It was with great pleasure that I received the news that Newt Gingrich had converted to Catholicism. Now he's running for president. With South Carolina under his belt, he may well be the Republican nominee, but it is doubtful that Mr. Gingrich has what it takes to be president. His dirty laundry is being aired, and it ain't sweet smelling!
He has spoken out powerfully about traditional family structure, but requested an open marriage from the second of his (as of yet) three wives. He's not handled his personal finances well, leading a life where he is perpetually broke. He also tried to write an apologetic tell-all book, but was stopped by aides. He also had a torrid High School affair with his math teacher. Newt also has a tendency to put his foot in his mouth.
This leads to awkward headlines, like this one, "Newt Gingrich: Child labor laws are stupid"
What's truly amazing about Gingrich's success in South Carolina is that he probably won because the Evangelical Protestants probably voted for him because they'd rather have a Catholic than a Mormon. Now that's just sad! Appealing to racism and religious prejudice seems to be par for the course for Gingrich, but his new found religion won't stand for it. 45 Catholic leaders wrote an open letter to the two Catholic Republican candidates for president, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. The letter was published January 21, 2012 and reads as follows.
An Open Letter to Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum
As Catholic leaders who recognize that the moral scandals of racism and poverty remain a blemish on the American soul, we challenge our fellow Catholics Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum to stop perpetuating ugly racial stereotypes on the campaign trail. Mr. Gingrich has frequently attacked President Obama as a “food stamp president” and claimed that African Americans are content to collect welfare benefits rather than pursue employment. Campaigning in Iowa, Mr. Santorum remarked: “I don’t want to make black people’s lives better by giving them somebody else’s money.” Labeling our nation’s first African-American president with a title that evokes the past myth of “welfare queens” and inflaming other racist caricatures is irresponsible, immoral and unworthy of political leaders.
Some presidential candidates now courting “values voters” seem to have forgotten that defending human life and dignity does not stop with protecting the unborn. We remind Mr. Gingrich and Mr. Santorum that Catholic bishops describe racism as an “intrinsic evil” and consistently defend vital government programs such as food stamps and unemployment benefits that help struggling Americans. At a time when nearly 1 in 6 Americans live in poverty, charities and the free market alone can’t address the urgent needs of our most vulnerable neighbors. And while jobseekers outnumber job openings 4-to-1, suggesting that the unemployed would rather collect benefits than work is misleading and insulting.
As the South Carolina primary approaches, we urge Mr. Gingrich, Mr. Santorum and all presidential candidates to reject the politics of racial division, refrain from offensive rhetoric and unite behind an agenda that promotes racial and economic justice.
For the 45 signatures and the original posting of the letter, click here. I'm sure that many of the 45 have met Pope Benedict XVI and perhaps some would have met Blessed John Paul II.
The angels are singing "At Last" as their Etta James enters the Kingdom. May her memory be eternal.
Perhaps I'm a bit partial to Ms James. This was the first dance for my husband and me. No doubt some of you had the pleasure of this being your first song as well. Let's explore Etta James and link her to Blessed John Paul.
If you're letting this video play while reading the blog, you are realizing that Etta James is more of a jazz singer than strictly a pop or R&B singer.
Reckoning #1, Bloodline and an underworld
Etta's mother, Dorothy Hawkins, was 14 in 1938 when she gave birth to Jamesetta (Etta took her first and last stage name from this original name). Though she never really knew who her father was, she speculated it was Minnesota Fats, the famous pool player. Fats never admitted his age, but he was probably born within the first 15 years of the 20th century. That would make him about 20 years older than Dorothy when Etta was conceived. Do you see a resemblance?
Here's Minnesota Fats talking smack and shootin' pool, what he did best. I remember him on TV in the 70s. My parents got such a kick out of his smack talk and amazing pool shots.
Both Etta and Minnesota had movies made about them. Etta was played by third degree, Beyonce Knowles. Her possible father, Minnesota Fats, was played by Jackie Gleason in the 1961 movie, "The Hustler." Gleason won an Academy Award for that role. In the 60s, he made this campaign ad for Richard Nixon. We have a bad connotation with Richard Nixon's name now, but, in light of the shenanigans our current government is getting up to with SuperPacs, insider trading in Congress, and swinging Republicans for family values, Nixon is looking more and more like a boy scout!
Nixon and Pope Paul VI
In 1957, before becoming president, Richard Nixon met Pope Pius XII. Later, as president, he met Pope Paul VI from whom Blessed John Paul II got half of his name.
Reckoning #2, The Artist
When Etta was 14 her life changed, she was taken under the wing of Johnny Otis, The Godfather of Rhythm and Blues. Otis' and James' age difference mirrored that of Minnesota Fats and Dorothy Hawkings, but, instead of sexual exploitation, Otis mentored the young girl.
Otis' older brother became a diplomat. He was US Ambassedor to Jordan and then to Egypt, where he knew and worked with First Degree, Hosni Mubarak.
Otis produced hundreds of albums and discovered scores of artists. He produced the original version of the Lieber and Stoller tune, Hound Dog, a song later made famous by Elvis Presley. Here is the original version by Big Mama Thornton. Guess who met second degree, Richard Nixon?
To recap, Etta James is four degrees from Pope John Paul II.
Etta to Beyonce to Zahi Hawas to George Bush to Pope John Paul II
Etta to Johnny Otis to Ambassador Veliotis to Hosni Mubarak to Pope John Paul II
She is 5 degrees by these reckonings.
Etta to Minnesota Fats to Jackie Gleason to Richard Nixon to Pope Pius XII and Paul VI
Etta to Johnny Otis to Elvis Presley to Richard Nixon to Pius XII and Paul VI to Pope John Paul II
Doyle Mills, a Scientologist Auditor met Blessed John Paul II.
I must inform Mr. Mills that the Pope is weilding a much more
powerful "e meter" than you've ever been hooked up to!
Have you ever taken one of those Cosmo quizzes to find out which personality type you are? Have you ever read your horoscope and believed it? Do you believe that these diversions are just insightful entertainment? You may have primed yourself to take a "stress test" or "personality test" by a practitioner of Dianetics (Scientology).
Many years back, I had a friend who was an ex-Scientologist. Her family had paid big bucks to get her out of the cult and deprogrammed. A bunch of us in a dorm sat down and heard her explain Scientology for a few hours. It blew our minds! I'll give you a thumbnail sketch of what I learned.
How to become a Scientologist
Take a personality test
Like many cons, this test makes everyone a "winner". Since people like to be part of the "in crowd," they are pleased to "pass" the Oxford Capacity Analysis test (OCAT), the main recruiting device of Scientology.
If you don't "pass" the test you an an "S.P." My friend (we'll call her Heidi) said that if you are approached by a Scientologist, just tell them you're an s.p. and walk away.
Get Audited
This woman is attached to an e meter. The Scientologist
Auditor would be with her. This is a kind of cross between
psychotherapy and lie detection. The irony of this being the
cornerstone of Scientology is not lost on me. Scientology
is adamant that modern Psychiatry is a lie.
This is the most ironic part of Scientology! After you pass the OCAT, you pay for auditing sessions. In these sessions an e reader machine measures your electrical output and various waves of energy while you talk about your history and your problems with a Scientology Auditor. The concept is a mix of psychotherapy and lie detection.
Every bad thing that has ever happened to you or you in a past life is stored on you in the form of an "engram" on your mind. In order to be happy and live up to your potential, you must rid your mind of engrams. Auditing is how this is done.
As a bad experience is discussed, the auditor reads the e meter. Through this kind of talk therapy, the cult member gradually eliminates the engram through self-empowerment, a bit like ironing wrinkles from a shirt with multiple strokes of the iron.
Evidently, confession to the engram of homosexual attraction is a standard part of all members' auditing experience. Auditors lead subjects into their present and past lives to find engrams and discuss the experiences in detail.
Did I mention that auditing sessions are recorded? If you try to leave the group, they use confessions to keep you in.
Once all engrams have been eliminated from your mind, you are "clear." This might be likened to a state of Nirvana among the Buddhists, but instead of becoming jolly and serene like Buddah, you turn into Tom Cruise!
Learn more
Once clear, the new Scientologist begins to learn more about the story of Xenu (their god who is L. Ron Hubbard in another form) and other elements of the story of Dianetics.
Recruit
This goes without saying.
I believe that the practice of Scientology is antithetical to the practice of Catholicism. You cannot be a Catholic Scientologist! While the Vatican has yet to make a pronouncement about Scientology, many Catholics, both clergy and laity have stood up to Scientology. The Sisters of Saint Paul have courageously published a book that exposes abuses within the cult. Cardinal Marc Oulette has been strong in his stance against the dangerous cult.
Scientology has stuck by its policy of offensiveness. It is suing constantly. Scientology is currently suing an Orthodox Church in Russia because the church had criticised Scientology and warned members about their tactics and stress tests. They are also seeking a civil judgement against Paul Haggis, a former leader of the "church." Oh, did I mention that they are suing the Sisters of Saint Paul?
I think it's time for the USCCB and The Vatican to make an official statement.
The story of Frosty the Snowman is a kind of miniature of the Gospel. Not the story of Jesus, but His promise to us of the resurrection. Frosty prances about with the children, having fun and singing. When he begins to melt away, he promises a return. One imagines a glorified Frosty who is even stronger, happier, and even more of an adventure.
The song was recorded in 1950 by Gene Autry. Autry had struck gold with his hit Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer in 1949. This was indeed the hayday of classic Christmas music. Silver Bells, All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth, Jingle Bell Rock, Santa Baby, Nuttin' for Christmas, and Let it Snow all had their first hit recordings in the 10 years following the war.
A variety of artists have recorded Frosty the Snowman. The Beach Boys, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, The Jackson 5, and even Burt Reynolds have recorded Frosty's song. Second Degree, Bing Crosby recorded a version of the song too.
Now, we've already done the post on Bing Crosby (click above link), but I wanted to share some unsettling things I discovered while reading Bing's obituary on the Holy Cross Cemetery website. I had heard that he was a stern father who had disowned his gay son and was harsh with his other children as well. In his final requests he writes
"Except as otherwise provided in this will and the trust, I have intentionally and with full knowledge omitted to provide for my heirs, and I have specifically failed to provide for any child of mine whether mentioned in this will or in said trust or otherwise."
Okay, so he probably continued the disavowing of his son through the trust. Perhaps he excluded the others as well, but trust records are not public, so he may have left his straight children or grandchildren something. You have to admit that the wording is harsh, distant, cold, and final. He goes on
"my funeral services be conducted in a Catholic church; that they be completely private with attendance limited to my wife and the above-mentioned children; that a low Mass be said and that no memorial service of any kind be held. I further direct that, insofar as possible, services be held without any publicity, other than that which my family permits after my burial, which shall be in a Catholic cemetery."
The obituary continues
After his death, several of his sons painted a picture of Crosby as a cold and distant father, who severely punished his children. Son Gary Crosby wrote a controversial tell-all biography titled, "Going My Own Way" in 1983. Two other sons, Lindsay and Dennis, committed suicide.
Here he is singing with his wife and three of the seven he would eventually have. Notice the extreme awkwardness of the family dynamic. Did one of these boys end up taking his own life?
Does anyone else see a disconnect between the insistence on a Catholic burial and the hateful will? What about the two suicides and (we read in the article) two marriages. Do you think Bing is currently being praised for his Catholic faithfulness or suffering purification for the abandonment of souls he was blessed to have as children and charged to raise? Can a Catholic parent disown a child because they struggle with or are plagued with a sin? Perhaps Bing should have taken his character from White Christmas' advice and counted his blessings.
The Thanksgiving football were on and I just couldn't help but look at all the "manly" and "masculine" men with the Motorola headsets and the men with very tight pants who are probably hopped up on testosterone and think, wow, which ones are raping boys when they think nobody is looking? It's the same way the world is looking at priests since the abuse scandal broke almost ten years ago.
Human beings want to find order and predictability in their world. If they hear about a scandal like this, they want to find ways that this would be impossible in their own sphere of influence.
In Massachusetts, at a basketball camp, some older students put "bodily fluids" on an oreo and forced a younger student to eat the oreo as part of a "hazing ritual." Here is a link to the news video.Here is an incident in Idaho of sexual hazing in sports. Is it any wonder that Jerry Sandusky was able to sodomize children for decades and not be caught? Let me rephrase, he was caught, he was not reported and the behavior was not considered unusual enough to consult the police or to EVEN STOP IT RIGHT THEN AND THERE.
The sheer masculinity of American football's image makes the rape of boys by a famous coach very shocking. Isn't masculinity defined by protecting women and children, by honor and dignity, and by truth and justice? No! Christian masculinity is all those things. Relativist masculinity is power, might, use of others for sex, sexual conquest, porn, and fame. Jerry Sandusky had all these things. Let's learn more.
Before his discovery as a child rapist, he was interviewed about his project to "help" underprivileged children, The .
Here is the interview with on the NBC show "Rock Center." Note a few glaring tells of lying.
repeating the question and otherwise delaying an answer
NO OUTRAGE
evasive answers, hesitation
"I have hugged them.. I have touched their legs." Attempts to minimize the damage.
lack of affect. Mr. Sandusky is being accused of horrendous offenses and is cool and unphased by this. The ONLY way he could be unsurprised or unoffended by these allegations is if he had thought about them before.
So, is Jerry Sandusky innocent? Not likely. If you would like more information on liespotting, check out the post, "blessed are the clean of heart." Will football be tainted by this scandal for the foreseeable future? Yes. Will innocent men be looked at with hatred and suspicion? Probably. Is this a natural consequence of sin? Yes!
Jerry Sandusky is not someone who is persecuted for justice's sake. All the other coaches who are not guilty, but must forever change the way they are around kids are making those changes "for justice's sake." I hope public outrage does not wane before those changes are made.
3 Degrees
Sandusky outraged The Devil who tempted Jesus Christ, the boss of Blessed John Paul II.
Who are the clean of heart? Those who rejoice in the truth? Those who avoid lying? According to Pamela Meyer, we all lie. Now, while it's important to not be a rude person who just blurts out painful truths and covers up cruelty by saying, "I was just being truthful," it is also important to remember that real love "rejoices in the truth." If we are to serve God, He who is Love, we must rejoice in truth too. I saw this Ted Talk and it blew me away. I decided to make it the focus of this post on the Beatitude, "Blessed are the Clean of Heart."
Let's practice our new skills. I've embedded some videos of untruthful interactions and then tied the liars to Pope John Paul II. Enjoy!
repeating the question and otherwise delaying an answer
NO OUTRAGE
evasive answers, hesitation
"I have hugged them.. I have touched their legs." Attempts to minimize the damage.
lack of affect. Mr. Sandusky is being accused of horrendous offenses and is cool and unphased by this. The ONLY way he could be unsurprised or unoffended by these allegations is if he had thought about them before.
In this video: Duping delight (inappropriate smiling): This is especially evident when he defends waterboarding and "extraordinary rendition," (kidnapping of suspects).
Evasive answers (not answering the question but making unrelated statements that don't answer the question that was actually asked): "My job is to protect the American people" is never an answer to one of Mr. Lauer's questions. "Within the law" is another favorite of President Bush. Overly formal yet unspecific phrases such as "within the law" and "within the constitution" are used, but the actual laws and passages in the Constitution are never quoted. "We had lawyers look at it and say, Mr. President, this is lawful," this is buck-passing. Rather than use his own judgement or accept responsibility for a decision, he pawns the decision off on a nameless "lawyer."
Sporadic outrage: A person telling the truth is outraged at false accusation throughout an interview. They directly attack the arguments against them and work cooperatively with the interviewer to clear their name. The President does none of that. The most inflammatory accusation, that there is "a blurring of the line between ourselves and the people you are trying to protect us against."
Also, appreciate the physical mirroring that Matt Lauer does in mimicking the President's gestures and aggressive body language. This mirroring is common to all primate communication. It's great when you are in an argument with someone to mimic their body position. If you want them to stop crossing their arms and leaning back you must first cross your arms and lean back. After a while you can begin to open up your own posture and the other person, even when angry, will begin to unconsciously mimic you and open their own. Pretty soon you have helped the person be less aggressive and more open to your argument and you did it physically. I love watching Matt Lauer do this. It's really impressive.
One Degree!
George W. Bush and Blessed John Paul II
This video is rich with head tells. There are so many, I need to number them!
Varied blink rate. As A-Rod thinks of answers and considers his story, his brain is working overtime to come up with something plausible.
But somehow his brain didn't give his neck the memo, he says "No" but nods "yes" enthusiastically. This is seen throughout the interview.
shoulder shrugs during poorly constructed lies
Duping delight, the half-smiles toward the end of the interview are little smirks. He got away with it, at least at this point. Another interpretation is that this is a look of contempt. Why should drugs be such an issue? He's annoyed with the constant questioning.
Check out his later apology for using steroids and other drugs, lots of duping delight there!
4 Degrees
Alex Rodriguez was boyfriend to Cameron Diaz
Ms Diaz was admired by President Clinton
President Clinton Met John Paul II
Here we need to pay attention to the verbal cues for lies. He dodges the question. "I believe they have not been proved to be unsafe." He uses overly formal language such as "injurious" and distances himself from victims by using the word, "human". Smoking doesn't kill people, it "has not been proven to be no injurious to human health." Now that's linguistic gymnastics! Oh, and don't miss the little zinger at the end about women wanting smaller babies!
Connecting smoking to any pope is easy, smokers visit him all the time.
Here is another video from our beloved tobacco industry. Try not to laugh.
Hmmm, applesauce, really?! Let's see if our little friend is lying, shall we? Evasive language: "at concentrations which would be considered harmful," this doesn't answer the question.
Stiff upper body: "People don't eat much applesauce," is given as the reason people don't die from excess apple consumption. Again, try not to laugh. Duper's Delight: smiling as he says, "they're not eating that much." It's so ridiculous, he is even laughing. Lying eyes: Varied blink rate which is faster when formulating the lie and slower when telling it. Blink rate speeds up again when formulating the next lie. Subject tries not to blink and to look interviewer in the eye to check his believing the lie. Also, note the eyebrows raising when he says "everybody dies" and following. That look says, "you don't believe me, do you?" Shoulder shrugs: "Anything can be considered harmful," with the shoulder shrug he's actually saying, "look out, big load of bullshit coming your way!" He then says, "applesauce can be harmful." Look toward the end when he says "people who eat sugar die..." Here he is combining a variety of tells simultaneously.
Here we see Ruth Madoff, Bernie Madoff's partner in crime and her surviving son.
The son shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders, negating what he is saying at the beginning of the interview. He talks without affect about his parents' "attempted suicide," but his facial expressions and tone do not match the words he's using. There is a flash of contempt on the word "thinking" in "what were they thinking," his lip snears. He also smiles when recounting his questioning of his mother, "what were you thinking, I don't understand." I don't know if this son was a con artist like the rest of his family, but he may have been less involved in his family's business than his late brother.
Ruth Madoff claims to have attempted suicide and have been very depressed, but her language and her face tell a different story. "We decided to kill ourselves" at 59" she shakes her head, exactly as her son did in the previous clip. She uses a very perky tone that doesn't match the meaning of her words. Duper's delight, a lovely smile on "we took pills and woke up the next day." "It was so horrendous, what was happening." while flitting little smiles.
The Madoffs defrauded many famous people, among them the great Sandy Koufax. Mr. Koufax met President Obama. President Obama met Pope Benedict XVI who was one degree from Blessed John Paul II.
Oh Bill! Why must you lie? Again, so many, they need numbering. I got most of these points from Pamela Meyer's video that heads this post.
Overly formal language, "I did not" rather than "I didn't. And "sexual relations" instead of...
Qualifying language, "I want you to listen to me. I'm going to say this again."
Fist pounding and unusual body gestures for him
"that woman" distances himself from the victim or object of the lie, dehumanizing her and making Bill look less horrible
Overly adamant denial, "not a single time, never."
Now look for THE EXACT TELLS as Clinton on Richard Nixon. OMG, this is too much!
There is universal agreement that the major reason for World War II were the crippling reparations on Germany imposed at the close of World War I. These reparations not only brought Germany down, but the financial aftermath of the war plunged the world into The Great Depression. After the defeat of Germany, the world did not want to plant seeds for World War III. General George Marshall came up with a plan to rebuild Germany so that it would be an economic force and not a drain to the world. His proposal was known as The Marshall Plan.
Today Germany is the most solvent and solid of EU countries. Mercy was shown to Germany by the world, especially The United States. No matter the political stripes of Americans, there is a great pride that we have in The Marshall Plan. We answered evil with justice and mercy. The Nuremberg trials brought the guilty to justice. The Marshall Plan brought mercy.
There was no similar plan for Japan. As a result, Japan did not become an economic power until the 1970s. Now, we are drowning in Japanese cars and electronics. Their economy is booming and our manufacturing jobs are gone. If we had had a Marshall Plan for Japan, the 1950s would not have been so prosperous, but we would not have had the bubbles and bursts that have plagued us either. With a world that had been rebuilt earlier, it is quite possible that alternative energy sources would be discovered and replacing oil at this point. When mercy is extended, the people we ultimately save are ourselves. Kindness coats the world in balance and peace.
