Senators Wary of Catholics on the SCOTUS

Cro-Magnon senators from both parties are wanting to know, essentially, if John Roberts is taking his orders from Rome. Republican Senator Coburn and Democrat Senator Durbin asked questions straight from the talking points of the nineteenth century Know Nothing Party and the Ku Klux Klan. According to the Catholic League press release...

"To be specific, Senator Tom Coburn complained last week that Roberts was reticent when asked to explain how his Catholic religion affects his views; the senator said he intends to ask Roberts about this again at their next meeting. Also, in today’s Los Angeles Times, George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley says that he has learned that Roberts was uneasy when Senator Dick Durbin pressed him on a related matter: when asked what he would do if the law required a decision that conflicted with his religion, Roberts reportedly said he would probably have to recuse himself."

Read the whole thing. Durbin, who has disgraced himself before this, actually calls himself Catholic and his undergraduate and law degrees are from Georgetown, once rumored to be a Catholic institution.

Memo to John Roberts: Grow some testicles.

Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Crashes Marine's Funeral

Just unbelievable.

"The family of a Marine who was killed in Iraq is furious with Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll for showing up uninvited at his funeral this week, handing out her business card and then saying "our government" is against the war."

Read the whole thing. Hat tip to Free Republic.

If the NY Times Had Covered Jesus of Nazareth

Another direct hit on the irresistibly swollen liberal/secular collective pomposities!

"CAESAREA PHILIPPI (20 Kislev) Yesterday's surprise announcement that doctrinal hard-liner Jesus of Nazareth had been anointed "Messiah" provoked mixed reactions in the diverse and sometimes fractious Israelite community, ranging from cautious disappointment to frank despair. I see it as a missed opportunity," said Herodias Scheisskopf, a Galilaean incest rights activist. "May of us were hoping for someone more open to leadership roles for the people with non-heteronormative urges. I don't feel valued..."

Read the whole thing. The piece seems to be running around the internet in various forms. The print edition of First Things magazine, which is where I first saw it, deliciously skewers the infamous NY Times editorial insertion "NYT copyeditors note: Need some quote from support".

I can't stop giggling!

Pope Benedict XVI

This is a good picture of the new Pope and I wanted to put it on my blog. I think being called "God's Rottweiler" is a GOOD thing! The photo was taken by the CatholicInsider.com blogger-Priest, Fr. Roderick Vonhögen. If you like podcasts (and I'm rapidly becoming addicted) you might try this one.

We Are All Brits Today

Now they have struck London. The British are our best friends and our most reliable allies. I am praying for the dead and maimed and their families. This is a reminder: We are at war and it is a war we must grimly see to the end. Al Qaeda must be destroyed.

Independence Day!

This day is the fourth of July and, in my country, it is celebrated as Independence Day. We have parades, fireworks displays, cookouts, festivities of all kinds. We Americans are at each others' throats every other day of the year but on this day we are all proud to be Americans. I have a lot to be thankful for, stuff that isn't the subject of my blog rants below, and I feel pretty good right now. Happy Independence Day to you and yours!

CNN: Nuclear Energy Can Be The Answer

CNN posted a guest editorial by an MIT professor a few days ago on the subject of nuclear energy. He states that...

"Nuclear energy is uniquely suited to contribute to the growing energy challenge -- environmentally, economically and geo-politically. It produces no greenhouse gases, utilizes uranium fuel, which is abundant worldwide, and can contribute to hydrogen production..."

Nuclear power should be more widely considered than it is and I would like to believe that we're seeing the beginning stages of a common sense back-to-nuclear awareness among the policy makers in this country. As I've said before, pebble bed reactors are making a splash in the sense that they're much safer and easier to mass produce. It's not necessary for interested observers like us to organize and lobby in Washington (unless you want to, of course). It's enough to have this idea percolating in the back of your mind so that when it is proposed in the political arena, you can be among those who have heard about it and are receptive.

BBC Free Download: Beethoven Symphony MP3 Files!

Sorry for the lack of a rant in this post. The BBC is offering free downloads of Beethoven symphonies recently played on BBC Radio 3. They'll be gone after only a few days so if you're interested, hurry! :-) Hat tip: Slashdot