A Change for the Better

One legislative change that I'd like to see pushed through Congress - SOON - is to retirement benefits for Federal employees who violate the law.

They should lose ALL pension and insurance rights forever.

The money they contributed should be returned to them, with nominal interest, in full.  The Federal portion should be untouchable by them or their beneficiaries.

As for their insurance benefits, those not paid in full (i.e., life insurance), would be dropped.  They would be eligible to buy COBRA coverage, at prevailing rates, and, after that point, be eligible for any health benefits that any member of the public would receive - and pay for.

If this is done, administrators like Lois Lerner would hesitate to implement illegal and/or politically motivated cover-up schemes, for fear of screwing themselves out of their cushy retirement/benefits package.

Those fired for cause would have their pensions reduced by 1/3.  Those refusing to testify, or found to have withheld evidence to Congressional committees, would have their pension accounts frozen until they complied.  If not yet retired, the account would cease to accrue its benefit, and NOT add any increases, until they caved on their refusal.

Such changes would clearly convey the power of the purse, which is Congress's.

Gotta Brag!

My daughter was published recently.  She wrote about positive reasons to enter religious life.

When Is Abortion NOT Abortion?

When the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says so, that's when.

What happened:

In 1965, the medical definition for when pregnancy begins was changed by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Why? Ideology.

At the 1959 Planned Parenthood/Population Council symposium, Dr. Bent Boving argued for changing the definition by moving the date of conception from when fertilization occurs to when implantation occurs. He said that “the social advantage of [birth control] being considered to prevent conception rather than to destroy an established pregnancy could depend upon something so simple as a prudent habit of speech.”1

In 1964, Dr. Christopher Tietze pushed this propaganda further. After noting that many religious and legal experts accept medical consensus as fact, he said that “if a medical consensus develops and is maintained that pregnancy, and therefore life, begins at implantation, eventually our brethren from the other faculties will listen.”2 Tietze would later win the Planned Parenthood Federation of America Margaret Sanger Award for outstanding contributions to the pro-abortion movement.

Ironically, medical textbooks STILL teach the more traditional definition of pregnancy:

Medical textbooks still teach that human life begins at conception when sperm and egg unite. See Keith L. Moore, T.V.N. Persaud, The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology (Philadelphia: Saunders, 2008). Keith L. Moore is a recipient of the American Association of Anatomists’ highest award for excellence.

From the Guttmacher Institute:

To be sure, not every act of intercourse results in a pregnancy. First, ovulation (i.e., the monthly release of a woman's egg) must occur. Then, the egg must be fertilized. Fertilization describes the process by which a single sperm gradually penetrates the layers of an egg to form a new cell ("zygote"). This usually occurs in the fallopian tubes and can take up to 24 hours. There is only a short window during which an egg can be fertilized. If fertilization does not occur during that time, the egg dissolves and then hormonal changes trigger menstruation; however, if fertilization does occur, the zygote divides and differentiates into a "preembryo" while being carried down the fallopian tube toward the uterus. Implantation of the preembryo in the uterine lining begins about five days after fertilization. Implantation can be completed as early as eight days or as late as 18 days after fertilization, but usually takes about 14 days. Between one-third and one-half of all fertilized eggs never fully implant. A pregnancy is considered to be established only after implantation is complete.

Source: American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

There's a LOT more at that site - I suggest that you check it out when you have a few minutes.

This is a MEDIA fight - a fight to ensure that all sources of information for the public sing the same tune.  A full discussion is here.  And more here (from a Catholic viewpoint).

 

One of My Favorite Sites for Re-Post Links

It's Liberal Logic 101.  

Today I woke early, and was catching up, and found this:



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Naturally, as I am Catholic, it caught my eye.

The Crusades were a Defensive War.  The Muslims were attacking an ally, who asked for our assistance.  They were not that successful - as the Muslims kept re-grouping and re-attacking over many centuries.  Although the Battle of Tours in October 762 (Christian forces led by Charles Martel, Charles the Hammer) stopped the Muslims from advancing further into France, they maintained their Iberian Peninsula foothold in Europe until 1492, when the combined forces of Ferdinand and Isabella finally pried loose Moors in the Battle of Granada.

The Muslims were, in the treaty, free to practice their religion, until 1502, when they were given a choice, convert or leave.

Beginning in Valencia in 1502, Muslims were offered the choice of baptism or exile. The majority decided to accept the former, becoming 'New Catholics', of very great interest to the newly established Spanish Inquisition, authorized byPope Sixtus IV in 1478.

The Morisco conversos (converts), though outwardly Catholic, continued to adhere to their old beliefs in private as crypto-Muslims in a practice known as taqiyyah or precaution, conduct allowed for by some Islamic authorities when the faithful are under duress or threat of life.

Some of the above I knew from college work - I specialized in Latin American History, and was reasonably fluent in Spanish, at that time.  I cited Wikipedia (yes, I do know their woeful record of inaccuracy in many entries.  However, they are generally a good resource for basic research - I sometimes use them for background in areas of science I need to brush up on.  That would be Chemistry or Physics, NOT Climate Change).

The Muslim invaders weren't stopped from their Aggressive Wars until the Battle of Vienna:

...the other 9-11: September 11th, 1683, the day when an alliance of Christian armies led by Jan III Sobieski, the King of Poland, arrived at the Gates of Vienna.

The Ottoman Empire had been expanding into Europe ever since Constantinople fell to the Turks, and even before that. Wherever the Muslim armies went, they plundered cities, took slaves, turned churches into mosques, and converted many thousands of Christian captives to Islam at the point of a sword.

The Sultan’s armies overran Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia. They turned Protestant Hungary into a compliant vassal and made war repeatedly on Austria and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Ottomans had designs on Vienna, since the fall of the city would open the way into the heart of Austria and the rich principalities of southern Germany.

The Gates of Vienna tells the stirring story on their blog.  Do read it - you need to know why September 11 has significance, beyond 2001's atrocity.

Bonus - you'll learn the story of why we eat Croissants.

 

Yes, We Are Officially Living in Bizarro World

I grew up reading Superman, Batman, and all of the other DC heroes (and heroines - I LOVED Supergirl).

There was a character, Bizarro Superman.  Can't remember just how he was created, but he was like a Frankenstein version of Superman - craggy, just as strong as Superman, and dumb as a box of rocks.  He was like the Anti-Superman - not evil, just whackily determined to do the opposite of whatever made sense.

Sort of like our current Liberal/Leftist/Progressive Americans.  If it's BAD for America, then they are resolutely FOR it!

What brought this to mind?

• Newscasters (Brian Williams) who lie, then lie about the lie, then...well, you get the point.  But, we are expected to TRUST them.


• "Republican Politicians who are elected, take over the Congress and Senate, and proceed to turn around and implement the Democratic platform.  Hey, if I wanted a Democrat, I would have VOTED for him.


• A country whose economy is cratering, but accepts "news reports" about the growing employment picture (never mind that the only ones being hired are illegal), the improving economy (the only way they can keep the figures from spiraling downward is to artificially keep the interest rates near zero), and growing public pension disasters (which the courts will NOT let the government bodies amend).


• A society that hates the married, but LOVES weddings - the more lavish, the better.


• A society that SAYS it elevates women, but has no problems exploiting their naked bodies in shows that a sensible viewing audience would have to admit is pornographic.


• A judiciary that overturns laws voted on by the public, if they don't agree with Progressive views.


• A society that is trying to make sugar and fat illegal, but encouraging pot consumption.

I could go on and on, but why bother?  Either you agree that this all is WHACK, or you likely haven't read this far.