Scalia-Roberts-Alito-Thomas record on the U.S. appellate court could initiate a challenge to Roe, and its rapid reversal.
Read the entire article at Human Events.

Fordham Law to honor pro-death Justice Breyer

Do we have to review the reasons why this is an outrage?
OK here goes:
In the 2000 decision Stenberg v. Carhart, Supreme Court Justice Breyer wrote in the majority opinion: "This Court, in the course of a generation, has determined and then redetermined that the Constitution offers basic protection to the woman's right to choose."
In contrast, New York Archbishop, Edward Cardinal Egan recently lambasted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for defending the so-called "right to choose." Egan said: "Anyone who dares to defend that they [children in the womb] may be legitimately killed because another human being 'chooses' to do so or for any other equally ridiculous reason should not be providing leadership in a civilized democracy worthy of the name."
Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, in his dissenting opinion in Stenberg, wrote: "I am optimistic enough to believe that, one day, Stenberg v. Carhart will be assigned its rightful place in the history of this Court's jurisprudence beside Korematsu and Dred Scott. The method of killing a human child . . . proscribed by this statute is so horrible that the most clinical description of it evokes a shudder of revulsion."
"The choice by Fordham University of Justice Breyer to receive this prestigious award," said Patrick Reilly, "is a far cry from an award established to recognize the 'positive contributions of the legal profession to American society.' Justice Breyer did not act objectively in Stenberg, but rather overstepped his authority and legislated from the bench."
"If Fordham truly aspires to follow its own mission statement and be 'Guided by its Catholic and Jesuit traditions,' then it must rescind the offer of this award to Justice Breyer," said Reilly.

Read the article on Life Site News.
Make the effort to tell Fordham what a dim view Catholics take of Pro-abortion Breyer's receiving an award from a Catholic University.
Contact:
Edward Cardinal Egan of New York
1011 First AveNew York, NY 10022
Phone: 212-371-1000
and
Fordham University
Stephen Freedman, Ph.D.
Senior Vice President/Chief Academic Officer
svpcao@fordham.edu
718.817.3040 (p)
718.817.3050 (f)

Great post on Sarah Palin at Da Mihi Animas

I just couldn't help sharing this picture from Padre Steve's awesome post.

"Apple Pie and Gunsmoke"

Catholic Leadership Conference is clear on life

Catholics need clear leadership on this issue and here it is.
Read the entire article here at Catholic online

The Trig Effect

No, it's not trigonometry, it's far more powerful. It's the effect that the beautiful innocent countenance of a baby with Trisomy 21 has had on the world. Politicians and pundits, doctors and journalists are all a flutter trying to keep the lid on the dirty little secret: from 90 to 94% of these children are killed before they are born.
We in the prolife community have know this for decades, and have been fighting this trend. We have had formidable opponents; from The March of Dimes who sponsors research into 'search and destroy' methods for prenatal diagnosis to the AMA and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists who recommend, no, INSIST on mandatory prenatal testing for all women, to the misinformed genetic counselors who scare parents into aborting these children. We can now add to this side Dr Andre Lalonde, head of the Canadian who feels that Trig is causing trouble for women who might get the idea that allowing their babies with Trisomy 21 to live poses a grave threat to abortion. You got that right, Dr. Lalonde!
We who love someone with 47 chromosomes have done battle with all of these, armed with only the power of the internet. We have seen the Kennedy Brownback Bill, which would inform expectant parents of the truth, used as a pawn in a political tug of war this summer, and be defeated without serious consideration. We have seen our children mocked by Hollywood films like "Tropic Thunder". We have cried while millions of children like those we love die before their parents can experience the joy they would have brought into their lives.
But, the tide is turning towards a new understanding of the intrinsic worth of the individual with Down syndrome by the simple fact that Gov. Sarah Palin unapologetically chose to give birth to her son Trig. Actions speak louder than words. It's . . .
The Trig effect.
Such a big wave caused by such a small little boy.
GO TRIG!

Help this video to change the tide of the election

Fr Jonathan Morris' opinion of Sarah Palin's motherhood

Many good Catholic mothers have been disagreeing on this one. Let's listen to Fr. Jonathan on what kind of mothering Sarah Palin has time to do.

I do not know if Gov. Sarah Palin will make a good Vice-President. I do know she is being an exceptional mom, also in moments of crisis. Some have said, in many, many ways, “Big deal!”
But most of these are men.
I ask if any of us guys could be a mom of five, with a handicapped child, achieve an 83% approval rating as state governor, and smile all the way through a prime time speech, after the week this woman has just had.

Good point, Father. It takes a mom to multi-task like that!

Read his entire article at Fox News blog.

Sarah Palin: Super Mom Makes a Super VP.

No one lists ‘motherhood’ on their resume, least of all a vice presidential candidate. But Governor Sarah Palin, who has just been named Senator John McCain’s running mate, finds herself talking more about her motherhood than her record of cleaning up Alaska politics. And most of the questioners are card-carrying NOW members. What are they thinking?
Could these pundits have rediscovered their lost parenting instincts? Or is something more sinister at work? I suspect that liberals are feeling the hot breath of a new feminist on their necks, and have come out of their comfortable thrones in the mainstream media loaded for bear. How dare a conservative woman leave her kitchen! Stay home with your son, and keep his adorable face out of the media lest people learn that 90% of children like him are aborted. Don’t you dare look so slim only four months after giving birth, you got some explaining to do, or we’ll make up our own story.
And what’s with the cool glasses and posh up-do? You people are supposed to look frumpy!
The point is that Sarah Palin contradicts the liberal’s reviled stereotype of the angry conservative woman, “clinging to her guns and religion”. They understand her combination of values as poorly as they comprehend the name of the organization she belongs to: “Feminists for Life”. A mother who is tough on corruption, yet tender with errant children. A wife who supports and is supported by her husband. An intelligent woman who loves God. A pistol-packing mamma who breastfeeds her baby. A meat-eater who enjoys nature. Such a description of Sarah Palin’s character is reminiscent of the frontier woman, once was considered the gold standard of womanhood. Some of us recognized these traits right away and were whooping for joy on Friday thinking, here’s the woman who can take on Washington and the Taliban! Here’s the vibrancy and moral clarity which seems to have drained from the Republican Party! Who else but the mother of five, can burst into the beltway with a gust of icy Arctic Air, blasting away the cobwebs of cronyism?
None other than the mother who faced the daunting prospect of raising a child with Trisomy 21 and accepted him lovingly. She said that Trig was a gift from God, and proudly carried him in her arms in a YouTube video she made a week after his birth, causing this special needs mom to take notice. A true test of character is living by your standards when it has a personal cost. And now that her seventeen year old daughter Bristol’s pregnancy has been made into a campaign issue, Sarah headed off ugly rumors by reminding us what a good mother does in such situations. She supports her daughter so that she can choose what’s best for all concerned. Life. And she’s not afraid to tell us so.

Sarah Palin’s seasoned motherhood has added tremendous gravitas to her character, and her resume. What she did as a hockey mom was not wasted. Her life as a mother taught her lessons which made her into the wise, dynamic woman praised in Proverbs 31. Ignoring feminist dogma, she didn’t need to make herself into a man to be successful; Sarah Palin is successful because femininity fully lived just may be the most powerful force in the world.
Pope John Paul II wrote in his 1995 letter to women;
“Thank you, women who work! You are present and active in every area of life-social economic, cultural, artistic and political. In this way, you make an indispensable contribution to the growth of a culture which unites reason and feeling, to a model of life ever open to a sense of mystery, to the establishment of economic and political structures ever more worthy of humanity. Through the insight which is so much a part of your womanhood, you enrich the world’s understanding and help to make human relations more honest and authentic.”
“Women will increasingly play a part in the solution of the serious problems of the future: leisure time, the quality of life, migration, social services, euthanasia, drugs, health care, the ecology, etc. In all these areas a greater presence of women in society will prove most valuable, for it will help to manifest the contradictions present when society is organized solely according to the criteria of efficiency and productivity, and it will force systems to be redesigned in a way which favors the processes of humanization which mark the “civilization of love.”
“It is thus my hope, dear sisters, that you will reflect carefully on what it means to speak of the “genius of women,” not only in order to be able to see in this phrase a specific part of God’s plan which needs to be accepted and appreciated, but also in order to let this genius be more fully expressed in the life of society as a whole, as well as the life of the Church.”

This “Civilization of Love” which John Paul mentions might sound gentle, but establishing it in a in the midst of the Culture of Death takes the greatest possible courage. It takes a mother.
Meet Sarah Palin, supermom, proud possessor of feminine genius, and the best candidate ever for Vice President. She seems to have been chosed by God to perform this special task at this extraordinary hour of need.

Sarah Palin's nomination speech was a triumph

Even her detractors had to admit that her dynamic, poised, often hard-hitting speech was a home run. She outlined her many accomplishments as governor of Alaska, comparing them to the absenteeism and indecisiveness of Obama whose lackluster record in the Senate is an easy target. She outlined the importance of sacrifice and leadership, two qualities understood by John McCain, who said, "I'd rather win a war than an election". I have to admit, I thought the surge was reckless, but he was right to support it. McCain remembers how Democratic President Kennedy got us into Vietnam, and then sent troops in only little by little, undermining our efforts. John McCain rescued the Iraq War from becoming another Vietnam.

When it came to her family, Sarah Palin said that they are typical, with ups and downs, joys and challenges, a glancing reference to the tabloid attacks from mainstream newspapers this week on her daughter Bristol's pregnancy, which is more attention than they deserve.

BUT, for me, a special needs mother, THIS was the takeaway line of the night:

"Last April, we were blessed in my family with a baby boy. Sometimes our greatest blessings are also our greatest challenges. (HUGE OVATION, everyone focused on adorable Trig sleeping in Daddy's arms) For Special Needs Parents: For years you have been working to make the world a more welcoming place for your children. I promise you, that if we win, you will have a friend, an advocate in the White House". (BIG OVATION)

Sarah had reached through the TV screen and grabbed my heart! I have been working so hard these two years, since I met Senator Sam Brownback, supporting the "Prenatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act" only to see it tossed into the mix for partisan bickering. Now, I know that if Sarah Palin is elected, legislation like this will be taken seriously, and maybe, just maybe, the scandalous persecution of unborn babies with conditions like Down syndrome, aborted at a rate of 90% will end.

For this position alone, Sarah Palin has earned my full support. What kind of superpower are we, the wealthiest nation on earth, who had no room for the special needs child?

You can always judge a society by how it treats its weakest members. Thanks to Sarah Palin, the USA may emerge from this grave violation of civil rights, and once again like in the 1960's, give human rights to an overlooked segment of our population.