S.O.S.

Any advice for a mom whose four month doesn't nap? Like, ever? And who hasn't had a chance to clean her bathrooms in a month? And who lives near someone whose car alarm has been going off for 2 HOURS? And who is so frustrated with her baby she wants to let him just cry and cry instead of picking him up, and then she feels like the worst mother in the world because for Heaven's sake he probably just wants you to love him instead of being the selfish mom you are so you pick him up but you resent him for it? Because you are just more tired than you ever thought any one could ever be. And why is he crying again? And for how long is he going to want to nurse every hour? And will someone shut that damn alarm off? And why is this so hard??

"I have Kevin Costner on the phone...He'll know what to do!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AAa0gd7ClM

Help

Still pregnant. STILL pregnant. Still pregnant.

After months of announcing "April 24th" in response to due date questions, it is now April 27th, and here we are, baby clothes and diapers stacked and waiting.

Where oh where is my baby?

Blog to Check Out

http://corner.nationalreview.com/ brings a new blog to everyone's attention: Obamacare Fail . Its writers are working to "make sure that you know the effects of President Obama’s universal healthcare scheme on Americans throughout the country."

Keep Your Laws Off My Body

Can someone please explain to me why abortion falls under the category of "things I choose to do with my body and thus must be protected by the right to privacy" but the FDA can tell me (rather, restaurants and manufacturers) how much sodium should be allowed in the foods I choose to eat? This is why government regulation in health care is such a slippery slope - once a country makes it the business of the elected officials (and some unelected, as the case may be) to oversee the health of its constituents, the tentacles of regulation and restriction find their way into every aspect of our lives. Wait, do leviathans have tentacles?

Casting Stones

Jimmy Akin does a great job of clearly describing the details of the case that is the focus of the recent sex abuse hysteria.

It is still fascinating to me that publications like the New York Times can spiral downward into the realm of tabloid sensationalism, hardly conducting legitimate research or verifying sources - editors of high school newspapers appear to have higher standards. As Akin notes, the NYT ultimately shoots itself in the foot by providing links to some primary source documents that pertain to the case. Savvy readers of the sources can come to their own conclusions, after sifting through the mud that serves as unbiased reporting in NY.

As disturbing and frustrating as some facts of the case are, and as tempting as it is to bury one's head in the sand and pray that the articles and hysteria just go away, it is ultimately important that Catholics do two things: (1) Pray for everyone involved in the scandal, from abused to abusers to Catholics with the courage to speak out against the mistreatment of the Pope and (2) Make ourselves as knowledgeable about the case as possible because when others ask you about the facts or make rude comments, which they will, we need to be armed and ready.

Let me end by saying that I in no way condone any misconduct on the part of the Catholic Church, especially where the abuse of its youngest members are concerned. I do take umbrage, however, at the way in which so-called journalists, New Atheists, and others of a similar stripe rabidly snatch at any and all things negative that can be associated with the Church and boldly broadcast them as "fact." You can practically hear them giggling with glee at the thought that they contributed to the witch hunt that may finally take down the monolithic Catholic Church.


Also:

• A Woman's Place offers some good articles on the NYT and their litany of lies
• Scroll down for Father Z's continued commentary on the hysteria
• Father Longenecker lets Dick Dawkins in on the debate
• The Curt Jester reminds us of Psalm 52

A Sampling of Sowell

First, Thomas Sowell on the fickle American memory and what it means for Democrats' success.

And second, Sowell on the phrase "Garbage in, garbage out."


Does anyone else just love this guy? I mean, look at those glasses!

FYI, Congressman Stupak

As Richard Doerflinger notes over at The Catholic Thing, an executive order from President Obama is not enough to ensure that the health care bill doesn't use federal funds for abortions:

"According to [decades of federal appellate rulings], such health legislation creates a statutory requirement for abortion funding, unless Congress clearly forbids such funding. That is why the Hyde amendment was needed in 1976, to stop Medicaid from funding 300,000 abortions a year. The statutory mandate construed by the courts would override any executive order or regulation ... Only a change in the law enacted by Congress, not an executive order, can begin to address this very serious problem in the legislation."

Wow. No one saw that coming. Except maybe Mr. Stupak...?


Also:

• William Saunders asks why we need an executive order when the Dems and the President told us the bill excludes federal funding for abortion... 

A YouTube Video Is Worth a Thousand Words

Digital food for thought on two of America's most irritating, botoxed, hairsprayed women in politics - one from the national scene and one who aspires to the same:

1. Not that I'm Jack Cafferty's #1 fan or anything,  but as Laura Ingraham said about The Situation Room correspondent, "Even a stopped clock is right twice a day." Here he tells Wolf Blitzer how he really feels about Nancy Pelosi. Amen, Cafferty.

2. If you're not familiar with Massachusetts politics (or Massachusettes, as Coakley seems to think it's spelled), a special election next week will determine who will fill the Senate seat formerly known as "Ted Kennedy's." Scott Brown (R) has taken on Martha Coakley (D); his election would be a massive upset for Democrats on a national level, and a triumph in a state that is so ridiculously left-leaning that Coakley barely had to wage a campaign for the seat - or so she thought. As her public appearances (though few and far between) consistently show how uninformed and pathetic she is, Brown is seriously closing the gap. To add insult to Coakley's injury, one of her staffers recently assaulted a reporter from The Weekly Standard who attempted to question Coakley about her statement that "there are no more Taliban in Afghanistan." She reponds with, "I'm sorry, does anyone else have a question?" and her staffer responds by shoving the reporter to the ground. Politics as usual in Massachusettes - after all, the race is for the Kennedy seat. The reporter's last name? No, not Kopechne.