Omnes Sancti et Sanctæ Coreæ, orate pro nobis.

Now Blogging Afresh at Ad Orientem 西儒 - The Western Confucian



Friday, July 30, 2004

Slim Posting Ahead

My month-long vacation starts today. I hope to spend as much time as possible with my family, so I might be blogging a bit less during August.

Thursday, July 29, 2004

Hell

From Believing in Hell Has Its Benefits:
"Economists searching for reasons why some nations are richer than others have found that those with a wide belief in hell are less corrupt and more prosperous, according to a report by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis."

I'm reminded of Baudelaire's remark that ""the Devil's cleverest wile is to convince us that he does not exist."
"I have fought for three-and-a-half years to have these children given the dignity they deserve."

From Remains of 1000 British babies to be buried

God bless you, Paula O'Leary.
Thanks to the Democrats' Devotion to Abortion and Gay Rights...

... the Nation's Catholics have largely evolved into conservatives.
Reunification? No way! It's the Economy, Stupid!

Re: Seoul fears surge in refugees from North

It's a common observation that South Koreans are schizophrenic when it comes to reunification with the North. One hears a lot of talk of the "tragic division" of their homeland "at the hands of foreign powers," but there is very little desire for reunification because the economic costs are seen as too high. Conservative Korean-American Christians, on the other hand, by and large want to see a united and free Korea, a dream I share.
Who's Targeting Iraqi Civilians?

Re: Iraq Suicide Car Bomb Kills 68, Wounds 56

Say what you will about the US invasion of Iraq, the above attack shows that no moral equivalency can be made between the US forces and the murderous thugs they are fighting against.

Lord, hear our prayer!
St. Martha

Today is the memorial of Saint Martha, whom we read about in Luke 10: 38-42 (NAB):
    38 As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.

    39 She had a sister named Mary (who) sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.

    40 Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me."

    41 The Lord said to her in reply, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.

    42 There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her."

Wednesday, July 28, 2004

Animal Welfare

Re: Poultry Plant Fires 11 After Abuse Video

Who wouldn't agree that there is not something seriously disordered with people caught stomping on live chickens? The only defense that can be offered for them is that work in a slaughterhouse must be quite de-humanizing. We've all heard horror stories from slaughterhouses. But environment can never be an excuse for instrinsic evil.

Matthew Scully, special assistant and senior speechwriter to President George W. Bush and author of Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy, argues for animal welfare, not rights, from a sound Christian and Natural Law perspective. Never does Mr. Scully argue that animals are equal to Man (as does People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)), but he argues for animal welfare in the spirit of Biblical stewardship. He appeals to Man as the Crown of Creation.

In his book, Mr. Scully says,
    "Pigs and lambs and cows and chickens are not pieces of machinery, no matter how cost-efficient it may be to treat them as such. Machinery doesn't cry or feel frightened or lonely. And when a man treats them this way, he might as well be a machine himself" (from Bush Speechwriter Emerges as Animal Welfare Advocate.

Mr. Scully is quite right. A pig is a pig. It has a pig nature. It is not an unfeeling machine. It has a soul: an animal soul, unlike a human spiritual soul, but a soul nonetheless. The Indians were quite right to thank the Great Spirit for the soul of their prey, their sustenance. In his natural religion, the Indian hunter honored God. God is not honored in the factory farm. Mammon is.

While I respect Mr. Scully for his principled vegetarianism, I remain a carnivore (an omnivore, to be exact). It's hard to avoid meat in Korea. While factory farming does exist here, in many country restaurants, your chicken is slaughtered minutes before you eat it. The same can be said of raw fish restaurants.This seems to me a more natural method of food consumption. The reality of slaughter is far removed from the Western eating experience. Some Westerners see Koreans as cruel, while eating their hamburgers without ever envisioning the slaugherhouses from which their meal came!

When it comes to fish, the ethical concerns seem to me to be largely erased. A fish is hunted, not raised for consumption. Although Mr. Scully would disagree with me, I would say the same of whale, the delicacy of Ulsan, my wife's hometown, site for the 57th Meeting of the International Whaling Commission. While I might reflect upon the suffering inflicted upon the cow whose meat I eat, I feel less guilt eating the delicious meat of the freely hunted Minky Whale, hunted by the residents of the Ulsan area for the past 8000 years, as evidenced in the Bangudae Petroglyphs.
Christian Montagnards Flee Persecution

38 Vietnamese Asylum-Seekers Arrive in Phnom Penh
19,000,000 Still Enslaved

460 North Koreans Defect To The South
DPRK Drug Smuggling Allegations

Nth Korean govt in on Pong Su: claim
La Catedral de Santiago de Compostela

From El fuego sobre la catedral:
"Love Shows Divine"

Re: New Movie On Priest Formation Expected To Boost Image of Catholicism (from today's Union of Catholic Asian News)

The new Korean film with the above title is about seminary life, and was filmed at the beautiful Taegu archdiocesan seminary. The star of the film, Kwon Sang-woo, received catechesis during intervals in the filming and will be baptized.
Cardinal Mahoney's 2000 Democratic National Convention Prayer

From Progressive priest to offer prayer:
    "In You, oh God, we trust that You will keep us ever committed to protect the life and well-being of all people, but especially unborn children, the sick and the elderly, those on skid row and those on death row,"
Trafficking

Re: South Koreans caught at border

Eleven women and one man? Very suspicious.
"Progressives"

Re: North Korean Human Rights And 'Progressive' Forces

It's really not that surprising that South Korean "Progressives" turn a blind eye to the human rights record of their Stalinist brethren in the North. "Progressives" the world over have done the same for Stalin, Mao, Castro, and even Pol Pot for decades.

Tuesday, July 27, 2004

God Bless Africa!

Re: Nigerians Urged to Emulate Christ

The more I read of Christianity in Africa (Catholic, Anglican, or Evangelical), the more I am impressed by its orthodoxy and fervor. A friend's father whom I knew while living in Chile was fond of proclaiming, "El futuro del fútbol está en África." I would like to join with Philip Jenkins, author of The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity, in saying that "El futuro del Cristianismo está en África."
The Myth of Buddhist Tolerance

From Christians Persecuted in Asia. And Even the Buddhists Are on the Enems Side [sic]:
    "In almost all of the Asian states in which Buddhism is the majority religion, there is cruel religious repression. And this strikes all of the non-Buddhist religions."

From North Korea to China to Vietnam to South Korea

N.Korean Refugees Said to Be Gathering in Vietnam

Monday, July 26, 2004

Bush Gone Mad?

Re: Bush is going over the edge, say his aides

The above article came to my attention via Yahoo! India - Most-emailed content. That "small, still voice within" (my God-given conscience) twinged when I first considered posting it here, as the article contains hearsay and possibly even slander against the President of the United States, who, right or wrong, deserves our resepect as leader of our country. In the end, I have decided to link to the article, without endorsing what it says, mainly due to where I found it and in the interest of spreading information, which is in the "spirit of the Internet."
Let Freedom Ring!

The Korean blog blockade seems to have ended! I can now access my blog, and yours, freely. I can say adieu to Unipeak and @nonymouse.com, the two proxies that served me so well during the past month of darkness. Your blog and mine can now be read by those of us living in the Republic of Korea!
A Vision for the Future

From Let's Dump the American Empire:
"Now, returning to our republican roots doesn't mean we try to live in splendid isolation. Not at all. It just means that we stop trying to run other people's countries and concentrate on running our own. We can have trade relations with the whole world – cultural exchanges, tourism, the whole ball of friendly wax. We just make sure the CIA and the military don't do any dirty work inside other people's countries, such as interfering in their elections or overthrowing their governments. And we don't take sides in other countries' wars and feuds. Armed neutrality should be our position.

"That, to me, would be the best of all possible worlds for Americans. This is not pie in the sky. It was once American policy, and the United States was widely loved and respected during that period of time. Now, with our troops in more than 100 foreign countries, we are widely disliked, if not hated and feared."
Young Antiwar Paleocons

The Kids Are All Right
Down with the Metric System! Long Live the English Imperial System!

It was a scorching 36.5ºCelsius here in Pohang yesterday. That's 97º Fahrenheit for all you Americans and others who hold onto the old, traditional ways.

I remember in elementary in the 1970s how we were told that the day was coming when the United States would convert to the Metric System. Our teachers did their best to teach us both the English Imperial System, and the Metric System. I also remember how difficult it was for most of my classmates to understand the system, which is so simple (too simple, in fact, which is the point I'm trying to make with this post). I assume it was President Reagan, in his wisdom, who put an end to such nonsense.

Having lived in Korea, which uses the Metric System, for seven years, and in that time having associated with many Canadians, who have largely turned their backs on the English Imperial System, I have made an effort to learn this system and use it. The current heat wave we are experiencing in Korea has convinced me to abandon that effort. I'll still make attempts with Koreans to use the Metric System, because they have known no other. However, I will use the English Imperial System with Canadians, because they should know better.

Defense of "British weights and measure" is a major issue of The U.K. Independence Party. From a link off of the UK Independence Party - Berkshire, we read tyese words of wisdom:
"We know that British weights and measures, as a human and 'natural' system, is vastly superior to the artificial metric system." (from THE TURNING OF THE METRIC TIDE: HOW METRIC ROAD & PEDESTRIAN SIGNS ARE BEING REMOVED FROM OUR LAND)


If we buy a quater-pound of meat, we have a rough idea of how much meat we are getting. But 113.4 grams? You might argue that an even 100 grams is a lot easier to fathom. True. But how about one gram, the Meric System's base unit of weight? One gram is infinitesimal compared to our common experience of holding things. Ounces or pounds are easy to imagine. The English Imperial System is indeed a "human and natural system."

The same is true of temperature. When we hear that it is 35º or 36º outside, we know that it is hot, but have no idea just how hot. When we hear 95º or 97º, we know what kind of heat we need to be prepared to deal with. This is because the Fahrenheit Scale is also a "human and natural system." It is based on the common extremes of temperature in Northern Europe; 100º is an extremely hot day and 0º an extremely cold one. Beyond those figures we know that we are dealing with abnormal weather. Using Fahrenheit, we make reference to our common experience of normal weather conditions. Using Celsius, we are forced to make reference to something as outside our human experience as the freezing and boiling points of water.

For all its unwieldiness, let the English Imperial System remain! Here are some sites that advocate the English Imperial System, mostly from the United Kingdom:

The Metric Martyrs Defence Fund. This site proudly "uphold[s] the British way of life"

The British Weights and Measures Association. This site "exists to protect and promote customary weights and measures, and to oppose compulsory use of the metric system"

metricsucks.com. This takes a tongue-in-cheek approach, blaming the metric system for, among others, "Jerry Springer, Televangelism, Toxic waste, the Republicans, the Democrats, and Communism." It also holds the English Imperial System resposible for "the finer things in life," including "the Pope, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Recycling, World Peace, Zen, Free Market Capitalism, Chess," and many more.

He Died with his Liturgical Vestments On

Re: Priest Killed in Chilean Cathedral


Father Faustino Gazziero D'Estefani, requiescat in pace.
Not an Idyllic Day at the Beach

From Exodus from the Steam Pot :

    A million vacationers flooded into Busan on July 25, a day in the main holiday season when every inch of beaches and summer resorts were filled with people trying to escape from the heat. Three famous beaches in Busan: Haeundae (pictured), Gwangan-ri, and Songjung recorded over a million visitors, the highest number of the year so far.

Photos like the one above are used to promote domestic tourism. I guess the idea is that if so many people are there, it must be good.

Sunday, July 25, 2004

Lord Hugh Thomas' Latest

Re: 'Rivers of Gold': Conquerors and Missionaries

The above is a review of Lord Hugh Thomas' latest book, Rivers of Gold : The Rise of the Spanish Empire, from Columbus to Magellan. The Spanish Civil War, by the same author, was perhaps the greatest work of history I have ever read. Here's a brief biography of the author from the review posted above:
    "A book the size of 'Rivers of Gold' would be an astonishing work by any author, yet its publication simply affirms Hugh Thomas's record as one of the most productive and wide-ranging historians of modern times. Born in 1931, for many years a professor of history at the University of Reading and made Lord Thomas by no less than Margaret Thatcher in 1981, he first caught public attention with an enormous tome, 'The Spanish Civil War,' in 1961. Ten years later he released his vast study 'Cuba: The Pursuit of Freedom.'' Then came his great 'Unfinished History of the World'(1979). In 1997 he published 'The Slave Trade.' But Thomas has also written about European unity and about the British radical John Strachey. Ten years ago he published another large work, 'Conquest: Montezuma, Cortes, and the Fall of Old Mexico,' which is the closest in theme to the present volume."

Friday, July 23, 2004

It's the Jews!

From The Marmot's Hole comes this post, What’s next? Blood libel?, which links to an article entitled Famous Comic Book Series Finally Reaches the United States. The comic book's author Lee Won-bok says this about his latest effort (my emphasis):
"I tried to exclude my personal views of the United States as much as I could. In the case of the Iraq War, rather than focusing on the war itself, I tried to provide a big framework for American foreign policy through such things as analyzing U.S. strategy in the Middle East and the influence of Jews behind those policies."
Illegal Immigration

El Camino Real has a post with the above title (unable to premalink due to Korean blog blockade). He pretty much sums up my view of illegal immigration. Illegal immigration just doesn't really worry me that much, especially since most of these immigrants are Catholics and I'd like to see the Catholicization of the US.

Illegal immigration is one issue on which I diverge from the Buchananites. I am uncomfortable with illegal immigration, however, because it provides America with a readily expoitable labor force, at the expense of the American and (legal) immigrant poor, who by virute of their citizenship or legal status would be entitled to a minimum wage and other benefits.
Korean "Jerusalem Jesus March"

Government warns against Jerusalem Jesus March
The Europeanization of America

Re: Old-time religion on the decline: Fewer Americans identify with Protestant denominations, survey shows

The number of Catholics has remained unchanged at 25%, largely due to immigration from Latin America. The number of non-religious has doubled since 1993.

Thursday, July 22, 2004

Gulags, not RVs

Re: Family Campers

Judging by the headline, I thought the above article would be about RVs. In reality, it is about North Korean gulags, where entire familys are locked up for the political crimes of one member.
The Casual Look Rears its Ugly Head

From No-Tie Attire Handshake:
Mary Lou Williams's "St. Martin de Porres"

That Old-Time Religion? Plenty of Piano, but No Vaudeville
It's Summer Strike Season in Korea

Feature: S.Korea hit by crippling strikes

Wednesday, July 21, 2004

79th Anniversary of the Scopes Monkey Trial

From Scopes Guilty, Fined $100, Scores Law; Benediction Ends Trial, Appeal Starts; Darrow Answers Nine Bryan Questions:

Huston Smith, in Why Religion Matters: The Fate of the Human Spirit in an Age of Disbelief, debunks the popular myth of the Scopes Monkey Trial. Here's a summary of Smith's argument from The humanist spirit in the third millennium: notes from a lecture by Dr. Huston Smith:
"[The Scopes Monkey Trial] is a good example of 'news handling' vs. what really happened. This was a test case, a cause taken up by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). (Consider that Smith is a member of the ACLU) There was a lot of financial incentive for the little town of Dayton, TN to get involved. Furthermore, Scopes was not even a biology teacher. The famous film "Inherit the Wind" depicts the town as 'inhuman' toward Scopes, but this is not true. William Jennings Bryan was depicted as a crude fundamentalist, and he was not a fundamentalist at all. In fact, he believed in the 'old earth' theory, and his primary mission was stamping out Social Darwinism."
"Selective Reduction"

When One Is Enough is an alarmingly dispassionate (callous) account of a woman who was carrying triplets (identical twins and a stand alone) and decided to abort the twins.

The father of the three (not her husband) asked, "Shouldn't we consider having triplets?"

Her "adverse reaction" was: "This is why they say it's the woman's choice, because you think I could just carry triplets. That's easy for you to say, but I'd have to give up my life."

(Translation: "Me, me, me, me, me, me, me.")

She felt fine after the "procedure."

[Thanks to El Camino Real for the link.]
A Must-read for All Dog-lovers

Gerard Serafin of A Catholic Blog for Lovers has a post entitled ONION and Baron von Hugel. Onion is Mr. Serafin's dog, now seventeen (!) years old and, sadly, "failing." [Our Yorkie Ddori is twelve and still in good health.] Mr. Serafin says the Baron believed dogs "to stand in regard to their masters in a way analogous to that in which man stands to God; hence many a telling spiritual and moral lesson." C.S. Lewis said that dogs, because of their relation to their masters, become more human. Likewise, humans, because of their relation to their Lord, become more divine.
Marc Chagall

From An Exhibit of Marc Chagall's Work Opens in Seoul

    Over the City
Anti-Nazi Heroes

    Colonel Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg

Today is the 60th anniversary of the execution of Colonel Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, leader of the failed coup against Adolf Hitler (see Emerging from the Nazi shadow?). For a brief biography, click here: Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (1907-1944). Born into the Bavarian Catholic nobility, he is an example of the best of both Catholicism and the aristocracy.
"Fate has offered us this opportunity, and I would not refuse it for anything in the world. I have examined myself before God and my conscience. It must be done because this man [Hitler] is evil personified." - Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg after gaining access to Hitler's briefings.


    Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Months after the failed coup, Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer would be arrested for his part in the anti-Hitler resistance. He was later executed in the Flossenbürg concentration camp on April 9, 1945.

    Saint Maximilian Kolbe

Years before, Saint MAXIMILIAN KOLBE died in Auschwitz' starvation chamber. Here is a brief description of the events leading up to his death:
"In July 1941 there was an escape from the camp. Camp protocol, designed to make the prisoners guard each other, required that ten men be slaughtered in retribution for each escaped prisoner. Francis Gajowniczek, a married man with young children was chosen to die for the escape. Maximilian volunteered to take his place, and died as he had always wished - in service."
The Case for Latin

An unidentified student of the American College in Rome, quoted in Passion for Latin thrives in Rome:
"Every single modern language changes. I don't care what language you pick but you've got to have a language that's not going to change over time if you want to communicate ideas."
KOREA Movement Of Catholic Farmers Marks 10 Years, Reiterates Its Commitment

The above is a headline from today's UCA News Online. From the article itself:
"Pius Cheong Jae-don, president of the Korean Catholic Farmers' Movement, told the symposium that Woori-nong Saligi [Save our Farmland] has established its identity as a movement that protects agriculture, farmland and ecology, and its main thrust is organically grown food, normally devoid of pesticides and herbicides."

The movement sounds refreshingly "granola conservative" and "distributivist" to me.
Misguided "Sunshine Policy"

Re: Examining S. Korea's misplaced optimism

"Hell is full of good intentions or desires." - Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153)
Christian Exodus from the Middle East

Re: Turmoil endangers Iraq's Christians

Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, and now Iraq.
Maggie Gallagher Exposes "Orwellian Doublespeak"

Re: THE MEANING OF INTOLERANCE

The words "tolerance" and "intolerance" have lost their meanings. "Tolerance" used to refer to the "readiness to allow others to believe or act as they judge best" (The New Lexicon Webster's Dictionary of the English Language, 1987). Twenty-four years later, "tolerance" has come to mean the "readiness to allow that all beliefs or actions are equally valid" (my definition, 2004).

"When words lose their meaning, people lose their liberty." - Confucius

Tuesday, July 20, 2004

Boobus Americanus, the War in Iraq, and Martha Stewart

Kicking the Bully’s Dog
The Root Cause

Re: Fort Wayne Bishop Wants Gays Banned From Priesthood

Gay priests were the cause not only of the so-called pedophilia crisis of 2002 (the majority of the cases involved post-pubescent minors, not children) but also contribute to the shortage of vocations by scaring good men away. The bishop's proposal, while flying in the face of politically correct "tolerance," should be implemented.
The Next President of the Republic of Korea?

From Park Geun-hye Elected Head of GNP:
From Indonesia

Re: Gunmen Kill Minister in Church Attack

As Samuel Huntington pointed out, "Islam has bloody borders."
A Future Catholic King or Queen of England?

Scotland's late Cardinal Thomas Winning, quoted in Lifting of Catholic monarchy ban could be key to Northern Ireland peace:
"It is quite ludicrous to suggest that if a dashing young princess from Spain or Belgium or Luxembourg were to sweep Prince William off his feet and the young couple wished to marry, that somehow the British state would be brought to its knees."

Monday, July 19, 2004

The Islamic Call to Prayer

In Time out for Allah, author Carol Zeleski examines the current controversy involving the Islamic call to prayer in Detroit, and the "disturbance" non-Muslim residents claim it causes. She goes on to examine the issue from a different perpsective:
"Disturbing, no doubt. Unless--and here is a venture full of hazards--one could find a way to hear the call to prayer not as an alien voice but as a summons, a periodic reminder, for Christians as well as Muslims, for Catholics and Protestants too, of the 'one thing needful.'"

I had a similar experience during the year I lived in Malaysia. Hearing the call to prayer five times a day reminded me of the importance of prayer in my Christian life. The month of Ramadan reminded me of the importance of fasting and penance. Living among Muslims I learned to be a better Christian.

[Thanks to A Catholic Blog for Lovers for the link.]
Medieval Danish Mass Video Clips

From A conservative blog for peace:

Video from a Medieval Mass
Father Philip Chung-jin Kim, Congratulations

For 72-year-old widower, call to priesthood began half a world away
Korean-American Methodist Bishop

New Methodist bishop seen as moderate
Evil

Re: Man alleged to have killed 19 in S. Korea

I saw the coverage of this story last night on Korean news. An "expert" was brought out who placed the blame on the usual suspects; "Society, education, and the breakdown of the family are to blame for these crimes." My wife countered, "In what country do such crimes not occur?" She was right. It was not society, nor education, nor the family, nor the Korean government who were to blame for these killings; the murderer, in choosing evil, bears sole responsibility.
The Horror

From Babies Left to Die: Debate Over Abortion Is Rekindled in Britain:
LONDON, JULY 17, 2004 (Zenit.org).- Abortion laws are at the center of a controversy in Britain after the Sunday Times published a series of articles on late-term abortions. The newspaper reported June 20 on a number of cases where babies had been left to die unattended after having survived abortions.

The article quoted an unnamed midwife who claimed that her hospital had an unwritten rule of not aiding babies who survived abortions. Another case involved a baby who survived for three days. The infant received nourishment, but no medical help. British law allows abortion up to 24 weeks, but permits them right up to the end of pregnancy in cases of handicaps...


Saturday, July 17, 2004

JP2 to Visit the Korea of Europe

Pope 'accepts Ireland visit', but no date set

Friday, July 16, 2004

Stephen Hawking and God

Re: Hawking Changes His Mind on Black Holes

Here's an article on Hawking's religious background: The Big Bang, Stephen Hawking, and God
Blacks and Religion

On Faith, It's the Kerry Reserve: Candidate Usually Speaks of Religion Only Before Black Audiences

Why is it that a certain end of the political spectrum only tolerates public religious discourse among black folks? It is due to a patronizing attitude, as if to say, "Well, these folks will surely overcome their silly superstitious beliefs once they receive the full benefits of the humanistic education they were denied." How condescending!
 
Kim Ki-chang's Glory to God

I came across the above painting off of a link on the Apparitions of Virgin Mary Art Gallery. The link, World's Great Madonnas, has the following description to accompany the painting:
"Have you ever tried to listen to a painting? Try listening to this picture. The kneeling shepherds are greeting the child with a silent gesture of honor. The animals, too, seem quiet, as they gaze with curiosity at the baby in their manger. Mary and Joseph appear speechless, as if the Christ child's very presence were speaking and notheing more need be said. Only the one shepherd, holding his staff, may be speaking. Perhaps he has whispered, 'Look!'

"The delicate colors and gentle lines used by Ki-Chang Kim add to the sense of quiet created by this picture. The styles of Asian art, in music, drama, poetry, and painting, often convey an invitation to silence or deepended attention. What an important message the Asian tradition has: Silence reveals grace."

Here is a site on the artist, KIM, KI-CHANG (EUN BO) ( 1914 - ), which also provides a limited Kim, Ki-Chang Image Gallary [sic]. Here is a Korean site with fifteen of his paintings: 雲甫 金基昶 年譜(1914~). This bilingual site, 김기창, provides a 43-page gallery of his works, including works depicting the life of Our Lord set in Korea beginning on page 14.

The following three paintings come from a Korean site, 예수님은 어떤분 이신가?, and depict Our Lord's Agony in the Garden, His Crucifiction, and His Resurrection:






The Sexual Geopolitics of Death Photos

weblog@orakay has a insightful post entitled 윤금이, 미선이와 효순이, 김선일, about the political use of photos of the dead bodies of the people mentioned in the title. The comments are also quite thought-provoking.
 
Cardinal Stephen Kim Sou-hwan's Maryknoll Connection

Former criminal prosecutor finds life's calling as Maryknoll priest
Porn Parody

Re: S. Korea Blue House Red-Faced Over Porn Web Parody

Imagine if a picture of Hillary's face had been superimposed onto a porn actress' body and posted on the White House website!

Thursday, July 15, 2004

The Coming Dark Ages

From The Death of Morality:
"'Catholics thought,' some supercilious history professor of the not-too-distant future will say with a smirk, 'that human nature itself was some kind of an eternal given, that it provided a kind of impassable limit, and that from the "eternal givens" [chuckle!] of human nature something called "mo-ral-i-ty" [and here he/she/it will need to spell this strange word] arose from these givens. This is a somewhat understandable error. Just as it appears that the sun is rising, so also it appeared to them that human beings could only be created in the same way as is common among other animals. This lack of imagination was rooted in a lack of technology. We note this pattern in a number of areas. Telescopes allowed human beings to see that the vastness of the cosmos demonstrated how insignificant a speck they were, and hence they wisely gave up the belief that the Earth was at the center of the universe. So also, the new genetic technologies have made clear: "Our only limit is our imagination!"'"
Why it's Exciting to be Catholic in the 21st Century

After the Council: Living Vatican II
Communist Womanizers Named Pablo

Re: Chile honours Pablo Neruda on birth centennial

The above article focuses on Neruda's many wives and lovers more than on his poems (it was written by a Frenchman, after all). I'm reminded of another famous neopagan Communist womanizer: Picasso.
Kim Sun-il Died Because of his Faith

From the The Tawhid wa al-Jihad (Unification and Holy War) website, quoted in Killers Claim S. Korean Hostage Beheaded for Religious Reason:
"We have killed an infidel who tried to propagate Christianity in Iraq. This infidel studied theology and was preparing to become a missionary in the Islamic world."

For a very chilling account of the mindset of Islamic terrorists, check out the Granola Conservative.
Blue-Eyed Foreigners

Re: “Welcome, Blue-Eyed President”

I'm happy that Professor Robert Laughlin from Stanford University, a Nobel Prize Laureate in Physics, was inaugurated as the president of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), but why do Koreans insist that all foreigners are blue-eyed? My eyes are green. Is it because blue and green are the same color in Korean? But what about brown-eyed foreigners? Didn't Van Morrison sing a song called "Brown-eyed Girl"?

I once saw a news report about a Mexican living in Korea. He, too, was refferred to a "blue-eyed foreigner" even though his eyes were anything but blue.
Treason is Treason

Re: US pleased at American defector's reunion with Japanese wife, but won't drop case

The Japanese and American reactions to this case illustrate a key difference between Eastern and Western thinking. The Japanese are relativists, or even situationists, believing that the special "humanitarian" concerns of this case demand a flexible interpretation of the law. The Americans are absolutists, or even dogmatists, believing that the law need be applied equally to all.
Celebrities Dumb Down Another Exotic Religious Tradition

The Beatles and their ilk dumbed down Hinduism. Richard Gere has dumbed down Buddhism. Now, Madonna, Britney Spears, Demi Moore, Gwyneth Paltrow and others are dumbing down the mystical Jewish tradition: Popular version of Kabbalah is more New Age than genuine.
Today's Gospel Reading

From Matthew, Chapter 11: 29-30 (NAB):
28 "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

Wednesday, July 14, 2004

A Syrian-Orthodox Miracle in Chico, CA

Blazing light, oil-seeping icon called a miracle
Touchy-Feely Theology

From Episcopal bishop allows blessings of same-sex unions:
"'The blessing of the committed life long unions of persons of the same gender is one way our community can live the Gospel through faithful and loving pastoral care and spiritual support for each other,' Bishop Michael Curry of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina said in a letter to clergy earlier this month."
"The Unsung Playwright of the California Gold Rush"

Splendor and Death of Joaquin Murieta by Pablo Neruda
Is Nothing Sacred?

Re: In the Ballroom, a Redefinition of 'Couple'

The above article is about same-sex "couples" clamoring for recognition in the world of ballroom dance. Why does the entire world have to be remade to suit the proclivities of a miniscule and disordered minority?

Virtual Politics

Re: [Opinion] Internet Party Members

Korea is rapidly becoming a virtual society. Due to the complex stratification based on the Confucian code of age and status, people find unparalleled freedom on-line. This freedom is bought at the expense of real community and relationships, however. "Netizens" are free to spout off any absurd view and engage in mass cyber-campaigns, without ever having to worry about responsibilty for their actions. The Internet has become a virtual mob.
"뇌호흡"

Western Medical Science Unable to Explain 'Brain Breathing'...

because it's a hoax, perhaps?
10th Round of Family Reunions

Families from both Koreas embrace after 50 years

Tuesday, July 13, 2004

Two Different Candlelight Vigils

Here are two photos of candlelight vigils, both for the release of a hostage held in Iraq.

The first is from today:

The second is from three weeks ago:

The children in the first photo are lighting their candles for God. Their candles are meant as a prayer, a humble offering to God.

The protestors in the second photo are lighting their candles for an idol. At best, their candles are meant to call attention to a political goal. At worst, their candles are meant to call attention to themselves as individuals subjugated to a group.

Both recognize a power greater that the individual. The children recognize the Transcendant God. The protestors recognize the Group.
Long Live the Supreme Court!

Re: Terror No Match for U.S. Rule of Law: The Supreme Court hands down three important rulings on detention of terror suspects

The Supreme Court is America's least democratic branch of government, and also its most honorable, precisely because it is not beholden to the mob. This, however, has not protected it from making horrendous decisions in the past, most notably Roe v. Wade (1973).
A Sadly Not Uncommon Experience in Korea

From [Opinion] Teaching a Sense of Shame:
"Last weekend, I went to see a musical only to end up with trouble. Because a young man, sitting next to me, kept his bare feet on top of the LCD monitor installed in the back of the front row, I could not concentrate on the performance. I had to smell not the scent of culture, but the scent of feet..."
Bring back Hanja (漢字)!

Re: Sales Soar for Children’s Books Written in a Combination of Korean and Chinese Characters

Hanja (漢字) are the Chinese characters originally used in the Korean language (70% of Korean vocabulary comes from Chinese). North Korea barely uses them anymore, and the same trend toward disuse of Chinese characters has been happening in South Korea for decades. The above article is a good sign that they might be coming back. Chinese characters are a rich source for expressing meaning in Korean, esepcially as different characters have the same pronunciation in Korean.

As an example of the confusion that can arise by not using Chinese characters, a Korean Protestant friend told me that when whe read that Jesus Christ was reffered to as inja (인자) repeatedly in her Korean Bible, she thought that it meant, in her translation, "nice guy" (仁子), not "son of man" (人子).
ROK-DPRK Relations

From Seoul's confusing love-in with Pyongyang:
"It's been confusing times recently for North Korea's supporters and alleged collaborators in South Korea, a relatively new democracy that has launched a virtual political love-in with Pyongyang, turning a blind eye to its widespread repression and human-rights abuses. Some critics of the North, such as those who try to run an anti-Pyongyang radio station, Free North Korea, have been harassed - FNK may even be forced off the air. And yet a pro-Pyongyang professor languishes in jail - and his sentence soon may be increased for his refusal to denounce the North..."
Another Reason to Vote Third Party

Democrats Drop Antiwar Pretensions
The Power of Repentence

Ww2 Pilot Apologises for Bombing Church
Only in Japan

Re: Japanese young adults wearing rosaries as fashion statements

In Japan, there are places that a Westerner might mistake for churches. The Japanese want to get married like the Westerners they see in movies, so they have created gaudy and sacreligious "wedding halls," complete with crosses and Christian imagery. The folks geeting married in these halls haven't the foggiest idea of what Christianity is all about; they just like the atmosphere. It is said that the Japanese are born as Shintoists, married as Christians, and die as Buddhists. In reality, they are perhaps the most irreligious people in the world.

Koreans have also adopted Western weddings and have created "wedding halls" as well, filled with chinsy plastic rococo decorations, but at least they have left the crosses in churches.

Japan has a Christian population of only 1%, whereas Korea's is about 35%. This probably explains the greater cultural sensitivity of Koreans in this matter.

To be fair, Japanese wearing rosaries for fashion is not unlike the young people in the West who wear the yin-yang symbol just because it "looks cool."
The Economics of Divorce

From Women's pay link to divorce:
"'A low relative female rate of pay encourages husbands to specialise in the market sector and wives to specialise in household production,' said the study, titled Female Earnings and Divorce Rates.

"'Higher female earnings are believed to diminish marital gains by reducing the demand for children and improving the opportunities for women outside marriage.'"

Reverse Missiology

Re: New York, Prime Conversion Ground

    Brother Joel Magallan founded the Tepeyac Association, an outreach group named for a Mexican hill where a vision of the Virgin of Guadalupe was reported.

The article above is about immigrant Christians from Africa, Asia, and Latin America evangelizing New York City. It touched on the main theme of Philip Jenkins' The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity; as Christianity withers in the West, a new vital, orthodox, and conservative Christianity is sweeping the so-called Third World, and this renewed Christianity re-evangelizing the West.

The article ends with Presbyterians from Brazil and Catholics from Mexico. It begins with Pentecostals from West Africa, and then discusses Koreans:
"The other great ethnic church engine in New York City is the Korean population. Several hundred Korean churches dot the boroughs, and have become a major center of social services and cultural continuity, said Wontae Cha, a professor of ministry at New York Theological Seminary."

It also describes one of the fundamental problems of Korean Protestantism, at home and apparently abroad:
"Competition for Korean congregants can be fierce, he said. He sends church members out to distribute fliers in Korean markets in Queens and advertises in Korean-language newspapers. The flow in and out of the neighborhood keeps his congregation changing."

Here in Korea, the cities are dotted with the red neon crosses of Protestant churches. It is not uncommon to see two churches of the same denomination (where I live, usually Presbyterian), right next to each other. The pastors must act as businessmen, and are in constant competition not only with the secular world, but with each other.

Monday, July 12, 2004

Ugandan President Speaks the Truth!

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni quoted in Abstinence, Condom Controversy Erupts at AIDS Meet:
"'I look at condoms as an improvisation, not a solution,' Museveni told delegates on the second day of the 15th International AIDS Conference in Bangkok.

"Instead, he called for 'optimal relationships based on love and trust instead of institutionalized mistrust which is what the condom is all about.'"

Of course, this has Western AIDS activists' panties in a bunch. They can't handle
an assault on their unassailable dogma of sexual "liberty," even from a man who leads a country described as "a rare success story in Africa's war on AIDS."

[See also Abstinence Stressed at AIDS Conference.]
William F. Buckley Does Dialect

From SENATOR EDWARDS SPEAKS OUT!:
"Ladies an gennelmen of the jury, the United States is a great country, but its growth has been stultified, ladies an gennelmen, an I do mean stultified by the policies of the gennelman who got his way into the White House on account of, well, how would we get along, in American justice, if seven of you voted not guilty, five voted guilty, the judge slams down his gavel an pronounces the defendant is guilty..."

Natural Law

From Prostate, sex link intrigues scientists: Frequency and STDs may affect the gland's health and the growth of deadly tumors:
"Several (though not all) investigations have shown that a man's risk for prostate cancer rises with the number of sex partners he has had in a lifetime.

"Other studies have concluded that men who have contracted a sexually transmitted disease, or STD, appear to have an elevated risk for cancer of the prostate too.

"University of Illinois researcher Karin Rosenblatt and several colleagues studied men in the Seattle area and found that those who had 30 or more sex partners in their lifetime more than doubled the risk of prostate cancer."
Less Vulgar than the Popular Cocktail

Bishop to hold mass on the beach
Valparaíso y Neruda

Re: Chileans Celebrate Poet Neruda's Centennial

Valparaíso, Chile is one of the most beautiful cities I've every visited. It is also home to one of poet Pablo Neruda's three incredible homes. [Being a Communist didn't prevent him from having excellent taste.] While living in Chile, I tried to appreciate the poet's work; something that is almost de rigueur among Chileans. I have to confess to failing in that endeavor, however. I found his poems either embarrassingly carnal and lusty, or overly political. Still, many consider him the greatest poet of the Twentieth Century in any language.


    Chileans walk past a poem, estimated to be
    two-kilometers-long, written by admirers of
    late Nobel prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda,
    to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his
    birth, in the center of the Chilean coastal
    city of Valparaiso, July 11, 2004. Chileans
    threw a giant poetry fest one day before
    Neruda's July 12th birthday.
    REUTERS/Eliseo Fernandez
Lutheran News

Re: Lutheran president retains his post

I grew up as a Missouri Synod Lutheran. Like many of the old Germans in my congregation, the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod's conservatism sometimes leads to rigidity. But, as a Catholic looking back, I have more respect for that denomination than I ever did growing up in it. It tenaciously holds on to orthodox biblical teaching and, importantly, the liturgy. It practices closed communion, as does the Catholic Church.
Pray for Angelo de la Cruz

From AFP Top Photos:

    Carrying the cross : A Filipino man carries a
    cross during a procession in support of Angelo
    de la Cruz, a Filipino being held in Iraq, in
    Buenavista town, northern Philippines.
    (AFP/Jay Directo)
Animals Attack!

What's with all these animal invasions into major cities lately?

Wild Boar Killed With Tranquilizers in Downtown Seoul
Starving kangaroos attack city residents
Wild Leopards on Human Killing Spree in Bombay

Before some Earth Firster leaves a comment, I do know why. Our cities are growing into previously wild lands. Although I'm an animal-lover and acknowledge that we need to be good stewards of the land, we need to look out for our own species first. Isn't that, after all, what Darwin teaches?

The answer is not not abort, euthanize, or sterilize oursevles (or, more correctly, people from poor countries) into non-existence.
Lee Pang-ja (Masa-go)

Last Crown Princess of Korea
The Bard a Crypto-Catholic?

Did William Shakespeare Die a Papist?
Sound Advice

The Holy Father, quoted in Slow Down and Think, Healthier Pope Tells World:
"In this oasis of calm, in front of this marvelous show of nature, one can easily appreciate just how fruitful silence, something which is becoming ever more rare these days, can be."

Sunday, July 11, 2004

Neo-con Alert

Re: Conservative Attributes Bush's Pro-Islam Comments to Politics

The "conservatives" mentioned above are really neo-conservatives bent on starting World War IV with Islam (WWIII, fortunately, was never fought).

Paleo-cons recognize a common cause with Muslims in certian cultural and social areas. Patrick J. Buchanan, in What Does America Offer the World?, asks, "Why not stand beside Islam, and against Hollywood and Hillary?"
Eighth Annual Korean Language Contest

Koreans know a few GIs who speak their language
The Fascism of Progressives

Swedish minister jailed for "anti-gay" speech
Quo Vadis?

I just finished watching Quo Vadis (1951) and was blown away. Here's the Plot Summary for Quo Vadis from The Internet Movie Database:
"Returning to Rome after 3 years in the field, General Marcus Vinicius meets Lygia and falls in love with her. She is a Christian and doesn't want to have anything to do with a warrior. Though she grew up Roman, the adopted daughter of a retired general, Lygia is technically a hostage of Rome. Marcus gets Emperor Nero to give her to him for services rendered. Lygia resents this, but somehow falls in love with Marcus anyway. Meanwhile Nero's atrocities get more outrageous. When he burns Rome and blames the Christians, Marcus goes off to save Lygia and her family. Nero captures them and all the Christians, and throws them to the Lions, but Marcus, Lygia, and Christianity prevail in the end."

Peter Ustinov's performance as Nero was equally comic and chilling. More chilling still were the themes the movie explored, all the more so as the West returns to its Pagan origins. The film contrasts the self-hatred of Paganism (epitomized by Nero burning his own city) against Christianity's love of all mankind. Pagan Marcus' carnal lust for Lygia, her love of him, and his eventual conversion could be symbolic of the complex history of Rome's persecution of and later non-violent conquest by Christians.

Many of the themes of modern Neo-paganism can be found in the depiction of ancient Rome. Most obvious would be the similarities between Nero's government and that of Totalitarian states. The misunderstanding and mocking of Christian belief hasn't changed that much after 2000 years, only now there is added resentment because Christianity has conquered much of the world. The decadence of art-for-art's-sake is explored, as are the horrors of crowd culture and mobocracy. The film even depicts a physician-assisted suicide!

The film's trailer calls it "The Best Film of Our Lifetime" and I wouldn't be surprised if it was. After 53 years, it stands the test of time.

Saturday, July 10, 2004

Traditionalists

Re: Those Who Were Inspired to Hate the Modern World

The author of the book reviewed above also has a website, Traditionalists.org, and here's an interview with him: Traditionalism: René Guénon's legacy today - Interview with Mark Sedgwick.

The folks described above are not exactly my type of Traditionalists, but I do share some of their views. While "for most Traditionalists it’s precisely at the Renaissance that it all goes wrong," I'd pinpoint the "Enlightenment" as the beginning of the end.
A Good Sign

Re: 'Game Nights' Gaining Popularity in Bars

It is hoped that this is part of a reversal of the trend described in Robert D. Putnam's Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community.
"Antizionist Jews" Have Always Intrigued Me

From World Photos - AP:

    Anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews protest against the Israeli separation barrier outside the World Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Friday July 9, 2004. The International Court of Justice there was Friday delivering its advisory ruling on the legality of the Israeli security barrier in the West Bank. Last december, the UN General assembly, at the Palestinians request, asked the Netherlands-based court for its opinion. Some Orthodox Jews oppose the state of Israel, saying Jews should not have their own state before the coming of the Messiah.
A True Heir to the Apostles

New bishop conforms to strict Catholic law
The "Passion" in Malaysia

Re: Malaysia screens 'Passion' -- for Christians only

Muslims will not be permitted to see The Passion of the Christ. [They are not allowed by law to convert from Islam, either; conversions to Islam from other faiths are not proscribed, however.]

A decade ago, then-PM Dr. Mahathir Mohamed (Dr M as he was Orwellianly known), banned Schindler's List, for "being sympathetic to Jews" and not adequately showing the German side of the story (see TV and Film Censorship in Malaysia).
Orthodox Belief in Africa

Re: The Resurrection of Jesus Christ

The above article, written by Selassie Ameko, is originally from the Ghanaian Chronicle. An article expressing such orthodox Christian truth could never be published in a major American or European newspaper.

It is refreshing to see the Christians of Africa and other parts of the non-Western world (I would include Korea) upholding the orthodoxy of Christian belief at the same time the West apostasizes en masse.

This is the exciting thesis of Philip Jenkins' The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity; much to the dismay of liberal Christians in the West who champion the cause of the so-called Third World (and Gay Liberation), the Christianity that is emerging in the southern parts of our globe is distinctly conservative and orthodox.
Pakistani Christian Teetotalers

Re: Storm in a te(quil)a cup?: Christian priests call for ban on liquor permits

The article deserves a thorough Fisking. First, the use of the word "priest" in the title is wrong; it is about Protestants and Evangelicals, not Catholics or Orthodox. Now, to the article:
"LAHORE: Representatives of different churches in the city demanded on Friday that a ban be imposed on issuing liquor permits to Christians."

I understand it is common practice in many Islamic countries that only Christians are allowed to buy and sell alcohol. We should be thankful to Muslim leaders that they do not impose their religious strictures on their non-Muslim subjects.
"The demand was raised at a seminar entitled 'The Bible forbids the drinking of liquor', which was held at the Lahore Press Club. Clerics of the Presbyterian Church of Pakistan, the Full Gospel Assemblies, the Seven Day Adventists and the Baptist Church attended the seminar."

Where does the Bible forbid the drinking of liquor? (I write this while enjoying a nice afternoon martini.) Our Lord's first miracle was turning water into wine. The Bible calls for moderation in drink, and calls us to avoid drunkenness, but it never calls for total abstinence. How is it that folks who believe in literal interpretation of the Bible fail to see this?

It is telling to note the denominations of the "clerics" mentioned above. Many American and other Anglophone missionaries from these denominations ventured into Asia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They brought with them the cause of their day, teetotalism, as an article of faith. C.S. Lewis was correct (and catholic) to point out that Islam, not Christianity, is the teetoler religion.
"'The Holy Bible forbids the drinking of liquor and spirits in the Old and New Testaments,' said the clerics. 'If anybody drinks, it is his or her personal act. Issuing liquor permits to Christians is an insult to the faith.' The speakers said that if necessary, the supply of liquor should be open and legalised for all and not only for Christians."

The "clerics" seem to have a point here. There should be one law for all, shouldn't there?

Maybe not. When I lived in Malaysia, it was common during Ramadan for the Religious Police to check the i.d.'s of those eating during the daylight hours. If they were non-Muslims, no problem. If Muslims have determined that the State has the authority to regulate religious practice, who are Christians to say they are wrong? It is much to the credit of Muslim rulers in places like Northern Nigeria where sharia law is practiced that it is only applicable to Muslims.
"They claimed that the other churches in the city – the Catholic Church, the Church of Pakistan and the Salvation Army - also agreed with them on this issue."

I very much doubt that the Catholic Church and the Church of Pakistan (Anglican) were in agreement with the Protestants and Evangelicals on this issue. The Catholic Church mandates the use of wine, not grape juice, at the celebration of the Holy Eucharist, which occurs every day of the year (except Good Friday)! Banning alcohol completely would make this very difficult.

The Presbyterians, Methodists, and Baptists here in Korea tend to be teetotalers as well, or they imbibe in secret. Smoking is verboten as well. As a Catholic, I find it very refreshing to see a priest light up a cigarette after Mass, or to see cases of soju supplied for the parishioners after Mass on Christmas or Easter.

We Catholics can and do enjoy life!
The National Epidemic of Non-readers

The Closing of the American Book
Rankism

Re: Tilting at Windbags: A Crusade Against Rank

The above is a review of Robert W. Fuller's Somebodies and Nobodies : Overcoming the Abuse of Rank, a rallying cry against "rankism," which the reviewer defines as "the bullying behavior of people who think they are superior."

Like most politically correct ideas, this one is one that no fundamentally moral person would disgree with. Who, after all, is in favor of racism, treating women as objects, or wanton cruelty towards animals? These principles are based in the Judeo-Christian ethical tradition. The problem with political correctness is that it divorces these noble sentiments from their Divine source, and reduces them to trite and even laughable platitudes.
Katherine Anne Osenga's Beautiful Icons of the Madonna

This interesting icon was sent to me today:


    TITLE: "The Madonna of the Media"
    SIZE: 5 X 10
    MEDIUM: Oil and Mixed Medium
    DATE: August 1995
    PROPERTY OF: on loan to Ignatius Press, CA

Upon further research, the above icon was painted by Katherina Anne Osenga. That site and the Gallery from her homepage have more of her icons of the Madonna. My favorite was this one:

    TITLE: "The Madonna of the Internet"

Peroutka for President!

Katolik Shinja is endorsing Michael Anthony Peroutka of the Constitution Party for President of the United States in the 2004 election.

Why vote for Mr. Peroutka and not President Bush? Mr. Peroutka's own words, from The Religious Right Goes Wrong:
"We are totally pro-life, with no exceptions, whereas Mr. Bush is not. We are totally pro-family and pro-traditional marriage --- completely against homosexual "marriage" in any shape or form ---, whereas Mr. Bush is in favor of "civil unions" between members of the same sex. And we believe we are even more pro-American --- in the original sense of this word --- because we believe the Constitution of these united States should be strictly obeyed, whereas Mr. Bush, by his actions, has shown that he does not believe this."

Furthermore, while I think President Bush is basically a decent and honest fellow, he needs to called to task for his mishandling of the "War on Terror" and his dreadfully mistaken invasion of Iraq. From Terror is Not an Enemy. Terror is the TACTIC of an Enemy!, here are Mr. Perouka's words:
"'Nation building' is not a permissible function of the United States Government under Article I, Section 8 of the United States Constitution.

"As President, I would follow the Supreme Law of the Land, the United States Constitution, and bring home our troops."


While the Average Joe Schriner Campaign stands for many important issues, including an economy more on the the lines of Distrubutism, that candidacy seems to suffer from a certain lack of clarity.

For the above reasons, Katolik Shinja is proud to endorse Michael Anthony Peroutka for the next President of the United States.

I realize Mr. Peroutka's ideas may not be for everyone, but I encourage all disaffected and principled voters on the Left and Right to choose a third party in November (see Nader and Peroutka: Throwing a Left-Right Counterpunch at the Establishment's Jaw in 2004). To quote that eminent political philosopher Chuck D, "neither party is mine, not the jack-ass or the elephant."
Clinton and the "Smart Casual" Look

Sloppy Clothes, Shabby Manners
Buchanan on Kerry

Re: Your Eminence, What's There to Study?

Patrick J. Buchanan, in the above article, clearly describes the moral absurdity of Sen. John Kerry's latest comments on abortion:
"'I oppose abortion personally. ... I believe life does begin at conception.' So said John Kerry last week in Iowa.

"Remarkable. If Kerry believes life begins at conception, he must concede that each time he has voted to fund abortions, he has voted to fund the killing of human beings. And voting to uphold Clinton's veto of the partial-birth abortion ban, Kerry voted against sparing tiny human beings from an excruciating form of execution."

Mr. Buchanan offers the rhetorical question that serves as a title for his article in response to U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops doing nothing more than appointing "a seven-member task force to study what the sanction should be for Catholic politicians who vote to fund abortions and vote against judges who believe the unborn have a right to life."

Mr. Buchanan contrasts our current bishops lack of firm resolve on the abortion issue with the reaction of bishops of the past to a different issue, segregation:
"Catholicism used to produce a different kind of prelate. In 1953, Archbishop Joseph Rummel of New Orleans issued a pastoral letter: '(L)et there be no further discrimination or segregation in the pews, at the Communion rail, at the confessional and in parish meetings, just as there will be no segregation in the kingdom of heaven.'

"Resistance to integration of the parochial schools was fierce. The battle went on for a decade. Catholics appealed to the Vatican. Pius XII backed up the archbishop. In the Louisiana Legislature, bills were introduced forbidding integration of the Catholic schools, bills supported by Catholic legislators. The archbishop's response was to threaten the Catholic lawmakers with excommunication.

"When the rabid segregationist Leander Perez of Plaquemine Parish persisted, Archbishop Rummel excommunicated him and the head of the Citizens Council of Louisiana for "continuing to provoke the devoted people of this venerable archdiocese to disobedience or rebellion in the matter of opening our schools to all Catholic children."

"Now, there was an archbishop."


[And yet, the popular conception of Mr. Buchanan remains that he is a racist.]



An Obituary for Canada's Anglican "Pink Primate"

Re: The Most Reverend Ted Scott

Requiescat in pace.

Friday, July 09, 2004

Saint Kim Taegon

This image of Saint Andrew Kim Taegon, one of the patrons of this blog, comes from my parish website, 대구대교구 이동성당 (Idong Catholic Church):
Rainbow Family Gathering

California peace gathering marred by violence and Indian complaints

I have to confess to having attended few "Rainbow Family Gatherings" back in the late '80s and early '90s. For an idea of what their like, here's a photo series from one I attended in Vermont in 1991, taken from Rainbow Family Gathering Photos:

In hindsight, I'd say these folks are asking the right questions but coming up with the wrong answers.