Where the Rubber Hits the Road

It's a sad day for the Archdioceses of New York and Philadelphia as employees are charged with stealing millions from the Church to maintain their  lifestyle. The New York Times writes about a woman who accomplished the undertaking to maintain her daily New York life. The Philadelphia Inquirer posts an article about another who bilked another million covering losses she ran up at casinos. I am not surprised people steal. No one who hears confessions for a living, be they priests, bartenders or barbers, would be shocked by such news. But there is something particularly odious about stealing from a Church. Whether it's emptying the poor box of coins or bank accounts with fraudulent bills, it's all stealing from monies given with the goal of helping the poor and educating the young. We sadly often applaud those who steal from the rich to give to the poor; from Robin Hood of film and legend to today's 'Anonymous' Movement  who hack computers to do the same. W...

'In the blue corner, hailing for the  New York Times.... Maureen Dowd And... in the brown corner, hailing for Baltimore, Maryland ... George Weigel Maureen Dowd’s Catholic Problem - George Weigel - National Review Online

A fascinating article from the New York Times Magazine... My Ex-Gay Friend - NYTimes.com

This is an article about R. Seth Williams, the District Attorney in Philadelphia who has laid charges not only against some predator priests, but also against the diocesan official who did not remove them from ministry but simply moved them to other parishes (where they sadly found more victims to abuse). I note that he is a practicing Catholic and sees his actions as aiding the Church in ridding itself of these abusers and their enablers. Avenging Altar Boy - NYTimes.com

No one can yet know what the long term effects of the revolutionary spirit that's sweeping through the Arab nations, but if this analysis is correct, this has got to be counted as 'good news'. Al Qaeda Finds Itself at a Crossroads - News Analysis - NYTimes.com

An interesting article about a universal human experience... grief. Why We Write About Grief - NYTimes.com

It's hard to deny that our climate is changing, yet many still hold to the view that it is. The recent brouhaha about scientists manipulating data to justify their conclusions is often raised by those who do not believe that the situation is as dire as many scientists profess. We may not be headed for 'global warming' (a disappointment to we frozen Canucks!) but there can be little doubt that our eco-system is definitely in a state of flux due to the many chemicals and gases we are pumping out into the atmosphere. Scientists Are Cleared of Misuse of Data - NYTimes.com

A Romp Through Theories on Origins of Life - NYTimes.com

A NYT columnist (Charles M. Blow) writes about the generational difference between his personal faith convictions and those of his son. It is an instructive vignette that helps to shed light on a process that is only now really making its presence felt: that the Gen X'ers and after are shedding the personalist conception of a god concerned with their welfare. It makes for interesting reading. Religion and Representation - NYTimes.com

From whence comes COURAGE? Searching for the Source of Our Fountains of Courage - NYTimes.com

Leave it to the NY Times to argue Hegelian philosophy. The last time the world followed his siren song, it waltzed itself straight into WWI. Its American economic equivalent in the 1920's lead to the collapse of the Great Depression which was echoed recently in the housing market collapse that set of the Great Recession. Hegel eventually leads us to state of existence where we assume that the good times will roll on forever in an eternal age of prosperity and social peace. He was found wanting before. His teachings should be given little attention today, which I guess is why the Times is promoting it. EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT! Hegel on Wall Street - NYTimes.com

This is a remarkable article, loaded with lots of interesting stuff to stimulate some thought and discussion. The Limits of the Coded World - Opinionator Blog - NYTimes.com

The prosecution states its case... A summary and culmination of the various news stories and scandals printed in the NYT. As damning as it is of the Vatican, and Pope Benedict XVI in particular, it does make clear one thing that I have been repeating in response to this sad affair: that the Bishops of Canada, USA & Australia (the first english-speaking Churches scorched by the sex abuse scandals) in fact HAVE changed their ways, and that reports of abuse are now being properly handled and reported to the appropriate police authority. Everyone is aware that such evil as is inflicted by child abusers on innocent victims will always be a scourge to be fought. It was spoken of in the Bible 2000 years ago, it's still here today. No doubt it will be with us until time comes to its end. It is not so much the fact that there are priests who are predators that harmed the people's faith. It's the cover-ups which demonstrated such a callous disregard for the victims, and for ...

Too important to miss! Please read this story.

From the start, Internet users have taken for granted that the territory was both a free-for-all and a digital disguise, allowing them to revel in their power to address the world while keeping their identities concealed. A New Yorker cartoon from 1993, during the Web’s infancy, with one mutt saying to another, “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog,” became an emblem of that freedom. For years, it was the magazine’s most reproduced cartoon. When news sites, after years of hanging back, embraced the idea of allowing readers to post comments, the near-universal assumption was that anyone could weigh in and remain anonymous. But now, that idea is under attack from several directions, and journalists, more than ever, are questioning whether anonymity should be a given on news sites.... click here to read the rest of the NYT article.

Op-Ed Columnist - John Paul II and Benedict XVI - The Better Pope? - NYTimes.com

Conrad Black opines on the USA MSM. Squandering what's left of their credibility

Op-Ed Columnist - The Church’s Judas Moment - NYTimes.com

A Response to the New York Times [Father Raymond J. de Souza] The New York Times on March 25 accused Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, of intervening to prevent a priest, Father Lawrence Murphy, from facing penalties for cases of sexual abuse of minors. The story is false. It is unsupported by its own documentation. Indeed, it gives every indication of being part of a coordinated campaign against Pope Benedict, rather than responsible journalism. Before addressing the false substance of the story, the following circumstances are worthy of note.... ---------------------- Thank you Fr. Raymond. It's good to know the truth. Fr. Tim

AMAZING!!! Today the NYT has published seven different articles attacking the Church. I guess it's clear whose side they're one!!