SDG – Page 31 – Jimmy Akin

Exploiting Katrina

What do you think are the most urgent needs of the survivors of Hurricane Katrina? I would imagine that most people would start ticking off food, water, medicine, clothing, shelter…. Planned Parenthood, on the other hand, thinks that the most desperate need of hurricane survivors is for free birth control pills and "emergency contraception":

"’It is absolutely unconscionable that Planned Parenthood would use the tragedy of hurricane Katrina to push its shameless agenda on the American public,’ said Jim Sedlak, executive director of American Life League’s STOPP International.

"Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas has offered to provide free birth control pills at its Houston clinics to individuals with a Mississippi or Louisiana driver’s license. The organization undoubtedly knows that thousands of Gulf Coast residents have already found refuge in Texas, and thousands of people currently housed in the New Orleans Superdome will soon be on their way by bus caravan to Houston’s Astrodome, in the hometown of this Planned Parenthood affiliate.

"’In New York City in 2001, Planned Parenthood used the 9/11 attacks to publicize its programs by offering free contraceptives and abortions for the week after the terrorists struck,’ said Sedlak. ‘Now the organization is exploiting one of the worst natural disasters in American history for cheap publicity by offering one month’s supply of free birth control and so-called emergency contraception to victims of Katrina.’"

GET THE STORY.

I surfed over to the web site of Planned Parenthood of Houston and Southeast Texas and confirmed the bizarre offer. As of September 1, when I saw the site, here was the ad:

"Did you escape the hurricane without your birth control? [Editor’s note: Emphasis Planned Parenthood’s –MA] As a courtesy to women fleeing Hurricane Katrina, we will offer one free cycle (one month) of birth control or one free Emergency Contraception kit to women presenting to a PPHSET [Editor’s note: Link in original –MA] clinic with a valid Louisiana or Mississippi driver’s license. We also are offering one depo injection at a total fee of $41.00 (we are waiving the office visit charge, and offering the depo at a 50% discount). This offer is good until September 10th. For those at The Astrodome, we are one block east of the ENSEMBLE Metro Rail stop, call 713-522-3976."

I don’t doubt that the Planned Parenthood chapter will have some takers on this offer since most people do not pack contraception into their first-aid kits or evacuation supplies. I wouldn’t be surprised if a couple of months from now the offer changes to a "courtesy" abortion for those women who fled Hurricane Katrina without their birth control and ended up pregnant.

Is it just me or is anyone else picking up the scent of brimstone?

The Combox Bishop

Attention, St. Bloggers! Did you know that your bishop may be reading your blog? Jamie of Ad Limina Apostolorum found out that an off-the-cuff remark he made about the Bishop of Colorado Springs had a wider audience than he expected:

"If you posted this…

"'[Bishop Michael] Sheridan, by the way, is a hulking beast of a man, with shoulders as broad as a gorilla and a frat boy haircut, and a glance that lets you know he could kill you in less than three seconds.’

"And got this in your comment box…

"’Jamie, It was great meeting you in the hotel lobby at WYD. I really must have intimidated you. Of course, I could kill you in three seconds — but I never would. Is a frat boy haircut a good thing?

"’+MJS

"’Bishop Michael Sheridan Homepage 08.29.05 – 2:53 pm’

"Would you be worried?

"P.S. I got an email from one of his staff today, who just wanted to assure me that it was Bishop Sheridan who posted to my blog. He’s proud of his bishop for being ‘hip’ enough to post in a combox."

GET THE STORY.

(Nod to Disputations for the link.)

I always thought it would be cool if a bishop joined St. Blog’s Parish. We have priests and nuns, so why not a bishop? And I was right. It is cool to have a bishop in the parish, even if only for a brief visit.

Now, who do we apply to have an episcopal ordinary assigned to St. Blog’s? 😉

British Teachers Tolerate The Other F-Word

Some f-words are nicer than others, according to one British school. While it is terrible to use the word failure because such a dirty word may sting youthful egos, damaging them irreparably, The Other F-Word is A-OK… unless you use it more than five times in a single class, that is. Perhaps tired of being disciplinarians, the instructors at this British school will themselves bite the soap and "tolerate (although not condone)" a "limited" use of the f-word that your mama would have, or should have, cleaned your clock for using in her presence:

"A secondary school is to allow pupils to swear at teachers — as long as they don’t do so more than five times in a lesson. A running tally of how many times the f-word has been used will be kept on the board. If a class goes over the limit, they will be ‘spoken’ to at the end of the lesson.

[…]

"’Within each lesson the teacher will initially tolerate (although not condone) the use of the f-word (or derivatives) five times and these will be tallied on the board so all students can see the running score,’ [assistant headmaster Richard White] wrote in the letter [explaining the policy].

"’Over this number the class will be spoken to by the teacher at the end of the lesson.’"

On the bright side, some Brits do see a problem with the policy:

"Tory MP Ann Widdecombe said the policy was based on ‘Alice in Wonderland reasoning.’

"’What next?’ she asked. ‘Do we allow people to speed five times or burgle five times? You don’t improve something by allowing it, you improve something by discouraging it.’"

GET THE STORY.

And the education establishment wonders why homeschooling is so popular.

Fr. Flimflam

Now here’s a Catholic horror story, all the more horrible because it really happened: A con man forges documents to allow him to pose as a validly ordained priest and, in that capacity, conducts Masses, baptisms, and weddings at parishes in Arizona:

"Fred Brito believes that his true calling is as a Catholic priest. But he also makes quite a good psychiatrist. Most recently he has been earning £55,000 as a university fund-raiser.

"The only problem is that Brito, 50, an accomplished con artist, held none of these positions legitimately, having spent nearly 30 years bluffing his way into a string of white-collar jobs.

[…]

"One of his most stunning deceptions was as Father Federico B. Gomez de Esparza, a Norbertine priest ordained in Mexico, at a number of parishes in Arizona.

"He forged the necessary documents and studied liturgy, conducted weddings and baptisms and held mass up to four times a day until he was exposed.

"’By pretending to be a priest, Fred Brito played with the souls of people who trusted him,’ said Father Thomas Zurcher, vicar for priests in the diocese of Phoenix.

"’In doing so he compounded their hurt and shrivelled their spirit. He fakes being nice when in fact he is a mean-spirited person who lives without regard for others.’

"Brito disagreed. ‘I do feel bad because I was not actually a priest, but on the other hand no priest had ever connected to the Latino community there as I did. Yes, it was a mistake, but I also changed lives. I loved that work.’"

GET THE (HORROR) STORY.

Note Fr. Flimflam’s emphasis on how he "connected" to the Latino community and claims that he "changed" lives. But, objectively speaking, by his "celebration" of the sacraments, he has left a huge sacramental mess behind for the Diocese of Phoenix to clean up.

Why is it, that in the realm of religion, "feelings" and "connectedness" are all that matter? Mr. Brito won’t be able to easily dismiss charges of posing as a medical doctor with claims that he "connected" with those who believed him a doctor and "changed lives." If he practiced medicine without a license, he could be in for stiff legal penalties. Given the sacramental havoc he’s wrought in Arizona, I almost wish similar legal penalties were in place for impersonating a priest.

The Human Zoo

From the U.K. Yahoos Department:

Have you ever wandered through a zoo and wondered why only animals are caged there? Did you ever wonder why there were no human beings on display, since humans are animals, too? If so, I hate to break it to you, but you’re not unique after all. The London Zoo now has people on exhibit in an attempt to display homo sapiens as a "plague species":

"The ‘Human Zoo’ is intended to show the basic nature of human beings, reported Agence France-Presse.

"’We have set up this exhibit to highlight the spread of man as a plague species and to communicate the importance of man’s place in the planet’s ecosystem,’ a statement from London Zoo said.

"According to the report, the scantily clad volunteers will be treated as animals and kept amused at the central London zoo facility with games and music. They will go home each night after the zoo closes during Britain’s bank holiday weekend.

"Dozens of hopeful volunteers applied to be part of the eight-person team through an Internet competition."

GET THE STORY.

I don’t know who to pity more: The officials who dreamed up this idea; the volunteers who debased their human dignity by applying to become a zoo exhibit; or the British public who might well be funding this travesty, at least in part, through their tax ~~dollars~~ pounds.

The Billionaire Bloggers

No longer is blogging just for guys in pajamas lounging in their living rooms. Guys in Brooks Brothers lounging in boardrooms are getting in on the action. Two cases in point: Real-estate mogul Donald Trump now hosts The Trump Blog and Mark Cuban, owner of the basketball’s Dallas Mavericks, holds court at Blog Maverick.

(Nod to the Paperback Writer for the links.)

Does this mean that blogging is now going mainstream? Or does it mean that the pajamahedin can now count Donald Trump and Mark Cuban as card-carrying members of the fold? Does it mean that mainstream journalists will have to start taking blogging seriously? Does it mean that there will have to be a blog ring exclusively for the billionaire bloggers?

I guess we’ll find out.

A.K.A. Benedict XVI

While reading James White‘s responses to Karl Keating’s August 23rd e-letter, I came across a strange assertion in White’s follow-up "Even When I’m Wrong, I’m Never Wrong"-response. Setting aside the question of the merits of White’s critique of the e-letter, since that boxing ring is already occupied, let’s look at White’s defense for his error in calling Benedict XVI by the name of Boniface:

"I notice a few folks out there who are extremely excited and happy that when I quickly put together a response to Karl Keating on his ridiculous attack upon John MacArthur that twice I referred to Pope Boniface instead of Pope Benedict. Ignoring the substance of what I wrote and focusing solely upon mixing two artificial names (shall we just call him Joseph Ratzinger and stop the pretension of the Papacy and its naming policy?), some have jumped on this as if it has some kind of meaning."

Setting aside also the question of whether White should have thrown together an off-the-cuff response or should have more carefully considered the issue before offering a careful and measured response (or offered no response at all if he didn’t have such time to spare for the matter), let’s look at the claim that there is something "pretentious" or "fake" about popes taking new names.

The practice of a pope choosing a new name is an ancient one, stretching back to John II, who reigned in the sixth century and felt that his given name of Mercurius (derived from the pagan god, Mercury) was inappropriate for a Christian leader. We could even cite biblical support for the practice if we note that Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter (cf. John 1:42). While this doesn’t directly support a pope choosing his own new name, it does show that taking on a new name is not antithetical to Christian piety or theology.

In modern times popes have often chosen their new names in order to honor loved ones, to demonstrate solidarity with predecessors, or to indicate the direction and goals of their pontificate. Thus, John XXIII chose his father’s name; John Paul I and John Paul II chose to honor predecessors and indicate continuity with them; and Benedict XVI explicitly stated that his name honored both the patron saint of Europe and a peacemaker pope, which indicated his own goals.

This isn’t simply a Catholic phenomenon. When Edward VIII abdicated the throne of England in 1936, his younger brother Albert succeeded him to the throne. The abdication had caused a great scandal in Britain, causing many to wonder about the future of the monarchy. In order to calm such fears and to demonstrate the continuity of the British monarchy, Albert chose to take his father’s name and be crowned King George VI. His choice was still fresh in the minds of royal protocol experts years later when his daughter Elizabeth succeeded him. Asked by her advisers what name she would be known by as queen, the new monarch is said to have responded "My own, of course."

My guess is that James White is not entirely ignorant of the history of papal names. Unlike sensationalistic anti-Catholics like Jack Chick, Dr. White shows some familiarity with the actual teachings of Catholicism. My guess is that he once again threw together a response without thinking through the claims he was making in the course of that response. He was likely more interested in dismissing criticism of his original sloppiness than in critiquing a Catholic custom. In short, he was more interested in proving himself right than in serving truth.

UPDATE: Karl Keating has published his own response to James White in his August 30 e-letter.

GET THE E-LETTER.

Blogging Katrina

With the Federal-Disaster-In-The-Making, Hurricane Katrina, ripping through the Gulf Coast, journalists are turning to blogging to keep the public informed.

"Patrick Cooper, Bob Swanson and more members of the USATODAY.com news and weather teams are blogging the latest from Hurricane Katrina on Monday. Check back often for updates. A wrap-up story is also being updated throughout the day."

HURRICANE KATRINA BLOG.

Check out the Hurricane Katrina blog for more news and updates on the progress of the storm. Blogging is becoming more mainstream by the day.

May God protect all those in Katrina’s path.

Screwtape’s Rejection 101

You say you’re desperate not to be published but that your manuscript is insistent that it is ready to be unleashed on an unsuspecting world. How do you satisfy your manuscript’s ambition to make the rounds of literary agencies and publishing houses while still ensuring that you will fulfill your own dream to remain unpublished? Screwtape has some advice for you on how to make sure you are rejected:

"We’ve often imagined ourselves giving a talk that would have a title along the lines of ‘How to Get Yourself Rejected.’ The target audience would be new writers, though we think everyone could stand to learn something from these tried and true secrets for ensuring rejection. In fact, if everybody applied these lessons to their daily lives, they’d be able to avoid that first date with a person to whom they’re attracted, that lucrative and promising job, that bank loan essential to achieving a dream, or whatever it is they claim to want — in other words, all those forms of success that complicate lives unnecessarily.

"But we’ll confine ourselves to encouraging writers with ways to get themselves turned down by agents or publishers, and trust that you’ll understand how to apply these lessons in a broader context. Nor are we going to insult anybody’s intelligence by telling you about the really basic, simple ways that a writer can ensure that no one will read her query letter, let alone her manuscript. We’re sure you already know about obvious things like using unusual fonts and paper, though we will point out that a really fuzzy, beat-up printer for your letter and manuscript is certainly a plus. Extra points if you could dig up a dot-matrix, though of course the real prize goes to those who handwrite their letters. That takes a special person."

[…]

"Anyway, you get the idea: do your worst, think only of yourself and not of the person reading your letter (let alone the person who supposedly will read your book), and you’re bound to fail admirably!"

GET THE ADVICE.

For those who need a bit of tutoring in applying to the broader context, to which Screwtape alludes, take special note of that last paragraph. A sure-fire means of being rejected in any context is to not put yourself in the position of the person whom you want to accept you and think of those means by which you can make that person’s job or life easier. In the art of learning how to be rejected, selfishness and self-interest is a virtue.

Exercising Your Voice

If you read how-to manuals for writing, one of the frustrations you will encounter is that the term voice is thrown about with abandon. Publishers want "fresh, new voices"; you are implored to "develop your voice"; you will be advised not to "compromise your voice." You know what a voice is in spoken language, but how do you develop one in your writing?

Basically, your written voice is the unique way you put together words into coherent streams of thought. A strong written voice is as distinctive as DNA. A reader can glance at words you’ve thrown together on a page and have a good idea who wrote them without glancing at the byline. For a demonstration of written voice, cruise the blogs and note the different styles of writing. Mark Shea, Amy Welborn, Kathy Shaidle, Jeff Miller, and Tom Kreitzberg are all hugely successful Catholic bloggers with instantly recognizable "voices." I submit that one reason for their success is that they have developed powerful "voices" that set them apart from the rest of the congregation in St. Blog’s Parish. When you visit their blogs, you’re not just there for the links but for their "take" on the day’s events. That’s the power of "voice."

So, how do you develop a written voice? Do you plunge into writing your manuscript, hoping that one will emerge over the next 80,000 words or so? Sure, if you want to remain unpublished. As Jimmy has noted in his recent series of posts on How Not To Get Published, the best way to remain unpublished is to try to write a book before you’ve had any experience at writing.

If, for some inexplicable reason, you’d rather eventually be published, here’s another idea for developing a voice: Start a blog. Even if you keep it as a more-or-less "private" online journal where you write a post or two a day, you’ll be exercising your voice. Blogging will do several things: You’ll be exercising your voice; you’ll be writing on a regular basis; and you’ll be overcoming the "stage fright" that can hinder your writing. The last is one of the steepest hurdles in voice development because if you are timid about how your thoughts sound to others then you are going to be timid about experimenting with your word choice and with how you construct sentences, paragraphs, articles, chapters, and so on. Regular public writing, even for a very small audience, is one means to overcome that.

Or you could pour out thousands of words into manuscript form, stuff the pages in a Jiffy bag, and post them to all the New York slush piles.

You decide.