State Sponsored Terrorism: Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness

Peace sculpture outside The United Nations

All atrocities are rooted in sin.  We all sin.  When we are children, our parents correct our behavior and point out our sins.  They introduce us to God with their love and loving correction.  Later, it is confession, friends, spouses, workmates, and neighbors who help to guide and direct us to righteousness.  For countries, it is other countries and the international community.  The only authorities that officially stand up to the United States and many other powerful countries are The United Nations, The Church, and The International Court at The Hague. The Church and The United Nations are both one-degree from Pope John Paul II.

Many have said, "Nobody can control the United States, the UN doesn't stand up to them" or "The church has no weapons, how can they effect change?"  Without faith, these statements are perfectly true.  Recent events make me fear for the future of my country.  I see my president not standing behind the precedents of The Geneva Conventions, and the Nuremberg Articles.  I see a rise of The Tea Party, a group claiming to be Christian that is steadfastly against love of neighbor and forgiveness.  History tells us that "absolute power corrupts absolutely," and The United States has more absolute power with each passing day.

The International Court

In the face of their daunting task, members of The U.N., The Vatican, and The International Court persist in their mission of justice.  Let's examine their struggles using a few examples of injustice in our world.

Torture
Under the Bush administration (W,) various "enhanced interrogation techniques" or "tortures" were approved. They include water boarding, sleep or food deprivation, walling, and placing a person in a box with insects.


Water boarding is defined as torture by The United Nations.  Pardoning or not prosecuting torturers because they were acting under orders of superiors is indefensible according to the Nuremberg articles.  The particular act of pardoning for this reason is commonly known as The Eichmann Defense.  Adolf Eichmann was a torturer under Hitler and used this defense at his Nuremberg trial for war crimes following World War II.  If this defense was not acceptable then, it is not acceptable anytime!  Here is a portion of Eichmann's trial in Israel in 1961.

In the light of news of torture by Americans, American religious leaders, lead by a Roman Catholic Cardinal, signed a statement denouncing torture.  This was widely reported in THe New York Times and has been revisited by American bishops and other religious and lay faithful since.

Torturers using The Eichmann defense were pardoned by Obama, denounced by International law, denounced by The Church.

2 Degrees

Torture to International Court or The U.N. or American Cardinal who was elevated by John Paul II.

Oh, by the way, The Pope spoke against this too!

Rape

Rape is a horrible distortion of our bodies.  The body is a gift from God, meant to be given to one another in love and service.  The most intimate form of love is reserved for husbands and wives and involves genitals.  When this same act is forced and becomes violent it is an abomination to the image of God.  Just as it is an abomination to take a beautiful tree, which is given for fruit and shade, and use it to crucify God's Son, it is an abomination to take a body, which is an icon of Jesus Himself, and use it as a means of torture and violence.  Yet rape in war and as a tool of torture and ethnic genocide is common in our world.

In Congo, rape has been a tool of war, victimizing hundreds of thousands of women, men, and children!  Not only has an entire generation of child fighters been habituated to rape as soldiers, but they are also victims of rape when captured.  The entire country is demoralized and bleeding from these atrocities.

Congolese man who works for
Catholic Relief Services

Catholic Relief Services is on the ground in Congo.  They have rape crisis counselors working with victims as you read this.  CRS will not abandon the people of Congo, but they could use your help.  Why not donate or support a missionary.  Also, write your Congressmen (Senate and House) and tell them you care about Congo and violence in Africa.

John Paul II, one of the popes to honor
Catholic Relief Services.  

Catholic Relief Services has been honored by all popes since CRS has existed.  Pope John Paul II honored the head of CRS in 2000.  

Financial  Robbery, My Congress at Work!

Why the hell do men and women spend millions to gain a job that pays $140?  They are crooks!  Last night's 60 Minutes episode exposes the corruption.  They write the laws (definition of "legislature") and they control business and know information before it is public.  That is why they sold stocks in September of 2008.  That is why they bought stocks before the health care bill passed, before we knew that it would, in health insurance companies.  They make millions from these trades.  This is wrong.  My congressman is chair of the House finance committee.  I'm sickened by this!  It doesn't surprise me, but it sickens me.  How can we stop this!

They profited when the rest of us were losing our savings!

My own congressman, Barney Frank, is heavily invested in health care stocks.  In his last report, he has accepted trips to The Virgin Islands on a private jet, and to Los Angeles at NBC's expense.  The value of these trips are reported far below what they would have actually cost.  Mr. Frank also did not lose money in the 2008 financial drop, he broke even, "wisely" having invested heavily in municipal bonds.  I wonder why his portfolio was so well managed.  Did he know something that we didn't?  OF COURSE HE KNEW!  He was chair of the House Finance Committee.  He knew about the collapse several months before anyone else and acted accordingly.  He sold his Washington residence just months before the housing collapse.  He now lives in an apartment.  This whole thing stinks to high heaven!

I used legistorm.com to find documents of financial disclosure for Congressman Frank.  You can look up your own representatives.  I urge you to write about what you find, write letters to the editor, and generally embarrass these politicians.  Then, find people who will represent our interests.  I think we should pay congressmen $1,000,000 per year, give them health care in keeping with comparable earners, and take away their ability to flout the laws we are supposed to abide by.  

4 Shameful Degrees

Congress imitating Judas who betrayed Jesus to Peter to The Popes

Steve Jobs, Blessed are those who mourn

As I write this post, Steve Jobs has recently died.  By all accounts, he is an acceptional human being.  He is missed and he is an example of good corporate leadership and inspiration.  Jobs saw death as a great gift for a well-lived life.  Perhaps without death we cannot truly know joy.

Those who die a good death give us the love and the tools to live our life well.  Please take this day and listen and enjoy those who surround you.  The joys you experience with them today are the comfort they give you and the comfort you give them.

In this hysterical satire we link two degrees to John Paul II.  Embedding has been disabled, so please take 4 minutes to click and enjoy.  Fantastic!  Humor is often a great comfort to those who are mourning.

3 Degrees

Steve Jobs to MadTv to George Bush to Pope John Paul II

Justin Bieber

5 Degrees

Tween idol, Justin Bieber and fourth degree, Kim Kardashian are friends.

Here they pose together in a photo reminiscent of the Dustin Hoffman
film, The Graduate

Kardashian (front row toward the right in a blue dress) and third degree, Beyonce Knowles (blue cigarette pants and yellow shoes front row toward the left) at 2012 Fashion Week for Vera Wang's show.

We already read in a previous post how Beyonce went to Egypt and met Zahi Hawass to give her three degrees.  Let's take a different tack here to link to Blessed John Paul II.  

In January of 2011, Vera Wang was invited to a state dinner at the White House to greet
Chinese President Hu Jintao

Jackie Chan was also on the guest list

Yo Yo Ma was awarded the Medal of Freedom at
the Chinese State Dinner.  He also performed at Senator
Ted Kennedy's funeral with first degree, Placido Domingo.

This is another picture of the Kennedy funeral.  Note first degree,
President George W Bush and first degree Jimmy Carter.  Cardinal O'Malley is also
a first degree.

Blessed John Paul II and President Jimmy Carter at the
beginning of JP's pontificate

At Castel Gandalfo

4 Degrees

Bieber to Kardashian to Vera Wang to Placido Domingo to Pope JP2

5 Degrees

Bieber to Kardashian to Beyonce to Dr. Hawass to Laura Bush to Pope JP2

Bieber to Kardashian to Vera Wang to Yo Yo Ma to Jimmy Carter to Pope JP2

Bieber to Kardashian to Vera Wang to Yo Yo Ma to Cardinal O'Malley to Pope JP2

Rupert Murdoch

Rupert is only two degrees from John Paul II as evidenced by the following photos.

Rupert Murdoch and Second Degree, Tony Blaire, check out the clenched smile
of the Prime Minister

A much more relaxed Tony Blaire

Murdoch on left and his wife in red next to President George W Bush.

Mr. Murdoch runs the most prolific media empire in the world, but he's an absolute idiot.  Well, he claims to be an idiot.  In his "humble" testimony before British Parliament, he claimed not to know about his most successful newspaper's journalists tapping the phones of politicians and celebrities.  

Prince Charles was tapped by Murdoch's
organization.  Charles is shown here with
Pope John Paul II

This guy was also tapped by Murdoch's minions.

But it's the suicides and inhuman cruelty that surrounded News of the World that we'll remember.  When a reporter hacked into a phone system and deleted messages so that more calls to a dead kidnapping victim could be recorded, Murdoch's organization was finally caught.  After years of treachery, he's been caught.  Only now, he's turned into Sgt. Schultz from Hogan's Heroes.  

Embodying evil?

Bearing false witness, it's considered a lightweight commandment by many, but it's actually one of the biggies.  We lie routinely, we gossip for entertainment, we think nothing of it.  But as we've seen in these past few posts, lying destroys the work of the good and facilitates the work of The Evil One.  To falsely accuse a priest of abuse means that children are less safe and a good man is ruined.  To cook up stories about people for ratings or paper sales drives the subjects of stories to despair and rips lives apart.

I remember learning that gossip was considered a sin when I was in High School.  I decided to cut it out of my life and didn't talk for over  a week!  Before that, you could never shut me up.  I'll never forget how amazed I was that all my vocal impulses were gossip.  I was ashamed.  Try it, you might be surprised too.

Florence Henderson

Florence Henderson is the youngest of 10 children.  She was raised Roman Catholic in Indiana and Kentucky.  She is a supporter of the Sisters of St. Benedict in Ferdinand, Indiana.  One of the sisters was Florence's childhood teacher.  Here is Florence raising money for the Sisters on Who Wants to be a Millionaire.

Here's an episode.

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Third Degree, Florence Henderson has had a long friendship with funny woman, Carol Burnett.  The two women have teamed to raise money for various charities, among them, SHARE for Children.  Here is second degree, Carol in my favorite skit.


First Degree, George W. Bush awarded Carol Burnett with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  To see that ceremony, click here (windows media).

Burnett and Bush at Medal of Freedom ceremony in 2005

George W. Bush and Pope John Paul II

Moammar Kadafi

George W. Bush and Moammar Kadafi

A scorpion wanted to get across a lake, so he asked a frog to take him.  "I cannot take you," said the frog.  "You will sting and kill me." 

"I promise not to sting you, dear frog," said the frog.  "I just want to get across the lake.  If you do this thing for me, I will not sting you." 

So the frog allowed the scorpion to get on his back and took off.  Half-way across the lake, the scorpion stung the frog.  As they were drowning, the frog said, "why did you sting me?  Now we will both perish." 

The scorpion replied simply, "It is my nature." 

As Christians, we need to forgive others and love them.  We are not, however, supposed to be fools.  When George W. Bush normalized relations with Libya, thus forgiving Kadafi of the bombing of Pan Am 103 on my birthday in 1988, he asked a scorpion onto his back.  That scorpion killed Lynn Hartunian, my classmate.  The Libyan people have had a scorpion on their back for decades, and now, they are finally trying to get the bastard off.  It's about time! 

2 Degrees





First Degree, Condoleeza Rice "normalizing" relations with Libian dictator,
Moammar Kadafi



George W. Bush, Laura Bush, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and
Condoleezza Rice at Pope John Paul II's funeral



George W. Bush

1 Degree

George Bush presenting the Medal of Freedom to JPII

Not every president is a great favorite.  It's especially rare for a man to be universally loved and admired while he holds office.  Such is the case with George W. Bush for me.  While his doctrine of preemptive acts of war, suspending Habeas Corpus, and many other policies are distinctly not Catholic, his stance on abortion and euthanasia have been spot on.  As we ponder the presidency of George W. Bush and all the presidents this month, we see that there is no one party that embodies Christian morals and teachings.  There never will be such a party.  It is up to each individual Christian to determine where their vote should go and which party to support in which election.

George W's brother, Jeb, is a 3rd Degree Knight of Columbus!  Here is George talking about Benedict XVI's visit to the United States in 2008.