October 30, 2008
October 29, 2008
There has been a victory, but something worse is on the horizon.
The 55 videos of the desecration of the Most Holy Eucharist have been pulled, but another YouTube member has threatened to do something even worse then the other person! Here is the update I received, PLEASE, PLEASE ACT on it!
Please offer thanksgiving that the maker (fsmdude) of the 55 Host Desecration videos has finally removed them from YouTube! | ||||
October 28, 2008
Civil War Days
A week and three days ago, my family and some friends were blessed to be able to attend the annual Civil War Reenactment in our area. Here are the photos from the event! (All taken by me, myself, and I.)
Er... well, except for this one, 'cause me, myself and I is in it. This one was taken by my dear mother, but the rest are taken by me! By I? By myself? I took them? Anyhow, it was really fun to be able to dress up and walk around the battlefield and camp even though my costume is not historically accurate. Everyone else said it looked perfect, but I knew that it wasn't correct. Ah well.
This was the sign by the Chaplin's tent. It was really neat to see a Catholic Priest at the reenactment. It was kind of funny, because the man was a Catholic Priest.. reenacting as a Catholic Priest!
The Union Camp
Confederate Artillery
The Battle. The Union troops won the day.
The priest attending the wounded in the field
GENERALS!!!!! I didn't get a shot of any Union generals, but these gentleman more than made up for it... even though they would not look at the camera!
General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. It was so neat how much he looked like him!
General Robert E. Lee!!!!
Alas, no sign of his dashingly handsome aide Colonel Taylor.
My favorite kind of photography... sepia. It adds such a nice old time look, don't you think?
This gun is 'Lady Molly'. While the wheels and all were replica's, the barrel is the real thing. Honestly... they were! Er, are! One of the soldiers told us that 'Lady Molly' was one of the guns used during Sherman's March to Atlanta and was fired in the battles of Atlanta, Chickamauga and Chattanooga. Pretty neat!
Er... well, except for this one, 'cause me, myself and I is in it. This one was taken by my dear mother, but the rest are taken by me! By I? By myself? I took them? Anyhow, it was really fun to be able to dress up and walk around the battlefield and camp even though my costume is not historically accurate. Everyone else said it looked perfect, but I knew that it wasn't correct. Ah well.
This was the sign by the Chaplin's tent. It was really neat to see a Catholic Priest at the reenactment. It was kind of funny, because the man was a Catholic Priest.. reenacting as a Catholic Priest!
The Union Camp
Confederate Artillery
The Battle. The Union troops won the day.
The priest attending the wounded in the field
GENERALS!!!!! I didn't get a shot of any Union generals, but these gentleman more than made up for it... even though they would not look at the camera!
General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. It was so neat how much he looked like him!
General Robert E. Lee!!!!Alas, no sign of his dashingly handsome aide Colonel Taylor.
My favorite kind of photography... sepia. It adds such a nice old time look, don't you think?
This gun is 'Lady Molly'. While the wheels and all were replica's, the barrel is the real thing. Honestly... they were! Er, are! One of the soldiers told us that 'Lady Molly' was one of the guns used during Sherman's March to Atlanta and was fired in the battles of Atlanta, Chickamauga and Chattanooga. Pretty neat!
Feast Day!
St. Jude was one of the twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ, as well as a close relative. He is reported to look very similar to Our Lord, which is why St. Jude is nearly always depicted holding a medal with the image of Christ on it. He is also the brother of St. James the Lesser.St. Jude preached in Mesopotamia, and it is said that he is the one who brought the Shroud of Christ to there. The Shroud stayed in Mesopotamia for many years before being brought to Turin.
Due to the close relation of St. Jude's name with Judas Iscariot, early Christians often confused the two, and so did not pray for St. Jude's intercession, making him somewhat of a 'lost cause'. This is the reason that St. Jude Thaddeus is the patron saint of lost or hopeless causes as well as desperate situations.
Prayer to St. Jude
Most holy Apostle St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the name of the traitor who delivered the beloved Master into the hands of His enemies has caused you to be forgotten by many, but the Church honors and invokes you universally as the patron of hopeless cases, of things despaired of. Pray for me who am so miserable; make use, I implore you, of this particular privilege accorded to you, to bring visible and speedy help, where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need, that I may receive the consolations and succor of Heaven in all my necessities, tribulations and sufferings, particularly (here make your request), and that I may bless God with you and all the elect forever.
I promise you, O blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor, and I will never cease to honor you as my special and powerful patron and to do all in my power to encourage devotion to you. Amen.
St. Jude... Pray for Us!
October 25, 2008
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Last night, my family and I sat down to watch a wonderful movie, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. It's a Frank Capra film, and is also - I do believe - the film that made Jimmy Stuart (Mr. Smith) famous.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is the story of a young man plucked out of 'the wilderness' and thrust into the dirty world of politics. It was interesting to discover, while watching the first several scenes, that politics hasn't really changed all that much. There is still those underhanded dealings and powerful political manipulations.
The story opens with a Senator's death and the other Senator (Sen. Paine, the Governor and the newspaper owner's (Mr. Taylor) struggle to pick out just the right man for the job. Someone who will take orders without complaint or any questions. Such a man is imperative, because the aforementioned three are all involved in the illegal dealings.... concerning a dam, and Willit Creek. (Remember that.) Well Mr. Taylor, who pretty much controls Sen. Paine and the Governor, wants one candidate and no one else, but the public violently wants another man. The poor governor is worn thin between the two opinions until his children suggest Jefferson Smith, leader of the Boy Rangers and the hero of all the kids and the parents in the state. So Mr. Smith it is!
One of my favorite things about Mr. Smith is the fact that he is so intensely patriotic and interested in the history of the country, like myself. As one character wryly remarks upon the arrival in D.C. "My head is swollen twice its size. I never knew our country had that much history."
Mr. Smith does not have an easy start, due to misquotations by the newspapermen, but Senator Paine, a good friend of Mr. Smith's father, helps him out and suggests that Smith propose a bill of his own. Smith gets excited about that and has his secretary Miss Saunders help him write it all in one night! The bill that Smith dearly wants to get passed concerns starting a boys camp, to get the boys out of the cities and into the wilderness, where they can learn how to be men and how to be free, to learn to value their country. He drops a bomb on certain Congressmen when he proposes that it be built on .... you guessed it .... Willit Creek, the very creek that Sen. Paine, Taylor and a few others had bought illegally.
Mr. Smith - after being kept out of the senate so he wouldn't find out - finds out about the plans for the dam. The execution begins. Paine at first tries to get Smith to cooperate, but when Smith refuses, Paine does the worst thing anyone could ever do, he betrays Smith and accuses him of - among other things - blackmail, lying, and stealing.
After a particularly vicious attack and denial from Mr. Paine, the man whom Smith has admired all of his life, Smith wants to run back to his state. Saunders - who has fallen in love with the naive senator - convinces him to stay and fight for his reputation and for the truth. The next day in the Senate, Jefferson Smith sets out to do just that.
When the President grants Smith the floor, I couldn't help feeling the urge to cheer when Smith reveals that he can and will keep the floor until he has proven that he is innocent of any charge. He wants the people of his state to hear what he has to say, so they know he is telling the truth. In order to keep the floor, he cannot sit down, nor can he stop talking. The battle now begins, with Smith holding power over the Senate and Taylor (who controls all of the newspapers) spreading lies back in the home state.
I absolutely love the scene when, after Smith has been talking for 7 1/2 hours, a fellow Senator rises and asks him if he would be willing to give up the floor so they can go to bed and re-adjourn in the morning. Smith turns to the President and asks if he will still have the floor if they do so. When he is told that he will not have it unless the Chair grants it to him, Smith nods and then starts up again with "The Constitution of the United States!"
Eventually, the truth does come through, but I won't tell you how, for fear of ruining the story.
This is a great movie, about one man standing up against the lies and corruption of Washington, no matter what. It is a story of courage and perseverance; Mr. Smith ends up talking for a few minutes short of a whole day. I couldn't help but wonder if any of the Senators that we have would have the determination, the honesty or the courage to fight for the truth for that long. Would any of us be able to, for that matter? Or would we simply resign ourselves to a ruined reputation and go home?
One of the things I love about old films, is that back then it was still OK to mention God, to quote the Bible in film productions and no one would protest. Mr. Smith quotes the Bible several times during his long fight, and if those had been left out, I don't think you could have gotten the point of the film across to your audience. I am sure they would have found a way around it, but it wouldn't have had the same meaning and depth as it did.
I highly recommend watching this film, especially during this political campaign filled with lies and ruthless power-grabbing. In addition to a valuable lesson in loving our neighbor as yourself, I also learned a lot about how the Senate works as well as how a bill gets passed. It's a wonderful, clean, family-friendly film and a real treat to watch. You can't go wrong, when Mr. Smith Goes to Washington!
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is the story of a young man plucked out of 'the wilderness' and thrust into the dirty world of politics. It was interesting to discover, while watching the first several scenes, that politics hasn't really changed all that much. There is still those underhanded dealings and powerful political manipulations.
The story opens with a Senator's death and the other Senator (Sen. Paine, the Governor and the newspaper owner's (Mr. Taylor) struggle to pick out just the right man for the job. Someone who will take orders without complaint or any questions. Such a man is imperative, because the aforementioned three are all involved in the illegal dealings.... concerning a dam, and Willit Creek. (Remember that.) Well Mr. Taylor, who pretty much controls Sen. Paine and the Governor, wants one candidate and no one else, but the public violently wants another man. The poor governor is worn thin between the two opinions until his children suggest Jefferson Smith, leader of the Boy Rangers and the hero of all the kids and the parents in the state. So Mr. Smith it is!
One of my favorite things about Mr. Smith is the fact that he is so intensely patriotic and interested in the history of the country, like myself. As one character wryly remarks upon the arrival in D.C. "My head is swollen twice its size. I never knew our country had that much history."
Mr. Smith does not have an easy start, due to misquotations by the newspapermen, but Senator Paine, a good friend of Mr. Smith's father, helps him out and suggests that Smith propose a bill of his own. Smith gets excited about that and has his secretary Miss Saunders help him write it all in one night! The bill that Smith dearly wants to get passed concerns starting a boys camp, to get the boys out of the cities and into the wilderness, where they can learn how to be men and how to be free, to learn to value their country. He drops a bomb on certain Congressmen when he proposes that it be built on .... you guessed it .... Willit Creek, the very creek that Sen. Paine, Taylor and a few others had bought illegally.
Mr. Smith - after being kept out of the senate so he wouldn't find out - finds out about the plans for the dam. The execution begins. Paine at first tries to get Smith to cooperate, but when Smith refuses, Paine does the worst thing anyone could ever do, he betrays Smith and accuses him of - among other things - blackmail, lying, and stealing.
After a particularly vicious attack and denial from Mr. Paine, the man whom Smith has admired all of his life, Smith wants to run back to his state. Saunders - who has fallen in love with the naive senator - convinces him to stay and fight for his reputation and for the truth. The next day in the Senate, Jefferson Smith sets out to do just that.
When the President grants Smith the floor, I couldn't help feeling the urge to cheer when Smith reveals that he can and will keep the floor until he has proven that he is innocent of any charge. He wants the people of his state to hear what he has to say, so they know he is telling the truth. In order to keep the floor, he cannot sit down, nor can he stop talking. The battle now begins, with Smith holding power over the Senate and Taylor (who controls all of the newspapers) spreading lies back in the home state.
I absolutely love the scene when, after Smith has been talking for 7 1/2 hours, a fellow Senator rises and asks him if he would be willing to give up the floor so they can go to bed and re-adjourn in the morning. Smith turns to the President and asks if he will still have the floor if they do so. When he is told that he will not have it unless the Chair grants it to him, Smith nods and then starts up again with "The Constitution of the United States!"
Eventually, the truth does come through, but I won't tell you how, for fear of ruining the story.
This is a great movie, about one man standing up against the lies and corruption of Washington, no matter what. It is a story of courage and perseverance; Mr. Smith ends up talking for a few minutes short of a whole day. I couldn't help but wonder if any of the Senators that we have would have the determination, the honesty or the courage to fight for the truth for that long. Would any of us be able to, for that matter? Or would we simply resign ourselves to a ruined reputation and go home?
One of the things I love about old films, is that back then it was still OK to mention God, to quote the Bible in film productions and no one would protest. Mr. Smith quotes the Bible several times during his long fight, and if those had been left out, I don't think you could have gotten the point of the film across to your audience. I am sure they would have found a way around it, but it wouldn't have had the same meaning and depth as it did.
I highly recommend watching this film, especially during this political campaign filled with lies and ruthless power-grabbing. In addition to a valuable lesson in loving our neighbor as yourself, I also learned a lot about how the Senate works as well as how a bill gets passed. It's a wonderful, clean, family-friendly film and a real treat to watch. You can't go wrong, when Mr. Smith Goes to Washington!
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