Pope Francis "Re-Gifts" Icon to Pope Emeritus Benedict

That beautiful icon of Our Lady of Humility that Pope Francis gave to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI during their historic meeting at Castel Gandolfo? Well, turns out that it just may be the most high-profile instance of "re-gifting" since Jerry's dentist gave him a label maker.

Robert Moynihan has the story:

... In the same report, she noted: “Francis also brought a gift for Benedict, an icon of the Madonna. ‘They told me it’s the Madonna of Humility,’ Francis told Benedict. ‘Let me say one thing: When they told me that, I immediately thought of you, at the many marvelous examples of humility and gentleness that you gave us during your pontificate.’ Benedict replied: ‘Grazie, grazie.’”

But who were the “they” who told Francis that the icon was the Madonna of Humility?

“They” were… the people who gave the icon to him. But who were those people?

Well… they were representatives of the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, who sent the icon to Pope Francis as a gift, and who handed it to Francis three days ago, on March 20.

How do I know this?

Because a few minutes ago I received an unexpected email from Metropolitan Hilarion, 46, an old friend who is also the “Foreign Minister” (the term isn’t quite accurate, but it suggests the importance of his work and position) of the Russian Orthodox Church’s Moscow Patriarchate, so, the right-hand of Patriarch Kirill. He wrote:

Here is the photo of the icon of the Madonna of Humility which
Pope Francis gave today as a gift to Emeritus Pope Benedict

“Pope Francis presented to Pope emeritus Benedict the icon which had been presented to Pope Francis by Metropolitan Hilarion on behalf of Patriarch Kirill [the head of the Russian Orthodox Church] after the private audience [with the new Pope] on 20 March. Отправлено с iPhone [Sent from iPhone]“ So the icon was the Russian icon Hilarion gave to Francis three days ago!

I wrote back: “Amazing. Are you pleased, or upset?”

I added: “It is reported here: ‘They spent 45 minutes talking alone. Pope Francis gave Pope Benedict an icon of Our Lady of Humility, saying that when he received it, he immediately thought of giving it to Pope Benedict.’”

Hilarion wrote back: “Very pleased and touched.”

"Hoarders"? "Real Housewives"? "Pawn Stars"? "The Kardashians"? "Jersey Shore"? "Swamp People"?

Really? Watching dumbasses doing dumbassed things is REALLY how people want to spend their time? Read a book or play a boardgame, dammit!

I weep for our culture.

4th of July Film Recommendations

There are several fine documentary miniseries that I recommend for the 4th of July. In fact, I recommend skipping the Hollywood versions of history altogether and watching these documentaries instead:

The American Revolution (A&E / History Channel)
http://www.amazon.com/American-Revolution-History-Channel/dp/B0007TKNOC/ref=cm_lmf_tit_16_rdssss0
(this is my personal favorite)

Liberty – The American Revolution (PBS)
http://www.amazon.com/Liberty-The-American-Revolution/dp/B000BITU3E/ref=cm_lmf_tit_14_rdssss0

The History Channel Presents The Revolution
http://www.amazon.com/History-Channel-Presents-Revolution/dp/B000IB0DD0/ref=cm_lmf_tit_1_rdssss0

Rebels & Redcoats – How Britain Lost America (PBS)
http://www.amazon.com/Rebels-Redcoats-Britain-Lost-America/dp/B0001ZWLVA/ref=cm_lmf_tit_17_rdssss0

Founding Fathers (History Channel)
http://www.amazon.com/Founding-Fathers-Keith-Arbour/dp/B00004ZETI/ref=cm_lmf_tit_19_rdssss0

Founding Brothers
http://www.amazon.com/Founding-Brothers-Peter-Coyote/dp/B0000687BM/ref=pd_bxgy_d_img_b

The History Channel Presents Washington the Warrior
http://www.amazon.com/History-Channel-Presents-Washington-Warrior/dp/B000G1R402/ref=cm_lmf_tit_20_rdssss0

To save yourself some money, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you purchase the History Channel's "The Founding of America" Megaset, which includes many of the offerings I mention above and several other outstanding movies and documentaries.

Contents Include:

Founding Fathers (mini-series)

Founding Brothers (mini-series)

The Conflict Ignites

1776

Washington & Arnold

The World at War

England's Last Chance

Birth of the Republic

The Revolution (series)

Washington the Warrior

Ben Franklin

Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor

The Crossing

Bonus Features:

"History in the Making: The Revolution"

Behind-the-Scenes Featurettes; Behind-the-Scenes

"Declaration of Independence" (Episode of SAVE OUR HISTORY)

"The Many Faces of Ben Franklin" Making-of Featurette

Timeline

Anecdotes

Quotes

List of Innovations and Inventions

"Benedict Arnold: Triumph and Treason" (50-minute Biography episode); Cast

Biographies/Filmographies

Historical Quotes

At $44.98, which is what Amazon.com is offering it for, this Megaset is an absolute STEAL! It can be purchased even cheaper - as low as $29.98 - from the Amazon Marketplace. I was fortunate enough to buy this set last year for $19.98! It is money well spent for the content you're getting.

If you simply MUST watch a movie about the Revolutionary War, then HBO's "John Adams" is the best thing out there on the subject. A sentimental favorite of mine in this genre is the 1972 musical, "1776". I also recommend the A&E movie "The Crossing", which depicts the dramatic events surrounding Washington's late-1776 crossing of the Delaware and subsequent victories at Trenton and Princeton - this movie is included in the "The Founding of America" Megaset. Of course, there's also the old Disney favorite, "Johnny Tremain".

Finally, you may want to consult the list of Rev War movies for the 4th that my friend Don McClarey put together a couple of years ago.

Coming tomorrow: My annual music recommendations for the 4th of July.

Spot. On.

Yeah, what Bill Simmons said about the season finale of "The Killing":

... I will leave you with four thoughts. First, Sunday night shows have a built-in competitive advantage because the best HBO shows (Sopranos, The Wire, Six Feet Under, etc.) got us into the groove of watching the best possible television every Sunday night, then AMC kept the momentum going with Mad Men and Breaking Bad, and somewhere along the line, that became our Smart Television Night and it doesn't really matter what's on anymore, as long as it feels like a good show. We never cared if Walking Dead or The Killing were great, just that they were good enough to keep us interested on Sunday nights, because that's the night we like to watch well-acted shows with well-developed characters that creep along from week to week and keep us guessing. So really, we're to blame for letting The Killing happen — we always knew it sucked, but we didn't care. We allowed this catastrophe to happen.

Second, The Killing is destined to become the first example anyone brings up when the subject is, "What show did something that made its fans hate it the most?" It's not like other shows haven't antagonized their fans before: The Sopranos cutting to black on its final episode, Seinfeld and his buddies getting arrested, and Dallas executing a retroactive "everything you just watched never happened" season-long dream sequence are the three most famous examples. But has a TV show ever willfully misled its viewers like this, to the point that it made you hate yourself for ever watching the show? No. Never. We made history here.

Third, I always judge television shows by the dueling metrics, "If I could travel back in time and tell myself to either watch or NOT watch this show, what would I say?" and "If I could have done the MJ's Final Shot in 1998 with a TV show and gotten out at the perfect time, then never watched another episode, when would that time be?" A good example: Lost. I would absolutely watch that show again, only I would tell myself to stop watching right before the final season started. Or Seinfeld. I'd keep watching right until George's fiancée dies from licking the envelopes, then I'd be done.

With The Killing? I would beg March 2011 Me to not watch a single second of the show. So there's that.

Fourth and most important, I can't remember a single show damaging a network's brand this severely, to the point that AMC either needs to apologize, offer the entire Breaking Bad series on DVD for 85 percent off, or even publicly distance itself from the show the same way a sports team distances itself from a star player who does something horrible. That's how bad this was. AMC had won our trust over the past few years; because of that trust, we endured The Killing because we trusted AMC enough that we assumed they wouldn't screw us. It's unfathomable that none of the people running such a seemingly intelligent network said, "We better leak to Tim Goodman or Alan Sepinwall that they're not wrapping things up in one season, we don't want people to be pissed off." Nope. The ratings mattered more than the viewers.

And yeah, that's happened before in television … but not like this. The Killing turned out to be aptly named: AMC just killed any "most creative network" momentum it had. People will not forget what happened. I know I won't. And in case you were wondering, hell will freeze over before I watch Season 2.

[Read the whole thing]

My Comments:
About 45 minutes into the season finale, I said to myself "These bastards are going to leave us hanging, aren't they?"

Yep. Bastards.


NB: By the way, I was perfectly fine with the leftist, holier-than-thou, do-gooder, hypocrite of a city councilman being the murderer. But they couldn't just leave well enough alone. Bastards.

An Open Letter to Dodge

"Makes you almost want to have kids ... almost"

Dear Dodge,

I am a loyal Dodge customer whose 2 most recent vehicle purchases were Dodge Grand Caravans, including one in 2010. I recently viewed with horror your ad that depicts having children as something to be avoided. Just who do you think buys minivans anyway (clue: people with children). Which raises the question of why you feel the need to go out of your way to insult them? Is it going to help you sell these family vehicles by making families feel like personae non gratae?

Do you REALLY believe the childless and cynical Daily Show “smart set” to whom the commercial was obviously geared is going to buy a vehicle that averages around 20 mpg? Does it make you feel better about selling a vehicle that gets comparatively crummy gas mileage and thereby pollutes the environment more than other cars if you can make common cause with the sorts of people who view children as just another pollutant with a set of carbon footprints? Although the “smart set” may concur with the sentiment of the ad, they’ll be laughing on their way to buying a Prius.

Meanwhile, you’ve just angered a loyal customer who, although considering buying a Sienna last year, instead relied on my good experience with the Grand Caravan I purchased in 2002 (and still drive) and decided to buy another one. In making that decision, my wife and I took our kids with us to the dealership – they, like the children you disparage in the ad, crawled in and out and all over the interior of the vehicle (and, gasp, may have been a little loud), but I’m sure the salesperson and the dealership were more than happy to have sold the vehicle, which we bought due in no small part to our kids’ enthusiasm for it.

Well, I won’t be making that mistake again, unless I receive a written formal apology and Dodge makes a public statement of regret for running this abysmal ad. Believe me when I tell you that I am NOT the only parent who feels this way. You WILL lose customers over this unless you act to repair the damage you have done by gratuitously insulting those most likely to buy a Dodge minivan.

Yours truly,
James T. “Jay” Anderson
Norwalk, OH

Miley Cyrus Hates Rick Santorum, Hearts Same-Sex Nuptials

I'm no fan (at least not anymore) of Rick Santorum, but this is just pathetic:

Even Miley Cyrus is getting in on the 2012 action. In a reaction to a recent controversy over retailer Urban Outfitters allegedly copying jewelry designs, Cryus last night aired her criticism of UO President Richard Hayne’s campaign contributions to former Senator Rick Santorum.

“IF WE ALLOW GAY MARRIAGE NEXT THING U KNOW PEOPLE WILL BE MARRYING GOLD FISH’ – Rick Santorum UO contributed $13,000 to this mans campaign” the singer and Hannah Montana star tweeted, in an apparent reference to the former Senator’s famous “man on dog” remark. Santorum is known for his conservative and often controversial opinions on same-sex marriage...

My Comments:
Awwww. Isn't that sweet. Now that she's too old for her younger Disney audience, Achey Breaky's offshpring knows which Divah-worshipping cohort it is that's going to be buttering her bread. Can you say FAAAAAAAABULOUS?!?!

Yeah, whatever, Hannah Montana. You're only one or two more "Hey, look at me!" titty shots and an alcohol-induced binge away from being as completly irrelevant as your Disney predecessor, Lindsay Lohan.

Hat tip: Creative Minority Report

GoDaddy (et al) Can Go to Hell

The NFL needs to apply their "personal conduct policy" to their Super Bowl ads.

What a bunch of hypocrites. They rightly punish Ben Rapistburger for his abusive off-the-field actions, but condone ads that celebrate the mentality that leads to players' off-the-field problems in the first place: the objectification of women and sex.

And all while the kids are watching. I guess the Super Bowl is not fit for family viewing any more (and really hasn't been for several years now).


UPDATE
By the way, GoDaddy wasn't even the worst offender this year. No, that dubious distinction, at least in my book, goes to Pepsi Max. Jerks.

Rachel Campos Duffy: "Being a Mom is the Best Job in the World!"

Rachel Campos-Duffy writes about her recent appearance, along with her husband Congressman-elect Sean Duffy, on "The View":

During my appearance on The View this week, Barbara Walters asked me, "Did you ever think, 'I wish I had a career and I didn't have six kids?"

It was a provocative question, especially since baby #6 was sitting on my lap at the time. I simply responded, "Being a mom is the best job in the world!"

Politico called the answer "diplomatic", and National Review's Kathryn Lopez tweeted that it was "graceful," but I couldn't help being disappointed with my response. Not that it wasn't true – being a mom is the best job in the world - but I felt that a question as culturally loaded as this one deserved a better answer, especially from someone who has written countless columns and an entire book on the subject of at-home motherhood and the sad fact that our culture does little to applaud or elevate this noble calling.

So, if I had it to do over again, what would I say to Barbara? I'd say, "Barbara, I consider it a privilege and a blessing to have six kids and watch them grow up. As fun as it is to be here with you all (and it is!) I wouldn't trade the precious and fleeting time I have home with my kids for anything."

[More]

My Comments:
In "my view" (which I consider to be much more authoritative than anything emanating from "The View"), Rachel's answer was perfect. Being a parent IS the best job in the world (the toughest, too).

However, I do agree with the assessments that Rachel was and is being "diplomatic" and "graceful" in her response. I have little tolerance for the bigoted anti-family hags that infest that particular program and their complete disdain for the people and the values that inhabit the vast region of this country between the two coasts. (Even Elizabeth Hasselbeck has finally been cajoled into being "pro-choice" and pro-same-sex marriage.)

Considering that Rachel was, unfortunately, passed over for the role of token conservative on "The View" in favor of Hasselbeck (I mean, they couldn't have an actual articulate conservative woman who was passionate about her views and could strongly defend them against the 3-1 onslaught), she is far more gracious than I would be to the women on that program who have shown nothing but derision over the years toward her faith and her values.

Keep up the good work, Rachel. You DO have the best job in the world.


Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Mr Duffy Goes to Washington [UPDATED]

Washington Post Profile of Catholic Father of 6 Running for Congress

Rachel Campos-Duffy: "Have We Become Too Casual? Why I Dress My Kids Up for Church"

Catholic Father of 6 Running for Congress Accused by Opponent of Being "Too Busy" With Kids to be Effective Representative

Rachel Campos Duffy: A Real Housewife of Wisconsin

Rachel Living in the Real World; The View Hags, Not So Much [UPDATED]

There's a Political Metaphor in There Somewhere

Washington Post Profile of Catholic Father of 6 Running for Congress

The Washington Post has a profile of Real World alum (and husband of Real World alumna Rachel Campos-Duffy), Sean Duffy, who is running for the congressional seat in Wisconsin being vacated by David Obey: "Will Sean Duffy of 'The Real World' be picked to serve in the House?"

... Duffy minimizes the effect that "The Real World" has had on his political career. On the campaign trail, he plays up the outlines of his life now, which is much more sedate. He is a champion lumberjack, and at one point he held the world-record time for pole climbing. He and Rachel, who has been a recurring guest host of "The View" and recently wrote a book about being a happy stay-at-home mom, have six children. In the beginning, the run for Congress was a protest against big government and Washington excesses, he said.

"Most people told me I was crazy," said Duffy, a self-described "pro-life, pro-traditional-marriage, pro-gun, pro-Second Amendment" candidate in a district that President Obama won by 14 points and that has consistently backed Obey.

Against big odds, Duffy had a few good turns -- including lots of national ink when Sarah Palin endorsed him on the anniversary of the passage of the $787 billion federal stimulus package, of which Obey was the lead author. The lumberjack looked prescient rather than crazy when Obey decided last month not to run for reelection, saying he was "bone tired." Now Duffy finds himself in a race rated by political arbiters as a tossup...

Here's Duffy's campaign website, if you're interested in making a contribution.


Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Rachel Campos-Duffy: "Have We Become Too Casual? Why I Dress My Kids Up for Church"

Catholic Father of 6 Running for Congress Accused by Opponent of Being "Too Busy" With Kids to be Effective Representative

Rachel Campos Duffy: A Real Housewife of Wisconsin

Rachel Living in the Real World; The View Hags, Not So Much [UPDATED]

Citizens Against Religious Bigotry Protests Comedy Central Cartoon About Jesus

Ed Morrissey reports:

Earlier this morning, I joined a conference call staged by Citizens Against Religious Bigotry (CARB), which is protesting a decision by Comedy Central to air a new series titled JC, a satire of Jesus Christ and Christianity. Speakers included:

Brent Bozell – Media Research Center president

Tony Perkins – Family Research Council president

Michael Medved – Nationally syndicated talk radio host

Bill Donohue – Catholic League president

Tim Winter – Parents Television Council president

Rabbi Daniel Lapin – The American Alliance of Jews and Christians

Bozell talked about a “glaring double standard” at Comedy Central. The outlet refuses to air any satirical content that targets Islam, but has no problem airing criticisms of Christianity, Judaism, and other religions. Bozell says JC is “designed to be offensive to Christians. … “We know they are jumping up and down with glee” at the publicity CARB has created, but they feel the need to speak out regardless. Eighty-three percent of Americans consider themselves Christian, “but you don’t have to be Christian to be offended” by anti-Christian bigotry, Bozell said. No “decent” company will want to sponsor this show, and they plan to make that clear to their list of sponsors.

Medved spoke briefly on the double standard issue. Should Christians get punished, Medved argued, for not being murderous lunatics? After all, CC only backed down on South Park’s episodes after threats of violence from adherents of Islam. Even without the threats, Medved says that CC wouldn’t air an analogous series called The Big Mo because it would be perceived as mean and demeaning. Neither would they air a series called The Greedy Goldbergs, for obvious reasons. Why should they repeatedly air shows that attack Christianity?

Donahue offered a caveat to Medved’s remarks by quoting his frequent critics Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who said that Christians would get their way if they only followed the Muslim example. “I don’t get involved in boycotts unless I think I can win,” Donahue said, citing his success against Wal-Mart. He also took credit for the poor showing of The Golden Compass after he initiated a protest movement against the anti-religion movie.

[...]

Bozell says that CARB is not endorsing a boycott, although Donahue called for one. Their intent was to reach out to the advertising community and make them aware of the anger over CC’s programming. Individual member organizations may have their own boycotts, but that won’t be the position of the group as a whole.

[...]

This is an interesting coalition. Bill Donahue seemed ready to go to war, but most of the rest of the people on this call tried to cast this issue in calmer ways. They want to get people on the record as either supporting religious bigotry or opposing it...

(emphasis added)

An Ecumenicism I Can Support

Christian, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, Shintoist, Wiccan, Animist, whatever. Fine is fine, and fit is fit.

And make no mistake: the new Miss USA, Rima Fakih, is smokin' hot, notwithstanding whatever her religion may be. In this instance, I'm ALL for ecumenicism.

The Anchoress has more.

(Hat tip: Opinionated Catholic)

Rachel Campos Duffy: A Real Housewife of Wisconsin

At National Review, Kathryn Lopez interviews "Real World" alumna Rachel Campos Duffy, a Catholic mom of 6 kids and the wife of Sean Duffy, a Wisconsin GOP candidate for the House of Representatives seat currently held by retiring Democrat David Obey:

... a book like Stay Home, Stay Happy: 10 Secrets to Loving At-Home Motherhood, by Rachel Campos-Duffy — which will wind up in the self-help section, if we’re lucky — is so welcome. The author is looking to preserve that which many prominent women — and men — ran away from for all too long, and have paid a price for losing. And she is living, breathing credibility: a young, Catholic, Hispanic mother of six. Who — for a pop-culture reality check — was once on MTV’s The Real World (she and her husband met at a Real World reunion, as it happens) and was almost a co-host of The View (she has been a guest co-host). And she may also be spending time in Washington come January, when her husband, Sean, hopes to be sworn in to the seat of Rep. David Obey, an appropriations powerhouse who has been in office since 1969 (longer than Duffy has been alive). Obey is now retiring, Duffy having run him out of the race.

KATHRYN JEAN LOPEZ: When did you decide to become “a self-described advocate and cheerleader for at-home moms”?

RACHEL CAMPOS-DUFFY: I was a finalist for co-host of ABC’s The View twice. The second time I narrowly lost out in the competition, it occurred to me that I was already doing what God was calling me to do — being home, taking care of my kids. Before that, I sort of thought I was “between gigs,” waiting for my next big break. My oldest was five at that time, and I was starting to see the fruits of my time at home with them — their manners and sense of compassion, the things that happen when you parent well. As I began to appreciate what I was doing as a mom, I simultaneously became aware of how little the culture values it. I’m grateful that Sean verbalizes his appreciation for my choice to be home, but so many other women don’t get that validation. Even if we feel good about our days and choices, we still crave that outside validation. I guess I hoped that by writing this book I might in a small way help elevate this noble profession.

LOPEZ: Isn’t it a betrayal of the women’s movement to announce that a woman can stay home and be happy?

CAMPOS-DUFFY: Absolutely not! I’ve heard old-school feminists refer to the trend toward at-home motherhood as the “recolonization of women back into the home.” It’s so patronizing. They say our education and degrees are wasted on our children. The truth is that, despite the hard work and long hours, there are many pleasurable aspects of motherhood, and women derive very real satisfaction from feeling like they are doing it well. I think there’s a certain type of feminist who finds that truth threatening to the movement. It’s silly. I have made a choice to fully enjoy my kids and this particular season of my life. It’s a very conscious, powerful decision. In some ways, it takes more guts to buck the financial rewards and adulation that come from a professional career to pursue something so culturally undervalued as at-home motherhood.

[...]

LOPEZ: How often do you run into fellow thirtysomethings with six children? And how often do people say inappropriate things about the fact that you have them?

CAMPOS-DUFFY: Not too many thirtysomethings with six kids these days. People always wonder how we do it. I don’t know how we do it. It’s our normal. I do know people who have been chastised by strangers for their big brood and yes, sometimes I worry about environmental fundamentalism and its propensity to see and treat children of large families as environmental “terrorists” guilty of violating some arbitrary carbon-footprint quota. Look no further than the Internet comments on the Duggar family. The vitriol hurled at them is off the charts.

My sister has four kids, and we both find that kids from small families love to come to our houses. One little girl, an only child who was playing at my sister’s house, didn’t want to leave when her mommy came to pick her up. When her mom insisted she get her shoes on, she said, “No, I want to be one of them!”

LOPEZ: You were on a totally different track — Los Angeles and glamour. How did you wind up in Wisconsin and Walmart, and when did you realize you were happy with that life?

CAMPOS-DUFFY: I have MTV to thank for that. Only on The Real World would a conservative Latina from Arizona meet an Irish-American lumberjack attorney from rural Wisconsin. We fell in love and married while I was auditioning for The View. The deal we made was if I got the job, we’d move to New York City. If I didn’t, I would move to Hayward, Wisconsin, his hometown. I didn’t get the job, and I moved from Beverly Hills to rural Wisconsin. I have fallen in love with the people of Wisconsin for the same reasons I fell in love with Sean. They are kind, unassuming, good-natured, and honest. In a nutshell — so not L.A. There is truly no better place to raise kids. As for Wal-Mart, well, I’m not above admitting that most of my date nights with Sean end with a trip to Wal-Mart to pick up diapers and anything else I need. Shopping sans kids is a luxury for me these days!

[...]

LOPEZ: You spend a good amount of time talking about the dad’s role in the life of the at-home mom. Has the feminist movement been damaging to the life of the husband and wife at home? Beyond academic arguments, is it impossible not to see damage that has been done even in fairly conservative family life?

CAMPOS-DUFFY: In some ways, feminism has helped. 1950s dads rarely “partnered” with their wives in matters of home and kids. Boomer dads talked the talk, but ultimately, their wives were “super moms” who ended up burnt out from the double shift. Gen X husbands like Sean walk the walk. Sean’s as comfortable in the courtroom or wielding an ax as he is changing a diaper. He may not always know what I want or need, but he’s genuinely open to being a partner in the relationship and in the division of labor in our home. Clearly, there are some gender differences. For example, Sean splits the wood to heat our home, and in the winter, he also brings it in from the porch every morning and evening. He’s better suited to doing that, and frankly, I don’t want to do it. I’d rather stay in and cook. And that’s okay too. I think today’s men are a big reason why being a wife and mom is getting better. In many ways, men are better. I guess we have their moms to thank for that.

LOPEZ: What’s been the importance of prayer in your life? How do you even do it with kids running around, a busy husband, and your various projects? Isn’t it one of those things that could easily find itself getting dropped?

CAMPOS-DUFFY: I need prayer for sustenance. As a busy mom, I can’t get picky about when or where it happens. I take the moments when and as they come. My prayers include short appeals to God to get me through a difficult “toddler moment,” or our chihuahua peeing on the carpet . . . again! I also learned to count the time I spend with my kids or in service of my family as prayers. We’re driving a lot these days for Sean’s campaign events, and those are perfect times to pop in a CD of the rosary and pray together as a family. It’s easy to let your prayer life fall by the wayside, and sometimes it does. But again, the secret is to remind yourself of the benefits. When I take excellent care of myself from the inside out, I have more to give to my family.

[...]

LOPEZ: Your husband, Sean, is running for Congress. How can that possibly work with six children?

CAMPOS-DUFFY: It’s very tough, and there have been some serious sacrifices. Sean’s a very hands-on dad, and the kids miss him a lot. Sean hits the trail by himself so I can stay home and try to keep things as normal as possible for the kids. In many ways I’m operating like a single mom, and I’ve gained a new respect for at-home moms. . . . Parenting is definitely meant to be a two-person job, and I believe I’m a better parent when he’s around. I hope that as the weather gets warmer, we’ll be able to do more events together as a family. Right now, the kids are looking forward to parade season this summer. I figure they’ll either start to enjoy the campaign more, or they’ll start to hate parades.

[Read the whole thing]

My Comments:
I find myself torn on Sean Duffy's election prospects. On the one hand, I hope he wins because we need more young, strong Christian family men leading our nation, and the Duffy family would be an excellent example to our country of a young Catholic family who walks the walk. On the other hand, Washington corrupts whatever it touches, and I'd hate to see this beautiful family taken from the Midwestern lifestyle that is so obviously serving them well and placed inside the Beltway cesspool.


Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Rachel Living in the Real World; The View Hags, Not So Much [UPDATED]

U.K. Election Results

I, myself, was pulling for the Standing at the Back Dressed Stupidly and Looking Stupid Party, since there wasn't much of a choice between New Labor and New Labor Light ... errr ... I mean the Conservative Party.


Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Peter Hitchens: Tories NEED to Lose Again

"Edgy" Comedy Central, After Cowering to Islamic Threats Over Depiction of Mohammad, Decides Jesus Fair Game

Fresh off of heavily editing a depiction of Mohammad in "South Park" following threats from practitioners of the "Religion of Peace", the "edgy" comedy network, Comedy Central, shows its artistic "courage" in announcing a new series blaspheming Jesus Christ:

Comedy Central might censor every image of the Prophet Muhammad on "South Park," yet the network is developing a whole animated series around Jesus Christ.

As part of the network's upfront presentation to advertisers (full slate here), the network is set to announce "JC," a half-hour show about Christ wanting to escape the shadow of his "powerful but apathetic father" and live a regular life in New York City.

In the show, God is preoccupied with playing video games while Christ, "the ultimate fish out of water," tries to adjust to life in the big city.

"In general, comedy in purist form always makes some people uncomfortable," [ED.: just so long as the practitioners of Islam aren't among said "some people", right?] said Comedy Central's head of original programming Kent Alterman.

When asked if the show might draw some fire, especially coming on the heels of the network's decision to censor the Muslim faith's religious figure on "South Park," Alterman said its too early in the show's development to be concerned about such matters.

"We don't even know what the show is yet," he said.

Like all Comedy Central executives, Alterman declined to address the recent controversy over "South Park," where the network aired a heavily redacted episode after the show's creators were threatened by an extremist Islamic Web site.

"JC" is produced by Reveille ("The Office"), Henrik Basin, Brian Boyle ("American Dad"), Jonathan Sjoberg and Andreas Ohman.

(emphasis and editorial commentary added)

I'm shocked. Not.

Ed Morrissey minces no words in his criticism of Comedy Central's double standard:

Yes, Kent Alterman, you’re quite the brave individual for making “some” people uncomfortable. Those would be the “some” people who won’t issue threats of violence for your satires. Comedy Central and Viacom have no appetite for making some other people uncomfortable — the very people who would not waste a moment in shutting down Comedy Central if given the opportunity.

South Park takes an honest approach to satire by skewering everyone equally. They lost a major cast member when they satirized Scientology, and no doubt have had complaints from many groups about their portrayal of Jesus, Buddha, Joseph Smith, Lao Tze, and other religious figures. But one never got the sense that Parker and Stone had it out for any one group because their satires ran the entire gamut, at least until Comedy Central began censoring them.

And even that would have been understandable — had CC made the decision to avoid religious satire altogether. Instead, they’re launching a new effort to parody Christianity while imposing the rule of radical Islamists on satires of Islam. There’s a word for the kind of people who only pick fights with no risk whatsoever: pussies.

(emphasis added, except for that last word - emphasis is in original on that one)

The Anchoress offers this most appropriate critique on Comedy Central's pathetic bluster and pretense of being cutting edge:

This move by Comedy Central is like watching the ultra-hip smart-aleck in the cafeteria who, having peed himself during an encounter with a bully, is now trying to re-establish his edgy bona fides by making fun of the non-threatening AV Crew; high school bravado, nowhere near as sophisticated as it believes itself to be.

As a Christian, I am unoffended by this move. The Triune God has awfully big shoulders; he can take it.

It is Comedy Central that betrays the tiny fragility that lies behind its strut.

I am embarrassed for them.

(emphasis added)

Rachel Living in the Real World; The View Hags, Not So Much [UPDATED]

I am a little embarassed to admit that there was a time in my life when I watched MTV's The Real World - more out of car wreck curiosity than anything else.

Of all the cast of characters that filtered through that show during its several seasons, Rachel Campos of The Real World San Francisco was one of my favorites. For obvious reasons. Not only was she a beautiful Latina woman, but she was an unapologetic spokesman for conservatism and traditional values (not that she always lived up to them in that particular cultural milieu) to an audience of MTV viewers who weren't likely to hear those values espoused anywhere else - at least not from a generational peer.

To his credit, Patrick Archbold apparently never watched The Real World. Last night, at Creative Minority Report, Patrick proclaimed

"I have never heard of [the now-married-with-6-kids] Rachel Campos-Duffy before. Nope. Didn't even know she existed."

Well, he's heard of her now and he's not likely to forget her anytime soon:

Mrs. Campos-Duffy filled in for Elizabeth Hasselbeck on the view as the token conservative. Only problem is Mrs. Campos-Duffy is no token anything.After announcing that she is having her sixth child on the show, she is asked by Whoopi Goldberg what she thinks of Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Her answer is one of the absolute best that I have seen. Witness. (From the wonderful Newsbusters)

And, before I forget, congratulations to Rachel and her family on baby # 6.


UPDATE
More on Rachel and her wonderful family:

‘Stay Home, Stay Happy’ Wisconsin mom writes book about motherhood experience

Rachel Campos-Duffy, mother of five children under the age of 10 and an active member of Ashland, Wisconsin’s Our Lady of the Lake Catholic Community, just wrote what she calls a “love letter” to stay-at-home-moms. The letter is actually a book, “Stay Home, Stay Happy: 10 Secrets to Loving At-Home Motherhood,” which was published at the end of August by the Penguin Group.

In her late-night writing and editing of the new book, Campos-Duffy took care to include “common sense and practical ideas that we all need to be reminded of,” she said in a recent interview.

“I wanted to edify women who have chosen to be at home with their families,” she said.

The world at large can often be oblivious to what transpires in a home, including the ongoing efforts of stay-at-home mothers, Campos-Duffy said.

“There’s just not a lot of validation,” she said. “But it’s never been a better time to be an at-home mom.”

story here

And here's the website of Rachel's husband, Sean Duffy (from The Real World Boston), who is presently the District Attorney for Ashland County, Wisconsin, and is running for U.S. Congress in 2010.

Pope Awards Highest Honor to EWTN Founder Mother Angelica

(Hat tip: PewSitter.com)

From LifeSiteNews:

IRONDALE, AL, October 5, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI has awarded EWTN foundress, Mother Mary Angelica, and Deacon Bill Steltemeier, Chairman of EWTN's Board of Governors, the Cross of Honor for distinguished service to the Church. The medal, officially known as "Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice" (literally "For the Church and the Pope"), is the highest honor that the Pope can bestow upon laity and religious.

The acknowledgement of Mother Angelica's work by the Pope is highly significant in light of high profile criticism that the EWTN foundress has sustained over her unwavering fidelity to the faith. Mother Angelica had to endure crushing criticism and even attempts to take over her station by various left-leaning Catholic bishops in the United States.

As Catholic League President Bill Donohue wrote in a 2005 review of Raymond Arroyo’s nationally best-selling book on Mother Angelica, some bishops actively fought EWTN at its inception. “Indeed, the bishops tried to outdo her by launching their own effort, the Catholic Telecommunications Network of America (CTNA). It was clear from the beginning that Mother Angelica was seen as a threat: EWTN had a traditional orientation and CTNA took a modernist stance. EWTN won. CTNA collapsed.”

Donohue added: “Mother Angelica did not take kindly to those clerics who questioned her authority to showcase some bishops, but not others. ‘I happen to own the network,’ she instructed. When told that this would not be forever, she let loose: ‘I'll blow the damn thing up before you get your hands on it.’”

From its beginning the station has placed a strong emphasis on explaining and defending Catholic moral principles related to life and family. It has extensively covered the annual Washington March for Life, featured numerous pro-life leaders and broadcasted exceptionally hard-hitting talks by EWTN regulars such as Fr. John Corapi, Fr. Benedict Groeschel, Fr. Mitch Pacwa, Fr. Thomas Euteneuer of HLI and Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life.

[...]

EWTN Global Catholic Network, in its 28th year, is available in over 150 million television households in more than 140 countries and territories. With its direct broadcast satellite television and radio services, AM & FM radio networks, worldwide short-wave radio station, Internet website http://www.ewtn.com/ and publishing arm, EWTN, is the largest religious media network in the world."

My Comments:
A well-deserved honor.

Farewell, Farrah

Farrah Fawcett, a 1970s TV and modeling icon, a Texas native (from Corpus Christi), and a Roman Catholic, has died of cancer at the age of 62. She received the anointing of the sick shortly before she passed.

She was my first movie-star crush. I would venture to guess that almost every young man of my generation had a copy of this iconic poster.

Resquiescat in pace.

NY Times Loves "Mocking Provincial Mediocrity ... to Appease Yen for Regional Condescension on the Coasts"; Condemns "Jeering at Liberal Pieties"

Matthew Archbold, writing at Creative Minority Report, ridicules an "unintentionally funny piece" in The New York Times:

The New York Times has written the most unintentionally funny piece I've read in a long time. In short, The New York Times doesn't think Mike Judge is funny anymore. Mind you, they thought he was hilarious when he created the show 'King of the Hill' because they saw it as mocking middle America but now Judge's new show "The Goodes" is mocking political correctness. And the NYT is not happy.

The Times introduces the piece by saying "King of the Hill" was great because essentially the dumb rubes in middle America didn't know they were being made fun of while the show "mocked provincial mediocrity enough to appease the yen for religious condescension on the coasts."

Yup. They actually wrote that.

[More]

Robbed!

I'm not a viewer of the TV talent show American Idol, but from what I do know, that Adam guy got robbed.

He'll join the ranks of Jennifer Hudson and Chris Daughtry as American Idol "losers" who have outshown (by far) the respective winners in the years they competed.

Ten or fifteen years from now, we'll still be talking about Adam Lambert as an artist and a star, while Kris Whatever-His-Name-Is will join Ruben Studdard, Fantasia Barrino, and Taylor Hicks as mere cultural footnotes or a Trivial Pursuit question: "Who was the guy who beat megastar Adam Lambert on American Idol only to release some lame over-produced pop album that went nowhere ... just like his career?"

I have no stake in the outcome and, as I said, don't even watch American Idol. But I recognize unique talent and artistry when I see it. Mark my words, Adam may just go on to be the biggest star of all the American Idol alumni.


Ring of Fire by Adam Lambert