North Carolina expands conscience protection, bans sex-selective abortions : News Headlines - Catholic Culture

The following excerpts are from Catholic Culture's Catholic World News:

• North Carolina’s bishops have welcomed the passage and signing into law of a bill that recognizes the right of nurses and other healthcare workers not to participate in an abortion. Previous state law on conscience protection had protected only physicians.
• The new law also bans insurance coverage for most abortions in health-insurance exchanges, places limits on abortion coverage in insurance policies offered to city and county employees, and states that “no person shall perform or attempt to perform an abortion upon a woman in this State with knowledge, or an objective reason to know, that a significant factor in the woman seeking the abortion is related to the sex of the unborn child.”

Read more by clicking below:

North Carolina expands conscience protection, bans sex-selective abortions : News Headlines - Catholic Culture

N.C. Governor Proposes Closing State Trooper Dispatch Office In Asheville

The area of the map shaded in light yellow, shows the area from Asheville to Hickory, which is a distance of just over 77 miles.

Attention all who live or travel in Western North Carolina. North Carolina Governor Pat McRory has proposed closing dispatch offices of the North Carolina State Troopers (Highway Patrol), including the dispatch office on Tunnel Road in Asheville. The dispatching of state troopers for Western North Carolina would then come from Hickory, North Carolina. This can result in dangerous and potentially life threatening situations for travellers due to the inevitable delays in dispatching state troopers throughout the western part of the state.

Please contact your representatives in the state house and senate, by either email or telephone, and tell them you oppose the closing of the Asheville dispatch office of the North Carolina State Troopers. You may find your representatives contact information by clicking this link, and after finding his or her name in the list, click on their name for the contact info.

You can do the same for your state senator by clicking this link.

You can also contact the Office of the Governor by clicking this link and clicking "Email Pat"or by calling (919) 733-5811. You can also Fax the Office of the Governor at (919) 733-2120/

Charlotte abortion clinic cited for filthy conditions, other violations | LifeSiteNews.com

The following excerpts are from LifeSiteNews.com:

• The North Carolina Department of Health has cited an abortion clinic, A Preferred Women’s Center in Charlotte for multiple violations in response to a complaint filed by a local pro-life activist concerned about conditions at the facility after she witnessed a medical emergency there in October, 2012. She was notified of the citations in a letter dated January 2, 2013.

(Note: This is the same clinic where their resident abortionist was caught on video making racist remarks about Black babies. You can see that video here.)

Read more by clicking below:
Charlotte abortion clinic cited for filthy conditions, other violations | LifeSiteNews.com

We Are America

Being a freedom loving American isn't about being Republican or Democrat. It isn't about being black, white, yellow, red, or brown. It isn't about being Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, or Muslim. It isn't about being rich, middle class, or poor. 

It is about believing "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness". It is about believing in the "government of the people, by the people, for the people". 

It is about our love, appreciation, and respect for those brave men and women who gave their time, their honor, their bodies, and their lives so that we can continue to be a freedom loving people, like Americans of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. 

It is about standing up to defend our country, and the helpless members of our society, from anyone or anything that threatens the lives and the liberties that this nation has cherished and protected for so many generations. It is about all of us standing up, and saying for all to hear, that WE are America, and that we will protect our nation as all the generations before us, and that we will never go quietly into that dark night.

Romney Backer Disses Southern Voters

David Frum (contributing editor to Daily Beast/Newsweek, and CNN contributor), a Mitt Romney backer, had a conniption fit (which is far worse than a hissy fit) over Rick Santorum's victories in Mississippi and Alabama. Apparently from his tweets on twitter, Mr. Frum doesn't think very highly of southern voters who are evangelicals and live in rural areas. In fact, Mr. Frum doesn't seem to think too highly of rural voters at all.

Below are a few of his tweets from twitter which he sent out after Rick Santorum had been declared the winner in both Mississippi and Alabama:

davidfrum ‏

Good news for Santorum. If he is the GOP nominee, Republicans will win a lot of counties. Bad news: not many votes.

davidfrum ‏

RT @xxxxxx l'd say more that he's candidate of rural everywhere. Look at Ohio, Iowa

davidfrum ‏

Bottom line: Santorum is candidate not of South, but of rural South. Think what that means in a general election

davidfrum ‏

Same pattern in Alabama. Romney wins Montgomery & Birmingham.

davidfrum ‏

If Santo cannot win Jackson, MS, he cannot win Raleigh-Durham.

davidfrum ‏

What today's results tell me: If Santo is nominee, Obama wins North Carolina.

davidfrum ‏

Question for Republican primary voters: do you think rural Mississippi looks like America?

So apparently in Mr. Frum's view, evangelical, southern, rural voters don't have enough common sense to know what's good for us. He also says that rural Mississippi, and I would guess rural anywhere else doesn't “look like America”, which is atypical thinking of those who live in the Washington, D.C. Beltway, as Mr. Frum does. It also seems to be the thinking of main stream media types in the larger metropolitan areas as well. They think that the metro areas are America and that the rest of us are “fringe Americans” who really don't count.

I would like to tell Mr. Frum, that many southerners were insulted and felt they were being mocked by Mitt Romney's dissing of our speech with his “y'all” and his pretending to love cheese grits. We may love our cheese grits but we don't like cheesy politicians who flip-flop like a fish stranded on a river bank.

We see Mitt Romney for what he is, Mr. Frum. And that is the 2012 version of John McCain. The only difference being that Mitt Romney has better hair, a better wardrobe, and more money. Although he might possibly be better at flip-flopping than McCain was.

So we will vote for who we think the best man is for us, and for the United States of America. For me, that man Mr. Frum is Rick Santorum. And remember this...if Mitt Romney can't win the south now he can not win it in November either.

And if you, and your other Romney backers in the media don't like it...that's just too bad!

Despite Attacks, Conservative Support For Santorum Will Grow - Star Parker - Townhall Conservative Columnists

The following excerpt is from an article by TownHall.com columnist Star Parker, entitled "Despite Attacks, Conservative Support For Santorum Will Grow":

• The way to stop runaway government today is to understand that it reflects the collapse of the core values which define personal responsibility and form the glue that keeps American families intact.
• There is no candidate today clearer on this than Santorum. It’s why I think, despite the expected onslaught of attacks, he will not only not lose his attractiveness among conservative voters, but the attraction will strengthen.

Click the link below to read more:


Despite Attacks, Conservative Support For Santorum Will Grow - Star Parker - Townhall Conservative Columnists

Pope Warns Against The Power Of Finance And Of The Media

Vatican City, 16 February 2012 (VIS) - Yesterday afternoon the Holy Father visited the Major Seminary of Rome for the occasion of the feast of its patroness, Our Lady of Trust, which falls on Saturday. The Holy Father visited the chapel before going on to meet with auxiliary bishops of Rome, superiors of diocesan seminaries and 190 seminarians.

Following the reading of the Gospel, Benedict XVI pronounced a "lectio divina" on the passage from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans in which the Apostle invites the faithful not to conform to this world but to transform themselves and renew their minds in order to discern the will of God, "the good and acceptable and perfect".

"We can reflect upon the Church today", he said in his off-the-cuff remarks. "There is much talk about the Church of Rome, many things are said. Let us hope that people also talk about our faith. Let us pray to God that it may be so".

The Pope then went on to refer to the force of evil which, in today's world, also emerges "in two great powers which are good and useful in themselves but easily open to abuse: the power of finance and the power of the media. Both are necessary, both are useful, but so subject to misuse that they often go against their true goals".

Today "we see how the world of finance can dominate mankind. Possession and appearance dominate and enslave the world. ... Finance is no longer a tool to promote well being and to support the life of man, but a force that oppresses him, one which almost has to be worshipped". The Pontiff called on his audience not to conform to this power. "Be non conformists. What counts is not possession but existence", he said. Christians must not bow to this power, but use it as "as a means, with the freedom of the children of God".

Turning then to consider the question of public opinion, Benedict XVI highlighted how "we have a great need of information, knowledge about the truth of the world; but there is a power of appearance which in the end counts even more than reality itself". Appearance "overlies the truth and becomes more important. Man no longer pursues the truth but wants above all to appear". Here too "there is a Christian non conformism. ... We want not appearance but truth, and this will give us true freedom".

"Christian non conformism redeems us and restores us to truth. Let us pray to the Lord that He may help us to be free in this non conformism, which is not against the world but is authentic love for the world".

You can find more information at: www.visnews.org

The news items contained in the Vatican Information Service may be used, in part or in their entirety, by quoting the source:

V.I.S. -Vatican Information Service.

Copyright © Vatican Information Service 00120 Vatican City

Remarks by the President on the American Jobs Act | THE MATT MITTAN SHOW - News Radio 570am WWNC

Below are a couple of excerpts from this condescending speech by President Obama in Asheville, N.C. today. Does he think we are all third graders? Anyway, the excerpts follow:

• Now, as you may have noticed, I came here on a plane. It’s a pretty nice plane. But I’m leaving on a bus. (Applause.) The bus is pretty hard to miss. And over the next few days, we are going to take this bus through North Carolina and Virginia and I’m going to get a chance to hear from folks about how they’re doing, what direction they want to take the country in.
• 
  
• And I’ll be doing a little bit of talking, but mostly I’m going to do a whole lot of listening — because there doesn’t seem to be much listening going on in Washington these days. (Applause.) People don’t seem to be paying much attention to the folks who sent them there in the first place. And that’s a shame. Because once you escape the partisanship and the political point-scoring in Washington, once you start really start listening to the American people, it’s pretty clear what our country and your leaders should be spending their time on.

Click the link below to read the rest of these dumbed down remarks:

Remarks by the President on the American Jobs Act | THE MATT MITTAN SHOW - News Radio 570am WWNC

A History Lesson For Today: Martin Van Buren And The Panic of 1837

Note: This originally appeared in 2009 on an older blog of mine. I thought it worth sharing here.


Since we are going through an “economic downturn” (depression/recession) as the pundits like to call it, I thought it might be interesting to look at another period of “economic instability” from a time other than the Great Depression, and the President who was in office at the time. I thought President Van Buren's comments regarding governments role in economic crises somewhat appropriate for today, especially considering the Congressional penchant for “bailouts”.

Martin Van Buren was the eighth President of the United States serving from 1837-1841. He was the first American citizen to be elected President who had not been a British subject. He had served as the Vice-President during Andrew Jackson's second term as President from 1833-1837. He was nicknamed “the Magician” because of his behind the scenes political maneuvers. However, unlike Jackson, he was never able to win popular support for himself or his policies.

In his inaugural address Van Buren had assured the nation that he would attempt to continue to follow the policies and examples set forth by Jackson, and as evidence of his intent to play the role of caretaker, he reappointed all the member's of Jackson's cabinet. In his address Van Buren had described the United States as being “an aggregate of human prosperity not elsewhere to be found”. Then, the United States first major economic depression, the Panic of 1837, hit the country, when the banks suspended the payment of gold or silver for paper money. Van Buren got the blame for it, even though it occurred only two months after he took office, and effectively killed any chances of his ever achieving popularity.

When this depression hit, Van Buren called a special session of Congress in September 1837, asking for the establishment of an independent treasury system (so the government could retain control of collected tax money instead of depositing it in private banks), and proposed the government begin issuing paper money in the form of treasury notes. Van Buren warned that it was not within the constitutional rights of Congress to give “specific aid to the citizen to relieve embarrassments arising from losses by revulsions in commerce and credit.”

Further he said: “All communities are apt to look to government for too much. Even in our own country, where its powers and duties are so strictly limited, we are prone to do so, especially at periods of sudden embarrassment and distress. But this ought not to be. The framers of our excellent Constitution and the people who approved it with calm and sagacious deliberation acted at the time on a sounder principle. They wisely judged that the less government interferes with private pursuits the better for the general prosperity. It is not its legitimate object to make men rich or to repair by direct grants of money or legislation in favor of particular pursuits losses not incurred in public service. This would be substantially to use the property of some for the benefit of others.”

Congress was slow in approving Van Buren's suggestions, with the independent treasury system not coming into effect until July 1840. Prosperity temporarily returned in the winter of 1839-1840, but bad times recurred at the end of the Van Buren administration, continuing until 1845.

Van Buren was unanimously chosen by the Democratic Convention to run for a second term in the election of 1840. Delegates were unable to decide on a vice-presidential candidate leaving the choice up to the electors, thus leaving Van Buren without a popular running mate to bring him support, and all the forces that opposed him united behind the Whig candidate, William Henry Harrison.

Whigs called the President “Martin Van Ruin” because of the nationwide depression. They portrayed him as an aristocrat who drank his wine from a silver cooler and ate his meals from gold plates, and criticized him for using public money to install a hot water tank in the White House to warm his bath water. They featured Harrison as a man of the people who could live in a log cabin and be content with hard cider. The facts were that Harrison was born in a mansion as a Virginia aristocrat, while Van Buren was the self-made son of a tavern keeper. The voters believed the Whig version, and Van Buren was defeated.

Obama Plan: Teacher Jobs One Year Only

This article by Carolina Journal reporter Don Carrington, points out how the Obama Jobs Plan only provides funding to states, such as North Carolina, "to save the jobs of up to 13,000 North Carolina teachers, cops, and firefighters" for one year.

Below are some excerpts from the article, If you go to the Carolina Journal page to read the entire article, be sure to scroll down the page for the chart that has a breakdown of how the money would be distributed by state.

The excerpts follow:

• A White House press release describing the benefits to North Carolina was more specific. “These funds would help states and localities avoid and reverse layoffs now, and will provide $900,300,000 in funds to North Carolina to support 13,400 educator and first responder jobs.”
• As in the president’s comments, the White House press release does not specify how long the jobs would be funded. Dividing $900,300,000 by 13,400 yields $67,186.57 to cover salary, benefits, and any other costs associated with providing each job in North Carolina. Since the average annual cost of teacher pay and benefits in the state is $56,000, funding in Obama’s jobs bill would cover a little more than one year of compensation.
• Sections 204-209 of the bill include provisions requiring states to “meet the requirements” of the law for an additional two years. A White House spokeswoman told Carolina Journal that the bill includes no unfunded mandates. But unless North Carolina picks up the funding for these positions after the first year, it’s unclear how the teachers and first responders supported by it would be paid.

Click the link below to read the entire article:

Obama Plan: Teacher Jobs One Year Only

Suspend Elections | Beverly Perdue | Audio | The Daily Caller

North Carolina Democratic Governor Beverly Perdue continues to make the news regarding her bizarre statement that Congressional elections should not be held but consideration given to "suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years and just tell them we won't hold it against them, whatever decisions they make, to just let them help this country recover."

Click the link below to read this article from "The Daily Caller", complete with audio. Doesn't sound like a "joke" or "hyperbole" to me.

Suspend Elections | Beverly Perdue | Audio | The Daily Caller

Perdue jokes about suspending Congressional elections for two years | newsobserver.com projects

 

The following are some excerpts from “The Raleigh News & Observer” in regard to comments made by North Carolina Democratic Governor Bev Perdue :

Speaking to a Cary rotary club today, N.C. Gov. Bev Perdue suggested suspending Congressional elections for two years so that Congress can focus on economic recovery and not the next election.

"I think we ought to suspend, perhaps, elections for Congress for two years and just tell them we won't hold it against them, whatever decisions they make, to just let them help this country recover. I really hope that someone can agree with me on that," Perdue said. "You want people who don't worry about the next election."

The comment -- which came during a discussion of the economy -- perked more than a few ears. It's unclear whether Perdue, a Democrat, is serious -- but her tone was level and she asked others to support her on the idea.

Later Tuesday afternoon, Perdue's office clarified the remarks: "Come on," said spokeswoman Chris Mackey in a statement. "Gov. Perdue was obviously using hyperbole to highlight what we can all agree is a serious problem: Washington politicians who focus on their own election instead of what’s best for the people they serve."

Click the link below to read the entire piece:

 Perdue jokes about suspending Congressional elections for two years | newsobserver.com projects

Beginning A New Section

With the plethora of topics and news events that don't have a "neat fit" so to speak, on the other "Faith of the Fathers" blogs, I have decided to implement a new blog page to "cover" (as best we can) those topics on a local, national, and world level.

Those topics will include politics, science, nature, humor, and assorted other topics, including religion. I will include my own views and opinions from time to time, and invite you to share your ideas and thoughts.

Just remember when making your comments, that no personal attacks on any other commentor will be tolerated. Any "comments" that are off topic will not appear, and any comments that are "spam" will also not appear.