alicia: November 2008 Archives
John and I are part of RCIA team in our parish. Last year, we gave the talk on marriage, but this year we are a full part of the team. Monday we are giving a talk on the papacy and the magisterium. Writing the talk has been interesting because I am never quite sure where the Holy Spirit is going to send me. And it is also interesting because we tag team our talks, and I also need to write so that if I am unavailable John can still handle it. The main reason that I am doing the initial draft and most of the research and writing is that John has so much homework for the Ministry Formation program that this seems to be a fair division of labor.
I am feeling blessed that I will probably be able to be there Monday for the whole class. I had a string of births over the last 10 days, and now I don't have anyone due until the 16th - that doesn't mean that a baby couldn't happen, but just that it is less likely. I've had some tough births lately, too. And it isn't always predictable which ones will be tough! I've had an 11 pound baby be pushed out in less than ten minutes, and a mom push for 3 hours for an 8 pounder. In the last few months I've seen a couple of really scary post-partum hemorrhages, but also moms who barely lost a drop of blood. I don't really know how some folks do what I do without the prayer support I get.
I know that when I leave the house in the wee hours of the morning, John is praying for me, for the mom in labor, for her baby and for the rest of her family. I know that he is lifting up everyone involved. I know that when I am so busy doing what needs to be done that my prayers are no more than "God, help me get through this and help this mom and babe", there are others out there who are praying too.
I really do need to get my garden settled for the winter. We have had a few snow flurries. We had a nice crop of tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers. I have jams and pickles canned and some veges in the freezer. The only thing left in the garden is the last couple of Brussel Sprouts plants and they will be eaten soon.
After I finish working on the Pope talk (or maybe inbetween revisions) I need to start working on the next talk we will be doing - on the Holy Spirit.
I am SO GLAD that so many resources are now available online! For example, the Bible, the Catholic Encyclopedia, the Catechism and the early Church Fathers (among many other public domain Christian writings). Of course, I am still surrounded by my other reference books from the Didache to the didache high school textbooks!
Any suggestions on the Holy Spirit?
A very recent (just before Halloween) picture.
Emma is doing well, and we are looking forward to seeing her and her mom at Thanksgiving.
She has been through a lot since her birthday. She suffered an injury and was in a cast for a while, she has been back to the hospital for tummy bug for which she needed IV hydration and an overnight stay. But as you can see, she really is thriving.
This link is to a computer generated copy of Mr. Obama's birth certificate from the Los Angeles Times blog. It is not a photocopy of the original birth certificate. It is impossible at the present for most Americans to get an actual copy of the actual birth certificate with the signatures etc. As a matter of fact, most birth certificates are no longer actually signed by the person who delivered the baby!
The Los Angeles Times blog entry from which this link was taken has some other interesting commentary about citizenship including a clarification on Mr. McCain's status.
My sister was born abroad to American parents. She was born in a military hospital. However, she was required to obtain a certificate of naturalization and to my knowledge would not have been eligible to become President due to her birth status.
My concern in posting the letter below was that I did not want there to be a constitutional crisis should Mr. Obama be elected. I am still concerned about this. I would be more reassured if I could see a copy the actual Certificate of Live Birth that was filed with the local registrar. Alas, computer generated abstracts are simply that. GIGO. But the computer generated form is what you would likely get if you were to try to get a copy of your own birth certificate from just about any state in the Union.
I broke one of my own rules by not doing more assiduous fact checking. I sincerely hope that somewhere there is the requisite proof that all candidates for public office do in fact meet the requirements for that office as spelled out in the consitution.
What follows is part of an email just in to my inbox. I am hoping that we can avoid a constitutional crisis. I am very puzzled that a public figure would be reluctant to produce his birth certificate or at least the public portion that shows date, time, and place of birth.
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A prominent Pennsylvania Democrat, Phillip J. Berg, filed a case in Federal Court on August 21st, demanding that Barack Obama produce evidence that he is a natural born citizen of the United States. Only a natural born citizen of the United States can serve as President. Sen. Obama could have put the matter to rest by producing a valid birth certificate. Instead, he and his lawyers fought tooth and nail to block access to Obama's birth records.
Here is a video of Philip J. Berg talking about his case.Since that video was recorded, the Federal Judge assigned to hear Mr. Berg's case, Judge R. Barclay Surrick, a Bill Clinton appointee, ruled that an ordinary citizen of the United States does not have the right to file a case in Federal Court to challenge the credentials of a candidate for President of the United States!
Why would a Federal Judge go to such lengths to protect Obama?
Berg has now filed a request for an immediate injunction from the U.S. Supreme Court, to review his case before the election is allowed to take place.
Today's headline on WorldNetDaily is: "Constitutional Crisis Feared over Obama's Qualifications"
Evidence exists to substantiate the claim that Barack Obama is not a "natural born citizen" as required by the U.S. Constitution. His own paternal grandmother claims that she and two of Obama's half brothers were present at his birth in what is now Kenya, in 1961.
If elected, Mr. Obama may be the first candidate to win the election and be constitutionally barred from taking office. This would be an electoral disaster of epic proportions.
Courts in Hawaii have denied the public access to Obama's birth records by finding that the American people do not have "a tangible interest" in Obama's birth records. In addition, Barack Obama and his lawyers have stopped the release of his records at Columbia University, Occidental College, and Harvard Law School, all of which should include his birth information.
People hide the truth because it will hurt them. A candidate for President has an obligation to the American people to produce valid proof he or she is a natural born American citizen. This is what the American people want. Instead, we get nothing but stonewalling from Senator Obama and millions of Americans believe he is hiding the truth.
Senator Obama, we demand you produce a valid birth certificate that proves your birth in Hawaii. As a would-be President of the United States, you should provide a certified copy to every journalist who asks about it and to the Courts and plaintiffs in all the lawsuits seeking it. You must make the original available for inspection by any expert or news agency. Come clean and end the speculaton!
We must not let this issue corrupt, compromise or destroy the Constitution just because Senator Obama and the media want him to win the election.
Why won't Senator Obama produce a valid birth certificate for the court?
Why is the media silent on this issue?
In the absence of valid proof, the only logical explanation is that Barack Obama cannot produce evidence that he is a "natural born citizen" as required by the U.S. Constitution to be President.
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