Margaret Sanger

4 Degrees

Margaret Sanger's life's work is at odds with that of Jesus Christ.  But I think it only fair that Ms Sanger be allowed to speak for herself.  Here is an interview with Mike Wallace from the early 1960s.

Take a moment now to jot down the reasons why you believe abortion should be legal.  Even if you are a Catholic in step with The Church, go ahead, write them down.  Fewer poor people, fewer people born into instability, economic power for women might be among your reasons.

I think that abortion is still legal because Christians have not really put their heart into the issue.  Some distinctly annoying and distasteful Christians scream and yell on sidewalks and put gruesome pictures of baby pieces on their front lawn.  Some Christians hold long discourse with pro-choice friends over glasses of Merlot and agree to disagree.  Most just leave the fight to someone else, their view on the topic an ambivalent mix of understanding and revulsion.

In this Freakanomics piece, we see how the explosion of abortion in the 1970s made for far fewer criminals in the 1990s.  
Back to Ms Sanger.  Did you know she was the darling of the KKK lecture circuit?




Guess who drank Ms Sanger's cool-aide?

Second degree Barack Obama is carrying on the Aryan crusade of Margaret Sanger.  I don't believe that President Obama is ultimately comfortable with his public support of abortion.  Father Robert Barron thinks so too.

So think about it, is racism, classism, or a dislike of children keeping you from actively opposing abortion?  What about guilt for having an abortion or fathering an aborted baby?  Statistics from Planned Parenthood and The National Organization for Women say that between 30-40% of American women have an abortion in her lifetime.  Sure, shame comes from sin and abortion is a sin, but there's a cure for that, CONFESSION! Just go to confession and get on with it.  Quit wasting your time sitting on the fence.

If you need help recovering emotionally and/or spiritually from abortion, contact Project Rachel.

Marie Joseph

Marie Joseph and one of her children in the Lafayette pool
on another occasion.  Can you see her feet?

This story is disturbing.  It happened just a few miles from my home in Fall River, Massachusetts.  This story has done nothing to improve the grizzly reputation of Fall River, home to notorious alleged murderess, fifth degree, Lizzie Bordon.  This story is more disturbing than even that because the victim, 36-year-old Marie Joseph, could have been any of us.

Facts of the case continue to unfold and I will update the blog.  Please keep in mind that Odiogo, the audio version of the blog, does not update after the original post.

Here is what we know so far.

June 26, 2011
Marie Joseph, mother of 5, is cooling herself with friends at the Lafayette Park Pool, a State pool in Fall River, Massachusetts.  Her cell phone, wallet, towel, and other effects were found at the pool that night by lifeguards.  Friends had waited for Joseph at the pool, but then assumed she had left on her own.  No missing persons report was ever filed.  Then, Wednesday morning, we have this news story.

Later, we learn that the body may have been there since Sunday.  Hundreds of swimmers were possibly swimming around and over the corpse of Marie Joseph.  Ewwwwwwwwww.  The creep factor just exploded.

But how is it that she drown in a crowded pool without anyone knowing.  As it turns out, someone did know. He told lifeguards, but they blew him off.  The first one was "on break" and didn't want to be bothered.  The second said "there would be a pool inspection in a few minutes."  Perhaps this young mother of 5 could have been saved with CPR if something had been done immediately!

Grandmother says boy warned lifeguard of drowning woman: MyFoxBOSTON.com

4 Degrees

Joseph to Patrick to Obama to Benedict XVI to John Paul II

4th degree, Marie Joseph slides down this yellow slide
into a pool in Fall River and sinks to the bottom.  

Massachusetts Governor, Deval Patrick (right) spoke
at a press conference about closing all state pools
during the investigation.  Here is Mr. Patrick with another
famous politician, second degree, Barak Obama

The First Ladies

1 Degree

American First Ladies have traditionally worn black when meeting the pope in an official capacity.  Only in the later half of the 20th Century and afterward have American presidents met popes face to face.  The advent of air travel has allowed this to happen.

To read a presidential etiquette insider's blog on the subject click here.  NPR has a wonderful primer on meeting the pope.  In it are bits of wisdome like

What if the pope approaches me?

Don't just stand there — genuflect. That means bend at the knee, for you non-Catholics.

To read the entire list of suggested manners click here.
Jackie Kennedy had a private audience with the pope, but I'm not sure weather it was John XXIII or Paul VI.   The footage here is of Jackie with John XXIII.

Nancy Reagan met John Paul II with her husband in 1982.  To see this short, historic video, click here.

This was not from the 1982 meeting, but a more informal occasion later
in the Reagan presidency

The Clinton's and John Paul II

The Bushes with Benedict XVI

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona

Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords
of Arizona

We have all put our foot in our mouth, but when a person is a public figure, that foot has a lot more gravitas.  President Obama learned that when he referred to a Cambridge policeman as "stupid" for his treatment of a black man.  That gaff led to the "beer summit" at the White House.  When politicians misspeak like this, they end up feeling terrible and having to do extensive damage control.

3 Degrees

Told via gaffs and misstatements 

Third Degree: Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords
A week ago, the Congresswoman was in perfect health, much as she is in the video above.  Now, doctors are considering removing her breathing tube so that she can speak again after being shot in the head at a supermarket political meeting.  Representative Giffords is a moderate Democrat in the House.  She is in favor of some gun control, but she is staunchly pro Second Amendment.  Our prayers are with her, her families, and the families of the fallen.

Second Degree: Sarah Palin
Ms Palin published this crosshair map through her political action committee (PAC.)  The map "targets" members of the United States Congress.  This poster as well as the tweet, "Don't retreat, RELOAD!" is the gaff that Ms Palin will be known for for the rest of her life.  I am sure that she is very remorseful for publishing it, and I do not think that the gunman who tried to assassinate Congresswoman Giffords did so to satisfy it, but Sarah Palin knew better.

Ms Palin received tens of millions of votes in the 2000 election.  On American Idol, that kind of support would make her a celebrity.  As a Vice-Presidential candidate, that makes her a stateswoman.  The poster is not that of a stateswoman, but of an inflammatory lobbyist.

President Bill Clinton

First Degree, President Bill Clinton knew that the NRA is "in the long end game," and will never give up its fight to end all controls on firearms.  He said that the other side needs to begin a long end game too.  He said we need to do this through conversation.  Now, President Clinton has made many gaffs in his presidency, but here, he's right on point.  Gun advocates need to know the terror that people in inner cities face and the horror of being a victim of gun violence.  Progressives need to realize that hunting and firearms are intricately woven into the fabric of our culture, and that this is not only healthy, but good and right.

I believe that liberals and conservatives can agree on this point.  YOU NEVER POINT A GUN AT A HUMAN BEING UNLESS YOU INTEND TO USE IT!!!!  This poster is an abomination. It paints conservatives as gun-toting yahoos who lack common sense and judgement to such a degree, that liberals have to do the thinking for them (in the form of more laws, regulations, and oversight offices.)  That kind of thinking is what conservatives resent about liberals.  The poster lowers the national dialog by polarizing the sides and reinforcing stereotypes.

Now for President Clinton's most famous gaff.  

President Clinton and Pope John Paul II

Bonus Gaff

Congresswoman Giffords can also be connected to Pope John Paul via President Obama.  Obama met Pope Benedict XVI, a great friend of Pope John Paul II.  Here are two Obama gaffs and some commentary by Father Robert Baron.  

Calling a policeman "stupid" might be okay if you are a congressman, but NOT as leader of the free world!

Barak Obama

3 Degrees

Obama and Talabani

No, I'm not going through Benedict for this one.  I think we can all agree that would be too easy.  For this journey to John Paul, we're taking a trip to Iraq!  

Third Degree: President Barak Obama met with the Second Degree: Jalal Talabani, the Kurdish president of Iraq.  This photo was taken April 7, 2009.  The Kurds were a persecuted minority in Iraq under the Saddam Hussein regime.  So to were the Iraqi Christians.  THERE HAVE BEEN CHRISTIANS IN IRAQ FOR 2000 YEARS!  The majority of Christians have been forced from Iraq by the oppression of both Hussein's rule and the current Shiites.  To read more about the persecution of the Assyrian and Chaldean Churches, click here.  It is unclear to me that the Kurds are persecuting the Christians, but there is definitely a crisis for Christendom in Iraq.  

Fun Linguistic Fact:  Don't confuse "Talabani" with "Taliban".  The "Taliban" is a group of Wahhabi Muslims in Afghanistan, their name comes from the Pashto word for "students."  Jalal "Talabani" is a Kurdish man, he speaks Kurdish, not Pashto.  I do not know what his name means in Kurdish, but it is unfortunate that it sounds so similar to "Taliban."  

Mar Delly was named a Cardinal by Pope Benedict in 2007.
Here, the Chaldean Patriarch meets John Paul II

First Degree: Emmanuel Mar Dinkha IV , Patriarch of the Assyrian Church met with Jalal Talabani.  Mar Dinkha and Mar Delly, Patriarch of the Chaldean Church, continue to work tirelessly with Muslim leaders  to bring peace to their people and all the people of Iraq.  

When you view the pictures in the video below, look deeply into the faces.  These are the characteristics of Iraqi people.  They are beautiful features.  The beards can be off-putting to Western eyes, but look past that to the humanity.  When you see Iraqi faces on the news, look past the clothing and the beards and see the same faces.  

To read more about Assyrians click here or here.

To read about Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly of the Chaledean Church click here. 

To read about Mar Delly and Mar Dinkha meeting in Chicago, click here. 

To read about Chaldean Culture click here. 

Currently, the Vatican is hosting a Synod of bishops from the Middle East.  Can you spot anyone mentioned above?

Sharbat Gula, the Afghan girl

Mr. McCurry
Original picture in the background

6 Degrees

   6th Degree: Sharbat Gula's piercing green eyes appeared on the cover of National Geographic Magazine in June of 1985.  She was 12 years old.  Steve McCurry snapped the picture.  To listen to the NPR clip "Afghan Girl Mystery Solved" click here.  

 To see more of Steve McCurry’s gorgeous photographs click here.  That is also a great link to see the original photo.  I was unable to get permission to post the original photo on the blog.  

To read Steve’s blog click here

Denis Delestrac and photograph subjects

2.    5th Degree: Steve McCurry was featured in the documentary, “The Face of the Human Condition” where he met producer
4th Degree;Denis Delistrac.  Delistrac’s films include “Pax Americana, the Weaponization of Space.” 

a.      Denis Delistrac’s site is odd, either it’s under construction or it’s just minimalist. Click here to see it.

b.     For Denis’ wikepedia page click here.

3.     Among those interviewed in that documentary is  Joseph Cirincione, president of The Ploughshares fund. 

                                                i.      Joseph Cirincione is consistently listed as one of the most influential people in US foreign policy and world nuclear policy.  For The Poughshares website click here.

                                                           ii.      You can get his tweets @Cirincione

                                                        iii.      His blog is available here. 

4.    3rd Degree: Joseph Cirincione is an advisor to 
2nd Degree:President Barak Obama.  He appeared on The Daily Show.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Joseph Cirincione
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

5.    President Obama met 
First Degree: Pope Benedict XVI  

6.   The last two popes were good friends.  

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