I went to see Arizona Theatre Company's production of "Pirates of Penzance" tonight. It was an awesome show! I love Gilbert and Sullivan anyway, and this production was classic. I have seen the show a number of times, and designed lights for it once (back in... 1983?) so it was hard to resist the urge to sing along. I know pretty much every song and almost all the dialogue by heart.

I happened to check out Edward Peters's blog (scroll to Dec. 2), and he has some good info on a case of (perhaps thousands!) of invalid baptisms at Catholic churches in Brisbane, Australia. Eeep! It's so easy to "do it right". The priests who did this should face extreme penalties. As Peters points out, the repercussions are going to take a while to sort out since baptism is the gateway to all the sacraments.

I went to the doctor for a followup from my surgery and got my stitches removed. Everything looks really good. He said I should avoid strenuous lifting for a couple of weeks but other than that I can do anything I want. Yay!

Here's a nice article on the Firefox browser -- Firefox Passes 10 Million Mark - Eyes 10%. I've been using Firefox for a while, it's a great browser. Once you've used it for a while you'll wonder why you ever used anything else!

Check out Cringely's latest column onthe IBM-Lenovo deal. The brief summary: it's all about access to the Chinese market for IBM, and freeing IBM from Intel's embrace so that they can crush the competition in the server market.

YAY! The long-awaited NetBSD 2.0 Released. I downloaded the i386, sparc, pmax, and vax ports last night. Can't wait to get it up and running on my hardware!

Apparently there's some progress lately -- Fusion: Stepping closer to reality. Thanks to Slashdot for the link.

Bankruptcy update -- things keep getting more confusing. Now the Diocese of Tucson is contesting the Diocese of Phoenix - Diocese: parishes separate.

63 years ago today, the United States fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was attacked by forces of the Empire of Japan. My state's namesake battleship, the U.S.S. Arizona, was sunk with over 1000 souls. May they rest in peace, and may we always remember and be on watch.

At tonight's meeting, I was elected chairman of the City of Tucson Citizens Transportation Advisory Committee. Yay! It will be a lot of work but I look forward to being able to contribute in this way.

The Mozilla Foundation announces that the Thunderbird 1.0 mail client is out! Check it out. I've been using for TBird since 0.6 and I have to say it's really solid. There's no excuse anymore to expose yourself to spam by using Outlook or Outlook Express. It's free, it's solid, what's not to like?

Surgery update. I'm feeling not too bad -- kind of sore, but other than that I'm up and about. Tired, though. I slept 'til noon or so today. I'm not back to work until Thursday so that's good.

I have to say how great the folks at St. Joseph's Hospital were though. From the orderly who wheeled me out to go home, to the nurses and techs, my surgeon and anesthesiologist, they were friendly and kind and reassuring and, clearly, good at what they do. As a Catholic it was nice also to hear the announcement over the PA for noon Mass -- it was nice to know that it's not just a hospital but also a community that joins in prayer, and to know that I as a patient was included in that prayer.

Surgery. I had my surgery this afternoon, and got home around 5 p.m. or so. The surgery went well and I feel pretty good -- a bit sore, but not too bad. Certainly not as bad as I'd thought it might be. I will be off of work through Wednesday, and off the ice until at least the 16th.

Good God! The Dutch are going deeper down the euthanasia route -- Dutch ponder 'mercy killing' rules. Have they lost their minds, or their hearts? Didn't they learn anything from their World War II encounter with the Nazis? Now they're feeling free to kill anyone with "no free will", in which they include small children and the retarded. Why isn't there an outcry? From here it's a small step to alcoholics and drug addicts, and then probably religious believers. This is insane!

I've been looking through my music collection tonight, getting ready to make a sample CD for my skating coach to give her an idea of what my taste is like, what appeals to me. While looking through stuff I came across my Sony Classical sampler CD set ("Great Performances 1903-1998"). One of the tracks on this set (it's 4 CDs) is John Williams's theme from "Schindler's List."

I know many people think of John Williams as some kind of hack, or that he's not original enough, or something. I am a big John Williams fan. I think in many ways he has been the American composer of this era. And when I listened to "Schindler's List", I couldn't help but cry. The power of music...

Arizona Beats ASU!

The Arizona Wildcats beat Arizona State today, 34-27! It was a most amazing, wonderful, exhilarating, nail-biter of a game. Back-and-forth, back-and-forth. UA's defense did an amazing job, the offense much less so. Still, for the Wildcats to come back after a truly dismal season and take this one away from ASU (if I remember correctly, records coming in were UA 2-8, and ASU 8-2) shows just how wacky this game can be.

A special moment for me came right after the game, when I bumped into two of my brothers in Phi Mu Alpha. They are both teaching in the Phoenix area -- one is a band teacher, the other technology.

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I had a very nice gathering with my Dad, stepmom and my brothers up in Tempe. Later on my beautiful nieces and nephew showed up too! Unfortunately my sister didn't feel up to coming, but it was a wonderful meal and gathering nonetheless.

This Friday is the annual "Duel in the Desert" -- the Arizona-ASU football game. Check out Greg Hansen: ASU vs. UA.

Thanks be to God! My sister had her surgery this morning and it went well. The doctor decompressed the nerve going through her elbow. There was some concern that after doing that the nerve might pop out of place when she moved it, but apparently the doctor is convinced that's not a problem so they didn't have to do anything else with her, which is good. They were also able to do this without general anesthesia, which is always good (especially for my sister as she tends to get nauseous). So she's home and resting.

Of course, today is the 41st anniversary of the death of our first (and only) Catholic President, John F. Kennedy. Rest in peace, Mr. Kennedy.

Mark Shea has posted a very nice poem by Pavel Chichikov, dedicated to Gerard Bugge (a.k.a. Gerard Serafin). Check it out.

If you think things are bad in your diocese, read this letter from Archbishop O'Malley of Boston. I wonder how long it will be before such things are happening here in Tucson.

Very sad news. I just read on Catholic Light that Mark Shea had posted (see how things travel through the blogosphere?) that Gerard Serafin has passed away. While I did not frequently read his blog, when I did I always came away edified. His strong love for God and His Church shone in everything he wrote. I often, truth be told, felt a bit shamed after reading his take on things -- his love and tolerance showed so clearly my own often rash judgments and quickness of temper. Rest in peace, Gerard -- and put in a good word for us!

In paradisum deducant te Angeli; in tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres, et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem.

Chorus Angelorum te suscipiant, et cum Lazaro quondam paupere aeternam habeas requiem.

Check out Jack Perry's review of the new Thérèse movie. I've not seen it yet (it showed in Tucson for about 1.5 weeks but I wasn't able to make it).

Eeep! A plague of locusts! Pink Locusts from North Africa Swarm Through Cairo.

Thanks to Mark Shea for the link.

Bishop Kicanas was not elected to USCCB president -- Kicanas will stay, not head bishops.

Prayer request. My best friend Maria had a rough weekend. First, they had to put down their beloved dog Roadie, and now her mother-in-law is going in for surgery to remove an aggressive cancer. Please pray for Carolyn, her doctors, and the whole family. Thanks.

From David Morrison's blog -- Don't Say Father:

Don't Say Father

Don't Say Father
if each day you do not behave like a son.
Don't say Our
if you live shut off in yourself.
Don't say Who art in Heaven
if you think only of worldly things.

Don't say Hallowed be Thy Name
unless you really honor it.
Don't say Thy Kingdom come
if you have a material outcome in mind.
Don't say Thy Will be done
unless you are ready to accept it when it hurts.
Don't say our daily bread
unless you care about the hungry.
Don't say forgive us our trespasses
if you bear a grudge against someone.
Don't say deliver us from evil,
unless you are prepared to make a stand against it.
Let the words of Our Father sink in.
Don't say Amen unless you really mean it.

Found on wall of a church in Uruguay.

I just talked with the doctor's office, and my hernia surgery is scheduled for Monday 12/6. It will be at St. Joseph's hospital, which makes me happy. I like having these things done at a Catholic hospital.

Happy Veteran's Day. A big THANKS to all the veterans out there for there service to our country.

An update on the Diocese's bankruptcy -- Kicanas outlines financial resources. Claims must be reported by April 15th.

Another poll. This one is about right, I think:

You Are a Conservative Democrat

Frankly, the way most other Democrats behave embarasses you greatly. You pride yourself on a high level of morals, and you have a good grasp on right and wrong. It's likely you think America needs to get back to its conservative, Juedo-Christian values. Why aren't you a Republican then? Because you believe the goverment helps more than hurts.

What political persuasion are you?

This isn't quite right, I'll fix it later.

I've been talking about this since the election and now CNN's commenting too -- the big story about the election is what didn't happen. No terrorism, no massive election problems, and despite predictions of massive young voter turnout, the "youth bloc" was the percentage as in 2000 -- while it did increase, so did turnout among all voters.

A good column on why the Dems lost and what happens for them next -- Democratic Party ready for extreme makeover.

Thanks to Mark Shea for the link.

I tried to blog on this earlier but Blogger seemed to be having problems. Anyway, the election is over and it's a convincing win for Bush. To his credit, Kerry is taking this gracefully and gave a nice concession speech. Thanks be to God, the popular vote and the electoral college agree this time. President Bush also gave a nice victory speech.

Mark Shea has some interesting (and amusing) insights on the election. I'm glad it's over.

Oh yes, the (second-) best part of the election -- my friend Alex Rodriguez won a spot on the Tucson Unified School District Board! Way to go Alex! I know he will do a super job and make us all proud.

A final quote, and a nice one that should give us all pause to thank God for our country:

... in an American election, there are no losers, because whether or not our
candidates are successful, the next morning we all wake up as Americans.

--John Kerry

Addendum (my original post):

It's all over but the shouting, and even that is dying down. In the wake of President Bush's victory, CNN says Small inroads make difference for Bush. I like this quote:

More exit poll respondents -- about 22 percent -- called "moral values" the
election's most important issue then cited the economy, terrorism or Iraq.
Those expressing this sentiment backed the president overwhelmingly, 79 percent
to Kerry's 18 percent. Bush did similarly well among the 19 percent who
identified terrorism as their top issue.

Health Update. I saw the surgeon today about my hernia. He basically told me all the stuff I'd already been told, but also said I should probably be off the ice for 3 (!) weeks. I suspect I will not be able to keep myself off the ice for 3 weeks but I suppose I'll try to be good. Anyway, I've asked for a date the 2nd week of December, which is after our holiday show at the rink. The nurse is supposed to call me and let me know when they've scheduled me.

Jimmy Akin explains just what's at stake in this election. Check it out. Thanks to the lovely Jeanetta for the link.

I have a friend who is, in all visible respects, a faithful Catholic, but is voting for Kerry. I just can't understand how someone who is not, as far as I can see, a cafeteria Catholic can justify voting for Kerry. I just don't get it.

For me, the issue is clear -- John Kerry is morally bankrupt, and therefore unfit to be president. It's really that simple. Any man who can claim that life begins at conception, yet support the killing of innocent life, has no moral compass and shouldn't be elected dogcatcher, much less President of the United States. And it's not just abortion! He's wrong on abortion, yes, but also on embryonic stem cells, and on gay marriage. Not clear on euthanasia. He's wrong on some many issues that are not negotiable because they are intrinsically evil! Why can't people understand that? Is it that they don't think 1+ million dead babies a year are important, or that the economy or the war in Iraq outweighs that? Or do they not think Kerry's serious in intending to only nominate judges who will continue to legislate the Culture of Death from the bench? What is it? I just don't get it. Why is it that a Methodist can speak movingly of building a culture of life in the U.S. but a former altar boy (as he likes to remind us) can't even speak the words, can't even speak for those unable to speak for themselves?

I just don't get it.

Today was a wonderful day, the baptism of my newest goddaughter! Please join me in welcoming Aubrey Meghan as a new member of the Body of Christ!

Bishop Kicanas up for USCCB President. The Tucson Citizen is reporting that Bishop Kicanas has been nominated to be the USCCB's President. The bishops will elect their new leader at their November meeting, and he will take office the following November.

My best friend sent me this link -- Quin Hillyer on John Kerry & Religion on National Review Online. It's an interested read. I agree with most of it although I'm not sure of some of the details of his argument. Saying "what Protestants believe" is always somewhat problematic; saying "what Catholics believe" somewhat less so; at least, the teaching of the Church is readily available and usually fairly clear.


This article by Rich Lowry explains why Kerry's Catholicism is confused at best.

Cool! The Cassini spacecraft is sending back images of Titan that are puzzling and fascinating astronomers. Of course, many of these astronomers are based here in Tucson at The University Of Arizona®.

I watched "Nightline" tonight -- one of my favorite shows. They had two top guys in the Bush and Kerry campaigns on. To me one of the most telling things about these campaigns came out clearly in the 45-second "closing statements" from each one. The Bush guy talked about the President, how people know where he stands and what he stands for. The Kerry guy talked about how bad Bush is and how Kerry would be better. And there it is. If Kerry has a real vision, a real message other than "Bush is bad and I'm not him," I've not heard it. Kerry doesn't inspire, and that's why so many of his supporters would seemingly have supported anyone running against Bush.

BoSox Win!

I'm not much of a baseball fan, but even I have been energized by the dramatic victory of the Boston Red Sox. I just wonder if the lunar eclipse had anything to do with overcoming the Curse of the Bambino?

Sometimes you have to wonder about headline writers. In an article about the upcoming "Restoring the Family to Christ" conference, the Star says Lightning- rod cleric will speak in Tucson. The "lightning rod cleric" is his eminence Archbishop Burke of St. Louis.

Health update. Good news and not as good news (no bad news, really):

• overall cholesterol is 189! That's below 200, which is the goal.
• "good" cholesterol is 32; should be over 50 but when I talked with my doctor about this number a long time ago he said a lot of it is genetic and the fact that I've raised it significantly in the last two years is excellent.
• "bad" cholesterol is 121 (should be less than 130).
• Glucose is 92 (range is 65 - 120)
• Triglycerides are 218 (should be less than 150).

So the numbers are really quite good except for the triglycerides. I don't know how to balance this with the glucose number except to say that it looks like I've staved off pre-diabetes, but the triglycerides could lead to atherosclerosis. I assume it's mostly a diet thing.

Touchstone has a very enlightening piece -- The Godless Party by Rod Dreher. Dreher examines how the media portrays Democrats and Republicans, with statistics to back him up. The conclusion is not surprising, but some of the facts are. For example:

But their most striking finding was the near total lack of editorial and news
coverage devoted to the increased importance of secularists to the Democratic
Party versus the role of traditionalists in the GOP. The numbers are
mind-boggling: 43 stories on secularist Democrats, 682 stories on traditionalist
Republicans. In 1992, the Times alone published nearly twice the number of
stories about Evangelicals in the GOP than both papers did about secularists
among the Democrats for the entire decade. The bias is even worse among
television journalists, who filled the airwaves with stories about the
"Religious Right" and the Republican Party, but who didn’t file a single
story—not one—about the Secular Left’s relationship to the Democrats.

Thanks to Mark Shea for the link.

I'm in an insanely great mood tonight. It's a couple of things... first, at choir rehearsal tonight the conductor looks at me and asks me to intone the chant part for a piece we're doing, which means I get to intone something like 4 different chunks of this piece. Yea! And since it's Monday I had a skating lesson today and made some good progress toward learning my waltz jump. This is a major milestone for me. Also, I got a really good night's sleep last night. Finally, I got my USFSA membership card today, which also is a milestone for me.

It really doesn't take much to make me happy.

Eeep! The UA Wildcats played nationally-ranked Cal today. It was grim, and Golden Bears cleaned our clocks pretty thoroughly. Final score was a shutout, 38-0. *sigh*

A really cool article from New Atlantis on cell phone usage and how it's changing society -- Our Cell Phones, Ourselves. Check it out.

Thanks to A Saintly Salmagundi for the link.

As so often happens, Maureen Dowd shows how when it comes to Catholicism, she's an idiot -- Maureen Dowd: Catholic bishops blur line between church, state.

Health Update. I went to the doctor today, and got good news, news, and bad news.

The good news: my blood pressure is 110/60, and my weight a mere 218. I'm in generally good shape. I need to go get my blood work done again to see how I'm managing my cholesterol etc.

The news: what I thought was hives is actually shingles. Fortunately I have a pretty mild case, and it's already healing, so I should be fine in a week or so.

The bad news: I have an umbilical hernia. It has not been bothering me (actually, I'm pretty sure I've had it for quite some time), but my doctor thinks that due to its size I should get it evaluated and probably repaired since it won't get any smaller. I tend to agree since I'd rather get it fixed now while I should recover well etc., than have to deal with it when I'm 60 and it will be more of a hassle.

After David E. Kelley's The Practice ended its run, I thought I'd be able to wean myself from Kelley's products. Alas, it's not so, as I now find myself hopelessly addicted to Boston Legal. I find the show to be a curious mix of Ally McBeal (a show I loved) and The Practice. It's quirky but fun, and James Spader is excellent. Of course, I have to admit that having the incredibly beautiful Rhona Mitra on the show doesn't hurt either...

Did I mention that the Amphi Panthers whomped previously unbeaten Sabino on Friday night to take the lead in the 4A Kino division? Go Panthers!

Mark Shea's mother-in-law passed away today. Please pray for the repose of her soul, and for all the family. Rest in peace, Patricia Humiston.

Somehow I managed to miss that astronaut Gordon Cooper died on October 4. Mom always said I was named after him. Rest in peace, Mr. Cooper.

Tonight is the long-awaited dedication of the Large Binocular Telescope.

A great interview with Archbishop Chaput of Denver. Apparently the NYT did a hatchet job on the interview so they've posted the whole transcript. Way to go! Denver folks are very blessed to have such a strong bishop. A quote:

A lot of Catholic Democrats, whether they are clergy or laity, have used the “seamless garment” as an excuse to sideline the abortion issue, making it one among many others. And, we can’t do that.

Thanks to Catholic Light for the link.

Hives. I seem to have developed a small case of hives. Of course it took me a while to figure out what it was. It seems to have arrived sometime Monday or Tuesday. It was quite painful Wednesday but it seems to be better now. In the meantime, though, I also seem to have succumbed to some flu-type bug, so I stayed home today and slept most of the day. I still feel like a truck hit me, but I'll be okay.

Check out Francis Cardinal George on Catholic politicians and abortion.

Thanks to Mark Shea for the link.

Check out the Apostolic Letter Mane nobiscum Domine on the Year of the Eucharist.

Thanks to Catholic Light for the link.

Another person stands up for his conscience --Pharmacist says he feared 'spiritual pain'. Of course the "pro-choice" people won't support *this* choice...

Happy Columbus Day!

These days, Columbus gets a bad rap. People apply today's standards to behavior then and lay all kinds of things at his feet. In my book, Columbus was a hero. Of course since I am a member of the Knights of Columbus you'd probably expect that! See how the Knights celebrated today.

I got to watch the presidential debate tonight. I was pleased to see Bush being so strong and unequivocal on the pro-life issue. It's embarrassing that Kerry can claim to be Catholic, on the one hand, and then be so uncommitted to the moral teachings of the Church. I can only assume he's some kind of relativist. I also thought Bush's closing remarks were encouraging, optimistic and hopeful, something the nation needs right now.

The CNN fact check is pretty interesting. All in all Bush seems to come out better on that part.

More news on the Diocese of Tucson bankruptcy -- Deadline set for diocese abuse claims. The deadline for filing claims for compensation is April 15, 2005.

I just finished re-reading the W.H.D. Rouse translation of Homer's Odyssey. Wow. It's a great book. I last read it in high school, so that was "a while back." For some reason it seemed like a longer book at the time (I guess grad school changed my perspective :-)), and I'd forgotten how much of the book is written as a flashback. Good stuff.

There's been a lot written lately around St. Blog's about Archbishop Burke's pastoral letter on voting. Read it for yourself!

On this day in 1898, a group of music students at the New England Conservatory of Music met to discuss how they might band together for mutual support and encouragement as men and musicians, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity was born.

I have been a Sinfonian since 1983, and I can truly say that associating with this group of men that I'm privileged to call "brothers" has been one of the best things that ever happened to me.

The Object of this Fraternity shall be for the development of the best and
truest fraternal spirit; the mutual welfare and brotherhood of musical students;
the advancement of music in America and a loyalty to the Alma Mater.

So let it be for Sinfonia!

Victor Lams usually writes fun (and funny) music... but now he's written a piece about Michael Schiavo - he is Not A Great Man. Check it out, and then say a prayer for Terri Schiavo and her family.

This is very disturbing -- Catholic charity loses birth control appeal. The Supreme Court refused to hear a case involving Catholic Charities of Sacramento; the California Supreme Court upheld a law requiring CC to provide contraceptives as part of its health plan to employees. It's not clear what will happen now -- presumably CC's choices are to drop its prescription coverage, sell out (hopefully that is not really an option), or go out of business. Cases like this show once again that coercion by the left is often as bad or worse than coercion from the right.

Thanks to Catholic Light for the link.

In an often depressing world, it's nice to have some good news once in a while. How about this -- SpaceShipOne opens final frontier. Yep, the plucky folks at SpaceShipOne have won the X Prize by getting their craft into space twice in five days. Good work!

I didn't get to see the debates Thursday night, since I was teaching our RCIA class at the time. I'm still plowing my way through the transcripts -- they are very illuminating.

I just discovered my friend Rae's blog -- Confessions of a Pauline Cooperator. I've known Rae for *ahem* quite a long time... Anyway, check it out. She's a thoughtful person with a lot to say.

Wow! A really cool LifeSite Special Report - Denying Holy Communion - A Case History. This is by Bishop Rene Gracida, the Bishop Emeritus of Corpus Christi, TX. It's a very illuminating report on how the bishop placed a pro-abortion politician under interdict. Would that all bishops had that much concern for their flock!

Thanks to Catholic Light for the link.

Greg Hansen has some good thoughts on the state of Wildcat football -- What a difference a year makes.

Fr. Rob Johansen reminds himself and us to throw off our complacency about abortion. Check it out.

Lest I forget, yesterday's Wildcat football game was an exciting game to watch -- unfortunately, the Star reports that Victory in hand slips out of grasp.

Arrgh! We should have won, but once again we grasped defeat from the jaws of victory. Oh well. Greg Hansen's column is, as usual, enlightening.

Another response to "Harold". My original post is in italics, plain type is Harold, and both my original post and Harold's comment are indented. Hopefully that's clear.

Bishop Moreno has said he made mistakes, and I think that's true.

Coming from you, that's some admission.

That's an amazingly offensive thing to say. No wonder you don't post your full name, an email or a webpage. Figures.

People seem to fall into two catagories:

1. "We have to trust in God, and I think God will pull us through any crisis like this, said parishioner Richard Hook.

and

2. Father Geral Boyer--he was our priest--held a weekday mass. He asked me to stay after and talk. He proceeded to undress me and to just rape me. He held my face down, and then (see the link if you care to read the rest...)

Perhaps one problem here is that people are using euphemisms like "abuse" as opposed to rape.

You don't think it's more than a little simplistic to lump everyone together? We're either one of the victims or we have some hope of getting through this? I don't know what point you are trying to make here. As for abuse being a euphemism, it's not. Abuse is a more inclusive term that includes rape, but also includes a number of other things that happened in many of these cases that, strictly speaking, isn't rape. For example, the behavior of some priests who got kids drunk. That's not rape (it often led to it), but it is abuse.

With regard to the perverted criminals and the administrators who enabled them, my friends who attend S.S. Peter and Paul have the attitude, "They're only human."

What's more astonishing is that the kid who experienced Fr. Boyer's "talk" was issued a gag order by his own parents, but then again, that seems to be the prevalent attitude forty years later.

I'm confused. You have friends who go to SSPP? What parish do you attend? And who claims that the abusers were "only human". I don't see anyone claiming that, as if it excuses their actions.

At the conclusion of Manly's deposition, Moreno once again exhibited repentance.

"As you sit here today," Manly asked Moreno, "is there anything with ... any of the other cases that you would do differently, if you could turn back the clock?"

Moreno stumbled a bit, then said, "Well, I wish we could have avoided them as much as possible. I wish they had been the holy priests they're supposed to be. Perhaps I could have been more strict in that. I don't know."

Moreno is not, was not a well man before these depositions. Obviously he feels he could have, should have done things differently. So are you criticizing him for feeling that way? I don't understand you other than that you are angry and lashing out.

What's odd is that we seem to be willing to give a pass to rapists when the offenders are associated with our spiritual and moral authority, but when it's some pervert off the street, it's time to throw the book at them.

Maybe you are giving a pass to rapists, but I am not. They should be in jail. All of them. Oddly enough, though, when these things happen in other groups (teachers, for example) no one gets so excited, and the lawsuits don't flow. Why is that? Are others giving a pass to rapists among teachers, or Protestant ministers? For that matter, statistics show that most abuse comes from fathers. Are we giving them a pass?

Do you think paying money to the victims and their lawyers will save their souls?

No but settlements can buy counseling that the Diocese has shown to be incompetent in adminstering. Furthermore, given the years of denial and arrogance which met claimants, for the church to lose their money seems to be the only consequence which gets some attention.

It is my understanding that the Church has offered counseling to victims. Are you disputing this, or do you just dislike or disagree with the way it's being done? Anyway, your crack about "the church [sic] to lose their money" is absurd, because that money isn't the Church's, it's mine and my fellow Catholics that we gave for any number of reasons which don't include lining the pockets of lawyers or allowing people seeking vengeance to feel vindicated. Vengeance doesn't solve anything, but you seem to be too bitter to see that.

Talk about unexpected sources -- columnist Melinda Henneberger on MSNBC explains the problem with the Kerry campaign -- It's About Abortion, Stupid.

Thanks to Catholic Light for the link.

Fr. Rob Johansen has a statement from Terri Schiavo's parents about the recent court ruling. Please pray for Terri and her family!

I promised to reply to a comment from Tuesday. The comment is in italics, my comments are not.

Thanks for the reply, "Gordon". In several statements made such as, "...we came close to bankruptcy then too.", do you purport some formal capacity with the Diocese, other than just being a parishioner?

I had put "Harold" in quotes because you did not put an email or website, so I have no way of knowing if "Harold" is your real name or a pseudonym. It was not meant to be derogatory. Since I really am Gordon Zaft, you don't need to put quotes around my name.

To answer your question, I have no formal capacity with the diocese. I am a parishioner, I volunteer in several capacities, and I am a graduate of the Living Stones lay ministry formation program. Beyond that, as it happens, I happen to know the former chancellor, the moderator of the curia, the rector of the cathedral, and a vicar general. Not because I'm special, but because they all are or were assigned to my parish (Ss. Peter and Paul). Of course, these opinions are mine and not theirs, and I don't speak for them in any way.

Don't be too hard on the lawyers. They are also lining their pockets to help mitigate liability of the Diocese. This bankruptcy move is only one strategy. Additionally, it wouldn't be surprising to learn the recent formation of the DIOCESE OF TUCSON CHARITY & MINISTRY FUND has a mitigating effect.

I don't know whether you are a Tucsonan or not. The "Charity and Ministry Fund" is the corporation that was formed last year to take over what had been called the Bishop's Appeal (now called the Annual Catholic Appeal). This was a good move, since if they had not separated the Appeal, undoubtedly many, many people would have chosen not to give a cent to it, which would have hurt a lot of people who depend on the services provided through the fund.

Kicanas JUNE 16, 2004 : "I do not believe that a declaration of Chapter 11 by the Diocese will lead to any adverse financial impact on our parishes and schools."

That is the hope, but the truth remains to be seen, doesn't it? No one can say for sure.

The Bishop said it himself. This is merely a bump in the road for Diocese finances.

I think that's trivializing something that is far from trivial. Besides the impact that this will have on the Diocese as a whole, it's going to have a very bad (IMHO) effect on the relations between parishes and the Diocese, and it's also going to affect how parishes relate to each other.

For fun, review the annual reports and other Corporate documents of the Diocese. (I did a word search on 'Diocese Tucson', no quotes)

I've looked at the Diocesan financial report before, thanks.

Pretty interesting to see the Catholic cemetaries 2003 net profit of $570,000. Yet, this income probably won't be touched as well as the $56 Million in real estate in Pima County alone, as reported on the KOLD TV website.

You may not be aware that the cemeteries were sold to the Archdiocese of LA in the late 80s/early 90s in order to cover part of the debt from the TV station, and were only repurchased in the last few years (2000?). Personally I would expect that the cemeteries will be sold, only this time not to someone as friendly as LA. As for KOLD's claims of $56 million in real estate, I never saw a list. I'm sure there is some vacant land that was bought to support new parishes, and that will undoubtedly be sold. I have no idea where or what the rest is, and I rather doubt that the Diocese as such really owns $56 million in real estate. The Diocese doesn't even own the bishop's residence any more, as far as I know -- it was sold along with Regina Cleri. If you have other facts about this I'd love to hear them.

I like the leadership Bishop Kicanas demonstrates. However, some feel Bishop Moreno and others let the abuse happen. This is because after incidences of abuse were exposed, the result was some Priests were transferred to other parishes. Recall that some abuse cases go back twenty years.

Yes, most of these cases are pretty old. The only exception to that that I am aware of is the Yuma case. I am also aware that Bishop Green, and probably Bishop Moreno transferred priests who had accusations against them. Bishop Moreno has said he made mistakes, and I think that's true. It's quite a step to say that he did so with an intent to cause harm. But yes, he screwed up.

With the teams of professional management staff, (review membership of the officers of the CATHOLIC FOUNDATION FOR THE DIOCESE OF TUCSON) there is no doubt that the Diocese will overcome its difficulties.

I suppose it will, eventually. It will really hurt our efforts as a church for decades to come, though.

However, what about the victims difficulties? And more importantly, what about their faith? There are souls at stake.

Do you think paying money to the victims and their lawyers will save their souls?

Incidentally, you might want to read the Bishop's remarks to the employees of the Diocese.

Addendum: Check out this editorial in the Arizona Daily Star.

A little late, I know, but I just posted the music for Mass from June 13th (Corpus Christi) and June 26th (Feast of Ss. Peter and Paul). I still have to post Assumption and last week's music.

The ruling is in -- Fla. Court Nixes Law Keeping Woman Alive. Apparently if the judicial branch wants you dead, dead you will be no matter what the exec and legislative branches want.

After Elf Girl posted a while back about wanting iTunes on her new laptop, whether it's an Apple or a Dell, I wound up downloading it myself. Man, this thing is dangerous. The ability to buy just one song that you want, immediately, without having to buy a whole album... wow, that's dangerous. It's like crack. I've bought probably 10 songs now. Right now I'm obsessively listening to Josh Groban's "Oceano". Good stuff.

Just to give you a sample of the weird taste I have, here's what I've bought:

• Josh Groban -- Oceano
• Good Charlotte -- Boys and Girls
• Bowling for Soup -- Punk Rock 101
• Daniel Bedingfield -- If You're Not The One
• Britney Spears -- Lucky (yes, I admit it)
• Chris Isaak -- Wicked Game
• BBMak -- Back Here
• Sixpence None the Richer -- There She Goes
• Maroon 5 -- She Will Be Loved
• Fountains of Wayne -- Stacy's Mom
• Liz Phair -- Why Can't I

If anyone has any hints on how I can get this stuff on my Samsung Yepp-55 MP3 player I'm all ears.

Here's an update with more info on the Diocese's bankruptcy proceedings -- Diocese set to split with its parishes.

I'll respond to yesterday's comment in a separate entry.

It's always good to go to primary sources -- here's the Transcript of Bush's U.N. address.

I ... urge all governments to affirm a basic ethical principle: No human life should ever be produced or destroyed for the benefit of another.

I just wish Kerry would do the same.

Here's local coverage of the Diocese's bankruptcy decision -- Diocese files bankruptcy. Also a related story on victims of abuse.

Diocese of Tucson declares bankruptcy. It's official, the Diocsee has filed for bankruptcy. The diocese set up a web page with Diocese of Tucson Chaper 11 information. Here's the letter from Bishop Kicanas.

Update: Here's an AP story on the bankruptcy.

Addendum: Commenter "Harold" asked what my thoughts are on the bankruptcy. Well, I'm not thrilled. The diocese has been in a very fragile position for the last 16-18 years due to a failed "experiment" in running a TV station; we came close to bankruptcy then too. We were able to sell off some assets and borrow money and get support from other dioceses, most notably the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (Thanks, Cdl. Mahony!). We had just gotten back on more-or-less a stable basis about 2000. The Diocese has about 350,000 Catholics spread over 43,000 square miles. It's never been "rich." Now with our current circumstances, I have to agree that bankruptcy seems like the only real option. I'm worried about what may happen to the parishes. I think Bishop Kicanas is right that it would not be right to settle the current cases for some exhorbitant amount and have nothing left to pay future cases which could be filed. With the changes in the statute of limitations that were made, there's no way to know how many cases might be out there.

It's not a good situation. I feel sorry for Bishop Kicanas, who inherited this mess. I feel sorry for Bishop Moreno, too; I think he genuinely did what he thought was right and best. I feel sorry for those who were abused. I do not feel the slightest bit of sympathy or good feeling for the lawyers who have pushed this to this point, though -- they have shown themselves, in my opinion, more interested in lining their own pockets than in justice, or truth, or healing.

Wisconsin 9, Arizona 7. I attended the UA - Wisconsin football game today. It was one of the most enjoyable games I've ever seen Arizona play.

The game started just after 1 p.m., with hot weather. As the game wore on it turned into a defensive battle, with Arizona's defense playing brilliantly and our offense struggling. With 6:13 left in the second quarter, the powers that be evidently decided they could no longer ignore the booming thunder and flashes of lightning approaching the stadium, so they suspended the game and asked everyone to take shelter. The rain came down in buckets! After almost an hour and a half, play resumed under a steady, driving rain, and the Wildcats scored a touchdown. Alas, that was to be our only score of the game.

Both teams had agreed to skip halftime and just keep playing. Early in the 4th quarter Wisconsin scored a touchdown but missed the extra point. Finally, a few series later they drove very close to the goal line but were unable to get a touchdown, and they scored a field goal. With just under 4 minutes left to play the Wildcats began a drive toward the Wisconsin goal, getting to the 25 yard line. A false start penalty drove them to the 30, and from there they attempted a 47 yard field goal as time expired. It was wide right and the game ended.

Of course, it was disappointing to sit through a game in the rain and see our team fight so hard but still lose. Nevertheless, I was really impressed with their play and their heart, and I think it bodes well for the season. I had to laugh at some of the Wisconsin fans, celebrating as if they'd won a great victory. The truth is we nearly won, and their team is not nearly as good as they thought. Our team fought like Wildcats! They made us proud.

Archbishop Myers hits the nail on the head in discussing pro-choice candidates and Catholic voters. He gets to the heart of what "proportionate reasons" really means.

A re-review of The Passion of the Christ -- The Passion of the Michael. It's interesting to see how someone who didn't "get it" now "gets it". I never understood how someone could not see (Gibson makes it so plain) how the Eucharist and Christ's sacrifice are related because -- duh! -- they are the very same sacrifice; but then I'm a Catholic and I knew that already. I suppose non-Catholics would wonder as Coren did why those intercuts were there.

Another example of how "pro-choice" advocates aren't really pro-choice -- 'Conscience clause' grows in health care. Planned Parenthood et al are such hypocrites to claim to support "choice", yet when a doctor or pharmacist exercises their choice to not perform or support abortion or contraception, suddenly they don't have a choice? How absurd!

Scientific difficulties for the Latter Day Saints -- LDS and DNA. Apparently DNA testing does not suport the Book of Mormon's claim that the ancestors of the American Indians came from the Middle East.

Thanks to Mark Shea for the link.

Yet another lawsuit.... Another lawsuit has been filed against the Diocese of Tucson. Bankruptcy here we come...

Here's the transcript of President Bush's remarks on the anniversary of September 11th.

For my September 11th remembrance, I played my recording of the Mozart Requiem that was made from the Rolling Requiem concert of September 11, 2002. I spent some time praying for the repose of the soul of John Badagliacca, and for his family. The passage of time has resulted in some healing, for there were no tears; just a dull ache.

I had the following letter published in today's Arizona Daily Star:

Sacraments' status remains the same

I was saddened to read about Audrey Dunham's problems receiving Holy Communion because of her celiac disease ("Tucsonan can't eat wafer in holy rite," Sept. 7). The saddest part, though, is that she wants the church to change what cannot be changed, rather than adapting herself. This is pride.

Dunham is quoted as saying she did not want to receive from a separate chalice because "I was just too shy. You walk up there and you feel singled out."

As a sufferer from celiac disease, surely she has felt "singled out" every single time she dines. Even if it were possible for her to receive a gluten-free host at Communion, would she not still feel "singled out" since she would be the only one doing so?

I hope Dunham avails herself of the opportunity to meet with Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas and pray that he may be able to help her understand why the church is not at liberty to change the sacraments.

Gordon Zaft

Tucson

A rather eye-opening article on W's military service: Before you fall for Dems' spin, here are the facts. I didn't realize this stuff.

Thanks to Catholic Light for the link.

Apparently Barbara Nicolosi inadvertently "outed" the (in?)famous Nihil Obstat -- Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!.

Audrey Dunham shows that New Jersey isn't the only place for people who don't understand the Eucharist -- they're in Tucson too. Check out the Star story -- Tucsonan can't eat wafer in holy rite.

We have a man in my parish who has this disease; he has a separate small chalice that is consecrated just for him. I think it's a wonderful example of the Church reaching out to people.

Fellow Sinfonian Sam Rabourn is going to bike around the US. Coming soon to a community near you!