True Rebellion

The Pro-Abortion Action Plan: Flashmob "Debate"

2011-09-13T10:51:00.002+01:00

Last weekend, while I was taking part in a street information session regarding the issue of abortion, I was struck by an experience that I had in connection with a woman passing by on the busy streets of Dublin.

I was standing in front of the GPO on O’Connell St passing out pro-life leaflets with a few other pro-lifers. The leaflets that we were handing out, asked the question “Is she a child or a choice?” and showed a beautiful image of an unborn child in the womb. Most people were happy to take the leaflet and were intrigued by the message on the leaflet. But, one woman passing by disagreed with us, but it was the way that she expressed it, which inspired me to ponder.

This woman, who appeared to be in her mid-50’s, without even taking a leaflet or giving me a chance to speak, stormed up to me and said, “You’re a disgrace! Don’t you have anything better to do than to stand here? You people make me sick! PRO-CHOICE!” Then, without giving me any chance to state my case or to enter into dialogue, she stormed off. Wait, what? I barely had the chance to catch a breath, let alone respond to her blunt engagement.

Why is it that nearly every time someone disagrees with a pro-lifer, they quickly attack with rhetoric and then run off giving no opportunity for the pro-lifer to refute what was said? The reason I was standing on O’Connell Street was to dialogue with people and to expose the truth of abortion – not to shy away from public discourse or hide from the issues. This woman’s actions in this situation are typical pro-abortionists response to pro-lifers – and I like to call this the flashmob method of debate.

A flashmob is when a person or group of people suddenly assemble in a public place, perform a song or dance usually promoting a product or message, and then disperse quickly at the end. This has been used as a marketing technique for many companies, as it’s a quick and easy way to promote a product. Also, many organisations have used this technique to promote awareness of various political and social issues. While this is a very useful technique to promote a message, it completely cuts off discourse and dialogue. This is why I think the term “flashmob” suits pro-abortionists very well, whenever they encounter pro-lifers.

Like anything, there are exceptions, but this is something that I have consistently witnessed throughout my 16 years as an active member of the pro-life movement. In any situation where a pro-abortionist might be challenged on the facts or have the opportunity to enter into an intellectual debate, they will quickly spew whatever arguments they have in support of abortion and then flee before their opponent has an opportunity to respond. Why is this the case? If you were really confident in what you believe, why would you feel the need to run away?

Public discourse is good because it challenges us to look at what we believe, why we believe what we do, and even to consider other points of view. I stand firmly in my stance against abortion and believe that I have truth on my side; so I welcome every opportunity to discuss my beliefs and why I believe what I do. So, why is it that pro-abortionists seem so eager to shy away from debate? Maybe if they were more willing to discuss the issue of abortion with pro-lifers, they might find some ounce of truth in what pro-lifers are saying and see the need to end abortion and protect all human life throughout the world.

The Royal Family: Racists?!?!

2011-03-31T22:20:00.000+01:00

If you're like me, you cannot wait for April 29th to roll around. April 29, you ask? Well, of course, it's the Royal Wedding!!! If you are like me, you are loving every detail of the upcoming nuptials between Prince William and his bride-to-be Kate Middleton. I love reading the details about the engagement, the ceremony, and of course, the speculation surrounding every detail of the ceremony. I love everything. Heck, I even got excited today when I saw that there is a limited edition "Will and Kate" stamp... seriously, I think I need some! But, as much as I love everything about the upcoming nuptials, there is something that is confusing me... my President Barack Obama was NOT invited!

WTF?!?! Like, seriously Royal Fam. We Americans are your friends! We love you and want the best for your famous young couple. But, what gives. I really thought we were friends, but now you forget us during this time of great joy and celebration. Now, I know that you can't invite everyone and I know that loads of people are dying to be invited to this spectacular event. Have you watched "Ellen" lately? She's literally running a campaign on her show to get an invite.

I know, I know. You can't invite everyone. But, you didn't invite the President of the United States? Maybe it was just an oversight. Or maybe this is just a misunderstanding. But, what if this "snub" has nothing to do with politics or numbers, and everything to do with the color of my President's skin. What if President Obama wasn't invited simply because of his race and why isn't anyone talking about this!?!? I mean, it's not even a talking point. Ok. You probably think I've lost it, but hear me out.

Why is it that if you didn't vote for Obama in 2008, it's assumed you must be a racist? Or every time someone disagrees with Obama's Healthcare Reform bill, they're racist. Or if someone disagrees with the Obama's on their "get fit" policies and eat a hamburger... they're racist. Maybe I just like a big mac every once and a while, ok? And maybe I don't want Government making me spend my hard-earned dollars on things that I don't agree with! Why is it that in every other single situation where someone "snubs" Obama they're called a racist, but in the case of the Royal Family... no one cares.

There are reports that the Obama's were not invited because the Royal Family would then need extra security and thus would incur an extra expense. That's obviously not true. It's the Royal Family... money is not the issue. Or you might say I'm wrong because there are reports surfacing that Kanye West was invited, so then it couldn't be a race issue if he was invited. Seriously? You believe that. If anything, Kanye West has to be the charity invite... they probably feel bad for West and how he's been snubbed by the public since he "crashed" Taylor Swift's speech at the VMA's in 2009. And maybe it's just a cover-up for their actual racism... they didn't invite Obama because he's black, but:

"Oh wait, what if someone catches wind of our plan. Eeek! Quick... what other black American do we know that won't be busy?"
"How about Kanye West?"
"Random.. but, ok, Kanye. Of course! I'm sure he's available and as long as he doesn't interrupt the wedding, we should be fine. Hopefully he got enough backlash from the last time he pulled a stunt like that, that he won't try it at the Royal Wedding."

The thing is... we're not even talking about policy here, people. We're talking about the Obama's not being invited to the party of the year (or century... depending on who you ask). If race is at the heart of every other snub or disagreement with Obama, then it must be the case here to. Why is it that when a person questions his policies, they're racist... but, if they decide not to invite him to "sit at their table" (wedding), it's different?

And I'll end on a quote from the infamous Greg Gutfeld, "And if you disagree with me, sir, you are a racist!"

A Sexual Revolution, Amidst a Sexual Culture

2011-02-23T23:11:00.000Z

Contrary to popular belief, a recent study found that the majority of American young people want to remain virgins until marriage.

A recent study, which was released just prior to Valentine's Day, showed that sixty one percent of America’s youth said they would like to save sex until marriage. The 91-page study by OneHope also included information about the teenage respondent's beliefs, values and spirituality.

Other interesting findings in the study include:

82 percent believe God intended marriage to last a lifetime
50 percent consider an unmarried man and woman a family
59 percent said the Bible has little/no influence on their thoughts and actions
62 percent believe truth is relative
57 percent believe being good people and doing good deeds will get you into heaven
69 percent watch MTV on a weekly basis

These are really interesting findings, as young people are constantly portrayed as the opposite in movies and on television. For instance, according to "Jersey Shore", young people sleep around, have no self-respect, and they are oozing of STD's. Teens are also encouraged to live this sort of lifestyle when celebrities are pushing condoms and singing songs about being promiscuous ("Promiscuous Girl" by Nelly Furtado, "Tonight (I'm F**kin' You)" by Enrique Iglesias, etc.). But, these findings illuminate the fact that this generation is smart and independent.

This generation is strong, confident, and unwilling to be a mere instrument of culture. Young people are becoming more aware of who they are and are becoming strong leaders, who are paving the way for future generations. This is study is a glimmer of hope, in an often dark world.

Source: The Christian Post

Big family = "littering"?

2010-11-25T22:26:00.001Z

Rutgers University Professor Helen Fisher, of the Center for Human Evolution Studies, appeared on the Joy Behar show a few weeks ago, to talk about women who decide not to have children. She said that in some circles, having more than a few children is called "littering".

The amazing thing about this interview is that throughout the whole interview they talk about women choosing not to have families and some of the reasoning behind it. Then, Joy Behar brings up the point that Italy is not even at replacement level, but none of the panelists see the danger in this. They just banter on and on about "over-population", but a fact that is mentioned during the show goes totally under their radar. Most of Europe is not at replacement level, and the rest of the world is following suit... America isn't far behind.

Parking Notice

2010-11-21T08:07:00.000Z

My sister sent this to me...

So funny! I think I might need to get some of these printed to put on people's cars.

Lazy journalism and the consequences on human life

2010-11-15T23:37:00.001Z

Over the past few weeks, I have witnessed extremely lazy journalism, which is not only lazy, but could have dire consequences on the Irish people.

I was always under the impression that journalists were to serve the people and not make their opinions known, and simply present the facts to the public. As I've gotten older, I have realized that this sort of journalism rarely exists anymore and more than ever, journalists are presenting their point of view, rather than concrete facts. While I have come to terms with this and have adjusted to the fact that journalists often present their own point of view; one thing I have a problem with, is lazy journalism.

I do recognize that journalists have the right to voice their opinion. I also understand that journalists can be unaware of some fact(s) or portions of the story that they are highlighting, when an article is published. But, what is absolutely preposterous is when journalists don't even look into the actual facts of a story, especially when these untruths have the ability to major alter the future of a country's laws and the lives of the nation's people.

Two weeks ago, I came across a post on Choice Ireland's blog, that stated,

"Choice Ireland have today confirmed that at least 1216 packages containing abortifacient drugs have been seized upon entry into Ireland. The information was obtained by Choice Ireland through a Freedom of Information request to the Irish Medicines Board."

I took notice of the huge number of packages that they claimed were being collected at customs... so, I read on. The spokeswoman for Choice Ireland Sinead Ahern went on in the article to say,

"It is time to face up to the reality that Irish women will go to desperate lengths and take huge risks to end pregnancies they feel they cannot continue. It is time to stop turning our backs on these women. The large number of women who still travel to access abortion services or try to access backstreet abortion services is further evidence of the need to make emergency contraception available over the counter."

Being intrigued by the information that Choice Ireland was putting forward and also noticing that TV3 and the Daily Mail had released the same figures when they were covering this story, I sent a letter to the Irish Medical Board to clarify this information. To my simple query requesting what (in fact) had been confiscated at customs, the IMB replied:

"In 2008 the products which were detained by enforcement officers, in conjunction with Revenue Customs, comprised:
Mifepristone (also known as RU-486) - 14 tablets
Misoprostol - 34 tablets
Total amount of abortifacients detained in 2008 - 48 tablets.

The figures for 2009 are:
Mifepristone - 98 tablets
Misoprostol – 1,118 tablets
Total amount of abortifacients seized in 2009 – 1,216 tablets

Figures for 2010 are not yet available."

TV3 and the Daily Mail seemingly used the figures promoted by Choice Ireland when they were covering this story. Or maybe they simply didn't read the actual information released by the IMB (Irish Medical Board). If it's the former, since when did a blog become a source for factual information? In college, blogs were not considered a source for facts... a source for information or opinion, maybe... but, definitely not for facts! If it's the latter, if you are reporting on a topic, especially something as controversial as abortion, don't you think you should try to get the facts straight? At least read the report by the IMB? Let me remind you that this was not a 10 year olds paper for school, where facts were misrepresented... rather, this is TV3 and the Daily Mail!

TV3, the Daily Mail, and Choice Ireland are all promoting completely false information. These groups all claimed that "3 Irish women a day" or "1,216 women throughout 2009" were ordering these abortifacients, which is completely false. As you can see by the facts from the IMB, "1,216 tablets" were confiscated, not 1,216 packs; nor does it even give you any notion that each pill was for a different Irish woman. This information does not say anything about individuals purchasing any of the pills and it seems most likely that someone is purchasing large quantities, that would be sold to women in Ireland.

After comparing the real statistics with the false figures that Choice Ireland put forth, one thing came to my mind... they are going to try and use these untruths to push for legislation legalizing abortion in Ireland.

A few days later, (BIG SARCASTIC SURPRISE) Choice Ireland released further comment on their 'apparent' findings saying,

"It must now be acknowledged that the official abortion statistics, as provided by clinics in Britain and the Netherlands, are hopelessly unreliable. Those of us who have consistently argued that those figures under-represent the true number of Irish abortions have also been proven correct. No doubt customs will respond to this by stepping up enforcement but any measures it takes will continue to sidestep the real issue: that Irish women, no less than women anywhere else in the world, need access to safe, reliable and affordable abortion and will go to great risks if that access is denied. What will it take for Ireland to face up to this reality?"

So, instead of facing up to the fact that they are publicizing false information, they are using this false information to campaign for abortion or at least abortion pills to be legal (over the counter) in Ireland?

It is appalling that these groups are using false claims and corrupt information, to push for legislation that would have a major effect on the respect of human life in Ireland. Again, I understand when journalists offer their own opinion in their writings (when they promote it as just that, opinion not fact) or when they might not be aware of certain facts/figures... but, this is appalling. The promotion of false information, which in turn, could have massive consequences on the current laws in Ireland that protect human life.

"We're all just grownup embryos"?

2010-11-10T19:21:00.002Z

These billboards have been popping up all across Ireland over the past week.

What do you think of this billboard? What does this it say to you?

The world is overpopulated?

2010-10-27T18:04:00.003+01:00

In case you haven't seen this video, I thought I'd pass this on.

How many times have you heard the argument that the world is overpopulated? What do you think?

Will Obamacare fund abortions?

2010-10-27T17:53:00.012+01:00

The Population Research Institute is known for their captivating videos regarding population and life issues. Their new video is no exception.

In the most recent video by the Population Research Institute, PRI president Steven Mosher unveils the many dangers of the new federal health care reform law.

An insightful look at the truth of Obamacare.

Celebrity Baby Stories: Life and the Pursuit of Happiness

2010-10-24T18:31:00.010+01:00

Over the past few weeks, I found myself speaking to many different people regarding abortion and for some reason in each of these cases, celebrity abortion stories kept coming up in conversation.

Celebrity abortion stories (or in this case 'choose life' stories) have been topics of interest within the news circuit lately, as numerous famous musicians have come shed light on the topic of abortion with their personal stories regarding abortion. I will post other stories later, but these are some of the beautiful stories of life that I have come across recently in my research and I wanted to share them with all of you.

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Last week, international singing phenomenon Susan Boyle revealed that doctors had told her mother to abort her, because they thought the pregnancy was too risky.

The 49-year old Scotland native skyrocketed to stardom in April 2009, after appearing on the television program, Britain’s Got Talent. Susan emerged on the show as a plain-looking Scotswoman, but went on to shock the world with her powerful rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” from the musical version of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables.

In her autobiography, The Woman I Was Born To Be, Boyle reveals that doctors recommended that her mother, Bridget Boyle, terminate the pregnancy as they suspected physical complications. Susan’s mother was already the mother of eight children, but rejected the Doctor’s advice as “unthinkable” because she was a “devout Catholic.”

When Boyle was born by emergency c-section, doctors did not offer a huge congratulations on the birth of "A beautiful baby girl.” Boyle wrote that doctors took a rather dismissive view of her life – especially when they suspected she had brain damage due to a deprivation of oxygen. The doctors told Boyle's mother, “It’s probably best to accept Susan will never be anything. Susan will never come to anything so don’t expect too much of her.”

Susan said, “What they didn’t know was that I am a bit of a fighter, and I’ve been trying all my life to prove them wrong.” And Boyle has done just that.

Boyle released her first album “I Dreamed a Dream” on November 23, 2009, and quickly sold 9 million copies in six weeks, making it the number one selling album for that year. The Guinness Book of World Records also recognized Boyle as the number one female artist in the UK with the fastest selling debut album.

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Andrea Bocelli, Italian pop, opera, and classical singer, revealed earlier this year that doctors recommended his mother abort him, after she experienced an attack of appendicitis, making it likely that her son would be born with a disability. Bocelli was born completely blind.

Bocelli says that he hopes that the story of his brave mother will “encourage any mothers that find themselves in difficult situations, in those moments when life is complicated, to save the life of their baby.”
Watch the video of him telling the whole story.

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In January of this year, college football star Tim Tebow (now back-up quarterback for the Denver Broncos) revealed that doctors recommended abortion to his mother after she became sick during her mission work in the Philippines.

Tebow’s story was featured in a 30-second ad during the nationally televised, Super Bowl. According to one study, 92.6 million Americans watched the ad. Of those who identified themselves as in favor of abortion, four percent said they were led to "personally reconsider [their] opinion about abortion" after watching Tebow and his mother Pam tell their story in the ad.

If you haven't seen the ads, here is one for you to check out: my personal favorite Cute!

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In 2007, Jamie Lynn Spears the 16-year-old younger sister of Britney Spears made headlines, when she announced that she was pregnant.

Many people were enraged by the news that the Disney Channel star was 16 years old and pregnant, but she gained the respect of many at the same time. As a teen, she could have easily aborted her child and no one would have ever known. Instead she chose to keep her child and said, "I put myself in this position, an adult position, so I have to act like an adult and take responsibility for what I did."  

When asked about abortion she said, "I think my whole life I would have to live with knowing what I did or what I didn't do."   Spears also discouraged sex before marriage saying, "I definitely don't think it's something you should do; it's better to wait. But I can't be judgmental because it's a position I put myself in."  

All I have is respect for this girl! I definitely wasn't as brave and mature as she is, when I was 16 years old. She could have had an abortion and no one would have ever known. She may have saved herself some of the public outrage and humiliation when people were attacking her for being "16 and pregnant". I cannot judge her for being "16 and pregnant" as others have, all I have is respect for this brave young woman who chose to give her baby life and try to be the best mom she can.

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Lastly, one of the most powerful stories that I have encountered recently is of American heiress and reality television personality Kourtney Kardashian and her encounter with an unplanned pregnancy.

In 2009, Kardashian found out that she was pregnant and was faced with the decision of whether to give her child life or to abort the baby. Kardashian said in an interview with People Magazine, "I definitely thought about it long and hard, about if I wanted to keep the baby or not, and I wasn't thinking about adoption. I can't even tell you how many people just say, 'Oh, get an abortion.' Like it's not a big deal."

Confused and concerned, Kardashian discussed abortion with her physician, and then headed to the Internet to do further research. She said, "I looked online, and I was sitting on the bed hysterically crying, reading these stories of people who felt so guilty from having an abortion. I was reading these things of how many people are traumatized by it afterwards."

Through her research, Kardashian said she started to realize that abortion was not an option. "I was just sitting there crying, thinking, 'I can't do that. And I felt in my body, this is meant to be. God does things for a reason, and I just felt like it was the right thing that was happening in my life."

Kardashian strongly stated, "For me, all the reasons why I wouldn't keep the baby were so selfish: It wasn't like I was raped, it's not like I'm 16. I'm 30 years old, I make my own money, I support myself, I can afford to have a baby. And I am with someone who I love, and have been with for a long time."

She ended by saying, "My doctor told me there is nothing you will ever regret about having the baby, but he was like, 'You may regret not having the baby.' And I was like: That is so true. And it just hit me. I got so excited."

Kardashian welcomed her beautiful baby boy into the world on December 14th 2009 and named him, Mason Dash Disick.
There are other stories of celebrities who chose abortion and now struggle with tremendous grief and pain over this.

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I wanted to share all of these stories with you because they are witnesses of hope to me. If Susan Boyle, Andrea Bocelli, or Tim Tebow's mothers had listened to Doctors, the world would not have the gift of their presence. We would not have Andrea Bocelli or Susan Boyle's beautiful music to listen to and we wouldn't have an entertaining and gifted Heinsman Trophy winner in Tebow.

On the other side of the spectrum, Jamie Lynn Spears and Kortney Kardashian could have chosen abortion and saved themselves the "public analysis" of their choices. They could have chose abortion and gone on living their "hollywood lifestyle" and no one would have ever known. But, they chose life. They went against the usual Hollywood antics and chose to give their baby life.

In all of these instances, these women are to be commended. These are true feminists in my eyes. Women who bravely do the right thing, even if they receive 'backlash' or are attacked for their choice. Praise God for life and praise the Lord for amazing Mothers!

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"I touched my belly overwhelmed
by what I had been chosen to perform.
But then an angel came one day,
Told me to kneel down and pray.
For unto me a man child would be born.
Woe this crazy circumstance.
I knew his life deserved a chance,
but everybody told me to be smart.
“Look at your career ” they said,
“Lauryn baby use your head.”
But instead I chose to use my heart." - To Zion lyrics, Lauren Hill

I'm Back... with good things to come to those who wait!

2010-10-22T07:26:00.000+01:00

As you can see from my last post, I am back and ready to riot... well, at least rattle the blogosphere the best that I can.

Many things have happened over the past few months which I assure you, you will hear about all of that in due time. There is just far too much for me to report on in simply one post. But, if you know anything about my life, you know that my life never seems to go down the easy/simple route. This means that my life is complex; frustrating, while also very entertaining. My life is an abyss of drama, joy, crazy stories, fun, and sometimes even riots. Well, not literal riots, usually; but, more of a "political discourse" kind of riots. Also, if you know anything about me or have read my blog, you will know that I currently straddle the "line" of two countries. I am currently living between America and Ireland; which means that there is a whole series of Irish-American drama and debates to share with you.

With all of that being said, i am currently working on the following posts, that I will post sometime in the next few days:

- Celebrity Stories of Life and Death: The Abortion Edition

- My Experience with ObamaCare in Ireland: The Truth about Obamacare

- An woman organizes a protest against the Catholic Church in Ireland (She failed. My thoughts on why it was ridiculous and why she failed)

- Colbert in Congress: Public Discourse versus Political Satire

Let me know if there is anything that you come across or anything in particular that you would like me to write about or talk about on here. (Comment below or email me)

I'm Bringin' Blogging Back

2010-10-21T07:56:00.000+01:00

"I'm bringin' sexy back..." are the famous words from the Justin Timberlake tune of the same name. The song is catchy, yes. But, it confuses me, mostly because I didn't know "sexy" was gone nor do I know where "sexy" is coming back from. Hmm.

Well, in the same way, my "blog" is coming back, but I don't exactly where it went or where it's coming back from. In all actuality, this blog was never really gone, but rather the "blogger" in residence was on hiatus.

As most of you know, I have been in Dublin, pursuing my Master's degree in Public Affairs and Political Communications in Dublin, Ireland. I have had an intense and challenging year, but it has not been without its blessings. My year was filled with both "ups and downs" and good and bad, but overall, this experience has trained me in the art of political communications and I feel that I am now best suited to serve the blogosphere community.

I'm back and ready to bring you some great reading material, interesting videos, some hilarious banter, a bit of ridiculous-ness, and maybe even a few guest blogs from some very interesting sources. So, hold on to your hats... this ruckus is back in action.

For some time now, I have been trying to work my way back into the blogosphere and find the best way to bring back my blog. I used my Twitter account as a way to 'ease' myself back into social media and from the feedback I've received regarding my Twitter account, I may be back better than ever!

I assure you that I will strive to bring you some interesting news, entertainment, and commentary. I also love to laugh, so I will be sure to add some hilarious antics throughout my posts, which may or may not be funny to you at all.

Please let me know what you think and feel free to send me anything that you think might be of interest.

Thanks a million to all of my dear readers! It's good to be back in action!!!

To anyone who may be reading this blog...

2010-04-25T14:48:00.001+01:00

Hello Dear Readers,

Just a quick note to let you know that I my posts are going to be few and far between for the next few weeks, but I will do my best to post some interesting things on here nonetheless.

I am in the process of finishing my Master's degree classes and thus I am spending all of my time finishing projects, papers, preparing for presentations, and studying for exams.

Thank you for your patience, for your friendship, and for your continued readership.

~ Kate

Bristol Palin's Public Service Announcement

2010-04-09T19:22:00.000+01:00

I just watched Bristol Palin's new ad... I like it.

What do you think???

Most Americans are still Against Healthcare?

2010-04-06T19:00:00.001+01:00

Apparently Obama and Congress we not listening to the American people when they passed the Healthcare Reform Bill.

According to a recent poll conducted by CBS (surprisingly, as CBS rarely seems honest in their reporting and are often quite left-leaning), the majority of Americans are against the recent Healthcare Reform Bill that was passed through Congress.

Now, 53% of Americans say they disapprove of the new reforms,
including 39% who say they disapprove strongly. On the eve of passage
of the historic bill in Congress, 37% said they approved and 48%
disapproved.

APPROVAL OF THE HEALTH CARE BILL
22 March 2010
Approve 37%
Disapprove 48%
NOW
Approve 32%
Disapprove 53%

Republicans and independents remain opposed to the reforms, and
support has dropped some among Democrats. Now 52% of Democrats
approve of the new reforms, a drop from 60% just before the bill was
passed by Congress.

Less than one in five Americans thinks the new health care reforms
will help them personally – unchanged since before the vote in
Congress. 36% think the new reforms will hurt them, while 39% think
they will have little effect.

In reading this poll and other reports that have been oozing out, I am still trying to figure out why it passed. If the majority of Americans were against this bill, why was Washington not listening? Oh that's right, apparently they can do whatever they want, since we were the ones who elected them. Hmm... Remember this in November, folks.

I don't think I'm alone when I say that the majority of America DOES in fact, want Healthcare for all. Seriously, who would try and stop all Americans from being covered by Healthcare. I want America to be a happy and healthy place for all. But, the problems that I have with *this* particular bill, extensively outnumber any positives that I can see coming out of this bill.

What do you think? Where do you fall in the poll that CBS released?

Full Poll

ObamaCare: Yea or Nay???

2010-04-02T22:39:00.000+01:00

I saw this video ages ago and the information provided has stayed with me ever since. It is a hilarious adventure, that analyzes exactly what is going on with regards to socialized medicine... a.k.a. ObamaCare.

It is worth every minute! If for nothing else, it will offer you a few laughs and if you're lucky, it might even offer further insight into why so many Americans are against ObamaCare.

Watch it and let me know what you think???
Are you still Pro-ObamaCare?

Is the Tea Party Movement Promoting Freedom or are they Racist Rallies?

2010-04-02T21:58:00.000+01:00

Megyn Kelly and Alan Colmes enter into a lively discussion regarding racism, the tea parties, and Obama. This is a great recent debate... Enjoy!

My favorite quote: "To call someone a racist is about the worst thing you could do in this Country." - Megyn Kelly

After everything that our Country has been through with regards to racism and cultural-ism, I take great issue and offense when someone claims that someone expressing their opinion on true issues is a racist. Why is it that it seems to be ok to 'bash' everyone else, but if anyone makes a negative comment about Obama or his administration, that person is called a 'racist'?

Which is Worse: Hate Speech Towards Obama or Bush???

2010-04-02T19:11:00.000+01:00

"The Tea Party movement is a racist and fascist movement!"

This is a comment that someone made to me recently, but this is nothing new, as it seems that these sort of comments seem to be running rampant through the media circuit and thus the world population. My question is, when did this negative commentary begin... and ultimately, when will it end? Why can't we focus our time on debating the issues rather than 'name calling' and pointing fingers.

This is what the last Presidency looked like:

This is what the current Presidency looks like:

Which is worse??? You decide.

Rasmussen: Tea Party Movement More Popular Than Congress??? Hmm.

2010-03-29T12:05:00.000+01:00

Even after passing the "historical" Healthcare Reform Bill, for some reason, The Tea Party movement seems to be more popular than Congress itself. Hmmm... I wonder...

A recent Rasmussen poll showed that,

By a 62% to 12% margin, Mainstream Americans say the Tea Party is closer to their views.

52% of U.S. voters believe the average member of the Tea Party movement has a better understanding of the issues facing America today than the average member of Congress.
While only 30% believe that those in Congress have a better understanding of the key issues facing the nation.

When it comes to those issues, 47% think that their own political views are closer to those of the average Tea Party member than to the views of the average member of Congress. On this point, 26% feel closer to Congress.

46% of voters say that the average Tea Party member is more ethical than the average member of Congress. Twenty-seven percent (27%) say that the average member of Congress is more ethical.

For all of the ranting and raving I have been hearing lately about the Tea Partiers, they must to be doing something right!?!? For those of you who don't really understand the mission of the Tea Party movement, they are a protest(s) largely rallying against the big government policies of both major political parties. These are not racist protests or mainly made up of conservatives... they are honest americans who are fighting for their freedom and their rights.

Full Rasmussen Poll

A Moving Video

2010-03-28T17:22:00.000+01:00

This was a video that I saw last weekend at the Conference that I attended. Although it is very simple, I was nearly moved to tears... it really makes you think.

Healthcare Reform

2010-03-28T12:03:00.000+01:00

What is going on in America these days???

This week has been a crazy week in the World of Politics, especially in America. In my Politics class in Ireland this week, a Professor and some of the students spoke about how it was only racist conservatives that were against Healthcare. (Note: Only a mere few months ago, we were having the same exact discussion about Tea Parties being organized/attended by only racist conservatives, in the same class!) It seems to me that by the time the information reaches the news sources in Ireland, the media has skewed and twisted the actual truth so much, that it's hard to get a story straight (It's like a game of "Telephone" with the media.). We are led to believe a great many things via the media outlets, but my challenge is to stay away from 'spin doctors' and 'cronies' and to seek the truth.

With regards to the actual Healthcare Reform Bill, there have been a growing number of issues with the Healthcare system in the United States, but a 2,000+ page bill that includes funding for 'playgrounds', 'child molesters', and 'student loan payments', does not seem like the most efficient way to acquire Healthcare for a Nation. Seriously, what do each of these things have to do with Healthcare. Seriously???

One article that I read regarding the Healthcare reform bill, offered a one-page alternative to Obamacare with a mere 3 points. That is what I want and this is what I think America truly needs. The three points were:

1) Congress will amend the McCarran-Ferguson Act to allow interstate competition in health insurance.
(This will allow for competition among insurance companies, which will ultimately allow for Americans to attain the best plans at the lowest rates.)

2) The exclusive regulator of insurance companies will be the state where the company's home office is.
(This would encourage companies to incorporate in the State with the least amount of government regulations. Example: The majority of corporations are based in Delaware for this same reason.)

3) Prohibit the federal government from regulating insurance companies, except for normal laws and regulations that apply to all companies.
(This would aid against Lobbyists 'lobbying' the Federal Government and aid against Politicians adding their own corruption into the Healthcare sector. It is no secret that Lobbyists and Politicians were playing extensively in the content of the Healthcare bill... check out AARP for example, they benefit greatly from much of the content of the Healthcare bill.)

To read the full article on the Healthcare Reform Bill that I am referring to, check it out here.

If anything, I think that this Healthcare Reform Bill is right to be rejected by the American people. It is full of racist and crony language and far too much of the content was obviously facilitated by Lobbyists and crony Politicians. Just because the American people need Healthcare reform, does not make it acceptable for Politicians, Lobbyists, or any other person or group to mess with the lives of Americans. We need to protect our rights and our freedom.

My #1 Lesson in Politics: "Just because you saw it on TV or heard it through a Media source... it's not necessarily Truth!" Seek out information. Read the Healthcare Reform Bill. Seek out a plethora of sources on the subject. People are being swayed and corrupted by what they see on the TV and what they hear through ONE source. Think outside of the box and do your research... this is the only way that we are going to protect America's freedom!

Pro-Life Conference in Scotland

2010-03-27T11:37:00.000Z

Last weekend, I was blessed to have the opportunity to attend a pro-life conference in Glasgow, Scotland.

I had the best time and the conference really challenged the way that I think about the pro-life movement. For me, abortion has always been a very real issue, especially as I could have been legally aborted in my mother's womb. But, the conference offered a great variety of aspects of the pro-life movement, some that I honestly hadn't even thought to focus on before.

The conference was split up into five sessions. The first session focused on embryology and personhood. It was actually great because I felt like I was back in college, revisiting my Philosophy of the Human Person course. As much as I feel like I know all of these topics, it was great to get a 'refresher', plus I really miss Philosophy sometimes, as 'philosophy' is something that politics strays away from. The conference's second session delve deep into the abortion issue. All of the talks in this section were extremely interesting, but there was one in particular that really 'opened my eyes' and changed my mode of thinking with regards to abortion in America. This speaker was Reverend Arnold Culbreath from Protecting Black Life. If only all of America could hear what he had to say or even simply heard the message of his organization, America would change their way of thinking. He spoke about the number of abortions that are being committed against the African-American population and how abortion is literally wiping out 'Black America'. We need to talk to Planned Parenthood, Barack Obama, and look to the writings of Margaret Sanger, when speaking about racism. The statistics that Rev. Culbreath gave were from the National Census Bureau and from Planned Parenthood's Research organization (Alan Guttmacher Institute) and the findings from these sources were chilling. Check out their website for more information... and when I have more time, I promise I will dig deeper and share more of their findings.

The third session of the conference was euthanasia. This was an extremely interesting session, especially in regards to the current news story of Dr. Death's visit the day before to Dublin. Dr Philip Nitschke from Australia (also known as Doctor Death), made his way to Ireland to hold a 'conference' on (literally) "how to kill yourself". Many people in Ireland rebelled and were able to get four different venues to cancel on the event, before it was finally carried out at the Seomra Spraoi, which is a social center in Dublin. With all of this going on in the days leading up to the conference in Scotland, the information that was presented was extremely moving and motivating. (Read the Full Story about Dr. Death's visit here)

The conference came to a close with two very interesting sections. First there was the "What can we do?" session, which gave helpful information as to how to become active no matter who you are or which stage of life you are in. And lastly, the conference came to a close with an International Panel, in which many of the speakers were asked to participate in a 'Question and Answer' session. This was extremely interesting because each of the speakers offered very unique points of view on all of the various questions that were asked.

Overall, I was blessed to have the opportunity to attend and was really motivated in a new and exciting way.

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Dublin

2010-03-17T22:53:00.000Z

From Dublin, with Love.

Wishing you all the best on this High Holy Day, in honor of St. Patrick!

I'm off to Scotland tomorrow morning, and I'm sure I will have much to report back upon my return!

xxxx
Kate

After Years of Amazing Comedy, Dana Carvey is Still a Brilliant Comedian!

2010-03-15T12:40:00.000Z

Dana Carvey (known best from his time on Saturday Night Live and as "garth" from the Wayne's World films), was on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno recently and proved to be more hilarious than ever. He had some hilarious things to say about Politics and did loads of impressions of Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Al Gore, and more.

Check out the interviews HERE.

Enjoy your Monday!!!

Exclusive: Pro-Lifers 'Crash' Pro-Abortion Conference in Dublin

2010-03-12T19:48:00.000Z

A pro-life activist in Dublin, recently went undercover to Choice Ireland's annual conference and just exposed the truth of what was actually going on 'behind closed doors'.

The Irish Times reported on the "3rd Annual Conference", acting like the conference was a huge accomplishment and that Choice Ireland is quite actively taking on the abortion battle. But, it seems quite the contrary.

Undercover pro-life activist Kate Cullen reported,

"Upon entering the venue, I was struck by the lack of people at their supposed ‘annual conference’. There were just barely 20 people there, and that was including the two of us undercover pro-lifers."

Apparently, there weren't many people there and the group has little to no support, and little to no money. This is a similar situation for many of the pro-abortion groups in America, as well (of course, with exception to some massive US groups such as Planned Parenthood, NOW, and NARAL).

Ms. Cullen closed the article on the experience saying,

"Overall, the whole experience made me sad for these women (and the one man in attendance at the conference), who are obviously hurting and completely misguided. It also made me see how blessed I am to be a part of a movement that is so zealous, joyful, and that revolves around love. We must continue to rise up, stronger than ever. We must strive to convert hearts, in order to change minds. Love conquers all, thus we have nothing to worry about when it comes to these pro-abortionists who are in search of nothing more than a soapbox to rail from."

Read the full article by The Irish Times or the full article from Kate Cullen.

Franciscan University - "I was born" Video

2010-03-08T08:45:00.000Z

Here is a sweet pro-life video done by the Students for Life group at my Alma Mater, Franciscan University of Steubenville.

I WAS BORN VIDEO

Dear Meghan McCain... Nobody Cares!!!

2010-03-06T08:51:00.000Z

Last month, Senator John McCain's daughter was on the show, The View. It seems that each time she is on that show, she comes out with even more retoric displaying her naivity and stupidity. She is at an all time low at this stage.

On Monday's show, she bashed the Tea Party movement saying that young people don't want to get involved because the 'old people' are running it and are presently themselves in a negative light. This is funny because the majority of my young friends have all been to many Tea Parties and are huge believers in the "Tea Party Movement"! Ms. McCain went on to say, "It's innate racism, and I think it's why young people are turned off by this movement," McCain said. "And I'm sorry -- revolutions start with young people, not with 65-year-old people talking about literacy tests and people who can't say the word vote in English."

The truth is, I have little to no respect for Meghan McCain. I'm not really sure what it is about her, but maybe it's nothing to do with who she is, maybe its who she's not! Seriously, besides the fact that her Father is a politician, she really has no political background. She has a BA in Art History and she claims to be a 'political analyst'? Seriously? My Father is an Engineer but, you don't hear me walking around pretending to be some 'engineering hotshot'!

The bottom line is, I feel sorry for Meghan McCain. Time and time again, she takes the bate from these liberals and tries to be the 'cool kid' amid the liberal 'it crowd'! But, I still have no respect for her or her opinion.

Full Story

Condoms for 12 year olds...

2010-03-04T20:59:00.001Z

What is going on in the world?

A company in Switzerland just released a product called "Hot Shot", which is a line of extra small condoms... ie Condoms for children. The government conducted a series of studies showing that 12-14 year olds were having (unprotected) sex.

Now, in my mind... the main problem here is that 12-14 year olds are having sex!!! But, apparently in Switzerland and according to their government, the major issue facing these children are that they don't have condoms that 'fit' properly! Seriously, something is completely wrong with this whole scenario.

In my opinion, we should be looking at these studies and working to treat the CAUSE, instead of the EFFECT. The question we should be asking is why are so many children becoming sexually active at an increasingly younger age? Instead, they are looking at the effect which is children becoming pregnant, getting STD's, etc.

There is something seriously wrong with this scenario.

Read the FULL STORY.

Another Planned Parenthood Exposed

2009-12-09T16:26:00.000Z

Live Action is at it again. They have just released a video from their new project "The Rosa Acuna Project" in which they expose further unethical practices behind the closed doors of Planned Parenthood.

This time the investigation takes place an an abortion clinic in Appleton, Wisconsin. In this investigation, Live Action exposes the Planned Parenthood staff *actually* lying to the young woman 'considering abortion' and also hiding the truth from her.

Check it out HERE.

The Sanctity of Marriage

2009-12-06T22:19:00.001Z

In yet another attempt at procrastination from my course work over here in Dublin, I am posting.

In Ireland there is a bill that is quickly being pushed through Parliament and the Seanad (Senate) legalizing gay marriage here. I have entered into many debates with fellow classmates, friends, and other random acquaintances. I have been thinking alot about what the ultimate point behind these debates are and what the outcome will be here, which is something I also deliberated over in the States.

I just watched this CLIP Senator Diane Savino speaking in New York. While I disagree with her greatly on many of her points, she did bring up something that got me thinking.

What is love? What is marriage? And what have we made marriage about?

If you know me, you probably already know that I LOVE weddings. I have probably been to more weddings than your average 25 year old and I love every aspect of weddings. I'm always excited to see what dress the bride chose, what color the bridesmaids are wearing, what kind of reception the couple decided to have, etc. But, above all, I am excited to see my friends exchange their love and profess their undying love for one another in front of God and in front of the world. And with that, I think the reason that I enjoy all of the material parts of the wedding (dresses, cake, etc.), is because I see the couple evident throughout every single moment of the whole affair.

On top of all of the weddings I have been to, I also love all of the bridal channel shows in the States. I find marriage such a beautiful expression of love and thus I love to see that evidenced throughout the whole ceremony. I like "Whose wedding is it anyway?", where other people plan the wedding for the bride and she has to be submissive and go along with everything that they chose. I love "A Wedding Story" on TLC, that show that tracks the couples love story, through the planning of their wedding, and then finishes on the actual day. I also love when "A Wedding Story" revisits the couple a few years later and show in an excerpt how their first few years have gone.

On the other hand, I do not like the shows like "bridezillas" or "Brides behaving badly", etc. I find those shows disgusting, as these woman (and men for that matter) are completely missing the point of marriage. The above clip of Senator Savino speaking about these shows and the way that weddings have been treated lately, really made me think. Although I completely disagree with her thinking that gay marriage should be legalized and become "equal" with traditional marriage, she did make me ponder what the status of traditional marriage is.

Traditional marriage is in trouble and not just because of the possibility of legalized gay marriage or civil partnership. Marriage is in trouble because so many people have forgotten what true marriage is about. Maybe these people were never taught or maybe they never had good examples of marriage in their lives. Whatever it is, we need to change the mindset and we need to challenge the world to recognize the beautiful sanctity of traditional marriage in more ways than just speaking against gay marriage.

A wise woman once said to me, "I learn best by example." I have been blessed to have countless beautiful of exampls of true and beautiful marriages in my life. I have been truly blessed by their example and treasure and pray for these marriages on a daily basis. These couples constantly renew my faith in traditional marriage, when the world so desperately tries to tear my hope apart. If you are married, I challenge you to lead the world by example. Strive to be Christ to the world. It is by this true example alone that we are going to keep marriage sacred!

I have been blessed to have amazing examples of the sanctity of marriage in my life, but most of the world has not. Be that example to the world!

November already.... Now, December...

2009-12-05T23:15:00.000Z

Again, apologies that I haven't written sooner. I have been sick with every possible cold/flu symptom over the past two weeks, except for the Swine flu (praise the Lord)! I spent most of the first half of the month of November in bed and the other half in class/internship. I seemed to have a new illness each week and by the time I was cured, I had contracted some new disease/virus. Gahh!!! Story of my life. For those of you who know me, know that I catch absolutely everything!!! Thankfully though, then I was able to get better before my "guest of november" arrived!!!

Eeek! American Thanksgiving week was a week of madness and blessing for me!!! My sister came for a visit and so did loads of my friends! Eeek! It was amazing! Amazing times were had with little sleep, but the week was filled with blessings!!! God is sooo good! I took a trip up to the North and got to see Belfast and the Giant's Causeway in Antrim (which I had hoped for years to see).

In the top picture: While my friends were here, we went to Glendalough, Wicklow. I have been loads of times, but it is a beautiful place that I am always up for a visit to. It was a cloudy day (in true Irish spirit) but, thankfully it didn't rain until we got back to Dublin.
The middle pics: Those are from the Giant's Causeway, up on Antrim. It was so amazing and magical the fact that I FINALLY got to see the Giant's Causeway. My first Maid of Erin question ever was about the Giant's Causeway so, I have been a little obsessed with actually seeing it ever since. It was amazing and one of the most beautiful sights ever!!! God's miracles are amazing!!!
The last pic above: We toured the house where C.S. Lewis used to play as a child. The doorknob had a 'lion' on it and we saw the attic where the wardrobe was. The house is let out to renters, but the young man who is renting the attic was so kind and let us up to see the attic. He said no one had ever asked to see where C.S. Lewis played, but they usually just take a pic with the doorknob and leave. That was classic.

We also celebrated thanksgiving while everyone was here and had an amazing time. I will write more details about that in a later post, with pics included of course.

November has passed too quick and now December is already a good few days in. My life is a bit of madness at the moment with loads of papers and assignments due. Thankfully one major project and all of my exams are after Christmas. But, please keep me and my studies in your prayers because this is going to be a really stressful few weeks. I am also getting sick with a cold/flu, yet again. I have been in good health for the past few weeks, so it was only a matter of time. Please pray that I stay healthy and that I get all of my assignments completed. God is good.

You are all in my prayers.

Thoughts on the military according to a Veteran

2009-11-07T00:00:00.000Z

Sorry it has been a while since my last post. Things got sort of crazy over the past week or so and I have been yet again, quite sick. No swine flu yet, but the media sure is messing with my head about it ;P

Over the past few days I've been speaking to various people about their views on the military. Ireland itself is a neutral country when it comes to the military, which is completely different from how things are in the US. I watched a film a few months ago called "Why we Fight", which brought up alot of questions in my mind. You can watch the full 2-hour film here, if you want to make your own decision. But, ultimately, I wondered what all of the veterans would say to the people who were criticizing the role of the military and claiming that we should "abolish the US military". I myself have never fought in any wars, I've never worn camo gear, I've never even seen war besides seeing it on television. So, I decided to ask a veteran himself (My Father), his thoughts on people thinking that the military should be 'abolished'. This is what he had to say:
_______________________________________________________________

Hi Kate,

As it relates to the US Military I would suggest asking the Captain or any of the sailors on the Marek Alabama what they think. The captain was kidnapped by Somali pirates and freed by the US Navy. Another group to ask would be the hundreds of thousands of Muslim women whose husbands were murdered by the Serbs and then systematically raped . Would the rather the the US and all the other NATO forces not intervene? How about the Air Crew and Flight Attendants of all this nations airlines who saw their work places turned into flying bombs resulting in the instant death of thousands of innocent people.

It is really easy for those that sit in the comfort of their own very safe homes enjoying one of the most free and prosperous nation on earth to criticize the very men and women that make it all possible. They can wander around crying peace and love and we should all love each other.

The question is What are we willing to die for? What if they censored our speech, denied you children and education or carted your neighbor off to prison without trial, maybe just because those in power did not like his opinions or political party? Would you be "OK" with you as long as it happened to someone else? What about when they take you? What if no one cares enough to speak up? What does that say about ourselves, our values, our beliefs and our nation?

I think that most in the military have considered the possibility that they may not be coming back. Especially anyone who has been deployed overseas. Personally I have asked myself those questions years ago. I firmly believed then and still do today that America and all it stands for is worth dying for.

There is a name for those who decide that life is just fine here and they really don't want to inconvenience themselves with the very dirty business of controlling the truly evil elements on the world stage. Cowards is the the word often used in World War Two.

I suppose it is just a coincidence that the US has not been hit by another terrorist attack since September 2001. Does anyone really believe that the US military has played no role in this fact? I would certainly hope not.

Yes war today is not as clearly defined as it was in 1942. Politics and "spin" play a big roll. I would put forth that President Obama is doing in Afghanistan exactly what G. W. Bush did in Iraq with the surge in troop levels. He is also back pedaling pretty fast on his promise to close Guantanamo Bay Prison.

Does that mean one party has it all right and the other all wrong. Not hardly! History will be the judge they say and I think that is a true statement.

This is how I was raised. In a family where your Great Grandfathers were veterans. Don Bryan USMC served in France in the battle of the Marne (look it up) or I have two or 3 books you can read when you are home. Frank Cullen was in the US Navy also in World War One. Both of you grandfathers were US Army during WW2 Frank Cullen in India and Bob Bryan in New Guinea and the Philippines. Your Uncle Bill Bryan USN Korean War. Your Uncles Patrick Bryan and Joe Cullen were in the US Navy and served in Viet Nam along with your Uncle Don Summers USAF. Then there is me (USN) and Heidi (USAF) plus your cousin John Price (USN).

If I ever found myself in a very difficult spot (and I have) I would be absolutely overjoyed to have any of these fine individuals at my back. Ponder for a moment who these people really are. When things get really tough what do you think they would do?

These are all fine men and women that are typical of those in the US military today. Maybe that is the point. The US Military is not just some big organization but a group of America's finest men and women charged with specific missions and controlled by Politicians. They care enough about the world we live in to make sacrifices themselves to make the world a better place.

Love,
Papa (William R. Bryan)
_______________________________________________________________________

So, before you take a film like "Why we fight" seriously and before you start abolishing the US military... take the wool off of your eyes and thank your lucky stars that you've never seen war happening on your doorstep. Be thankful that you have clean water to drink, a safe and warm bed to sleep in, and the freedoms that our country was built upon. God bless America.

End of the Week update

2009-10-23T17:58:00.001+01:00

Whew! It's Friday! I can't believe how fast this week went. I can't really even believe that it's Friday. The week was filled with alot, but nothing too extravagant or exciting, per say. I'm still exhausted!

A few of my classes were cancelled this week, which allowed for me to get a little more sleep and also a little more work done. Yay! I feel like I'm on a schedule, which is good.

Monday: Classes all day
Tuesday and Wednesday: Working at the Seanad
Thursday and Friday: Classes all day

I am really enjoying my classes and my Professors. I am continuing to learn alot and being challenged in more ways than I ever could've imagined. It's been a blessing to have to understand the depths of Irish politics and even debate on it, because I am learning and working outside of my comfort zone.

Anywho. Now, I'm headed home to make some Apple cookies and maybe a Pie or Two. I'm going to be visiting a few friends this weekend (my friends Carolyn and Paul just had a baby, so I want to see them. Also, I've been meaning to make a visit to another family here that I am close to), so I want to bring some yummy treats to them. Tomorrow will be the first Street Session (Pro-life outreach on the streets) since Lisbon, so that will be interesting for sure. All in all, God is good. I'm blessed with the weekend!

x

P.S. I'm a little bit hooked on The X Factor (which is the show that American Idol is based on). Check out this hilarious performance by two twins from Dublin on last weeks show HERE.

Quick Irish Update and Feedback Needed

2009-10-19T18:30:00.000+01:00

Hello to all of you beautiful people.

Just a quick update to let you know how I am getting on over here in Ireland. All is well, besides the usual stress and exhaustion.

I got sick during the week (again) with some sort of head cold. I felt miserable but, had too much to do to let myself heal. One of the highlights of last week was a class discussion on Tea Parties. It was mentioned in class that people who participated in the Tea Parties were 'Racist, Conservatives'!!! I, of course, had alot to say about it. I spoke about how the media wants to portray all of the activists that way, but the truth is, people are fighting for their rights, for their freedom, and for the dignity of all. God bless America. It was a great discussion and I am thrilled that I was able to be a part of a discussion and bring some truth into the discussion about the issues that the American people are facing and the real reasons they are attending these Tea Parties in the first place.

I then was able to get some rest over the weekend. I went out with a few friends (Eoghan, Adrian, and Dervla) and had a blast. It was great to hangout with them, because I was not having the best of days on Friday. Then, I recouped a bit on Saturday and Sunday and got alot of reading in.

My Current Mission: To decide on a Topic for my Dissertation.
I have some ideas I have been mulling over, but I would LOVE to get some ideas from all of you. So, if you have any ideas of topics for me or interesting current events that might include a comparision/information regarding Ireland vs. the US, let me know. Also, if you are interested in knowing what some of the topics I am currently considering, let me know and I'll email them over to you to get your feedback.

God bless you all! I hope all is well. I will write more soon...

Is the world over-populated?!?!?!

2009-10-12T16:33:00.000+01:00

After an interesting discussion with a friend last night about how she thinks the world is over-populated, I decided to dig up the following video.

Andy Pollard - Population Analyst

This is actually a clip from a conference I attended a few years back. I know this clip is only 3 minutes long, but Andy Pollard is amazing. I will write more once I have some time to 'thumb through' some more things.

Until then...

Adventure Update #2

2009-10-08T15:59:00.000+01:00

<-- My Roommate Kati and I.

Hello all,

Eeeek!!! There are far too many things to update you on, but I will try to do my best. Things have been completely insane since I've been here in Dublin, but even moreso over the past week.

Lisbon Debate: I debated against the Lisbon Treaty in class last Friday. It was insanely intense, since the whole class was vehemently voting YES on the Lisbon Treaty. I was literally the only one in the class who was interested in taking the NO side. The debate was scheduled on the day of the vote, which also allowed for a certain hostility against the NO side. I was able to get the other two on my team to research the topic with me and debate with me. We we pitted against a few very active members of pro-lisbon parties, who had been working on YES to Lisbon stuff for the past year and a half. Eeek! And here my team was, preparing in less than a weeks time. I did know however, that no matter the outcome of the debate, I would be gaining a tremendous amount of experience, since I was debating outside of my comfort zone (in the US) and trying to convince the other side I was right! The debate was intense and extremely heated, but that is where I feel alive. I love debate and I love the banter. Gosh, I wish I had it on tape because it was intense, but also hilarious! My team WON to a great degree!!! We had the facts on our side and the arguments were all backed up by these facts. What a tremendous experience and a beautiful triumph. But, with every great triumph comes a fall....

The Lisbon Vote and the Count: In Ireland, the voting system is much different from the US. Everything is a written in pencil on the ballot by the voter and then counted out in front of the general public at the Official Count (the day following the vote). I was able to get a ticket and attended it with a few of my friends. We arrived early on Saturday morning and they were already opening the boxes from the various counties. I was able to freely walk through the Pavillion and watch as each part of each county was poured out and then counted. In some parts of the Country the NO votes were extremely high, but then in other places, the NO's barely even made an appearance. Gah! It was extremely intense and even an hour into the count, we were able to see which way the count was going. The YES side ended up winning by a huge majority (69%) this time around. This still begs the question... is this Democracy? Last year, the NO vote won by huge majority and then the government pushed for another vote last week.... In my opinion, among the many reasons people should've voted NO, the main reason is because this vote was completely undemocratic, in so many ways.

After the count: Everyone was completely crushed as we left the count on Saturday morning.... so we decided to do something entertaining.... anything would've been grand, really. We first went for Breakfast and then ended up at a lovely Pub. We sat in the Pub (no joke) for 7 hours straight! Haha! I think we were all completely numb from the thought of things, we couldn't move. In case you are unaware, EVERYTHING happens in a Pub here. Business meetings, sometimes classes (I've already spent one class period in a Pub with my Professor and whole class), organization meetings, etc. It's a lovely event, actually. So... while we were in the Pub (after the Lisbon count) we decided to throw a party to celebrate a good campaign. We rushed to buy some groceries and headed over to my friends' house. We watched X-Factor (UK version of American Idol) and then the party began. We were able to celebrate a good campaign and already start talking about what the next steps would be to take a stand against Lisbon, other policies, etc. God is good and blesses us through all things.

The past few days:
My internship with the Senate here hasn't started yet... so we we were given a few days off from our program studies. Yay! But, on Monday I was sick (I claimed to have Lisbon Flu), Tuesday I spent most of the day at the Garda station getting my Immigration papers sorted out (and it's all sorted... I am legally allowed to stay here in Ireland for at least another year, YAY!), and then yesterday my whole class met at Leinster House and was given a tour of Parliment and the Senate! Eeeek! It was so amazing!!! We had a blast walking around. We were given official badges with our picture on it, so we can run freely through the House for the rest of the school year. Yay! Then, our Program Chair organizated a reception for us to meet each of the Senators that we may be working with.

Prior to us going to Leinster House, we were asked to submit a 'personal statement' of sorts to the list of Senators that we may be serving in our internship. We were supposed to write about our past, where we attended College, what we are interested in, why we chose to study Political Communications and Public Affairs, etc. As I sat down to write it, I had a bit of a struggle... how much do you say and not say? What do you highlight and what do you leave out? Throughout my life, I have had many people tell me to "stay off topics that may be offensive to someone or a topic that someone may not agree with me on"... well, if you know me, I have always listened to these people but, apparently, I don't hear them!!! I love to debate and I strive to be honest, so as I wrote my 'personal statement' I decided to be brutally honest and tell them everything and exactly where my interests lie. This is exactly what it said:
___________________________________________
To whom it may concern,

I am currently a graduate student at the Dublin Institute of Technology. I am studying for a Master’s in Public Affairs and Political Communication. Throughout my life I have been extremely interested in what goes on in the political realm, especially in regards to issues of morality and ethics.

I graduated from Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio in 2007, with a Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts and Theology. It was through my study at FUS that I found my passion for politics, debate, morals, ethics, etc. Throughout my college career, I held numerous positions in various political activist groups, including President of Students for Life; which had a huge influence on the political issues that I became interested in. Along with pro-life issues, I have also been greatly interested in marriage and family issues, issues effecting youth (including education, chastity education, etc), human rights issues, and literally all other issues included within morals and ethics.

It is of great concern to me that people throughout the world are becoming apathetic in regards to politics. I hope to become a political analyst, that I may challenge the administration when necessary, while also giving a strong voice to the people that may not be heard otherwise. I feel that no matter what, this internship and this program will prepare me in great measure to go above and beyond my dream.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Kate Bryan
____________________________________________

The reason that I am posting this and am even telling you this is actually of great importance. I originally wrote this letter because I thought that it would 'weed out' the Senators/Party affiliations that I didn't agree with, but in fact it did the opposite! At the reception, I became the 'hot topic' and the person that the Senators were seeking out with tremendous determination! Yikes. It was hilarious actually. There were Senators all throughout the room and every one of them came over to me with specific things they wanted to speak to be about in regards to my interests and my letter. Can you believe it?!?! Never in my life have I been so rewarded for being blunt and direct and talking about the issues. God is good!!!

Overall, the tour and the Reception with the Senators went amazing (we kept calling the evening, 'Speed-dating with the Senators' because that's exactly how it felt). I find out tomorrow which Senator I will be assigned to for the year, but there is one that I am really hoping and praying for. Pray for me and pray for God's will to be done in this situation. I'll keep you posted on who I get!!! Wooo!!!

Last notes: Tomorrow should be fun. I am writing Press Releases in one of my classes all day. In my other class, there will be a debate on NAMA (which is the Irish version of the Bank Bailout)... so that will be interesting.

This weekend, my roommates and I are hosting a Mexican Fiesta at our new little flat, so that will also be great craic!! Can't wait! Which reminds me, I'm starving for Mexican Food. I wanted Taco Bell today, but to no avail. I will write more later, but this is a little to tide you over.

God bless you all! You are all in my prayers!!!

Note: I still don't have internet in my flat, but once I do, my correspondance will be much better. I promise!

Disguised and disgusting...

2009-10-01T18:21:00.000+01:00

My course here in Dublin is going amazingly well. I am really loving it and it seems to be better than I could've expected. I am loving every moment of the course, the readings, the discussions, the debates, and the plethora of unique experience that I am gaining within this program.

This is the first time in a while since I have been in a 'public' school setting. Throughout the majority of my career, I was in a Catholic setting, where I did also come into some opposition. I attended Ave Maria College in Michigan for my freshmen year and then finished my degree at Franciscan University of Steubenville. It was at both of these institutions that I learned to research topics fully and back up debate with reliable sources. In the midst of my college career, I spent a year at a public community college, where I did run into some major opposition. I have always been a great lover of debate, but I like the intellectual debate that my Liberal Arts education prepared me for, not the debate (or lack there of) of debating lies or ignorance.

Today in my class, I saw for the first time in a very long time, people being absolutely captivated my untruths and unfactual information regarding the Lisbon Treaty. I was always taught by my Professors, never to take their word as truth, but rather to take the information given in class, find the facts to back up what was said or debate with with the Professors and the class regarding our findings. Today, as my Professor was speaking in class, I watched as my classmates (who are graduate students and should be challenging all things as intellectuals) sat by and were captivated by a Professor who is completely pro-lisbon and they didn't even know it. No one in my class challenged anything that was said, nor did they ask any questions. They smiled, nodded, and took notes on the horrific "facts" that were presented.

I, for one, am in this program for one reason and one reason only, to continue down my Liberal Arts path of thinking for myself and speaking up for my beliefs. It is devastating to me that people have become apathetic to truth and no longer search for ultimate truth. Truth is truth, it is not relative.

Note: I felt a bit like Ann Coulter probably felt while she was studying Law at University of Michigan. I am sure this year of public education will bring more instances of this... one can only hope! I love the challenge and the debate!

****************************************************

Tomorrow I am debating against the Lisbon Treaty. Please pray for me, as it is a tremendous challenge. I am prepared and am thrilled for this exciting event. I will let you all know how it goes.

- Kate

Adventure Update #1

2009-09-29T16:55:00.000+01:00

Hello world!

Sorry it has been three weeks since I left the States and have yet to email/post any personal updates. Gosh. This has just been a crazy trip into a new adventure, but I am constantly being blessed and loving it.

For those of you who do not know, here are some fun facts:
- I graduated from Franciscan University of Steubenville in 2007, with a BA in Theology
- After graduation, I returned home to work as a Contract Engineer, which lasted two years.
- In June 2009 I became the first american to be accepted into the Public Affairs and Political Communication Master's Program at DIT in Dublin, Ireland.
- On September 7th, 2009, I arrived in Dublin and so the adventure began....

I am living in Dublin and loving it. It was a bit of a rough transition, but I have recovered and am loving it. It was stressful to find housing in a good area, at a decent price, but I was able to find a beautiful flat in Dublin for my roommates and I. I am living with a friend from my home Parish in Michigan for the year, as well as a French girl who was a friend of a friend. God is good.

Since arriving in Dublin, I have been involved in a campaign against the upcoming Lisbon Treaty vote in Ireland (which takes place Friday Oct 2nd). I spent the past few weeks canvassing door to door and also doing street sessions in the Dublin City Center (passing out leaflets to walkers-by and talking to them about the Treaty). God is blessing that work and I am praying for the Irish people, that they protect their democratic rights in the vote on Friday!!! Please keep the Irish people in your prayers!

Public Affairs and Political Communication: Ahhh! I am loving the program! I am only less than a week in and am a bit obsessed! I have always loved a great debate, but rarely find the opportunity to debate anymore. It seems to be because most people don't know how to debate, nor do they enjoy debating. But... in this program, there are constant debates breaking out in class, outside of class, and everywhere else! It is awesome!!! Obviously, the fact that I haven't grown up in Ireland could be seen as a negative in a course that studies Irish politics mainly, and American/UK politics secondarily, but I am turning it into a positive. I figure that if I can debate Irish people on Irish politics, I can debate anyone on any things. The Irish have been known to be fighters and great debaters and here I am debating them (outside of my comfort zone) on their policies. I have also been able to bring alot of interesting comparisons from America, which I think the course administrators are loving.

Here are some things that are on my itinerary for the week:

- Internship assignment. I will be assigned a Senator here, with whom I will intern with for the whole year. I met with the Chair of my department and have a good idea of who I want to be placed with, but I will wait until I find out and then I will post some info on the Senator that I've been placed with.

- Tonight I am attending a debate at UCD here in Dublin on the Lisbon Treaty. I am really excited and it should be a great debate. My friend Kati is going with me, as well as some of the members of Youth Defence.

- Debate on Friday: I am Debating another team in my course on Friday, on the NO side of the Lisbon Treaty. I will post some notes on my findings once it's over (and possibly the video of it), but I don't want to squeal the interesting points I'll be making just yet.

- Friday is also the Lisbon Treaty voting day and Saturday is the Count. I will be doing more No to Lisbon work throughout the week and then meeting up with the group on Saturday to find out the results. Pray for Ireland!!!

Just havin' a Laugh.... Here is a funny story to leave you with.
The first day that we had moved into the flat, we couldn't get the door of our flat opened. I had seen a few guys going to the upstairs flat and I was convinced that they were pulling some prank on us and jammed the door. Gah! So, I knocked on their door and asked one of the lads to open the door. Of course, the door opened right away for him and we looked like total eejits!!! Haha! The best part of the story is, because of our interaction with them, they realized we had american accents. That night they returned from the pub and serenaded us (outside of our door) until 2am, singing 'American Woman' (by Lenny Kravitz). Gosh! It was hilarious! We have since met them and found them to be quite upstanding Irish lads, but we did have a hilarious introduction.

God bless you all. Know that you are all in my prayers. I will write more later, but I wanted to write a bit of an update while I was thinking about it.

xoxo

B.L.O.G.

2009-09-29T16:52:00.000+01:00

Hello everyone!

Previously, my blog has been mostly covering articles that I found interesting or things going on in the world. Although I will still be posting things of that nature, I have decided to also add a bit of personal updates/information as well. I hope you will find this interesting, but since I am currently on a bit of a life adventure and constantly learning a great many things, this could bring another level of interest and possibly hilarity to my blog. So, here is goes.

Just a bit of silliness, really...

2009-09-23T12:36:00.000+01:00

Ireland celebrates 250 years of Guinness
By Andrew Bushe (AFP)

DUBLIN — Ireland toasts the 250th birthday this week of Guinness, the country's unofficial national drink, as the iconic brand battles to hold its own in the global economic downturn.

The company is celebrating the decision by Arthur Guinness, the son of a land steward, to sign a 9,000-year lease on a run-down brewery in Dublin's St. James' Gate in 1759.

It was the birth of a drinks legend and the start of one of Ireland's biggest success stories: the consumption of the dark ale spread around the world and some 10 million pints are now downed every day in 150 countries.

The birthday marketing hype will peak at 17:59 pm (1659 GMT) Thursday not just in Ireland but also in New York, Lagos and Kuala Lumpur with the toast "To Arthur!" to be followed by big name concerts and gigs.

The celebrations come as Ireland is being hammered by recession and overall drink consumption is down four percent -- though Guinness says its sales held up and were "flat" last year.

Social changes are leading to more wine drinking and entertaining at home, while sales are also hit by tougher drink-driving laws, a smoking ban in public places and rising unemployment.

The Vintners Federation of Ireland (VFI), representing pubs outside Dublin, say 4,800 jobs have been lost in the last year.

Diageo, which employs 2,200 people in Ireland, says that as a result of the economic downturn a 670 million-euro (990 million-dollar) restructuring plan announced last year is "under review".

Arthur Guinness, who married an heiress and had 21 children, originally used a 100-pound inheritance from his godfather, an archbishop, to get into the brewing business in Leixlip, just outside Dublin, before moving to the capital.

Having a job with "Uncle Arthur", as the firm was known in Ireland, came to mean security, a two pints a day free beer allowance, staff picnics and company health care and sports facilities, including a sports field and swimming pool.

Now owned by the Diageo drinks company since a merger in 1997, the Guinness family only retains a small shareholding.

"It is ironic that as it has become less and less owned by an Irish family, it identifies itself more and more as a feature of what it means to be Irish," said Tanya Cassidy, a sociologist at the National University of Ireland.

The "black stuff" is now firmly entangled in the stereotype of boozy Irishness, a love of pubs, a huge capacity for pints and always being ready for a bit of craic (a party).

Like the shamrock, the traditional Guinness harp is inextricably linked to the Emerald Isle and is both the company's trademark and a national emblem.

Visitors regard the Guinness "experience" as symbolic of the country.

The company's Storehouse visitor centre in Dublin -- with its top-floor 360-degree bar and free pint included in the 15 euro entrance fee -- attracts over a million visitors a year making it the country's top tourist attraction.

Cassidy is researching how drinking is linked to Irish culture and creativity, from writer Brendan Behan to film star Colin Farrell.

"It was understood that you could be drunk and Irish and creative. That link to a notion of creativity is not just Irish, but we seem to have made it an art form," Cassidy told AFP.

The original boozy Irish stereotype involved whiskey at a time when ales like Guinness were seen as a healthy alternative to spirits, says Cassidy.

The stereotype grew in the late 18th and early 19th century and was linked with working class emigrants in the US and Britain.

"One of the key employments for emigrants was to run pubs. And this was where the emigrant populations met. The general populace would see the Irish in the pub."

The boozy stereotype grew despite the fact that the Irish didn't drink as much as people in countries like France and Italy. But the arrival of the Celtic Tiger boom in the 1990s changed that.

"As we became wealthier we drank more alcohol. The reality is, we now hold our own," said Cassidy.

Fear and Loathing in Dublin - Wall Street Journal Article

2009-09-22T09:17:00.000+01:00

Fear and Loathing in Dublin
Ireland has no reason to fear the consequences of a No vote on Lisbon.

Irish voters are due to vote again on the European Union's Lisbon Treaty in two weeks, and the campaigns for and against the accord have only just begun in earnest. The latest polls suggest that the Irish are leaning toward ratification, but the Irish government, to judge by its stridency, is taking nothing for granted.
It is a measure of the desperation of the supporters of the treaty that they have resorted to patent absurdities in their efforts to secure a Yes vote from the Irish people the second time around. Last Friday, Irish Finance Minister Brian Lenihan told a press conference that "a 'No' vote will signal to the rest of the world that Ireland has retreated into economic isolation." This in turn would lead to capital flight from Ireland and higher interest rates and borrowing costs for the Irish economy.

Irish Finance Minister Brian Lenihan is afraid of “economic isolation” if Ireland votes No to Lisbon.

It should hardly need stating that Mr. Lenihan is peddling phantom terrors to scare the Irish people into voting Yes. But in a world made skittish by last year's global credit panic, it's just possible that someone might, at least in the absence of thought, take them seriously. Preying on those fears, in fact, seems to be the chief strategy of the Yes campaign.
The truth about the Irish economy, however, is closer to the opposite of what Mr. Lenihan pretends. It is popular in Brussels to attribute Ireland's remarkable decade-long growth spurt to EU largesse. The Irish themselves know better, or ought to. Ireland sucked on the teat of EU regional aid for two and a half decades without discernible effect. By the mid-1980s, it was still a poor country by European standards, but it was also facing a budgetary and debt crisis. It was only when it started on a campaign of supply-side tax cuts slashing marginal rates along with capital gains and corporate income-tax rates that the economy took off.
The financial crisis has certainly taken its toll on Ireland, which has returned to sizable deficits and double-digit unemployment. But it faces its current difficulties from a position of economic strength that is the result of those sound decisions in the past.
The euro played its role in supercharging the Irish economy at the time, imposing sound-money discipline and bringing extortionate interest rates into line with the rest of the developed world. The euro helped in another way too: By tethering Irish prices to those in the rest of Euroland, the single currency gave multinational corporations the confidence to invest in the Republic and use it as a base from which to export to the rest of the euro zone.
But none of these accomplishments would be jeopardized by voting down the Lisbon Treaty. Ireland cannot and will not be kicked out of Euroland for voting down a treaty that, for all practical purposes, has already been rejected by the voters of France and the Netherlands, and would likely have met the same fate elsewhere if voters had been given a say.
The days of the Celtic Tiger are gone for the moment, but they have given Ireland an economic base on which to build that is in no way dependent on the benediction of Brussels bureaucrats. Quite the reverse: Brussels always treated Ireland's fantastically successful tax policies with rank suspicion, accusing it throughout its boom years of "tax dumping" and "unfair tax competition." There are plenty of governments on the Continent, not least France's, that would love to rein in Ireland's ability to attract investment through supply-side tax policy. Handing Brussels greater potential power to influence Irish tax policy would be tantamount to surrendering the keys to Irish prosperity to Brussels for all time.
As for Irish interest rates, those are now set in Frankfurt, and Ireland has benefited from the arrangement. But no sane businessman is going to mistake a No vote on Lisbon with a decision to pull out of Europe or the euro. That kind of apocalyptic talk is symptomatic of the great plague of what passes for European politics: the strident declarations that you are either with us or against us. In Europe today , it sometimes seems that no possibility of a loyal opposition is countenanced.
***
It is up to the people of Ireland to decide for themselves how to vote come Oct. 2. We will not join the chorus of those who claim to know what's best for them. But it is regrettable that they are, once more, being forced to vote again, as if their first answer has been disallowed.
It should never have come to this at all. When they do vote in two weeks, however, we hope that vote is an informed one, and not based on unfounded fear-mongering or dark threats. To that end, we will be publishing excerpts from the Lisbon Treaty on these pages over the next two weeks. The first of these appears below. We apologize in advance if some of them are incomprehensible, but we urge you to direct any correspondence on that subject to the treaty's authors.

Wall Street Journal

Women on Waves celebrates 10th anniversary...

2009-09-21T21:52:00.000+01:00

... I mourn for all of the innocent lives that have been taken through their 10 years of activity.

I am currently sitting in a Country where abortion is illegal. What a beautiful place it is. I am currently in Dublin, Ireland, and I can honestly say that I have never seen more children, families, and pregnant women, in my life. In the States, abortion has become so widely accepted, that is almost seems a rarity to see pregnant women and young families. But, here in Ireland, it's weird when you walk 2 minutes and don't see a pregnant woman or a parent pushing a stroller. Erin Go Bragh!

Even though abortion is illegal here in Ireland (and a few other places in the world) there was a group called Women on Waves that would still provide abortions to women in this Country. They would take a boat into the countries where abortion was illegal, pick women up and take them into international waters for the actual abortion- calling these "abortion ships". Now, after 10 years, they have been facing some legal issues and have been grounded, as they *celebrate* their 10th Anniversary. I hope this trickery of theirs comes to an end. Abortion is illegal here for a reason; because the Irish people understand simple human rights and do not want the blood of abortion on their hands. Keep abortion out of Ireland, all throughout the world, and off of these ships!!! Erin Go Bragh!!!
Read the Full Article Here.
***Note the hilarious comment by MDWhite at the bottom of the article. :)

Disturbing Abortion Clinic in Rockford, Illinois

2009-09-21T21:49:00.001+01:00

Throughout my involvement in the pro-life movement, I have visited this clinic in Rockford, IL, numerous times.

This building was built for a school and now has become an abortion clinic. To know that children used to play here and now they are murdered here, is disturbing. Here is a video that shows how disgusting the pro-aborts have become...

Watch the Rockford, IL Clinic Video

Do You Trust Gardasil to Save Lives?

2009-09-21T11:48:00.000+01:00

Gardasil Causes 400 Percent More Deaths than Other Common Vaccine

"A federal report has concluded that the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine
Gardasil has a 400 percent higher rate of adverse effects than another
comparable vaccine, the Menactra anti-meningitis shot.

'It is unusual for there to be such a big discrepancy between two vaccines
used in similar populations involving serious and relatively rare life
threatening adverse events and autoimmune disorders,' the researchers from the
federal Vaccine Events Reporting System wrote.

Gardasil, marketed by Merck, prevents againt the strains of HPV believed to be responsible
for 70 percent of cervical cancer cases and 90 percent of
genital warts cases. GlaxoSmithKline's competing Cervarix vaccine protects
against the same cervical cancer-causing strains.

The researchers considered Gardasil and Menactra
equivalent for the purposes of comparison because they are given to similar age
groups at similar frequencies. Their study concluded that Gardasil was
associated with twice as many emergency room visits, four times as many deaths,
four times as many heart
attacks, seven times as many "disabled" reports and 15 times as many
strokes. All reported cases of blood clots and heart attacks associated with
Gardasil occurred when the vaccine was given alone, not in conjunction with
other drugs.

'Fainting, which has been attributed by doctors and health officials as
'fear' of needles in teenage girls, is reported six times as often ... after
receipt of Gardasil than Menactra even though Menactra is also given to girls in
the same age group,' the researchers noted.

The report recommends that the government more thoroughly investigate
reports of dangerous side effects from the HPV vaccine, that research be
conducted into mechanisms by which the vaccine might cause these effects, and
that patients and parents be more adequately warned of the risks before
vaccination. It also recommends that Congress investigate how the vaccine was
fast-tracked for approval in the absence of safety data on girls younger than
17."
Natural News

Doubts Continue to be Raised Regarding the Effects of the Lisbon Treaty on Abortion and Euthanasia

2009-09-21T11:23:00.000+01:00

"Philosopher Fr Brendan Purcell still has misgivings about the potential
impact of the Lisbon Treaty concerning abortion, experiments on human embryos
and euthanasia, if the Irish people ratify it on October 2.

Stressing that he was pro-Europe and had voted “yes” in several previous
European referenda, the scholar pointed to the Charter of Fundamental Rights,
which is part of the Lisbon Treaty, and how the European Court of Justice might
interpret the Charter, as grounds for concern."

Read the Full story and listen to the RTE news broadcast here.

Will Obamacare cover Abortions?!?!

2009-09-20T23:52:00.000+01:00

A huge question on the minds of every pro-lifer in the United States is, 'Will my tax-dollars be funding abortions through the new Healthcare plan?'

Check out this video with Americans United for Life 's, Charmaine Yoest, after she met with President Obama's top officials to discuss the specifics of the Healthcare bill and abortion.

VIDEO

How the Irish Can Save Civilization (again)

2009-09-18T11:52:00.001+01:00

Two weeks from today, the people of Ireland will vote either 'Yes' or 'No' on the Lisbon Treaty.

Declan Ganley, Irish entreprenuer, businessman, and political activist, was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal. He is hugely against the Lisbon Treaty and offers great insight into the effects of the this vote and the need for all to understand the tremendous weight this vote has.

'In 2005, France and the Netherlands each rejected the proposed EU Constitution in referendums. Lisbon, Mr. Ganley contends, "is the same treaty." What is the evidence for that? "Well, first of all, the people who drafted the European Constitution say it is. Like [former French President Valéry] Giscard d'Estaing. He called it the same document in a different envelope. And having chaired the presidium that drafted the Constitution, he would know." There's more. "He also said in respect of the Lisbon Treaty that public opinion would be led to adopt, without knowing it, policies that we would never dare to present to them directly. All of the earlier proposals for the new Constitution will be in the new text, the Lisbon Treaty, but will be hidden or disguised in some way. That's what he said. And he's absolutely right. There is no law that could be made under the European Constitution that cannot be made under the Lisbon Treaty. None." '

Read the Full Article.

Powerful Video by Stand True Ministries

2009-09-15T17:41:00.000+01:00

On Tuesday October 22nd, 2009, students from thousands of schools across America will participate in a pro-life day of silent solidarity.

Will you stand up?

Video

No to Lisbon Videos

2009-09-15T01:09:00.000+01:00

Here are two 'No' to Lisbon videos done by a group called Coir.

Definitely take a few moments to view the videos because they are both entertaining and very informative.

See them Here!

Thank you for your patience as I sorted the issue of FB and YouTube not allowing them to post.

Further information on the ongoing fight against the Lisbon Treaty

2009-09-14T11:59:00.000+01:00

As many of you know, this is a historic time for Ireland.

In June 2008, Ireland voted 'No' against the Lisbon Treaty.
Now, it's up for Vote again on October 2nd, 2009.
3 weeks and counting...

If you'd like more information regarding the Lisbon Treaty and why a 'No' vote is so important, read more here.

Facebook is taking my Rights away...

2009-09-14T11:44:00.000+01:00

So, I'd say that FB is taking my First ammendment rights away, but since I am currently living in Ireland- maybe that's not the case. I still think as a human person, I have the right to my own opinion and as long as it's not disturbing or distasteful, I should be able to speak out on anything that I like.

This morning I tried to post a No to Lisbon music video and Facebook wouldn't allow me to post it as my 'status'. Apparently, a few people reported it as 'abusive content' and therefore I am not allowed to post it as my status. Gah! Facebook should come with it's own dictionary, because obviously some people have no idea what the definition of the word 'abusive' is.

So, for those of you who don't know:
a⋅bu⋅sive –adjective
1.
using, containing, or characterized by harshly or coarsely insulting language: an abusive author; abusive remarks.
2.
treating badly or injuriously; mistreating, esp. physically: his abusive handling of the horse.
3.
wrongly used; corrupt: an abusive exercise of power.
(Further definitions)

*Drum Roll Please*

Here is the 'abusive' video... I'd love to hear your thoughts.

*** Update: Sorry the video was removed from YouTube and banned from FB... I will post it above in a new post. Thanks.

Ireland... The battle for freedom continues.

2009-09-13T21:09:00.000+01:00

Dia Dhuit ('hello' or 'God be with you' in Irish)!

To those of you who know me well will know that I have just moved myself to Dublin, Ireland. I am the first American to be accepted into the MA in Public Affairs and Political Communications program at the Dublin Institute of Technology. I will also have an internship with Parliment during my stay here, which is also very exciting. I am extremely excited to have this opportunity and am honored to be representing the United States.

I intend to post little tidbits of the culture here and things that I am experiencing in my day-to-day routine. As well as interesting discussions and information that comes up in my classes, my internship, and in everyday living here in Europe.

Thank you so much for reading and once I get settled here, I will be more persistant in my postings.

Blood Money Trailer

2009-09-01T04:59:00.000+01:00

Check out the Trailer Here.

This film looks intense, but the truth needs to be seen and heard.

What's your deal, Meghan McCain!

2009-08-31T04:24:00.000+01:00

Meghan McCain recently wrote an article for The Daily Beast that negatively dissed the GOP for their views on abortion, birth control, and abstinence education. Ok, Meghan claims to be a registered Republican, so maybe she needs to actually understand what she is talking about. I guess I really don't understand *why* she is being marketed as a pundit when she isn't even educated on the topics she is bantering about.

I'm an independent and I understand this stuff. Abortion and birth control may not be the same thing, but they are the same evil.

"Here’s what I’ve never understood about the party: its resistance to discussing better access to birth control. As a Republican, I am pro-life. But using birth control and having an abortion are not the same at all. Actually, the best way to prevent abortions is to educate people about birth control and make it widely and easily accessible. True, abstinence is the only way to fully prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Still, the problem with abstinence-only education is that it does not make teenagers and young adults more knowledgeable about all the issues they face if or when they have sex—physically and emotionally." Full Article

Update: Confession time.

When I first read Meghan McCain's article, it was all over the place. I really didn't understand what her *main point* was, so I commented on the point that I found most interesting. I'm sorry for any of you readers that were confused.

*Drumroll please*

Apparently, Ms. McCain's *bottom line* is as follows:
"Bottom line: Honesty isn’t a liberal or conservative issue. It’s a human one. The sooner we realize that, the better off we’ll be."

My bottom line, on the other hand is:
First, Meghan McCain's article is "all over the place" and even with the *bottom line* notation, I am still confused. Secondly, why is Meghan McCain even dubbed as a conservative pundit. Thirdly, does any one else find it interesting that the often extremely liberal show The View is employing her as their "token" conservative co-host while Elisabeth Hasselbeck is on maternity leave. For what other reason besides, "her Father is a Senator", is she in the spotlight?

Back to Blogspot

2009-07-14T03:14:00.000+01:00

Sorry it has been a while since I have last written. I have had alot going on in my life, which is exciting. In March I started a new job and have been busy with that amidst trying to find "my passion". I have narrowed the road down to a few different AMAZING opportunities, now it's decision time. But, more about that later...

I am back to Blogging and have some exciting things in store. I will be posting any unique, intriguing, thought provoking, amazing, interesting things that I find. I also have a few ideas for commentaries on films, books, etc. If anyone has any ideas as to something they'd like my opinion on, I am happy to oblige. Let me know...

So, here we are. It's great to be back with you all...

No More Krispy Kreme's for me... Sad Day!

2009-01-17T01:29:00.001Z

Krispy Kreme is giving out "FREE" "Freedom of Choice" donuts on Jan 20.

WHY?!??!?!?! ME?!?!?! I love Krispy Kreme donuts and now may have to take my business elsewhere.

Although,
Danielle Bean of Faith and Family Live posted a defense she received from Brian Little, Krispy Kreme's Director of Corporate Communications stating:

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts’ Inauguration Day promotion on Tuesday, January 20, 2009, is offering one, free doughnut of a customer’s choice at participating Krispy Kreme locations nationwide. No purchase is necessary. The promotion allows customers to commemorate Inauguration Day by selecting one free doughnut of any variety at local participating stores. On Election Day, November 4, 2008, Krispy Kreme ran a promotion that provided customers with one free star-shaped doughnut at stores nationwide. The Inauguration Day promotion is not about any social or political issue.

"A Krispy Kreme astonishingly poor and insensitive choice of words? Yes. A Krispy Kreme pro-abortion agenda? No." - Danielle Bean

YOU DECIDE!

This is what "Christmas is all about"!

2008-12-23T22:23:00.000Z

Charlie Brown and Linus, SAY IT ALL!!!

Merry Christmas to all!!!

Twilight Continued....

2008-12-23T20:43:00.001Z

I read a great post by Jill Stanek (infamous pro-life blogger) about "Twilight". She has read all four books and has some really interesting things to say...

I myself am only on Book 2... I have been trying to read ever bit of the books as closely and carefully as possible, so that I may give an honest account of my opinion of them. But, honestly... the more I read, the more I love them! ;) And so... the adventure continues...

Why I boycott celebs like Melissa Etheridge....

2008-12-17T07:13:00.000Z

Today, singer/songwriter Melissa Etheridge appeared on "The View". I had been a fan of hers back in the 90's, before I found out what she 'stood for'. Her appearance on "The View" today, just reinforced my understanding of her rude, ignorant, un-american behavior.

Check out the clip here:

What ever happened to "freedom of speech"? Apparently, the "Liberal Democrats" are allowed to speak, but no one else is allowed to voice their "conservative" opinion. If they do, they are shunned and disrespected. I expect more from my fellow Americans!

Twilight : The Further Adventures

2008-11-30T00:12:00.000Z

I read a post today from The Abstinence Clearinghouse, that I felt really captured the fullness of the "Twilight" Series.

Over the past couple of days, I have entered numerous conversations and debates with people regarding "Twilight". Some people think "Twilight" is demonic and evil, because it deals with Vampires and they also think that the story is too "racy". Then, there are others who saw a "completely different" aspect of the film and book series (although I am only reading book 1 of 4). I was able to see a story of true and pure love. A love story that promoted chastity, among other virtues. I think this is an important discussion to have, because I was thrilled to "Finally" see a movie that promoted pure love!

I will write more in the future about this series. But, for now, check out the article by ACH.

I Don't Want My MTV

2008-11-29T21:21:00.001Z

I Don't want my MTV!!!

MTV has been a culture of death, filling the minds of our young people of promiscuity, abortion, immodesty, etc. Up until now, I have had little or no respect for the TV station and have been wearing my "I Don't Want My MTV" Sweatshirt more frequently, as the years continue on. Well, a new day is coming, where MTV will actually be promoting life on their station. Now, I am unsure if it is against their will and they are being forced to show them; but nonetheless, it is a huge accomplishment that they are showing them at all. God is good and I am finding hope in the little things.

Look Out MTV, Here Come Pro-Life Ads

Pro-Life Ads to be shown.

Cardinal Sean O'Malley speaks out against Obama and Planned Parenthood

2008-11-24T04:31:00.000Z

A few days after the election, Cardinal Sean O'Malley spoke out against President-elect Barack Obama and the National Organization Planned Parenthood.

"My joy, however, is tempered by the knowledge that this man (Barack Obama) has a deplorable record when it comes to prolife issues and is possibly in the pocket of Planned Parenthood which in its origins was a very racist organization to eliminate the blacks, and it’s sort of ironic that he’s been co-opted by them. However, he is the president, and everyone wishes him well, and we will try to work with him. However, I hope he realizes that his election was not a mandate to rush ahead with a pro-abortion platform. And the fact that in states like Florida and California, where he won, the referendums on marriage showed that the people who were more socially conservative voted for him, but voted for him for other reasons than for issues like this."

Read the full interview.

Planned Parenthood responds to Cardinal O'Malley

2008-11-24T04:06:00.000Z

The President and CEO of the Planned Parenthood League, Dianne Luby, responds to Cardinal Sean O'Malley.

"It diminishes Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley’s credibility when he attacks President-elect Barack Obama and Planned Parenthood for views and services his own members overwhelmingly support. He and several of the other participants at the US Conference of Catholic Bishops are eager to jump into politics, as we saw recently with their comments about President-elect Obama’s position on abortion. If Cardinal O’Malley is going to opine on politics, and the bishops are planning to discuss lessons learned from last week’s election, it would be good for them to understand why their messages didn’t stick with their primary audience.

President-elect Obama’s success stems from his ability to propose solutions that reflect the reality of issues faced by the American people. According to estimates by the Catholic Bishops of the United States, 92% of married Catholics use some form of birth control. And a 2006 poll conducted by RKM Research and Communications revealed that 72% of Catholic voters in the Commonwealth support comprehensive sex education – which includes information about abstinence, condoms and birth control – in our public schools.

These are issues that the Catholic Church and Cardinal O’Malley have repeatedly refused to acknowledge as a mainstream part of health and education in our society. Perhaps Cardinal O’Malley should spend less time sharing political opinions and more time listening to the reality of life for his own constituency.

The Catholic Church has an opportunity to reconnect with their members around these issues. Cardinal O’Malley in a recent interview in Baltimore said, “We want to do all that we can to reduce the number of abortions.” President-elect Obama succeeded with voters by highlighting messages about preventing unintended pregnancy and reducing the need for abortion. At Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, we share that belief and would welcome the opportunity to work with Cardinal O’Malley towards this goal.

For more than eighty years Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts has been a trusted healthcare provider and advocate for affordable care. We provide high quality, affordable services to those in need, including birth control, cancer screenings and sexual health education. In fact, 70% of our services are related to preventative care, not abortion.

Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts offers comprehensive sex education programs that focus on abstinence but also on prevention. We think that abstinence is the right goal for young teens, but we live in the real world and we know that this isn’t always the case. It is important to provide young people with the tools and information they need to make good decisions and enter into healthy relationships. Our programs empower parents to be the primary sexuality educators of their children in order to keep them safe and healthy, goals for parents that are certainly shared by the Catholic Church.

Cardinal O’Malley and the bishops have a lot of work to do in order to reconnect with their members. The constitutional right to abortion has always been a very private decision between a woman, her physician, her family and her clergy. It appears from exit polls during this most recent election cycle, that Cardinal O’Malley is out of step with most voters on this very personal decision. The American public has re-asserted why they do not agree by defeating anti-choice referendums in California, Colorado, and South Dakota.

President-elect Obama bridged differences across party and religious lines to resounding success. We must all follow his example, by changing the focus from what divides us to our shared goals of reducing abortion and decreasing risky behavior among young people."

The Boston Globe

I need to look into this further, but it seems that many of her thoughts are misguided and I guarantee that her facts are incorrect (92% of Married Catholics use Birth Control?!?! Where is she getting her facts from?)

If you have any input on Cardinal O'Malley's interview or this letter written by Ms. Luby, I would love to hear it. Send any thoughts or factual information my way...

Obama = Anti-Chastity?

2008-11-24T04:04:00.000Z

Condoms trump abstinence in Obama global AIDS policy
By Jason Gale and John Lauerman
Originally posted 11/19/2008

The co-chair of Barack Obama’s Advisory Committee for Women’s Health (ACWH) said the president-elect will reverse US family planning and HIV prevention policies that have linked global funding to anti-abortion and abstinence education.

Susan F. Wood, a research professor at George Washington University School of Public Health, said Obama “is committed to looking at all this and changing the policies so that family planning services - both in the US and the developing world - reflect what works, what helps prevent unintended pregnancy, reduce maternal and infant mortality, prevent the spread of disease.”

George W. Bush, on his first day as president, reinstated the so-called “Mexico City Policy”, barring US assistance to organizations that use funding from any source to provide abortion counseling or referral, lobby for abortion access, or perform abortions except in cases of rape, incest or a threat to the woman’s life. Bush also denied more than $200 million in funding to the UN Population Fund on the grounds it supported coerced abortions in China, a charge UNPF denies.

Under the President’s Emergency Program for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the United States provided more money to fight AIDS in poor countries during the Bush years than under any previous administration.

However, critics say pro-gram restrictions on condom education have hurt prevention efforts.

“The US administration has certainly succeeded in demonizing condoms rather than showing that they can be part of prevention of both unplanned pregnancy and [STDs],” said Gill Greer, director general of the International Planned Pregnancy Federation.

But Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association, countered that PEPFAR’s emphasis on abstinence and fidelity “has been shown to have demonstrable success in Africa. It would be more than unfortunate if that policy was changed,” she said.

Mitchell Warren, executive director of the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, called the focus on abstinence “naïve and dangerous.” “Everyone pretty much expects we’ll see a return to a true science-based response to HIV under Obama,” he said.

The Movie "Twilight"

2008-11-22T07:03:00.000Z

Tonight I braved the crowds and made a point to go see "Twilight" at the Theater on Opening Night. I kept hearing about this film and had seen numerous previews. But, it was last night when I read this article, that I really got interested.

This film was based on the best-selling novel series "Twilight" by Stephanie Meyer. I have not read the series, but intend to, as soon as possible.

"Twilight" paints the picture of a young girl named Bella, whose parents are divorced. She was living with her Mother in Phoenix, but moves to Forks, Washington to live with her Father. When she arrives in Washington, she immediately finds her niche with a group of friends. But, pretty quickly has a few encounters with a mysterious young man named Edward. He and his siblings are peculiar to the whole student body, but there is something about Edward that intrigues Bella, and vice versa.

Bella is a strong, beautiful, intelligent, and gentle young woman. Edward is rough around the edges, strong, chivalrous, kind, and masculine. They really seemed to emulate very strong characteristics, and it was by both their similarities and their differences that they were joined together. There are many things that I could say about their relationship and more about the movie, but I really want to focus on a few key points in regards to their relationship. You will have to go see the film to get the full story.

Edward and Bella share a relationship that is real (although he is a vampire, and she is human, did I mention that?). It starts out that they are captivated by the sight of the other (for Edward, it was also the smell of Bella) and that was the first step. After a few conversations, they began to break ground with one another and the more they found out, the more intrigued they were and the further in love they fell.

Edward first warns Bella to stay away from him, because he is dangerous, but she is strong and unafraid. After he realizes that she is not intimidated by him, he pursues her. There is a cute scene where Bella's dad is polishing his gun, meanwhile Edward insists on coming in to meet him before they leave for the date. Before they leave, Edward promises Bella's father that he will take care of her and keep her safe. There are numerous occasions where, even though Bella is an independent woman and she is strong, Edward comes to her rescue.

The Kiss: Edward and Bella share their first kiss after getting to know each other and even after a few dates. This is not the usual film industry story line, "I met you at a bar, 5 minutes ago. Wanna go back to my place?" Later on in the film, Edward comes up to Bella's room and they begin kissing. It gets a bit heated, but he stops at merely kissing her. He said that he didn't think he could be strong around her, but then she told him that she knew he could. Bella trusted Edward, and he protected her, always. He protected her purity, her life, her heart, etc. He protected every bit of her.

My favorite part is towards the end of the film. Edward and Bella are at the Prom. She tells him that she wants to be with him forever (and encourages him to bit her). He leans down towards her neck....

... kisses it. He says, "Is it not enough just to have a long and happy life with me?" It's a beautiful and majestic scene. And it is a beautiful quotation.

Overall, check it out. It is really amazing. I may have more to write on it later, and I am sure I will write more on it, when I start reading the book. Here is the Trailer.

Edward: "And so the lion fell in love with the Lamb."
Bella: "What a stupid lamb."
Edward: "What a sick, masochistic lion."
~ Twilight Movie Quote

Did Cinderella attend a Purity Ball?

2008-11-20T19:38:00.000Z

I read an article a few days ago about "Purity Balls" and how they are gaining momentum amongst the Teen and Young Adult population. I have never been to one, although I have known a few friends who have participated in them. The article highlights the growing popularity and even interviewed a few participants.

"It sounds unrealistic in this day and age," admits Ken Lane, whose 11-year-old daughter is one of many to take this schmaltzy vow of celibacy in a crassly orchestrated induction ceremony.

"It's not the exact path I went down, but if it can work, how cool would it be to say 'I've kissed but one man in my life?"

His eyes mist over with fatherly pride. "Why not shoot for the fairy tale?"

Exactly! Why not shoot for the Fairy Tale!?!? Young girls have grown up with the belief that "one day their Prince will come" and sweep them off their feet. We grow up watching Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, etc. I have never been to a Purity Ball, but it sure sounds like something that Cinderella would've attended. So, why not?!?!

The Results of a Survey from Tyra Banks on Teen Sex

2008-11-18T22:57:00.000Z

Parents, you need to be talking to your kids about sex. And everyone else, you need to be talking to your siblings, cousins, friends, etc. Our generation is seeing 'more sex' than any generation in the past. I promise you. After watching an episode of GossipGirl last night and then reading the results of this study, I am realizing the gravity of this situation. I have known this generation was in grave danger for some time, but it is days like these that my eyes are opened even more.

This summer, The Tyra Show hosted a survey on Sex, Drugs, and Violence. Over 10,000 girls reportedly participated "anonymously" in this survey. I realize that it was an online survey and some people may not believe the results. I have a hard time digesting all of this disturbing information, but it is time (more than ever) to speak up. Tyra did exactly that, when she 'spoke up' on The Today Show.

More than 10,000 teenage girls and young women took part in an anonymous survey over the summer on TyraShow.com, the Web site of “The Tyra Banks Show.” Survey questions focused on sexuality, sexually transmitted diseases and teen pregnancy, as well as drinking, drugs and violence among females. Here are some findings from the survey:

On average, girls are losing their virginity at 15 years of age.

14 percent of teens who are having sex say they’re doing it at school.

52 percent of survey respondents say they do not use protection when having sex.

One in three says she fears having a sexually transmitted disease.

24 percent of teens with STDs say they still have unprotected sex.

One in five girls says she wants to be a teen mom.

About 50 percent acknowledge that they’ve hit someone.

One out of three teens has tried drugs.

“What surprised me most on the survey is that the girls were so honest, and I think the reason why they were so honest is because the survey was anonymous,” retired model and daytime TV host Tyra Banks told TODAY co-anchor Matt Lauer on Friday. But when some of girls surveyed came onto her show and described their sexual activities, “I was shocked again,” she added. "I don’t think they were trying to be sensational. I really do believe that they were telling the truth.”

Watch the full interview here.
Read the full story on MSNBC.

Spread the Love on this Tuesday

2008-11-18T22:48:00.000Z

I watched this cute video today, which featured four young women who are currently discerning the religious life. One of them being a dear friend of mine, Joanna. I loved it and wanted to share it all with all of you. If young women could see this and realize what exciting and joyful lives nun live, maybe we would have more women open to the religious life.

"You may wanna be a Soldier, you may wanna be a Nurse, but I wanna be a Nun!"
Check out the excitement and joy HERE.

If Mama Ain't Happy... Ain't Nobody Happy!

2008-11-15T01:30:00.000Z

For all you Married Men out there, you might want to read this new study.

A new study links a Woman's happiness in her Marriage with good health. The Archives of Internal Medicine published a study in regards to their study of Married Women. There have been studies done previously that linked "Marriage" (no matter how happy or unhappy) to Men having better health. Now it's time for the Women to be discussed. Check out the full article here.

*And all you Men out there, keep your Wives happy... we will have a healthier and happier society... I promise ;)

New Study Links Television to Teen Pregnancy

2008-11-14T22:45:00.000Z

With shows like GossipGirl, Sex and the City, and One Tree Hill (amongst countless others), being on the TiVo schedule for young people, no wonder there is an issue with promiscuity. A new study posted in Pediatrics proves this.

What the study found:

(With TV Influence) The Chances that a teen will become pregnant or Father a child, by age:

Age 16:

Low level of exposure to TV sex: 5.35%

Medium level of exposure to TV sex: 7.77%

High level of exposure to TV sex: 12.21%

Age 17:

Low level of exposure to TV sex: 7.50%

Medium level of exposure to TV sex: 10.55%

High level of exposure to TV sex: 15.90%

Age 18:

Low level of exposure to TV sex: 7.52%

Medium level of exposure to TV sex: 10.69%

High level of exposure to TV sex: 16.32%

Read the full story by USA Today here.

Purity Rings are Making Headlines

2008-11-14T07:40:00.002Z

Here is another headlined story regarding Chastity Rings.

Check it out HERE.

It seems that Purity Rings are still "in" and actually in big numbers. Is this a result of the "Chastity Ring Wearing" up-and-coming celebrities such as the Jonas Brothers, Jordin Sparks, etc.? Or maybe young people are smarter than people give them credit for? Either way, it's good to hear.

Girl Jumps to Her Death to Save Her Purity

2008-11-14T07:37:00.000Z

A 16 year old girl from India was kidnapped by three men this week. While she was being held in their car, people heard her screaming, although no one called the authorities. To protect her Chastity, she jumped out of the car to get away from the men. She was hospitalized but, passed away nearly 24 hours later. Read the full story here.

This is an extremely heart-wrenching story, but it has really brought me to a deep reflection. We are all called to be Saints, to live the life of a Saint. But, in being a Saint we could be put in two categories: White Martyrdom (Sainthood by the Life we Live) or Red Martrydom (Sainthood by our Death). I think it is in stories such as these and stories of the lives of the Saints that have come before us, that we can really find "inspiration" to strive for holiness.

Pray for the Soul of Rumi Jan and her Family.

Taylor Swift: New CD and Teenage Pregnancy...

2008-11-12T06:37:00.000Z

Taylor Swift, 18, has been on the rise for the past two years. She is known for such hits as "Teardrops on my Guitar", "Our Song", and her newest, "Love Story". She just released her new Album today entitled, "Fearless". I love it, go pick up a copy or at least check out her MySpace.

On the heels of her new Album's release, over the weekend there was a rumor started that she was pregnant. She is one of the most lovely young women in the Media to date and takes a huge stand on being a good and pure role model. I love her. Well, the media picked up on the story and she in her funny way came out and said "I read a very creative rumor this morning saying I'm pregnant, which is the most IMPOSSIBLE thing on the planet. Take my word for it. Impossible." Check out the story and her response here.

Please support Taylor Swift because she is a great singer/songwriter. She has a moral compass and she is a great role model in today's "messed up world".

Note: Linking back to my story on the VMA's a few months ago... here is when Taylor spoke up about there being "Too Much Sex" on the MTV Awards Show. Love her!

Hope on this New Day

2008-11-06T07:01:00.000Z

Obama promised Hope in many of his slogans, speeches, and interviews. But, after a long and strenuous fight, I put my hope in no man.

The Mass Readings of November 5, 2008 offer True Hope and Joy.

Reading 1
Phil 2:12-18
My beloved, obedient as you have always been,
not only when I am present but all the more now when I am absent,
work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
For God is the one who, for his good purpose,
works in you both to desire and to work.
Do everything without grumbling or questioning,
that you may be blameless and innocent,
children of God without blemish
in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation,
among whom you shine like lights in the world,
as you hold on to the word of life,
so that my boast for the day of Christ may be
that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.
But, even if I am poured out as a libation
upon the sacrificial service of your faith,
I rejoice and share my joy with all of you.
In the same way you also should rejoice and share your joy with me.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 27:1, 4, 13-14
R. (1a) The Lord is my light and my salvation.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life’s refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. The Lord is my light and my salvation.

Gospel
Lk 14:25-33
Great crowds were traveling with Jesus,
and he turned and addressed them,
“If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother,
wife and children, brothers and sisters,
and even his own life,
he cannot be my disciple.
Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me
cannot be my disciple.
Which of you wishing to construct a tower
does not first sit down and calculate the cost
to see if there is enough for its completion?
Otherwise, after laying the foundation
and finding himself unable to finish the work
the onlookers should laugh at him and say,
‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’
Or what king marching into battle would not first sit down
and decide whether with ten thousand troops
he can successfully oppose another king
advancing upon him with twenty thousand troops?
But if not, while he is still far away,
he will send a delegation to ask for peace terms.
In the same way,
everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions
cannot be my disciple.”

Thank you to Sophia and Thom for directing me to these readings. A beautiful glimmer of hope, in the preparation for battle.

ObamaNation?

2008-11-06T05:56:00.001Z

With the media stirring, life has begun to "change" in many ways. Yesterday, Barack Obama was chosen as the 44th President of the United States of America. For many, this has been a great triumph; for others, it is the beginning of a battle for "life, liberty, and justice for all".

Today, I spent a bit of my morning watching "The View" and listening the commentary of Whoopi Goldberg and Sherri Shepherd. They were both nearly moved to tears by the news of Obama's election. Sherri spoke about what is meant to her and to her son, that anything was now possible for them. Later, I flipped to Oprah and watched her footage from "Grant Park" last night. She spoke with many guests about their feelings and they all spoke of what an "accomplishment" it was and that "now America was headed in the right direction".

With all of this being said and after pondering this election for the past 24 hours, I am filled with a great many things. First of all, I am not angry (as I once thought I would be if this were the outcome of the election), I am actually quite somber and thoughtful today. Second of all, I must ready myself for the "long battle". There are many things in jeopardy (that I have not heard mentioned once today on TV or in the papers):

- American Babies: Obama has said that one of the first things he wants to pass is the FOCA (Freedom of Choice Act). Read more about it, but babies will be in more danger than ever before in history.
- Pregnancy Help Centers: Obama wants to stop Federal Funding for Pregnancy Help Clinics. These Clinics offer help to women (and men) who have no one else to turn to.
- Chastity Education Programs will be eliminated. Obama wants comprehensive sex education taught to young people (as young as 5 years old), and most likely will be supporting Planned Parenthood as his major outlet (which is wrong on numerous levels).
- Conservative Radio/TV. Obama wants to get rid of any conservative programming (I am still not sure where this falls in his policies or why he is getting involved in this portion of the media, when it seems there are other things that are more important). Also, does this mean that you are only allowed to speak up if you are "left wing" or "liberal"... hmm, sounds like this whole election. If you speak against Obama, you are racist. If you speak against McCain, RIGHT ON!
- The list goes on.

I didn't want to center this blog around politics, but I have a feeling, I will be writing much more about politics than I fathomed. God bless America.

Welcome to Narcissistic Obama!

2008-11-05T06:20:00.000Z

I read this article today by Ali Sina. It sent chills up my spine, especially when I heard the words on TV, "Obama is our next President". It is worth the read and I have attached a portion of the article. We must always be active and never silent. Please ready yourselves for the good fight, it may come strong and hard. This is what we are up against:

"Obama: The Making of a Fuehrer"

By: Ali Sina

I must confess, I was not impressed by Sen. Barack Obama from the first time I saw him. At first I was excited to see a black candidate. He looked youthful, spoke well,
appeared to be confident, a wholesome presidential package. I was put off soon, not just because of his shallowness but also because there was an air of haughtiness in his
demeanor that was unsettling. His posture and his body language were louder than his empty words. Obama’s speeches are unlike any political speech we have heard in
American history. Never a politician in this land had such a quasi “religious” impact on so many people. The fact that Obama is a total incognito with zero accomplishment
makes this inexplicable infatuation alarming. Obama is not an ordinary man. He is not a genius. In fact, he is quite ignorant on most important subjects. Barack Obama is a
narcissist. Dr. Sam Vaknin, the author of “Malignant Self Love,” also believes, “Barack Obama appears to be a narcissist.”

Vaknin is a world authority on narcissism. He understands it and describes the inner mind of a narcissist like no other person. When he talks about narcissism everyone
listens. Vaknin says that Obama’s language, posture and demeanor, and the testimonies of his closest, nearest and dearest suggest that the Senator is either a narcissist or he may have narcissistic personality disorder (NPD).

Narcissists project a grandiose but false image of themselves. Jim Jones, the charismatic leader of People’s Temple, the man who led over 900 of his followers to
cheerfully commit mass suicide and even murder their own children was also a narcissist. Charles Manson, Joseph Koni, Shoko Asahara, Joe Stalin, Saddam, Mao Zedong, Kim
Jong IL, and Adolph Hitler are a few examples of narcissists of our time. All these men had a tremendous influence over their fanciers and followers. They created a
personality cult around themselves, and with their blazing speeches elevated their admirer’s souls, filled their hearts with enthusiasm and instilled in their minds a new
zest for life. Those men gave their followers hope! They promised them the moon, but alas, they invariably brought them to their doom. When you are a victim of a cult of personality, you don’t know it until it is too late.

One determining factor in the development of NPD is childhood abuse. “ Obama’ s early life was decidedly chaotic and replete with traumatic and mentally bruising
dislocations,” says Vaknin. “Mixed-race marriages were even less common then. His parents went through a divorce when he was an infant (two years old). Obama saw his father
only once again, before he died in a car accident. His mother re-married and Obama had to relocate to Indonesia, a foreign land with a radically foreign culture, to be raised
by a stepfather. He was raised as an only child, full of himself and no others. He never had to share the spotlight with any siblings. At the age of ten, he was whisked off to live with his maternal (white) grandparents. He saw his mother only intermittently in the following few years and then she vanished from his life in 1979. She died of cancer in 1995.”

One must never underestimate the manipulative genius of pathological narcissists. They project such an imposing personality that it overwhelms those around them. Charmed
by the charisma of the narcissist, people become like clay in his hands. They cheerfully do his bidding and delight to be at his service. The narcissist shapes the world around
him and reduces others in his own inverted image. He creates a cult of personality; his admirers become his co-dependents.

Narcissists have no interest in things that do not help them to reach their personal objectives. They are focused on one thing alone, and that is power. All other issues are
meaningless to them and they do not want to waste their precious time on trivialities. Anything that does not help them is beneath them and does not deserve their attention.
If an issue raised in the Senate does not help Obama in one way or another, he has no interest in it. The “Present” vote is a safe vote; he used the “Present” all the time as a member of the Illinois legislature. No one can criticize him if things go wrong. Why should he implicate himself in issues that may become controversial when they don’t help him personally? Those issues are
unworthy by their very nature because they are not about him.

Obama’s election as the first black president of the Harvard Law Review led to a contract and an advance to write a book about race relations. The University of
Chicago Law School provided him with a fellowship and an office to work on his book. The book took him a lot longer than expected and at the end it devolved into…, guess what? His own autobiography! Instead of writing a scholarly paper focusing on race relations, for which he had been paid, Obama could not resist writing about his most sublime self. He entitled the book “ Dreams from My Father.”

Not surprisingly, Adolph Hitler also wrote his own autobiography when he was still nobody. So did Stalin. For a narcissist no subject is as important as his own self. Why would he waste his precious time and genius writing about insignificant things when he can write about such an
august being as himself? Narcissists are often callous and even ruthless. As the norm, they lack conscience. This is evident from Obama’s lack of interest in his own brother
who lives on only one dollar per month. A man who lives in luxury, who takes a private jet to vacation in Hawaii, and who has raised nearly a half billion dollars for his campaign (something unprecedented in history) has no interest in the plight of his own brother. Why? His brother cannot be used for his ascent to power. A narcissist cares for no one but himself.

This election is like no other election in the history of America. The issues are insignificant compared to what is at stake. What can be more dangerous than having a man bereft of a conscience, a serial liar, and one who cannot distinguish his fantasies from reality as the leader of the free world?

I hate to sound alarmist, but one must be a fool if one is not alarmed. Many politicians are narcissists. They pose no threat to others. They are simply self-serving and selfish.
[Witness Al Gore’s Income Tax; it reveals that he gave away NO MONEY to charities, not even to a church!] Obama evinces symptoms of pathological narcissism, which is different from the run-of-the-mill narcissism of a Richard Nixon or Bill Clinton, for example. To him reality and fantasy are intertwined. This is a mental health issue, not just a character flaw. Pathological narcissists are dangerous because they look normal and even intelligent. It
is this disguise that makes them treacherous. [Look up the word ‘treachery.’]

Today the Democrats have placed all their hopes in Obama. But this man could put an end to their party [and to this great nation]. The great majority of blacks have also decided to vote for Obama. Only a fool does not know that their support for him is racially driven.

Let us call a spade a spade [No pun intended]. This is racism, pure and simple. The truth is that, while everyone carries a misconceived collective guilt towards blacks for wrongs done centuries ago by a bygone people to a bygone people, the blacks carry a collective rancor, enmity or
vendetta towards non-blacks, and to this day want to 'stand up” to the white man. They seem to be stuck in 19th century [encouraged by race baiters like Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and others].

The downside of this is, that if Obama turns out to be the disaster I predict, he will cause widespread resentment among the whites. The blacks are unlikely to give up their
support of their man. Cultic mentality is pernicious and unrelenting. They will dig their heads deeper in the sand and blame Obama’ s detractors of racism. This will cause a
backlash among the whites. The white supremacists will take advantage of the discontent and they will receive widespread support. I predict that in less than four years, racial tensions will increase to levels not seen since the turbulent 1960s. Obama will set the clock back decades.
America is the bastion of freedom. The peace of the world depends on the strength of America, and its weakness translates into the triumph of terrorism and victory of
rogue nations. It is no wonder that Ahmadinejad, Hugo Chavez, the Maoist Castroists, the Hezbollah, the Hamas, the lawyers of the Guantanamo terrorists, and virtually all sworn enemies of America are so thrilled by the prospect of “their man” in the White House. America is on the verge of destruction. There is no insanity greater than electing a pathological narcissist as president.

Eduardo Verastegui Video on Barack Obama

2008-11-05T06:03:00.000Z

We have a new President. Barack Obama has been announced as the winner of this election. I have attached a short video produced by Eduardo Verastegui ("Bella"). Please take a moment to watch and please take the message to heart. It was made prior to the results of the election, but it's message will continue to ring true for years to come.

VIDEO

www.durarealidad.com

President Obama and Warrior Ronan... The Battle has begun....

2008-11-05T05:38:00.000Z

Today we have a new President and a week ago I found I had a new Cousin. My Uncle sent out a beautiful note in regards to Barack Obama and his newborn son, Ronan. I thought it to be eloquent and powerful and wanted to share it with my readers. The fight may never be over, it seems it has just begun. My Uncle's letter is as follows:

Greetings Family and Friends,

On October 28th at 1:44AM, Moira (my Wife) gave birth to Ronan Patrick Cullen, all 8lbs and 10oz, 20.5 inches of him. Deirdre(7), Aidan(5) and Katherine(3) are thrilled to have a new baby brother (up to the last second, I imagined Moira was carrying a baby girl). Deirdre truly cries for joy when she is around her little Ronan. Aidan already is planning on brotherly adventures with Ronan, and Katherine cannot keep her dear little hands off of him! God protect him. Our lives will never be the same!

There is an old Irish saying, that there is no better gift to give your child than a sibling. Moira and I are truly thankful to provide our children with several siblings . . . why stop at such a good thing. Mother Theresa when asked about there being too many children in this world, beautifully noted that it is like having too many flowers in the world.

As I contemplate this wonderful joy in our lives, I remain burdened by the nearing election. I can understand how we could have differing opinions about the economy, health care, and the war in Iraq. The eagle flies with a left wing and a right wing, and so too does our country. But how we
could have such profound varying opinions in regards to the unborn, I cannot comprehend. Ronan was 'unborn' 72 hrs ago! Yet he has been my dear son since he was conceived, even though I thought he was going to be a girl.

There is another old Irish saying, that you love your spouse and 9 months latter you name that love! Moira and I named our love ‘Ronan.’ Many of our friends who have found out if they were having a boy or girl, have named their dear little one well before he or she is born. In fact, I
know many who have named the dear little ones that they miscarried.

With or without a name, they are still simply a pre-born baby who feels a warm hand against the belly of his or her mother and nestles closer to it, or in Ronan's case, he kicks it. How someone could define these weakest among us anything other than 'baby' is beyond me.

Senator Barack Obama promises to make his first act as President be the passing of the Freedom of Choice Act, which would invalidate virtually all state and federal limitations on abortion, including partial-birth abortion (a procedure, used from the fifth month on, involving pulling a living baby feet first out of the womb, except the head, puncturing the
skull and suctioning out the brain - the majority of these are performed on healthy babies of healthy mothers). Of all things, why is this so important to him?

Obama’s pro-abortion voting record is so radical that he voted against the ‘Born Alive Infants Protection Act’ which would protect a baby who survived an abortion attempt. Obama argued “that while babies might be aborted alive, it would be a 'burden' to a mother's 'original decision' to assess and treat them.” He was in favor of allowing these dear little ones who survived a blatant attack on their life, to be placed in a room to die, for that was to intent of the abortion. Check out the testimony of Jill Stanek, http://www.jillstanek.com, a Chicago nurse who was ordered to deliver a baby who survived an abortion to a dirty laundry closet at a Chicago hospital.

Further, Obama supports taxpayer funding of abortion through the Medicaid program. He frankly wants me to pay for something that I find absolutely criminal. I would rather use my money to raise my children.

He also voted to block a bill that would have required an abortionist to notify at least one parent before performing an abortion on a minor girl from another state. I would imagine that many of the fearful minor girls would be escorted by their adult boyfriends/abusers who hope to hide the
evidence of their crime.

Shortly before my father, Francis Xavier Cullen, died, he came up with a clever bumper sticker, 'LET LIFE LIVE!' What if our country truly let life live and celebrated life, even the weakest among us, image how beautiful that would be?

Please consider the unborn, named and unnamed, before you vote.

All the best,

John

New Study links Television Shows to Teen Pregnancy

2008-11-04T02:09:00.000Z

Rand research has just released the results of a three-year study that they have been conducting regarding the rise in Teen Pregnancy (and in essence, teen promiscuity). Although the results are not surprising to anyone who has any concept of "morality" or "distasteful programming", the results are interesting nonetheless.

Study links teen pregnancy to sexy TV shows

Mon Nov 3, 2008 12:51pm EST

By Andrew Stern

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Exposure to some forms of entertainment is a corrupting influence on children, leading teens who watch sexy programs into early pregnancies and children who play violent video games to adopt aggressive behavior, researchers said on Monday.

Researchers at the RAND research organization said their three-year study was the first to link viewing of racy television programing with risky sexual behavior by teens.

"Our findings suggest that television may play a significant role in the high rates of teenage pregnancy in the United States," said Anita Chandra, a behavioral scientist who led the research at RAND, a nonprofit research organization.

"We're not saying we're establishing causation, but we are saying this is one factor that we were able to prospectively link to the teen pregnancy outcome," Chandra said in a phone interview.

The researchers recruited adolescents aged 12 to 17 and surveyed them three times between 2001 and 2004, asking about television viewing habits, sexual behavior and pregnancy.

In findings that covered 718 teenagers, there were 91 pregnancies. The top 10th of adolescents who watched the most sexy programing were at double the risk of becoming pregnant or causing a pregnancy compared to the 10th who watched the fewest such programs, according to the study published in the journal Pediatrics.

The study focused on 23 free and cable television programs popular among teenagers including situation comedies, dramas, reality programs and animated shows. Comedies had the most sexual content and reality programs the least.

"The television content we see very rarely highlights the negative aspects of sex or the risks and responsibilities," Chandra said. "So if teens are getting any information about sex they're rarely getting information about pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases."

TEEN PREGNANCY ON DECLINE

Teen pregnancy rates in the United States have declined sharply since 1991 but remain high compared to other industrialized nations. Nearly 1 million girls aged 15 to 19 years old become pregnant yearly, or about 20 percent of sexually active females in that age group. Most of the pregnancies were unplanned, the report said.

Young mothers are more likely to quit school, require public assistance and live in poverty, it said.

"Television is just one part of a teenager's media diet that helps to influence their behavior. We should also look at the roles that magazines, the Internet and music play in teens' reproductive health," Chandra said, acknowledging still other factors can influence teen sex habits.

Living in a two-parent family reduced the chances of a teen getting pregnant or causing a pregnancy. Black teenagers, and those with discipline problems, had higher risks.

The report suggested broadcasters provide more realistic portrayals of the consequences of sex and that parents limit their children's access to sexually explicit programing.

A second study in the journal added to existing evidence that youths who play violent video games -- a worldwide trend with American children averaging 13 hours of video gaming a week -- led to increased physically aggressive behavior.

Researchers from the United States and Japan evaluated more than 1,200 Japanese youths and 364 Americans between 9 and 18 years old and found a "significant risk factor for later physically aggressive behavior ... across very different cultures."

Aggressiveness in children is also associated with violence later on, according to the study by researchers from Iowa State University in Ames, the National Institute on Media and the Family in Minneapolis and Ochanomizu University and Keio University in Tokyo.

Students for Life Hosts Chastity Book Author Who Endorsed Sen. McCain

2008-10-27T23:13:00.000Z

Dawn Eden, a conservative blogger who wrote a book on chastity entitled “The Thrill of the Chaste: Finding Fulfillment While Keeping Your Clothes On,” told students society has adopted the “contraception mentality,” which thinks of a child as a mistake, in a speech to Students for Life on Wednesday night. She also endorsed Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz), indicating he was the best choice for the pro-life movement.

“I am a single issue voter, I am voting for John McCain,” said Eden, citing a statement issued by the Pro-Life Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. “Essentially it says you have to look at the party’s platform, what they stand for and it is the responsibility of the Republicans to not only live up to their platform of being against abortion and for the value of human life, it is their responsibility to then walk that talk by reaching out to pregnant women who need help and by reaching out to other people who are in need.”

Eden said Catholics could not vote for Democrats because their platform says flat out Roe v. Wade must be upheld, and pointed out Obama said his first act as president would be to sign the freedom of choice act, which would eliminate all limits on abortion, including parental notification and the partial birth abortion ban.

Eden is studying at the Dominican House of Studies, located adjacent to the the University.

Article printed from The Tower Newspaper: http://www.cuatower.com
URL to article: http://www.cuatower.com/2008/10/27/students-for-life-hosts-chastity-book-author-who-endorsed-sen-mccain/

For more information on Dawn Eden, check out: http://dawneden.blogspot.com/

News from the writer....

2008-10-25T00:51:00.000+01:00

For some time now I have been posting my blog at blog.com. I had countless issues with the blog provider, thus I decided to move my blog to this server. Yay for blogspot.com. I transfered the majority of my posts from the old blog onto this one and will happily be posting here from this point on. I didn't transfer a few posts because they do not fit in with my direction here on blogspot. If you have any interest to read some of my older political blogs, you can find it at:

katebryan.blog.com

Thank you to all of you for reading. I look forward to writing much, on this lovely new space.

Kirk Cameron: "I have a commitment not to kiss any other woman than my Wife."

2008-10-23T04:08:00.000+01:00

Kirk Cameron made an appearance earlier this week on the "Today Show" to promote his new film called "Fireproof". Here is a synopsis of the film:

"While hoping The Love Dare has nothing to do with his parents' newfound faith, Caleb commits to the challenge. But can he attempt to love his wife while avoiding God's love for him? Will he be able to demonstrate love over and over again to a person that's no longer receptive to his love? Or is this just another marriage destined to go up in smoke?" (Internet Movie Database)

In his appearance on the "Today Show" (which you can see here), Cameron spoke about how his wife was a "body-double" for the kissing scene in the film. Cameron requested this from the producers as he stated, "I have a commitment not to kiss any other woman than my Wife." So, his Wife wore the same dress as the actress who played his Wife in the Film and they "body-doubled" her in. My first response to this was a little "weirded out". But, the more I have thought about it - THIS IS AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL. I have been thinking about this so much this week and have been wondering, "How many Hollywood Marriages would have been saved, if more people took their commitment as seriously as the Cameron's?" Cameron has been married to his Wife (Chelsea Noble) for 17 years, they have 6 children. Obviously, they are doing something right.

Watch the interview and here is the full story of his appearance from MSNBC.

"Fireproof" The Movie

2008-10-23T03:56:00.000+01:00

This movie just came out into Theaters. I am going to see it tomorrow and will write a review once I have seen it. It looks amazing.

Here is the trailer. Check it out.

MTV VMA's Part 2 of 2 - Katy Perry "I Kissed a Girl"

2008-10-23T03:49:00.000+01:00

All I can say is, Finally MTV seems to have become more "family-friendly",at least for the first few hours of the VMA's. They had originally booked Katy Perry to Open the Show with her hit, "I Kissed a Girl" and also do a cover of Madonna's, "Like a Virgin". Guess what? MTV kicked it towards the later hours of the show. Katy Perry was ticked, apparently; at least according to the New York Post.

September 2, 2008 --

POP star Katy Perry will not be opening the VMAs this year, and she's not happy she'll have to wait to perform. Our source overheard Perry at Marix Mexican restaurant in LA the other night "complaining that she wasn't asked to open at the VMAs because her song ['I Kissed a Girl'] is too provocative." Perry is nominated for multiple awards at the MTV event on Sun day, and Blender Editor-in-Chief Joe Levy is throwing her a bash at Bardot in LA the night be fore. Perry's rep confirmed she's performing at the show and said she's fine with not opening . . . Our source "overheard incorrectly," he said.

Her performances of "I Kissed a Girl" and "Like a Virgin" were pretty awful, so it's probably good that she didn't start the show off (on a "bad note", no pun intended- ha!). Don't take my word for it, check her performances and make your own decision.

Oh and check this out, compliments of the AmericanPapist. Thank you, AP! And it's a real billboard! HILARIOUS!

MTV Video Music Awards, Part 1 of 2 - Chastity on MTV, "What?!?!"

2008-10-23T03:42:00.000+01:00

Every year MTV hosts a very entertaining and often controversial night of entertainment and honors the "musical genius" of the year. Every year they host a slew of different celebrities, musicians, and personalities. There are two specific things that I wish to highlight in regards to the VMA's and the first has to do with this year's Host, the second will come in my next post.

This year, the show was hosted by an English Radio/TV personality by the name of Russell Brand. Apparently, he is best known for a small role he had in the film Forgetting Sarah Marshall. If you did in fact watch the MTV VMA's, then you will know that he really did a poor job of hosting. Although he was very funny at times; he really should've worked on his "Hosting skills", rather than taking "cheap shots" at the Jonas Brothers' commitment to purity. If you don't know what I am talking about, let me persist and also give you a few highlights from the show.

Throughout the night, Russell Brand repeatedly took "cheap shots" at the Jonas Brothers regarding their vow of Chastity. Most of the comments he made were "off color" and thus not appropriate for this blog. But, I will tell you that at one point later in the evening, he brought out a "Wedding-type band" and said that he just "collected" it from one of the Jonas boys, implying that something had happened backstage and he could no longer wear a Chastity ring! Brand said, "And I will be collecting the rest of them throughout the evening!" Wow. Well, it gets better....

Jordin Sparks, 2007 winner of American Idol, went up to present an award later on in the evening. This was after Brand had cast many "jokes" regarding Purity rings. So, Miss. Sparks, a fellow Chastity ring "wearer" and actively outspoken about her "vow of chastity", she had something to say to Mr. Brand. Watch it here.

Overall, it was a good line up of entertainment, nothing "earth-shattering" amazing in my opinion. Any of the performers that I wanted to see were not very good; i.e. The Ting Tings, Rihanna, etc. And then, there were others that I didn't care to see and they didn't impress either. Which brings me to my next post.... More to come on Katy Perry, "The 'I Kissed a Girl' Chick" and her appearance at the VMA's.

Although, there was a cute performance by the Jonas Brothers, check it out here.

Oops... Madonna did it again...

2008-10-23T03:38:00.000+01:00

Of course a controversial story would break on the Feast of the Mother of God's birth regarding the "music legend" Madonna.

It's not another video featuring "burning crosses, statues crying blood and Madonna seducing a black Jesus."
This time it is NOT a mock-crucifixion, like she did during a concert in Rome in 2006.
This time she has tried to take a swing at Papa Benny (my nickname for the Pope).

Madonna kicked off her tour in Wales at the end of August, and went on to perform in Rome this past Saturday night. She has taken swings at the Catholic Church before, and almost always finds a way to cause controversy "when in Rome". But, this time... she' messing with my Papa!

Madonna dedicated a song to Papa Benny. Now, at first I thought it was sweet, until I found out that she dedicated "Like a Virgin" to him. You know, "Like a Virgin, touched for the very first time..." She said, '"I dedicate this song to the Pope, because I'm a child of God. All of you are also children of God," the 50-year-old performer told the 60,000 fans on Saturday night during the Italian stop of her Sticky and Sweet concert tour."

The more I think about it, the more distasteful I realize that it is. I would think that at 50 years of age, she would have a little more 'Class' than this sort of behavior. Come on Madonna, I am rooting for you, as a "Child of God", but not when you act like this.

Madonna, watch it! Don't mess with my Papa!

An Economic Love Story

2008-10-23T03:26:00.000+01:00

Throughout my life I have been a big fan of Ben Stein. I just always thought he was a little quirky and always entertaining. He is often most renowned for his famous line, "Bueller. Bueller. Bueller." in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I always enjoyed his show Win Ben Stein's Money and it was in that show that I realized how brilliant he truly is. And then of course, I must recognize his many other appearances on TV offering insight into Politics, Law, Business, and now most recently, LOVE! I read the article posted below nearly two months ago. Right away I was captivated by his insight, and found his intellectual reasoning absolutely amazing and hysterical at times. I hope you enjoy his comparison between love and economics as much as I did. It was posted in the New York Times on July 13th, 2008.

Introducing the Amazing Ben Stein and his "Lessons in Love, by Way of Economics":

July 13, 2008

Everybody’s Business
Lessons in Love, by Way of Economics

By BEN STEIN

AS my fine professor of economics at Columbia, C. Lowell Harriss (who just celebrated his 96th birthday) used to tell us, economics is the study of the allocation of scarce goods and services. What could be scarcer or more precious than love? It is rare, hard to come by and often fragile.

My primary life study has been about love. Second comes economics, so here, in the form of a few rules, is a little amalgam of the two fields: the economics of love. (I last wrote about this subject 20 years or so ago, and it’s time to update it.)

In general, and with rare exceptions, the returns in love situations are roughly proportional to the amount of time and devotion invested. The amount of love you get from an investment in love is correlated, if only roughly, to the amount of yourself you invest in the relationship.

If you invest caring, patience and unselfishness, you get those things back. (This assumes, of course, that you are having a relationship with someone who loves you, and not a one-sided love affair with someone who isn’t interested.)

High-quality bonds consistently yield more return than junk, and so it is with high-quality love. As for the returns on bonds, I know that my comment will come as a surprise to people who have been brainwashed into thinking that junk bonds are free money. They aren’t. The data from the maven of bond research, W. Braddock Hickman, shows that junk debt outperforms high quality only in rare situations, because of the default risk.

In love, the data is even clearer. Stay with high-quality human beings. And once you find that you are in a junk relationship, sell immediately. Junk situations can look appealing and seductive, but junk is junk. Be wary of it unless you control the market.

(Or, as I like to tell college students, the absolutely surest way to ruin your life is to have a relationship with someone with many serious problems, and to think that you can change this person.)

Research pays off. The most appealing and seductive (that word again) exterior can hide the most danger and chance of loss. For most of us, diversification in love, at least beyond a very small number, is impossible, so it’s necessary to do a lot of research on the choice you make. It is a rare man or woman who can resist the outward and the surface. But exteriors can hide far too much.

In every long-term romantic situation, returns are greater when there is a monopoly. If you have to share your love with others, if you have to compete even after a brief while with others, forget the whole thing. You want to have monopoly bonds with your long-term lover. At least most situations work out better this way. ( I am too old to consider short-term romantic events. Those were my life when Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon were in the White House.)

The returns on your investment should at least equal the cost of the investment. If you are getting less back than you put in over a considerable period of time, back off.

Long-term investment pays off. The impatient day player will fare poorly without inside information or market-controlling power. He or she will have a few good days but years of agony in the world of love.

To coin a phrase: Fall in love in haste, repent at leisure.

Realistic expectations are everything. If you have unrealistic expectations, they will rarely be met. If you think that you can go from nowhere to having someone wonderful in love with you, you are probably wrong.

You need expectations that match reality before you can make some progress. There may be exceptions, but they are rare.

When you have a winner, stick with your winner. Whether in love or in the stock market, winners are to be prized.

Have a dog or many dogs or cats in your life. These are your anchors to windward and your unfailing source of love.

Ben Franklin summed it up well. In times of stress, the three best things to have are an old dog, an old wife and ready money. How right he was.

THERE is more that could be said about the economics of love, but these thoughts may divert you while you are thinking about your future.

And let me close with another thought. I am far from glib about the economy. It has a lot of pitfalls facing it. As workers and investors, we know that many dangers lurk in our paths.

But so far, these things have always worked themselves out and this one will, too. In the meantime, they say that falling in love is wonderful, and that the best is falling in love with what you have.

Ben Stein is a lawyer, writer, actor and economist. E-mail: ebiz@nytimes.com.

The Saddleback Abortion Debate between Obama and McCain

2008-10-20T05:07:00.000+01:00

Last night were the separate interviews of Barack Obama and John McCain. The interviews were faciliated by Rick Warren of the Mega-Church Saddleback in California. Warren is the Pastor of Saddleback and also the renowned author of "The Purpose Driven Life". Although the spoke about countless issues, I am going to highlight the moral issue of abortion in this post.

Let's start with John McCain: See this part of the interview - McCain. The question that Warren asked was, "At what point is a baby entitled to human rights?" McCain very strongly answered back, "At the moment of Conception." He went on to speak about his "25 year Pro-Life record" in Congress and the Senate. He closed by saying that he would be a "Pro-Life President" and instill "Pro-Life Policies". He ended by proclaiming, "That's my commitment, that's my committment." Overall, I was impressed but, there was something in me wishing for more from him. I understand that he is trying to be careful and he sounds like the "real deal" in line of Pro-Life issues, but I still found myself wanting further elaboration. Watch for yourself and decide for yourself.

Now onto Obama: See this part of the interview - Obama. Warren asked Obama the same question, "At what point is a baby entitled to human rights?" Obama muttered a few words that I couldn't really make out, but ultimately wouldn't answer the specific question. He then decided to talk in a general fashion about abortion, in which he made two main points.

Point 1: Abortion: "There is a moral and ethical element to this issue..." Yes there is Obama... what are your thoughts. He never really elaborates on his opinion of the "moral and ethical element", but he does state that there is one (which is a start).

Point 2: He states that he is "Pro-Choice, not Pro-Abortion".... ok, well they are literally the same thing. Then he went on to say that he is "Pro- Roe v. Wade". He said that "Women don't make these decisions casually." This statement makes me wonder if Obama has ever stood outside an abortion clinic, sidewalk counseled, or even spoke with a woman who is Post-abortive. I am guessing not, because I have seen all of these things in the forefront of the issue and my experience is completely different.

Also, Obama seemed pretty "Pro-Abortion" when he addressed Planned Parenthood in July 2007- watch the whole speech here. Also, I wonder if he has seen the undercover study done by a young student at UCLA name Lila Rose. Rose faciliated an undercover operation to see if the "racist agenda" of Margaret Sanger (founder of Planned Parenthood) still exists in the "organization" today. Watch it on Sean Hannity's America. It's creepy, but very profound to watch- and it also shows clips from Obama's PP speech highlighted previously. Obama closed with the question, "How do we reduce the number of abortions?" Then, went on to say that he is in favor of a ban on late-term abortions, if there is an exception for the mother's health. He closed this scetion of his interview by saying, "Pro-Lifer's would consider this inadequate...", which yes, like McCain, I wish I was able to hear more 'concise' answers from you (both). Obama finished by saying, "If you believe life begins at conception and you are consistant with that, then I can't argue with you." You are right, Obama. You can't argue with me!!! All in all, it was an interesting situation to see them in. At a Mega-Church, being asked about moral and ethical issues, by a renowned Protestant Pastor. Hilarious! But, overall, I would have loved to see them "elaborate" on this issue and given more "concise" answers. I feel like both "danced around the issue" a bit. Watch the clips and you decide.

***Note: I am not endorsing either candidate and actually would not (at this point) be voting for either. We will see what the following months bring, but in my posts about ObamcCain, I will only state my thoughts.

The Further Adventures of the "I Kissed a Girl" Chick

2008-10-20T05:03:00.000+01:00

Can you believe it? Since I last wrote about Katy Perry and her infamous song "I Kissed a Girl", she has struck 'gold'!

Just over a week after "lip-locking" with Whoopi Goldberg on the Daytime Talk Show "The View", Miss. Perry continues to make it big with her song "I Kissed a Girl". Her single is doing so well on the Top 100 charts, that she is actually TIED with The Beatles for Top #1 Single. The Beatles song "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" spent 7 weeks in the top spot on the Top 100, and now Katy Perry has entered her 7th week. Is this a sign of the end of times? Again I ask you, what happened to the Art of Song-writing. Apparently people have lost all of their inhabitations and are actually supporting this song as it continues to climb the charts.

Please "Save the Music" and stop supporting this awful "lack of art"!

Do You Like Scary Movies?

2008-10-20T05:02:00.000+01:00

For those of you who know me, you know that I LOVE Scary Movies. I am not a huge fan of the films that are made just for the "gore-factor". I think they are often pointless and I can safely say that I have WASTED many hours of my life on those pointless movies. The ones that I LOVE that I am speaking of here are the Classics. Some of my favorites include: Halloween, It, The Shining, The Ring, Scream, Psycho, etc.

Now, many of you may say the same thing about ALL Horror films that I mentioned about those "gore-flicks". I have been a part of many arguments with various people who say that ALL Horror films are bad and no one should "corrupt" themselves willingly by seeing them. Ok, well I would like to argue a few points.

Number One: The Film industry exists as SIMPLY a form of ENTERTAINMENT! And on that note, Horror films (within reason) are just that, a form of entertainment. Now, I am not saying that we should be "entertained" by murderous villains, blood and guts, and evil... but, I really think that there is more to be said regarding this "sect" of film. Which brings me to my second and main point...

Number Two: HORROR FILMS focus on VIRTUE! No I am not joking, I am completely serious! Horror films focus themselves around virtue. You don't believe me? Well, maybe you are one of those people I mentioned before who said that horror films main purpose are to "corrupt"? Watch one, I'm serious... and this is what I am talking about.

Honesty: You will notice that when a character is being honest, they live. They are truthful with all who are closest to them: their spouse, their parents, their friends, etc. Truth offers great strength against evil. It is only when a person lies and is deceitful that they are killed. You Lie, You DIE!

Faith and Hope: If a character has faith in ANYTHING (God, a Person, etc.), it is almost guaranteed that they will live. On that same note, if a person is filled with hope, no matter how many people have been killed or how scared they are, they will be strong enough to survive against ANY evil. Hope is a guiding light. If there is hope for the future or something past whatever struggle they are in the midst of, the hope seems to save their life.

Chastity: Now this is the DIAMOND in the rough. I love talking about Chastity in Horror Films because it is SO extremely evident. In nearly every single horror film. If you are promiscuous, have pre-marital sex, etc. You will die! It's inevitable. Talk about a straight forward Pro-Chastity message! I often wonder why this hasn't become a HUGE part of Chastity Education... I know it sounds like a harsh message, but honestly... its helps me! Purity = Life, Un-Chastity = Death. Go figure! Even in the mainstream media, the truth of Chastity in horror films is never mentioned. It is never discussed in movie reviews, although it seems to be an integral part of nearly all horror films.

I honestly believe that horror films have a deeper message than just trying to frighten you enough that you have to sleep with the light on, shower with the shower curtain wide open, and make sure that the closet door is latched before you are able to sleep (all of which, I am guilty of). Horror films are calling for a renewal of this world. They are calling us to live holy and virtuous lives, as well as providing a good scare. I think (deep down) that is why these films are so attractive and intriguing. Did I mention that I love them? These films are much deeper than they credited for.

So the next time you want to see a horror film (again, I am not talking about "Saw", etc. that have "gore" as their only purpose) and someone gives you trouble, explain to them the deeper meaning of horror films- virtue.

I Kissed A Girl?!?!?!?!

2008-10-20T04:55:00.000+01:00

"I kissed a girl and I liked it.
The taste of her cherry chapstick.
I kissed a girl just to try it.
I hope my boyfriend don't mind it.
It felt so wrong.
It felt so right.
Don't mean I'm in love tonight.
I kissed a girl and I liked it.
I liked it." ~ Katy Perry, I Kissed a Girl

The song "I kissed a girl" by a new and upcoming artist named Katy Perry is rocking the Music Charts. The singer states that her single is about "the magical beauty of a woman". This song is playing on every radio station, the team at MTV is 'eating' this tune up. Everyone (apparently) loves it. Ok, I will admit that the first time I heard it, I liked the "beat". I thought it was a fun jam, until I not only heard the words, but actually thought about what I was "singing along to". "I Kissed a Girl and I liked it..." Uh, what?!?!?! Wait a second.

My sister was so excited about this song the other night and brought it to my attention. Prior to my listening to this "secret song choice" that she was about to share with me, she said "Well, I know you're gonna hate it anyways!" I then listened to it and I told her that I really liked it when i first heard it but, the more I thought about it, the more disturbing it became.

I have heard many rejections of the song, and also many people supporting it. It took me a while but, I have finally sorted out my feelings regarding this song.

Ultimately, this is just a silly song. There are so many songs that are "tongue-in-cheek" that I love. I get it! It's just a song, probably just a "One Hit Wonder" and I would hate to be the person who had this song as their only hit! Eeeek! I love music and really appreciate the art. But, what we have here is not art, I think I have actually lost brain cells listening to this. So, as much as I am saying there is no harm done, my second point contradicts.

My problem lies in kids hearing this song and thinking that it is appropriate for a girl to kiss another girl. This brings up a whole different debate about tolerance and respecting others "life choices", but I won't even start on that subject for today. This song is not talking about anything except lust, and i for one, would not use this as a "teaching tolerance" tool for my kids.

Katy Perry claims that this song is about "the magical beauty of a woman" but, I think that shows what a low respect she has for herself and on top of that, what a low respect she has for women. Honestly, this song is talking about one young woman kissing another one, she doesn't even know her name or anything about her, she doesn't care to know anything about her, and all she cares about is the girl's body and her "taste of her cherry chapstick". ARE YOU SERIOUS? For all of those liberal feminists out there who like this song, SHAME ON YOU! This offers no substance to the intrinsic beauty of femininity nor does is call the world to respect, honor, or love women. I think it does the opposite. This song focuses only on the body and lust, which is calling for women to be looked at as objects.

The problems that I have with this song, rise above the initial shock of my first hearing it on the radio for the first time. It is a silly song, a possible one hit wonder. That doesn't bother me. What bothers me is that parents are allowing their children to listen to it, and actually encouraging it. But, above all, this is song is not bringing people to understand further the "magical beauty of a woman" but, is actually bringing people to look at women as objects. If I were to release a song with "the magical beauty of a woman" as it's purpose or even it's tagline, I would hope that I would write a much better lyric than this!

***Notation: A friend of mine inserts her own lyrics to this song saying, "I kissed a boy and I liked it...." Haha. I like her version much better ;)