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Compiled by Steve Jalsevac
LIFE ISSUES
Biological Colonialism: China Organ Trade Thriving by Wesley J. Smith
I never believed the Chinese Government’s assurances that they were going to dismantle the organ trade in their country. Organ trafficking in China is more active than ever despite efforts to crack down on the trade, with kidneys being openly bought and sold online in a dozen cities across the country.
https://www.firstthings.com/blogs/secondhandsmoke/2009/11/21/biological-colonialism-china-organ-trade-thriving/
Important Changes Coming to Liverpool Care Pathway – Wesley J. Smith
https://www.firstthings.com/blogs/secondhandsmoke/2009/11/23/important-changes-coming-to-liverpool-care-pathway/
Filing Lawsuit Stops Hospital From Imposing Futile Care Treatment Cutoff Against Infant (Wesley J. Smith)
https://www.firstthings.com/blogs/secondhandsmoke/2009/11/24/filling-lawsuit-stops-hospital-from-imposing-futile-care-treatment-cutoff-against-infant/
Important Changes Coming to Liverpool Care Pathway (Wesley J. Smith)
https://www.firstthings.com/blogs/secondhandsmoke/2009/11/23/important-changes-coming-to-liverpool-care-pathway/
Crisis pregnancy centers in Baltimore must display signs stating they do not provide abortions or birth control referrals under a measure approved by the City Council on Monday night and thought to be the first of its kind.
https://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/nation/2009/11/24/1124abortion.html
US HEALTH CARE REFORM
Will the American People Rebel? (Human Events)
When asked on Fox News if he thought Reid’s bill would pass, Sen. Orin Hatch (R-UT) said, “I hope the American people rebel.” As Obamacare gets one baby step closer to passage, it’s up to the American people to “rebel” and stop America’s march toward bigger and bigger government, or else be stuck with a turkey of a bill.
https://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=34519
Disaster in the Making – by Jacob Laksin (Front Page Magazine)
“Why Obama’s Government Takeover of Health Care Will Be a Disaster,”
https://frontpagemag.com/2009/11/23/disaster-in-the-making-%E2%80%93-by-jacob-laksin/
Sen. Joseph Lieberman Says he Won't Allow Bill With Public Option Included to Come to Vote (WSJ)
So any version of a public option will compel Mr. Lieberman to vote against bringing a bill to a final vote? “Correct,” he says. He says he wants the government to help uninsured Americans get coverage, as the bill envisions, and likes the provisions designed to bring down overall health costs. And he favors the consumer protections it would impose on private insurers, including one that bans insurance companies from denying coverage to those with pre-existing health conditions. But none of that trumps his opposition to a public option… “With our debt heading over $21 trillion within the next 10 years…we've got to start saying no to some things like this.”
https://online.wsj.com/article/SB125900412679261049.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories
Obamacare: 60 Minutes Propaganda Piece Paving the Way for Health Care Rationing (Wesley J. Smith)
Obamacare pushers have mounted the most dishonest political campaign I think I have ever seen. They say that we will insure 30 million more people–but for less money–which is impossible. They claimed abortion wouldn’t be funded, but that lie is now fully exposed as both the House and Senate versions would do just that. They say that there will be no rationing–and yet, attempts to amend the bill to proscribe health care rationing have all been rejected. But the push for rationing is going full steam ahead among Obamacare’s allies.
https://www.firstthings.com/blogs/secondhandsmoke/2009/11/24/obamacare-60-minutes-propaganda-piece-paving-the-way-for-health-care-rationing/
Denver Archbishop on Necessity to Engage Health Care Issue: Catholic Witness Has a Cost
'Anti-Catholic bitterness drives some of the loudest voices in the current health-care debate’. The abortion-driven anger dumped on Catholic beliefs, leaders and the Church at large since Nov. 7 would make the Know-Nothing bigots of the last century proud. Here’s the moral of the story: Catholic witness has a cost. When we’re willing to pay it, we prove who we are as disciples—and the nation benefits. When we’re not, life’s a lot more comfortable. But that was never the point of the Gospel.
https://www.archden.org/index.cfm/ID/2961
Bishops Flex Muscle, See Opportunities (Politico)
Emboldened by their success in inserting restrictive abortion language into the House health care bill, Roman Catholic bishops say they’ve found a lobbying model that could provide them a louder voice in future policy debates.
Success in the House came after the church ran a classic lobbying operation: deploying paid staff to Capitol Hill, tapping influential bishops to make private appeals to key congressional leaders and distributing bulletin inserts to 19,000 parishes with easy instructions — and sample wording — for sending a message to local representatives. But it remains to be seen if the bishops can have the same results as the broader health bill moves forward or on more complex life issues such as embryonic stem cell research. Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), a Catholic who participated in the intense negotiations over the final abortion language, said the pressure from the church to ease restrictions on immigrants was “not even close” to the abortion language tug of war.
https://www.politico.com/news/stories/1109/29829.html
Tensions Flare Between Religious Leaders and Lawmakers Over Abortion (Fox News)
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/11/23/tensions-flare-religious-leaders-lawmakers-abortion/
Health Bill Revives Abortion Groups (MSNBC)
Both sides are mobilizing supporters like they haven’t in years
https://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34121980/ns/politics-the_new_york_times/
Health care issues: What are GOP's reform ideas?
https://townhall.com/news/politics-elections/2009/11/23/health_care_issues_what_are_gops_reform_ideas
PATRICK KENNEDY CONTROVERSY
Patrick Kennedy: Catholic Church Fanning ‘Flames of Dissent and Discord’ by Opposing Health Bill Over Abortion Funding (CNS)
“I can’t understand for the life of me how the Catholic Church could be against the biggest social justice issue of our time. “You mean to tell me the Catholic Church is going to be denying those people life saving health care? I thought they were pro-life?” said Kennedy. “If the church is pro-life, then they ought to be for health care reform because it’s going to provide health care that are going to keep people alive.
https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/55958
NBC Takes Up Kennedy vs. The Bishop, Implies Church is 'Crossing the Line' Into 'Political Blackmail' (Newsbusters)
https://newsbusters.org/blogs/tim-graham/2009/11/24/nbc-takes-kennedy-vs-bishop-implies-church-crossing-line-political-black
“The View” Notes Contradictions of Church Leaders Regarding Catholic Politicians and Abortion
Joy Behar: You know, Teddy, his father, Teddy Kennedy was pro-choice. And Teddy Kennedy was divorced. And they all, the bishops and whatever all went to his funeral. He was not denied communion. So this all seems political to me. I don’t get it exactly.
https://www.catholicleague.org/rer.php?topic=Abortion&id=178
Pro-abortion Congressman Defends Rep. Kennedy as Senate Hopefuls Lash Out at Church
As he received an award at Harvard University from Caroline Kennedy, Rep. Patrick Murphy stated, “We don't legislate at the orders of the Vatican, we legislate what is in our conscience and what we think is good for our country.”
https://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=4705
Larry O'Donnell: Bishop Who Banned Patrick Kennedy 'A Political Hack'
https://newsbusters.org/blogs/mark-finkelstein/2009/11/23/larry-odonnell-bishop-who-banned-patrick-kennedy-political-hack
RELIGION
Catholic Bishops Look to Get Their House in Order (Politics Daily)
At last week's meeting of the hierarchy, there were a number of signs that the bishops may want to tone down the tough talk and seek engagement over confrontation…it was telling that in each of the votes moderates and centrists consistently outpolled bishops with more controversial public profiles.
In the most lopsided vote, for a committee chairmanship on marriage and family issues, Bishop Rhoades defeated Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City by a 61-39 percent margin. Archbishop Naumann is a favorite of Catholic conservatives, and drew headlines last fall for declaring that then-Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius—an Obama supporter—should not receive communion because of her pro-choice views.
https://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/11/22/catholic-bishops-look-to-get-their-house-in-order/
The Manhattan Declaration and the Archdiocese of Washington
https://www.ncregister.com/daily/the_manhattan_declaration_and_the_archdiocese_of_washington/
Anglican Primate Rowan in Rome; Retreat from Reason
https://www.anglican-mainstream.net/?p=18459
Shutting the office over Christmas could be seen as discriminatory by followers of some religions, according to a leading employers’ group.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/6608929/Shutting-office-over-Christmas-is-indirect-discrimination-against-other-religions.html
Russian Priest Who Brought Muslims to Christ is Slain
https://merecomments.typepad.com/merecomments/2009/11/russian-priest-who-brought-muslims-to-christ-slain.html
New Age: Still with Us and Still Dangerous
Sharon Lee Giganti is a popular speaker on the new age phenomenon with tragic, first-hand experiences with its dangers. Sharon was recently a guest on Teresa Tomeo’s EWTN radio program “Catholic Connection” where she shared the family tragedy that resulted in her New Age philandering and her passions to ensure that new age teachings are seen for what they are — evil.
https://catholicexchange.com/2009/11/24/124328/
OBAMA
Imperial Hypocrisy – By Ralph R. Reiland (the American Spectator)
You can't say we weren't warned ahead of time about Obama's globalist and controlling tendencies.
“We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times and then just expect that other countries are going to say okay,” he proclaimed. “That's not leadership. That's not going to happen.”
https://spectator.org/archives/2009/11/23/imperial-hypocrisy
CBS Catches Up with Conservatives and Realizes Obama Has 'Credibility' Problem (Newsbusters)
https://newsbusters.org/blogs/brent-baker/2009/11/24/cbs-catches-conservatives-realizes-obama-has-credibility-problem
Obama's Cass Sunstein: Censor Hannity, Right-Wing Rumors (WorldNetDaily)
Cites websites for 'absurd' reports of Obama's ties to Ayers. Websites should be obliged to remove “false rumors” while libel laws should be altered to make it easier to sue for spreading such “rumors,” argued Cass Sunstein, Obama's regulatory czar.
https://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=116952
White House Hits Back on Climate Critics (Politico)
It's been a bad few weeks for the Obama administration when it comes to climate change, as the White House has found itself trapped between a stalled Senate and constant hammering from world leaders on a lack of leadership on global warming
https://www.politico.com/news/stories/1109/29846.html
Obama Says 'Step Closer' to Climate Deal (ThaiIndian News)
US President Barack Obama said Tuesday the world has moved “one step closer” to a “strong operational agreement” on climate change at next month's Copenhagen summit after his talks with Indian and Chinese leaders.
https://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/world-news/world-is-a-step-closer-to-deal-on-climate-change-obama_100279608.html
Former Obama Organizer Threatens to 'Out' Catholic Priests to ‘Encourage’ Them to Repudiate Church's Moral Stand on Homosexuality (CNS)
“It’s borderline blackmail, at the very least, if not rank blackmail as one could maintain,” Donahue said. “Even if one disagrees with the archbishop in Washington in terms of what he’s doing, these kinds of tactics are obviously so incredibly monstrous and odious that it would seem to beg a response from gay leaders.”
https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/57621
SARAH PALIN
The Not-So-Irrelevant Sarah Palin By Colleen Carroll Campbell
Sarah Palin doesn't matter. She's a has-been. Everyone knows it. She lost the election. She quit her job as Alaska's governor. And now she has written an autobiography that, the book critics say, no one will really read.
It's true that “Going Rogue: An American Life” was ranked number one on Amazon.com for weeks before its release. When it finally debuted on Tuesday, the book dominated headlines from coast to coast, and its first print run of 1.5 million copies sold out.
To a certain segment of America, everything Palin is and does is an affront. And everything her critics do to neutralize her influence only amplifies it. America's media elites may consider Sarah Palin inconsequential and irrelevant, but they sure do spend a lot of time talking about her. It makes one wonder if somewhere, underneath all that confidence and condescension, her critics know that Palin and the values she represents matter after all.
https://www.eppc.org/publications/pubID.3999/pub_detail.asp
VIDEO: Hundreds of Fans Line up in Cold Overnight to See Sarah Palin at Book Signing
https://www.politico.com/click/stories/0911/palins_roanoke_visit.html
HOMOSEXUALITY
Spin Cycle: the Lesbian Parenting Story That Wasn’t (Mercator)
How an event about building character in children became headline advocacy for gays. A headline squawking “Lesbian parents better at raising children” flew around the English-speaking world last week. This seriously misleading headline should caution readers to make a habit of looking behind the headlines. There may be, as in this case, nothing there.
https://www.mercatornet.com/articles/view/spin_cycle_the_lesbian_parenting_story_that_wasnt/
American Music Awards Become 'modern Sodom' (WorldnetDaily)
Openly 'gay' Adam Lambert simulates sex acts with men on ABC broadcast. The report said on Twitter and other Internet forums, watchers called the show “disgustingly vulgar.” “Has ABC lost their minds? How on earth do they think airing this is ok?” wrote one forum participant.
https://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=116899
Catholic Insight Opposes Homosexual Office Seekers By Fr. Alphonse de Valk
https://catholicinsight.com/online/features/article_937.shtml
MISCELLANEOUS
GlaxoSmithKline Pulls Swine Flu Vaccines in Canada (Yahoo News)
Pharmaceuticals company GlaxoSmithKline PLC said Tuesday it has advised medical staff in Canada to not use one batch of swine flu vaccines in case they trigger life-threatening allergies
The Growing Backlash Against Overparenting (Time)
https://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1940395,00.html
How Pedophilia Lost Its Cool Mary Eberstadt (First Things)
The reason that the monstrous crime of pedophilia matters is simple: In an increasingly secular age, it is one of the few taboos about which people on both sides of the religious divide can agree. And that is also the reason that the questions surrounding the attempted extradition of Roman Polanski for a 1977 child rape briefly became the Rorschach tests of our times.
https://www.firstthings.com/article/2009/11/how-pedophilia-lost-its-cool
Gitmo Detainees Will use Trials as “platform” to Bash America By Michelle Malkin
One of the Gitmo defendants’ lawyers confirms the obvious: The civilian trials for 9/11-linked enemy combatants are nothing more than a grand excuse to use our legal system to bash America and spread the jihadi virus on the world stage.
https://michellemalkin.com/2009/11/22/gitmo-detainees-will-use-trials-as-platform-to-bash-america/
Scandal of Canada's Child-Porn Servers (Edmonton Sun)
It's nauseatingly easy for pedophiles to get their hands on child porn. All they need is access to the Internet and a credit card. They don't need to join clandestine file-sharing groups with secret passwords or install special peer-to-peer software in their computers.
It's right out there in the open, on pay websites anyone can find if they're looking for them.
What makes this a national disgrace is that a shocking number of the websites peddling this depravity are based in Canada.
https://www.edmontonsun.com/news/columnists/andrew_hanon/2009/11/24/11900001-sun.html
Beijing's Bosom Buddy, Jean Chretien
https://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/story.html?id=2258262
Harper's New Speechwriter a Gay Rights Opponent
https://www.xtra.ca/public/National/Harpers_new_speechwriter_is_a_gay_rights_opponent-7727.aspx
Intel: Chip in Brain Implants Are the Future
Intel believes that we'll be able to control our computers with our brains by 2020.
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-chip-brain-implants-control,9131.html