tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219023542024-03-19T01:11:38.606-07:00The Catholic FarmerA Catholic view of the world from a "grassroots" perspectiveFrenchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317084480479237461noreply@blogger.comBlogger142125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21902354.post-53728372295854800952012-03-25T11:49:00.005-07:002012-03-25T11:49:45.143-07:00Zenyatta News<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhP4oOiKA1gQG7vyGfgSihb96MmbO7J61QIlAaQ12FiCmER-6v0odHrFRda1PMphPMqKgF2SgKdd_LQ_yUielAoIK-hdeEzh9Q9LCBDIHVJ-WXC-3XGXiWdsGlI_o6GjRb7i_MmA/s1600/zenyatta_foal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhP4oOiKA1gQG7vyGfgSihb96MmbO7J61QIlAaQ12FiCmER-6v0odHrFRda1PMphPMqKgF2SgKdd_LQ_yUielAoIK-hdeEzh9Q9LCBDIHVJ-WXC-3XGXiWdsGlI_o6GjRb7i_MmA/s200/zenyatta_foal.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Zenyatta foaled a colt by Bernardini on March 9. He is a cute little guy, dark brown/bay with a white star on his forehead. All is going well with both of them.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLxT_ccx12Jv-28sfY0FKOkwFDH-7Qs_WmOcm37NWu5WP2t4dqUvvQ4fkgnzspnEOSoQ1ZiMZhrjFYHcb0Vspc3C57eCgRzPZahqgECmC0a-e94KMp64N-B9DlK4SMUAdfqvniXg/s1600/Tapit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLxT_ccx12Jv-28sfY0FKOkwFDH-7Qs_WmOcm37NWu5WP2t4dqUvvQ4fkgnzspnEOSoQ1ZiMZhrjFYHcb0Vspc3C57eCgRzPZahqgECmC0a-e94KMp64N-B9DlK4SMUAdfqvniXg/s200/Tapit.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Zenyatta is to be bred this year to Tapit, winner of the 2004 Wood Memorial. Here is a link to that race for anyone interested. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5wL8N-602M<br />
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Tapit also won the 2003 Laurel Stakes and finished 9th in the 2004 Kentucky Derby. His foals have been doing quite well - his son Hansen won last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile.Frenchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317084480479237461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21902354.post-42148643722813580922012-02-03T08:27:00.000-08:002012-02-03T08:27:01.213-08:00HHS MandateIn case you haven't yet heard, the Department of Health and Human Services recently issued a mandate requiring all employers to cover birth control, sterilizations, and abortifacient drugs in their insurance plans. This includes religious organizations (the "religious exemption" is so small almost no one would fit it; the organization must only employ and serve people of its own faith - so there go all our religious charities, hospitals, etc. that disagree with contraception and/or abortion). Basically, the government is forcing people to buy and pay for things that they find morally objectionable - to violate their conscience and go against their religious beliefs. This is an unprecedented intrusion on our 1st amendment right to freedom of religion. Even if you disagree with the Catholic Church on these issues, it should be disturbing that our current administration is willing to show such blatant disregard for fundamental rights - whose rights might they decide are inconvenient to their agenda next?<br />
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I urge everyone who is concerned about this to go to <a href="https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/!/petition/rescind-hhs-dept-mandate-requiring-catholic-employers-provide-contraceptivesabortifacients-their/lBxr7SdP?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl" target="_blank">this link</a> and sign the petition to our president demanding that he rescind this mandate.Frenchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317084480479237461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21902354.post-21573456420607149102011-11-28T13:17:00.001-08:002011-11-28T14:14:15.576-08:003rd Edition of the Roman MissalDear Folks Who Are Griping About the New Translation:<br />
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It's not a very good argument (or a very good reflection on your logic and intelligence) to gripe for paragraphs about how much you hate the new translation and then at the end of it all to say, "Well, it's all just semantics. Words aren't important." If words aren't important to you, then you have no reason to argue. Either words are important to you, in which case you need to come up with a reason why the old translation is better than the new one (good luck with that), or else words aren't important to you, and you shouldn't care one way or the other.<br />
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I think the words ARE important. Very important. The reason being that words are signs of the undergoings of the soul, to put it in somewhat Aristotelian language. That is to say, we use words to communicate to other people what we are thinking and what we wish to convey. If the words we use are inaccurate, the thought conveyed will be inaccurate. In the case of highly complex but nonetheless extremely important doctrines of Christianity (the Trinity and the Incarnation are two good examples), the Church has striven for centuries to find the most accurate words possible in order to avoid giving rise to heresies. For instance, the Nicene Creed which we say at Mass has been revised so that rather than saying that Jesus is "one in Being with the Father" we say that He is "consubstantial with the Father". This is an extremely important distinction. In Aristotle's "Categories" he lays out 10 "modes" of being - substance (I am human), quantity (I am one in number), quality (my skin is white), relation (I am my father's daughter), place (I am in Wyoming), time (it is 2:30 p.m.), position (I am sitting), acting (I am baking cookies), being acted upon (I am being pulled on a sled), and being shod (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">the determination arising from the physical accoutrements of an object, e.g. I have socks on). The old translation does not specify in which mode of being Jesus is one with the Father. For all we know from that translation, Jesus and the Father could be one in being because they are both sitting down. And if that's all we know, how is that different from me and my dog being one in being because we are both sitting down?</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">The new translation is extremely superior in that it specifies in which mode of being Jesus and the Father are one - substance, or the what-it-is of something; its nature. "Consubstantial" basically means "of one substance with". This clears up the disastrous ambiguity of the previous translation. Now we know that Jesus and the Father have the same substance predicated of them - deity. They are both divine. In response to the question "What are you?" both the Father and Jesus would answer "God". The previous translation was not precise enough to convey this important truth, and therefore left the door open to the heresy of Arianism, i.e. that Jesus is not God.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">This is just one example among many of the superiority of the new translation of the Mass, and of the fact that words, actually, do matter quite a lot.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Another example is a change which can be found in the words for the consecration of the wine. The old translation said that Jesus' blood would be shed "for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven." The new translation says His blood will be poured out "for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins." First of all, I'd like to include the original Latin text for this line. It goes as follows: "pro vobis et pro multis effundeter, in remissionem peccatorum." The most literal translation of this line would be, "it will be poured out for you and for many, unto the forgiveness of sins." And here is where another very important truth is conveyed. Although we believe that Jesus died for all men and that His sacrifice and the shedding of His blood made salvation available to all men, we do not believe that all men will take advantage of this. Not all men will repent, have their sins forgiven, and enter into heaven. Some will reject God and end up in hell. The original Latin makes this abundantly clear: Jesus' blood will be shed for the apostles unto the forgiveness of their sins, in other words His sacrifice will have the desired effect in them of the forgiveness of their sins; and also unto the forgiveness of the sins of many. However, since many other men will not accept God's grace and will therefore not have their sins forgiven, Jesus' blood will not be shed unto their forgiveness, in other words His sacrifice will not effect the forgiveness of their sins since they did not repent. The old translation does not convey this truth at all. At best it conveys the fact that Jesus' blood made salvation available to all men; at worst it conveys the false idea that all men will have their sins forgiven and go to heaven. The new translation, however, by going back to the word 'many' and by saying that Jesus' blood will be poured out for many FOR the forgiveness of sins, does a much better job of conveying the truth that many will receive the effects of Jesus' sacrifice, but that not all will receive those effects.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">So there are two examples of how the wrong words can cover up truth or even promote heresy. Of course in this day and age when truth is unpopular and matters little compared with how you feel when you go to Mass (and you had better feel good about yourself and everyone else), it's not surprising that some folks are fighting claw, tooth and nail against some of those pesky, uncomfortable truths that the new translation is bringing clearly back into the light.</span>Frenchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317084480479237461noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21902354.post-39737487726613462862011-10-19T15:16:00.000-07:002011-10-19T15:16:20.969-07:00Petition to DEFUND Planned ParenthoodIf you don't want Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider (and also known through undercover investigation to cover up statutory rape and underage sex traffickers) to receive any more of your tax money, sign this petition! LifeSiteNews and affiliates are trying to collect at least 100,000 signatures on this petition, which will then be sent to every member of the U.S. Congress.<br />
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<a href="http://www.defundpp.net/">http://www.defundpp.net/</a>Frenchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317084480479237461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21902354.post-32105133323490476372011-10-08T17:28:00.000-07:002011-10-08T17:28:40.607-07:00I don't get it...Sometimes people's logic (or lack thereof) truly baffles me. I was on a pro-life website just recently and there was one commenter on the message board who declared herself to be unabashedly pro-abortion in all circumstances because she didn't "support forced pregnancy." The only kind of forced pregnancy I can think of is if a woman gets raped and happens to become pregnant from it. Otherwise, she CHOSE to have sex. Therefore she also chose all the possible consequences of sex, a very big one of which is getting pregnant. And yes, even if she was on birth control or the guy was using a condom, she could still get pregnant, because those things fail sometimes! Nope, sorry, you can't mess around with your reproductive systems and functions and try to use them solely for pleasure or for feeling closer to your significant other or whatever, because whether or not you want to believe it, sex was made so that people can make more people, and it's often very successful at doing that even if we try to stop it artificially. So if you're not ready to make more people, for heaven's sake don't do the very thing that was specifically designed to make more people! If you do it anyway, then please don't try to tell me that your pregnancy was forced, because YOU, and no one else, brought this consequence upon yourself; and YOU need to take the responsibility for your action instead of making yourself out to be a victim and murdering the innocent child who is the product of your decision to have sex.Frenchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317084480479237461noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21902354.post-89087991840883720882011-09-14T07:49:00.000-07:002011-09-14T07:59:45.274-07:00The High Costs of "Free" Birth Control<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"></span><br />
This is a pretty good article from the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. I would encourage you to read the pdf file linked in the article. It has the results of numerous studies which give evidence of the failure of birth control to reduce unintended pregnancies.<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black; font-family: Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"></span></span></span>The High Costs of "Free" Birth Control</span></h2>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">by Richard M. Doerflinger</span></h3>
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<span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 1em/normal arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">JULY 28, 2011</span></span></h4>
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<span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 1em/normal arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">On July 21, the health news site</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"> </span><a class="external link" href="javascript:showDisclaimer('http://naturalsociety.com/',191);" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; font: normal normal normal 1em/normal arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: underline;" title="external link http://naturalsociety.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Natural Society</span></a><span class="icon" style="background-image: url(http://www.usccb.org/images/icons/external.gif); background-repeat: no-repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 1em/normal arial; height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none !important; width: 16px !important;" title="external link"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">. . . </span></span><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 1em/normal arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">featured these breaking news headlines: "Newer Birth Control Pill Linked to Higher Risk of Blood Clots"; "Birth Control Increases Risk of Contracting, Transmitting HIV"; and finally, "Medical Panel Pushes for Free Birth Control for Women."</span></span></div>
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 1em/normal arial; line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 1em/normal arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Hmm, one might ask, who was on this medical panel? Dr. Kevorkian? But no, it was the Institute of Medicine, advising the Department of Health and Human Services on "preventive services for women" to mandate in virtually </span><em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic !important; font-weight: inherit !important; font: normal normal normal 1em/normal arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">all</span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"> private health plans under the new health care reform act.</span></span></div>
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<span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 1em/normal arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">HHS says it delegated this task to the IOM so people would see the outcome as based on "science" rather than politics. But IOM's report seems based less on science than on the ideology of authors who share Planned Parenthood's view of sex and procreation, several of whom have served on the boards of PP affiliates and other pro-abortion organizations. The report says enhanced access to contraception will reduce abortions, though there is</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"> </span><a class="icon-pdf" href="http://old.usccb.org/prolife/issues/contraception/contraception-fact-sheet-3-17-11.pdf" style="-webkit-background-clip: initial; -webkit-background-origin: initial; background-attachment: scroll; background-color: transparent; background-image: url(http://www.usccb.org/images/icons/acro.gif); background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; display: inline-block !important; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; font: normal normal normal 1em/normal arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 18px !important; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">ample evidence against that claim</span></a><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 1em/normal arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">. In fact, the panel recommends that health plans must cover all drugs approved by the FDA as prescription contraceptives – including the newly approved "emergency contraceptive" called Ella, which like RU-486 can cause an abortion weeks into pregnancy. When asked about a conscience exemption for those who have a moral or religious objection to this, an IOM spokesperson said it wasn't her panel's job to take account of other people's personal "feelings." Many fear HHS will take the same approach.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Secular news media – </span><em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic !important; font-weight: inherit !important; font: normal normal normal 1em/normal arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Time</span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">, </span><em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic !important; font-weight: inherit !important; font: normal normal normal 1em/normal arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">U.S. News</span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">, </span><em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic !important; font-weight: inherit !important; font: normal normal normal 1em/normal arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">USA Today</span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">, </span><em style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic !important; font-weight: inherit !important; font: normal normal normal 1em/normal arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">L.A. Times</span></em><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"> – obediently repeated the panel's public relations message that it is offering "free" birth control for women. That message is nonsense. Currently women who want birth control coverage pay for it through their premiums, and sometimes also have a co-pay or out-of-pocket expense. Under the new mandate they will still pay for it, but the cost will be buried in the overall premium – and everyone else, including churches and other religious employers as well as individual Catholics, will be forced to pay for it in their premiums too, so payments coerced from those who object will make birth control coverage a bit cheaper for those who want it.</span></div>
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<span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 1em/normal arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">And what about the "cost" in women's lives from those blood clots and cases of AIDS? Researchers have known about both problems for years. In 2005, for example, a study funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control noted: "</span><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 1em/normal arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">The positive link between pill use and HIV infection was… supported by a meta-analysis of 28 studies, including seven prospective studies." Most American women haven't been told this. Ironically, other "preventive services" recommended by the IOM include screening for sexually transmitted diseases. But why would you mandate something that can cause what the other services on your list seek to prevent?</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 1em/normal arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">The other big "cost," of course, is the cost to freedom of religion and respect for conscience. Though not alone in its view, the Catholic Church has long been prophetic and counter-cultural in warning that artificial contraception and sterilization do not enhance women's well-being. No American, of course, is required by law to believe that teaching. But should the government, in the name of all Americans, now coerce even the Church's institutions into acting on the opposite view -- when the evidence supporting its message is stronger than ever?</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"><br style="font-size: 12px;" /></span><br />
<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 1em/normal arial; line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 8px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
<span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 1em/normal arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">Mr. Doerflinger is Associate Director of the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"> </span><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 1em/normal arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">For more information about the bishops' pro-life activities, visit</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;"> </span><a href="http://www.usccb.org/prolife" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; font: normal normal normal 1em/normal arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 1em/normal arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">www.usccb.org/prolife</span></span></a><span style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; font: normal normal normal 1em/normal arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white;">.</span></span></div>
Frenchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317084480479237461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21902354.post-36533704467014002772011-09-06T11:24:00.000-07:002011-09-06T11:35:12.961-07:00Artifical Conceptions and IncestI just finished reading an article about a possible negative side-effect of out-of-intercourse conceptions that I'd never thought of before: incest. The article was saying that, basically, when you have multiple children conceived from one sperm donor to completely different mothers/families, there is a real possibility that two of those half-siblings would meet up and have (unknowingly) incestual sex. Supposedly there is some kind of oversight on this issue to try to prevent this from happening (keeping track of all the children conceived via one sperm donor by having a donor number assigned to those children), but I can't imagine that it would be possible to prevent all such incest from occurring - one sperm donor was reported to have had 150 children, many of which neither the mothers nor other children really knew anything about. I don't think all or even many of those kids, if they happened to meet at high school or elsewhere and uh...got going...would stop to ask, "Hey, were you artificially conceived and if so, what's your donor number?" The risk of this happening doesn't just come from sperm and egg donors, of course. Extra-marital sex contributes as well, since the more one "sleeps around" the more likely it is that there will be half-siblings out there that don't know about each other.<br />
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Of course, incestual relations can lead to serious problems. According to one article: "Because relatives already share some genetic material, there is a greater risk that incest will result in a child who has a rare genetic disorder carried as a recessive trait. Recessive traits may cause no symptoms at all in those that carry the genes, but when combined can result in seriously affected offspring. The closer the relationship of people in an incestuous relationship, the greater the risk that they both carry the same recessive genes." Basically, if two of these half-silbings had sex and conceived a child, that child would be more likely to have serious genetic disorders.</div>
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Sometimes I wonder how long it will take people to figure out that when you go against Nature, you will suffer real, physical consequences. Nature designed our bodies to work in a certain way, and when we decide not to use them that way, our bodies will suffer. If we eat poison, we'll get sick or die. If we try to breathe something other than air, we'll suffocate or drown. The same concept applies to our sexuality - if we try to repress our fertility so that we can have sex for pleasure whenever we feel like it with whomever we want, or if we decide that reproduction doesn't have to happen in the context of married sex, we will experience real, physical consequences. Contraception has been linked to increased infertility and breast cancer; homosexuality has been linked to the increase in AIDS; now the practice of sperm and egg donation and extra-marital sex seems to be leading to the problem of possible incest and seriously diseased offspring. The natural law isn't just about not killing, stealing, and lying; it has important applications in the physical realm, and we would all do well to obey it in that realm, because Nature has a habit of coming back to bite you in the butt if you don't follow its laws.</div>
Frenchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317084480479237461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21902354.post-38242892370637706982011-08-09T16:08:00.000-07:002011-08-09T16:08:24.913-07:00A Little "Research Report" I DidAfter reading yet another article on how increased access to contraceptives has done nothing to decrease unplanned pregnancies, I decided to do a little bit of research into contraceptives and their failure rates as compared with the increase in premarital sexual activity over the last century. Please note that I'm not a professional researcher by any means, and that these results are the best I could come up with by doing some simple Internet searches for data on these points. Even though it's most likely not completely accurate, I think the general pattern is pretty evident.<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><b><u>Artificial Contraception Research<o:p></o:p></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Methods of Contraception (as listed by Planned Parenthood’s website, excluding sterilization)<o:p></o:p></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Implant<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Patch<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Pill<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Shot<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Sponge<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Vaginal Ring<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Cervical Cap<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Condom, male<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Condom, female<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Diaphragm<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">IUD<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Morning-After Pill<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Outercourse<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Spermicide<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal">Withdrawal<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Failure Rates, averaging different brands of same method (according to chart on Wikipedia and information on the Planned Parenthood website)<o:p></o:p></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; border: none; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;"><tbody>
<tr> <td style="border: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 61.0pt;"><b>Method<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></b></div></td> <td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal"><b>Typical Use<o:p></o:p></b></div></td> <td style="border-left: none; border: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 98.0pt;"><b>Perfect Use<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></b></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">Implant<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">.05%<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">.05%<o:p></o:p></div></td> </tr>
<tr style="height: 13.0pt;"> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext .5pt; height: 13.0pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">Patch<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; height: 13.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">8%<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; height: 13.0pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">.3%<o:p></o:p></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">Pill<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">8%<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">.3%<o:p></o:p></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">Shot<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">3%<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">.3%<o:p></o:p></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">Sponge<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">24%<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">14.5%<o:p></o:p></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">Vaginal Ring<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">8%<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">.3%<o:p></o:p></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">Cervical Cap<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">18.5%<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">12%<o:p></o:p></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">Male Condom<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">15%<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">2%<o:p></o:p></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">Female Condom<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">21%<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">5%<o:p></o:p></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">Diaphragm<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">16%<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">6%<o:p></o:p></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">IUD<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">.5%<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">.4%<o:p></o:p></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">Morning-After Pill<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">~20%<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">~11%<o:p></o:p></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">Outercourse<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">~1%<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">~1%<o:p></o:p></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">Spermicide<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">29%<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">18%<o:p></o:p></div></td> </tr>
<tr> <td style="border-top: none; border: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">Withdrawal<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">27%<o:p></o:p></div></td> <td style="border-bottom: solid windowtext .5pt; border-left: none; border-right: solid windowtext .5pt; border-top: none; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; width: 2.05in;" valign="top" width="148"> <div class="MsoNormal">4%<o:p></o:p></div></td> </tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Average Typical Use Failure Rate: 13.27%<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Average Perfect Use Failure Rate: 5.01%<o:p></o:p></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Data Breakdown<o:p></o:p></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Over the last century, the number of teenaged women engaging in pre-marital sex has increased from roughly 6% in 1900 to roughly 80% nowadays.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, 6 out of every hundred teenaged women used to have premarital sex; now 80 out of one hundred do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even if we assume every teenaged woman having intercourse in 1900 to get pregnant (not a likely assumption), this would only result (in pre-birth control days) in 6 “unplanned” pregnancies in 1900.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we assume all teenaged women today to use birth control, 13.27 percent with typical use will still get pregnant, and 5.01% with perfect use will still get pregnant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In other words, now there will result roughly 10-11 “unplanned” pregnancies with all teenaged women practicing a typical use of birth control; and roughly 4 “unplanned” pregnancies will result with all teenaged women practicing a perfect use of birth control.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><u>Conclusion<o:p></o:p></u></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In 1900, we stated that a possible 6 unplanned pregnancies for every hundred teenaged women could take place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This number was probably actually considerably less, when we take into account the fact that a woman can only get pregnant on a few days out of every month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the current age, we stated that if all 80 out of 100 teenaged women having premarital sex used birth control, the number would be either roughly 10-11 or 4 unplanned pregnancies, depending on how they use birth control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since the typical use is, by its very meaning, the one most-used, we can safely say that, under the given assumption, about 10 unplanned pregnancies will now happen for every 100 teenaged women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But since probably not all teenaged women engaging in premarital sex were using a contraceptive, the overall “failure rate” (rate of pregnancy) in all 80 would no doubt rise higher still.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The overall conclusion is that the promotion of birth control does not lessen unplanned pregnancies; rather, it probably (taking all the above-mentioned factors into account) at least doubles the number.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The likely reason for this is that birth control induces a feeling of safety, such that many teenaged women who would not have had sex otherwise now have it; in fact so many more have sex that birth control’s effectiveness cannot “make up for” the increase in instances of premarital sex, thus more pregnancies result than before birth control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In addition, the birth control “mentality” has made premarital sex so common and “normal” that at least some people probably engage in it without using contraception at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This only increases the likelihood of more unplanned pregnancies.<o:p></o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This conclusion is confirmed by data which shows that the out-of-wedlock birthrate has increased three-fold in the last 30-odd years (not to mention the many pregnancies which have ended in abortion).<o:p></o:p></div><!--EndFragment--> Frenchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317084480479237461noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21902354.post-72275422260252011062011-05-03T08:53:00.000-07:002011-05-03T08:54:12.115-07:00Horses in the WildFor all you folks out there who think horse racing and/or other human use of horses (or any animals, really) is cruel, and that animals should all be allowed to go wild and free again... here's a video of what wild horses do.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwOnFrfPRdE&feature=related">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwOnFrfPRdE&feature=related</a><br />
<br />
At least when race horses are injured, we put them down in a relatively painless manner.Frenchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317084480479237461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21902354.post-64304099316710416032011-04-14T13:12:00.000-07:002011-04-14T13:12:43.004-07:00Someone help meI recently volunteered to become one of the Sunday cantors at my new parish here in Wyoming. The reason? None of the other cantors did music that I would consider to be appropriate for the liturgy, as described in various encyclicals, council documents, and other Church documents. I wanted to have my chance once every 5 weeks or so to introduce the congregation to some better hymns. Anthony also signed up to join the cantor schedule, and he was assigned Palm Sunday for his first Sunday. So, we dutifully went through the lack-lustre OCP hymnal, picking out some of the few songs that were both appropriate for church and Palm Sunday themed. We then e-mailed our choices to the organist. Well, guess what? The next day we got a reply saying that at THIS parish we pick out our music from the OCP's suggestion list for that Sunday, and that in HER opinion we ought to choose "The King of Glory Comes, The Nation Rejoices."<br />
<br />
Now, when I read this e-mail, I almost literally saw red. I was so angry I didn't even know what to think. First of all, the reply was just snippy-sounding. I felt like I was being talked down to. Second, I don't think I should have to take orders from our organist since she is Protestant. Why should a Protestant have any kind of say over what is done in the Catholic liturgy? Those decisions need to be left up to Catholics, who really understand what is going on and can choose appropriate music. Third, our organist isn't even very good at playing organ. If we're being limited in our song selection because of her inability, it's time for a new organist. And fourth, I don't think we should be limited to the suggestion sheet put out by the OCP. This publishing company obviously doesn't know or doesn't care about what the Church has to say on appropriate liturgical music, since the VAST majority of the stuff they put out is trite, sentimental, mushy, pop-music-sounding, and sometimes even heretical. Almost none of it actually reflects the sacredness and seriousness of the Mass, or is beautiful in any way. Their suggestion sheets usually reflect this trend, containing almost exclusively the afore-mentioned types of songs. Since I'm all about worshipping God properly, the way the Church wants us to worship Him, I don't think the parish should be tied down to this awful publishing company's hymnals and suggestions sheets, just because our Protestant organist wants it that way!!<br />
<br />
I intend to discuss this issue with our pastor, as I'm not sure if he's aware of the current situation or if that's what he wants. I truly hope that he will permit the cantors to pick their music for themselves without regard to this organist, and that he will encourage the better type of music to be sung. If these things aren't the case...if I would be forced to submit to the OCP and the Protestant organist...well then, bye-bye cantoring.Frenchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317084480479237461noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21902354.post-24945717273554276612011-03-31T08:48:00.000-07:002011-03-31T08:48:55.682-07:00Lecture on MarriageHere's a video of a great lecture on marriage given at Steubenville by Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse of the Ruth Institute. She paints a pretty scary picture of what the future could be like if same-sex "marriage" is recognized by the state. It's about an hour long, but totally worth the time.<br />
<br />
<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/I7AwGxqjPWg&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/I7AwGxqjPWg&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Frenchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317084480479237461noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21902354.post-54379101123082948752011-03-29T15:14:00.000-07:002011-03-29T15:14:47.586-07:00Zenyatta to be re-bredJust a quick update: I read this morning that Zenyatta miscarried, so they are going to breed her to Bernardini again next week. Here's hoping everything goes well this time!<br />
<br />
By the way, Anthony bought me her Breyer model for my birthday present! Yay! :)Frenchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317084480479237461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21902354.post-31298772652250106922011-03-25T07:53:00.000-07:002011-03-25T07:53:49.636-07:00Isn't this cool??Today, March 25th, is the Feast of the Annunciation. It is, appropriately, placed exactly 9 months before Christmas since it was at the Annunciation that Christ was conceived in the womb of Mary. The incarnation of Christ is such an important event in human history that this feast day is a solemnity in the Church calendar - the highest kind of feast day there is. This year, it happens to fall on a Friday during Lent. And guess what that means!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">"Can. 1251 Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday." -Code of Canon Law</div><div><br />
</div><div>Yep, you heard right - we don't have to abstain from meat today!! Hooray!! :)</div>Frenchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317084480479237461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21902354.post-63759390165307722872011-03-14T18:51:00.000-07:002011-03-14T18:53:22.042-07:00From the CCCHere's a great quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church:<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span><br />
<blockquote>Though human reason is, strictly speaking, truly capable by its own natural power and light of attaining to a true and certain knowledge of the one personal God, who watches over and controls the world by his providence, and of the natural law written in our hearts by the Creator; yet there are many obstacles which prevent reason from the effective and fruitful use of this inborn faculty. For the truths that concern the relations between God and man wholly transcend the visible order of things, and, if they are translated into human action and influence it, they call for self-surrender and abnegation. The human mind, in its turn, is hampered in the attaining of such truths, not only by the impact of the senses and the imagination, but also by disordered appetites which are the consequences of original sin. So it happens that men in such matters easily persuade themselves that what they would not like to be true is false or at least doubtful.</blockquote><br />
<br />
The Church got it WAY right on this one. Just look around at how many people seem incapable or unwilling to understand a reasonable argument for why they shouldn't, say, have an abortion, or engage in homosexual relations. There are perfectly reasonable arguments against these things, but in my experience, those who do them just won't listen. And this quote explains exactly why.Frenchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317084480479237461noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21902354.post-63237361127433381092011-03-14T10:30:00.000-07:002011-03-14T10:30:13.611-07:00I'm tired of know-it-alls<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJh8G-3hZr2ifkINt9W49RAEZAhLNCmZmgLrrtCXKTGKa7AHcd_wiEvO4IDu2FDeXTrg51Trw444_aTrNoQ90w16wV_DKAbt0_B99dM2mb62tsIiqtf4pgPRcrZNcYvqMLrm5GJA/s1600/516t.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJh8G-3hZr2ifkINt9W49RAEZAhLNCmZmgLrrtCXKTGKa7AHcd_wiEvO4IDu2FDeXTrg51Trw444_aTrNoQ90w16wV_DKAbt0_B99dM2mb62tsIiqtf4pgPRcrZNcYvqMLrm5GJA/s200/516t.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_DdpLUWH0z4XsF1rHjyP1dKQwqqJzdbCzGBlLh4FRoHohs4YXfvyNtTwHUIA3cT0XagTq-4_nhDvv9bmSV3hPLD4HBNB37601K8eqXI_FROp4R9Bgpe7Y9JBXtJsXaRGLKacCw/s1600/uncle-mo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_DdpLUWH0z4XsF1rHjyP1dKQwqqJzdbCzGBlLh4FRoHohs4YXfvyNtTwHUIA3cT0XagTq-4_nhDvv9bmSV3hPLD4HBNB37601K8eqXI_FROp4R9Bgpe7Y9JBXtJsXaRGLKacCw/s200/uncle-mo.jpg" width="200" /></a>So I'm getting really sick and tired of all these horse racing "experts" who feel like they have to degrade every horse that comes along and garners some attention for the sport. First it was Zenyatta: "She's just a synthetics specialist; they didn't race her against males; her competition was lousy, etc. etc." Now it's Uncle Mo, an undefeated 3 year old who has whooped every field to face him so far, and who has a lot of people excited about this year's Triple Crown prospects. The comments now are about his pedigree and pre-Derby prep schedule: "He's not bred for distance or stamina; he's just a sprinter so he'll never get the Triple Crown distances; he's never run a race longer than 1 1/16 miles; his prep schedule for the Derby is too easy, etc. etc."<br />
<br />
Okay, whatever. Even if you despise Zenyatta, even if you think Uncle Mo has no chance at the Derby or Triple Crown, can't you just sit back and zip it for a while and let people be excited about these horses and about the sport of horse racing? If Uncle Mo isn't good enough for the TC distances, it will become apparent in time. But at least for the present, let us fans enjoy watching an excellent Derby contender and hoping that maybe the TC will finally be taken once again.Frenchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317084480479237461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21902354.post-78621544014815629022011-03-11T15:00:00.000-08:002011-03-11T15:00:32.380-08:00Sacred Music from TAC, #6<b><u>O Vos Omnes</u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> by Tomas Luis de Victoria. This is a wonderful Lenten motet, and as Lent has just begun, what better time to post it than now? The text is from Lamentations 1:12.</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uV78v1B1OSE" title="YouTube video player" width="425"></iframe> </span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br />
</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span">Latin:</span></b><br />
O vos omnes, qui transitis per viam,<br />
attendite, et videte si est dolor similis sicut dolor meus.<br />
Attendite, universi populi, et videte dolorem meum:<br />
si est dolor similis sicut dolor meus.<br />
<br />
<b>English:</b><br />
O all you, who pass by the way,<br />
attend, and see if there is any sorrow like unto my sorrow.<br />
Attend, all you people, and see my sorrow:<br />
if there is any sorrow like unto my sorrow.Frenchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317084480479237461noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21902354.post-34649660019100057232011-03-10T09:51:00.000-08:002011-03-10T09:51:22.896-08:00News on the Zenyatta Front<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68b6Rha9MZCRlivBaV_A16Y5p7DNKZMXPkZRwRDWzdTalTZqrdSP1RE0wuKTCajtk4J6snByLNQ1lERuimlGGFd8bEd6gzoEjnm6n6aTO8-3rv-T7B1AMtWSRMeEMbGWzv0DpyQ/s1600/Zenyatta04_12-20-10_BL_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68b6Rha9MZCRlivBaV_A16Y5p7DNKZMXPkZRwRDWzdTalTZqrdSP1RE0wuKTCajtk4J6snByLNQ1lERuimlGGFd8bEd6gzoEjnm6n6aTO8-3rv-T7B1AMtWSRMeEMbGWzv0DpyQ/s320/Zenyatta04_12-20-10_BL_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Well, Zenyatta was bred to Bernardini a couple of weeks ago, and today's scan showed that she is indeed in foal! Yeah! So sometime next January, hopefully, the foal will be born.<br />
<br />
Just for those who may be interested, Rachel Alexandra was also bred a couple of weeks ago, to Curlin, and she also was found to be in foal. Sure hope those foals turn out to be something. :)<br />
<br />
The picture, BTW, is Zenyatta running in her paddock at her new home at Lane's End Farm in Versailles, KY.Frenchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317084480479237461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21902354.post-57562490478520463112011-02-02T14:15:00.001-08:002011-02-03T09:10:06.457-08:00Would You?Would you call me hateful if I didn't let my kids eat cake all day even though they wanted to?<div>If I made them do their schoolwork instead of slacking off?</div><div>If I encouraged someone to exercise instead of lounging around all day?</div><div>Would you say I was bigoted against addicts if I didn't let them have drugs or alcohol?</div><div>No? I didn't think so. And why wouldn't you? Because in all these cases, I clearly have the best interests of those people at heart. It would not be good for my kids to be uneducated and eat cake all day. It would not be good or kind at all to let addicts keep on ruining their bodies and souls by substance abuse. So, if one really cares about and loves these people, one should stop them from doing the things they want to do at the moment so that their lives will be better in the future.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, leaving aside for the time being any arguments about whether homosexual acts are *actually* good or bad for the people who do them, I will say for myself at least, and I'm quite sure for many other good, caring people (Christian and non-Christian), that we do not discourage homosexual acts because of hatred or bigotry against homosexuals. We think, for various reasons, that homosexual activity is harmful to those who engage in it, and that it will be less good for them in the long run to do these acts than to abstain from them now. So, it is <i>precisely because</i> we LOVE and CARE ABOUT these people rather than hate them that we discourage such activity.</div><div><br /></div><div>So please, don't call me hateful or bigoted because I discourage these acts - as in the examples above, I only do so out of concern for the individuals involved, and if you are agreed that it is absurd to call me hateful in the above examples, it is therefore equally absurd to do so in this case.</div>Frenchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317084480479237461noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21902354.post-85677466498876149052011-01-27T08:08:00.000-08:002011-01-27T09:09:44.971-08:00And the lucky stallion is...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7E7V9-MaUWpjlzgym-tUl3d6Ssx4xUX6AqI3MU02RFXuc0MlXccHLbKWvLgimu0UTgagTyxxR7HUMhldbrstK8hfWsqSVBzkgka4vEtCZBUaSP9hhBdCxP94OkkCwVeQDjyq8AQ/s1600/BZmating.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 325px; height: 216px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7E7V9-MaUWpjlzgym-tUl3d6Ssx4xUX6AqI3MU02RFXuc0MlXccHLbKWvLgimu0UTgagTyxxR7HUMhldbrstK8hfWsqSVBzkgka4vEtCZBUaSP9hhBdCxP94OkkCwVeQDjyq8AQ/s400/BZmating.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566901873033188962" /></a><div>...Bernardini! I read this morning that Zenyatta is going to be bred to Bernardini, who looks to be a worthy match. If you want to read about him, Wikipedia has a good <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernardini">article</a>. His sire is A.P. Indy (yes, the horse that sired all those other A.P. horses you hear about), grandsire is Seattle Slew, and great-grandsire (sire's dam's sire) is Secretariat. He won numerous G1 stakes in 2006, including the Preakness and the Jockey Club Gold Cup. He also (like Zenyatta) took second place at Churchill Downs in the Breeders Cup Classic in 2006.<span><span></span></span><div><br /></div><div>The Thoroughbred Times website has an article about the breeding decision, as well as a contest - name the hypothetical Bernardini-Zenyatta foal! The person who picks the best name (as decided by their editorial board) gets a prize package of Zenyatta memorabilia. (Sorry, I don't think they will name the actual foal by that method, though. ;) ) My entry was Bernardatto for a colt, and Bernardatta or Bernardatte for a filly. Sort of a take-off on the name Bernadette. :) Several people suggested Zendini...but that's not really taking off for me. Sounds too silly, I think.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, that's all the latest news on the Zenyatta front. I hope this foal of hers turns out to be something great!</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Note: I just watched some of Bernardini's races on YouTube. He was amazing!! Check out the 2006 Withers, Travers, Jim Dandy, Preakness, and Jockey Club Gold Cup. Very different running style from Zenyatta - he was usually on or near the lead, and won going away, by anywhere from 3 to 10 lengths.</div>Frenchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317084480479237461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21902354.post-16678510767549095322011-01-25T07:36:00.000-08:002011-01-25T09:36:38.294-08:00A Woman's "Right to Choose"This last weekend was the annual pro-life weekend, marked by hundreds of marches and gatherings around the United States (and hopefully some in the rest of the world, too). This particular weekend was selected because January 22 marks the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the U.S. In fact, the Catholic Church declared January 22 to be a day of penance and prayer.<br /><div><br /><div>"In all the dioceses of the United States of America, January 22 (or January 23, when January 22 falls on a Sunday) shall be observed as a particular day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life. The Mass "For Peace and Justice" (no. 22 of the "Masses for Various Needs") should be celebrated with violet vestments as an appropriate liturgical observance for this day."</div><div><br /></div><div>-General Instruction of the Roman Missal, no. 373</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1po_v6TEeSugaW9Oyz8lh3-HGF4aBPntuN1M0nN13ioV9-dElfuxGkfpOzMJtGYM7pSCnzN5VM98-d7X5OOZhRN5x2qAl4rKr5AAh8R7lCiET0lo4ujESWLzaumFO8E68ivL1AQ/s200/P1220068.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566156686194260626" /></div><div>Here in Cody, Wyoming, a group of 80-100 people took part in a pro-life march beginning at the courthouse and ending at the memorial to the unborn in the Cody cemetery, where we prayed for an end to abortion. </div><div><br /></div><div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 223px;" src="http://www.lifenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/walkforlifewc2.gif" border="0" alt="" />The Walk for Life in San Francisco, which I attended during my years at TAC, had over</div><div>50,000 attendees according to police estimates, a number far surpassing what they've had in previous years.</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 96px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7ahlIMRPxBf3HN9mxjdZhYWB2BrCUe4jU6XXwqj58cjjgT9hDphtNoY24-xZwOwv9hLoKF1rQn-BCGEgkVYtQsROt_-MZriTIxTR4W-mucI3F4-pCbhvwTG3czShRSJSPic6O2Q/s200/cominguphill.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5566159036543591298" />The March for Life in Washington, D.C., based on attendance in previous years, probably had 2 or 3 hundred thousand participants.</div><div><br /></div><div>Abortion advocates often use nice-sounding phrases like "A woman's right to choose". I'm sure everyone thinks having choices is a good thing, and that women should have them no less than anybody else. But we don't have the "right" to choose just anything. I have no right to choose to shoot my neighbor for no reason. I have no right to choose to shoplift from the grocery store. And why is this? Because other people's rights also come into the equation in these situations, and their fundamental rights to life and to their own property are more important than my "right" to choose. If my choices impinge on other people's fundamental rights, then I do not have the right to make them. This is why laws exist which will put me in prison if I do make those choices.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is the situation with abortion. The choice that abortion advocates speak of is the choice to kill one's own child. If one is willing to grant that the unborn child is, in fact, a human being, then obviously one has no right to choose to kill it, since as a human it has the fundamental right to life. This is why abortionists and organizations like Planned Parenthood refuse to refer to the unborn child as a person. They call it a fetus (extremely depersonalizing), or worse still, "just a bunch of cells." This way they can hide the fact that the choice of abortion is really just a choice to commit murder. (The ironic thing is that the same people who say "fetus" and "bunch of cells" when the woman wants an abortion will turn around and say "baby" or "child" when the woman is excited about the pregnancy. It's all rhetoric.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Pro-life Democratic presidential candidate Randall Terry (who is planning to run against Obama in the primaries), said at yesterday's March for Life in D.C. that "Until America sees child-killing, we're not going to make child-killing illegal." The abortion advocates mentioned above are currently very successful in their rhetorical war against the personhood of the unborn child. When one can't see the baby, or see what abortion does to the baby, it's easy to forget that it IS a baby. This is why it's important that Americans actually see the reality of abortion. This is the goal of such groups as Show the Truth, who travel around with images of aborted babies. The <a href="http://www.priestsforlife.org/">Priests for Life website</a> has an excellent <a href="http://www.priestsforlife.org/images/index.aspx">photo gallery</a> of unborn babies in the womb and of aborted babies at corresponding stages of development.</div><div><br /></div><div>Of course, even before the baby looks recognizably like a baby, abortion is still murder. The humanity of the child doesn't depend on its looks or its ability to feel pain, or its ability to survive outside the womb. When the child is conceived - that is when it becomes a human. What else could it be? It is alive, and, possessing a genetic blueprint distinct from either of its parents, it is not just a part of the mother's body. To quote an article from the <a href="http://www.ncbcenter.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=183">National Catholic Bioethics Center website</a>, "Concerning the empirical facts of the argument, it is an empirical fact that there is no organic life on earth that is 'non-specific,' that is, that does not belong to any particular species. In other words, all organisms living on earth belong to a particular species (even bacteria). We just don't see unspecific, amorphous 'life forms' lying around. Therefore, the individual human embryo...is human."</div><div><br /></div><div>On this 38th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, let us all join together to pray and fight for an end to the murdering of unborn children.</div><div></div></div>Frenchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317084480479237461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21902354.post-44589939041651846492011-01-25T07:17:00.000-08:002011-01-25T07:31:28.168-08:00The Catechism of the Catholic ChurchAnthony and I recently bought the "Catechism of the Catholic Church" with some of the money we received as wedding presents. I decided that I am going to try to read through it - hopefully it will not take too long if I do some every day. No doubt this will probably inspire future blog posts, if some subject comes up that especially interests me. :) Today I read the little introduction by Pope John Paul II (who is going to be beatified in May, by the way). He says:<div><blockquote>"This catechism is given to them [all the members of the Catholic Church] that it may be a sure and authentic reference text for teaching catholic doctrine and particularly for preparing local catechisms. It is also offered to all the faithful who wish to deepen their knowledge of the unfathomable riches of salvation (cf <i>Eph</i> 3:8). It is meant to support ecumenical efforts that are moved by the holy desire for the unity of all Christians, showing carefully the content and wondrous harmony of the catholic faith. The <i>Catechism of the Catholic Church</i>, lastly, is offered to every individual who asks us to give an account of the hope that is in us (cf <i>1 Pet </i>3:15) and who wants to know what the Catholic Church believes."</blockquote></div>Frenchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317084480479237461noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21902354.post-45588248427418679262011-01-18T08:23:00.000-08:002011-01-18T08:39:49.453-08:00Horse of the Year!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLURqX5Xf5B8JZTMOuBmABMQG2uNkMdVGinAIiOAqpA14RyFY50HMg_0H05Kye7tmUmR6h1Eb1ceUy-bpLUEVQ2U3atiWBBUu5PTDYf-YecIr0dYHfsCL3yj29j6eiFlHWgL2zMw/s1600/zenyatta13.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 325px; height: 233px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLURqX5Xf5B8JZTMOuBmABMQG2uNkMdVGinAIiOAqpA14RyFY50HMg_0H05Kye7tmUmR6h1Eb1ceUy-bpLUEVQ2U3atiWBBUu5PTDYf-YecIr0dYHfsCL3yj29j6eiFlHWgL2zMw/s400/zenyatta13.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563566535767547762" /></a>Well folks, despite having lost the Breeders Cup Classic, Zenyatta has finally been named Horse of the Year at the Eclipse Awards!!! We thought she deserved it in '08, we definitely thought she deserved it in '09, but finally, the voters got some sense in their heads and named her the 2010 Horse of the Year!!! She also won the Award for top older female (which she did win also in '08 and '09). Congrats to her, to owners Jerry and Ann Moss, to trainer John Shirreffs, and to all her other connections who did so much to make her such an amazing racehorse as well as to get her fans involved as much as possible with her career. We'll never forget Zenyatta; I will never forget standing in the Santa Anita grandstand cheering wildly when she won the BCC '09.<div><br /></div><div>Next stop, breeding! I wonder to whom they will breed her, and what kind of foals she will turn out... :)</div>Frenchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317084480479237461noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21902354.post-15161462805141874742011-01-01T19:39:00.000-08:002011-01-01T19:50:17.791-08:00ColdJust for the record, I never knew what cold was before I came to Wyoming.<div><br /></div><div>Cold is when you can't bear to step out of your front door without being wrapped in a sweater, two coats, two pairs of socks, gloves, a hat, and a scarf. And wearing gym shorts under the jeans isn't a bad idea, either.<div><br /></div><div>Cold is when you can see your breath inside your car after leaving it outside for only a few minutes.</div><div><br /></div><div>Cold is when you look outside at the most lovely snowfall of the winter and decide not to go sledding.</div><div><br /></div><div>Cold is when you look at the weather report and find yourself thinking that 28 degrees F sounds warm, and 45 degrees F downright tropical.</div><div><br /></div><div>Hey, at least now I understand why Anthony didn't seem to have an issue wearing short sleeves on "cold" nights in California! :)</div></div>Frenchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317084480479237461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21902354.post-13523488155070843552010-12-29T15:38:00.000-08:002011-01-14T15:29:27.735-08:00The Advertisements on the Side BarI noticed after I published my last post that an ad popped up in my sidebar for the United Church of Christ. I would like to say - I don't have much control over what ads appear on the site, so I will personally publish a post any time one comes up that I disagree with. The United Church of Christ is NOT the church that Jesus founded. The only church that can claim that merit is the Catholic Church. Our pope is descended (through the laying on of hands) directly from St. Peter himself, and our bishops from the apostles. This is why we call our church "apostolic". The doctrines we believe today are those which have been believed for hundreds of years by the faithful, even if they may not have been officially declared. These doctrines, though perhaps some are not named explicitly in Scripture, are all taught therein, and affirmed throughout the ages by Fathers, Doctors, and other great teachers of the Church. See <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/">this link</a> if you wish to read some of the early Christian writings and discover how close to the time of Christ they were actually written.<div><br /></div><div>"I believe in one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church." --The Nicene Creed</div><div><br /></div><div>"I believe in the holy Catholic Church." --The Apostles Creed</div>Frenchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317084480479237461noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21902354.post-83843288643226138462010-12-29T15:06:00.000-08:002010-12-29T15:35:43.376-08:00Puer Natus in BethlehemMerry Christmas to all! (Since it's only the 5th day of Christmas, I can still say that.) Well, my true love didn't give me 5 gold rings today, but he did give me one gold ring on November 20, and that's good enough for me. :)<div><br /></div><div>Our Christmas was wonderful! We went to church at 9:00 a.m. Christmas morning, after waking up early to open presents. The sermon was great! One thing that was mentioned that really struck me, that I hadn't though of before, was the fittingness of Christ's lying in a manger. A manger is a feeding trough, so Christ's lying in one would seem to indicate that He is food of some sort. And indeed, as He later proclaims in John chapter 6, "I am the Bread of life." He is our food, and we indeed eat His flesh as commanded when we receive the most blessed Eucharist.</div><div><br /></div><div>I had another thought while singing "What Child is This", provoked by the line "whom shepherds guard and angels sing." We all know that shepherds watch over sheep. So it's fitting that shepherds should be the first to come and behold the Lamb of God.</div><div><br /></div><div>One final symbolism of the nativity story that comes to mind, especially with the Epiphany coming up, is that of the gifts of the Magi. They presented the Christ child with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold is appropriate because Christ is a King; frankincense (a type of incense) is appropriate because He is God (from ancient times incense was offered in many religions to the deity[ies] worshipped by them), and myrrh, a very bitter-smelling spice, is appropriate because it foreshadows the bitterness of His Passion. If you sing all the verses of "We Three Kings", you'll see how the middle three verses describe these gifts and their symbolism.</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, to get back to our Christmas: a few people organized a choir for morning Mass, comprised mostly of my in-laws, with a couple other additions. Of course I sang in it, and we managed to pull together some nice music, including "Gaudete" and "Alma Redemptoris Mater". Good times. For Christmas dinner we were invited to Anthony's parents' house, an invitation which we gladly accepted. Dinner was delicious - a pork roast of some sort. Anthony's whole family, with the exception of his older brother, were all home, and his grandparents, an uncle and aunt, and the parish priest, were all there as well. It was a wonderful evening.</div><div><br /></div><div>We had a brunch for Anthony's family at our house the next morning, after which we all swung over to Anthony's cousins' house to party, eat, and have fun for the rest of the afternoon. I spent most of the time there learning how to play a card game called Pinochle. It's a lot of fun, and bears some resemblance to games such as Spades and Hearts in that one tries to take tricks.</div><div><br /></div><div>Monday afternoon we went to Anthony's family's house for lunch, as his other grandma was visiting from Ten Sleep, WY. And then to top off the day, that evening we and Anthony's family went to some friends' house for another dinner. Whew! It was a lot of partying that whole Christmas weekend. Fortunately we've had a couple of days off from social obligations now, though that will probably soon change as New Year's is this weekend. I expect there will be some kind of bash going on up the hill at Anthony's family's place.</div><div><br /></div><div>The weather here is cold, as is to be expected, I suppose. The lows a couple of nights this week are -6 degrees F. B-r-r-r. I'm not used to this! Tonight thru tomorrow night there is snow expected, however, so it's not all bad. And also, prolonged periods of cold mean frozen-over ponds, and that means ICE SKATING! :) We indulged in that activity several times last week, and it was FUN! My first time on a frozen pond and not at a rink. Anthony's family claimed that the pond we were at was one of the smoother ones, but it was still quite bumpy and imperfect when compared with a rink. Oh well, I got used to the surface, and had a blast attempting to play hockey. :D</div><div><br /></div><div>I hope you all had a good Christmas Day and are having a blessed Christmas season! Remember, it's 12 whole days long!! :)</div><div><br /></div><div>Pax in Christo!</div>Frenchyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10317084480479237461noreply@blogger.com0