Holding their noses for judges?

Will his promise of appointing socially conservative jurists to the federal courts be enough to entice conservatives, long distrustful of John McCain, to mark their ballots for him? Alexander Bolton writing for The Hill provides an excellent analysis.

Earlier this year, the advice his own mother gave to conservatives was, “Hold your nose” and vote for Johnny.

But, motherly advice aside, a fundamental issue of contention for conservatives has always been sanctity of life. McCain gives lip service to being pro-life and has even managed to garner some endorsements within the pro-life community. But the fact remains he has voted in support of embryonic stem cell and fetal tissue research and routinely uses the same jargon as Democrats when discussing abortion.

Watch this video

and you’ll hear the big tent philosophy from his own lips. Having mastered the art of understatement, McCain refers to abortion as “unpleasant.” He also advocates “going back to the platform of 1980 and 84.”

Those words say more about his views than a vague campaign promise to appoint conservative judges and justices, made with his back to the wall.

Will this qualify as a hate crime?

Skinheads vs. Mormons

Although any crime of violence is a “hate crime,” and enhanced penalties should not be accorded special victims, targeting religion has become a factor in determining culpability.

What if neither the victim nor perpetrator are minorities?

That is, unless you consider carving a swastika inside one’s wrist as a mental defect, allowing the perps to claim bona fide minority status.

Catholic dissidents advise Obama

The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights has expressed deep concerns over Barack Obama’s Catholic National Advisory Council.

Of the 26 Catholic former or current public office holders Obama has listed as either National Co-Chairs (5), or as members of the National Leadership Committee (21), there is not one who agrees with the Catholic Church on all three major public policy issues: abortion, embryonic stem cell research and school vouchers.

Catholic League president, Bill Donohue, issues a stunning exposé of the newly formed advisory council.

Obama’s “wonderful” new minister

Otis Moss III, is assuming the duties as chief pastor at the Trinity United Church of Christ. This is the church where the controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright reigned supreme, preaching black liberation theology, rooted in the black power movement, until his recent retirement.

The 37-year-old Moss, known as the “hip-hop pastor” to his congregants, appears to have a few problems all his own.

WorldNetDaily runs a column titled, Uh-oh, here we go again: Meet Obama’s new pastor, in which Moss compares Wright to Jesus, and supports Wright’s claims that the U.S. government was involved in distributing illegal drugs to minorities and spreading the AIDS virus to blacks.

Watch a short clip of Moss’s fiery “Being Black is a skin disease” sermon here.

The politics of religion

James Taranto, writing for the Wall Street Journal, provides a fine analysis of the politics of religion in presidential campaigns with The Mormon After.

A prom worth emulating

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has come up with an novel idea for prom night festivities that would win praise from most parents. The students seem to like it, also. More than 200 teens have already signed up.

Targeted at upperclassmen, the May 3, event is open to any Valley high school student ages 16 - 18. And the cost including food and photos is a mere five bucks.

Read the interesting East Valley Tribune account, including the ‘rules,’ here.

Holiday celebration lauds lawbreakers

 

With the Passover holiday approaching this weekend, we decided to check in with the Jewish News of Greater Phoenix for information on the holiday observances. What we found were two decidedly political articles, both going after Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.

The first one, an editorial commentary by a local rabbi, makes the bizarre analogy between the biblical Israelites in Egypt and today’s illegal aliens in America:

“Thirty-six times in the Torah we are commanded, “Do not oppress the stranger, the widow, and the orphan, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” We remember our people’s history. We have been the stranger, and we have been oppressed. We cannot oppress the stranger and victimize him.

The implicit underlying theme draws a fallacious analogy between Nazi roundups of Jewish citizens and the non-citizen illegals who, by virtue their very existence here, are lawbreakers.

“This scene conjures up all sorts of images in our minds,” the rabbi laments.” He describes “fully armed officers” as though wearing a sidearm was not basic to any law enforcement uniform.

What the rabbi hypocritically fails to take into account is the issue of the rule of law and the rights of sovereign nations to secure their own borders, especially in a post 9/11 world. Certainly Israel is doing that very thing today with the construction of a wall to protect her own citizens from invasion.

The second article, detailing a Passover ritual seder with members of the Latino community, refers to Sheriff Arpaio’s criminal patrols as “dragnets.”

The rabbi chastises “non-Latino” citizens for not speaking out against the patrols, in which “mothers and children (are) led to the mobile jail cell surrounded by heavily armed officers.”

With the distorted use of this provocative language, one can almost envision them being handed towels and bars of soap by SS officers as they are led to the showers, which turned out to be gas chambers. Using such an analogy constitutes an affront to the memory of those who were systematically slaughtered during the Holocaust.

Sheriff Arpaio’s patrols are world’s apart from the misinformation coming from this least likely quarter.

Seeing Red AZ is indeed seeing red over these distortions.

We send sincere good wishes for a blessed Passover to our Jewish friends.

Unlikely alliances

Worshipping at the Church of Algore

The Revs. Al Sharpton and Pat Robertson have found something in which they both can believe: Al Gore.

Be sure to watch the short and utterly amazing video clip.

Religion of Peace update

 

Dutch Parliament member Geert Wilders’ sobering film, “Fitna” is causing worldwide uproar. Be aware this abbreviated version contains graphic material, but the appalling truth about the teachings contained in the Quran needs to be seen. The video is English subtitled.

A strange twist

 

Catholic college slammed for hosting pro-abortion Hillary

Pennsylvania pro-life advocates are jeering Catholic Mercyhurst College for agreeing to host a rally for pro-abortion presidential candidate Hillary Clinton today. The college could be making itself a target of a speech Pope Benedict XVI plans to give about upholding Catholic values when he comes to the United States this month, Life News reports.

This is not the first time a Catholic college has given one of the pro-abortion candidates a platform to promote themselves.

Villanova University hosted Michelle Obama last month. In January, Senator Obama appeared at a huge rally on the campus on Saint Peter’s College, a Jesuit institution in Jersey City, New Jersey.