Feb 28, 2009

The leafleting at the wREC today was a success

The leafleting at today's sessions of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles's annual Religious Education Congress was a success.

CRCOA and friends handed out large quantities of a 3,000-word expose that warned attendees about the dissenting speakers who undermine the teachings of the Church.

In fact, they couldn't hand out the leaflets fast enough.

Also, priests, sisters and lay people stopped to visit with the leafleters, and thanked them for what they were doing and encouraged them to keep it up.

People even donated money on the spot, without being asked.

This experience contradicts the propaganda of archdiocesan spokesman Tod Tamberg, who was quoted in the Orange County Register on February 27 as claiming that conference-goers "blow right by" the leafleters.

But as the flyer said, "Please note that many scheduled presenters aren't objectionable, and that Cdl. Mahony does have a few well-known 'token' orthodox Catholic speakers."

Maybe someday, though, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles will stop bringing in speakers, year after year, who have long track records of being pro-abortion and pro-homosexual or who belong to Call to Action or similar groups.

"Nostalgia" is not why Catholics love the Latin Mass

Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston this past week referred to "nostalgia" as the reason Catholics want the Latin Mass back.

Sorry, Your Eminence, but "nostalgia" plays ZERO part in why I and many other Catholics love the Latin Mass, including many people younger than 40 or so who have known only Mass in the vernacular and could not be "nostalgic" for a Mass they have never been permitted to have.

We love the Latin Mass for its own sake, for its inherent reverence and for all the Catholic elements in it that were removed from the "New" Mass. Sure, the New Mass is Catholic and entirely sufficient, of course -- but when Catholics attend the Latin Mass they see what else is possible.

That is not "nostalgia."

The hostility and the dismissiveness that too many in the hierarchy and the clergy have toward the Latin Mass cannot be good for the Church and are not what Pope Benedict XVI wants.

Feb 26, 2009

Show your pro-life colors -- take part in the L.A. March for Life on Sat., March 14, in Encino

Mark your calendar now! Here's a good way to show your pro-life colors: Take part in the 6th Annual L.A. March for Life on Saturday, March 14, along Ventura Blvd. in Encino.

The march is ecumenical and for all ages. It covers two miles, total, and starts and ends at St. Cyril of Jerusalem Catholic Church, 15520 Ventura Blvd. in Encino.

To visit the march's web site, click on this post's title. You can get all the details, and see a slide show of last year's march, too.

Registration for the march is $5, and it's for a great cause: All the moms and babies who are helped by the Pregnancy Counseling Center in Mission Hills. Registration starts at 8 a.m., there's an opening ceremony at 9 a.m., and the walk is from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.

The actively pro-life Knights of Columbus Van Nuys Council 3148 are the sponsors.

Los Angeles March for Life Mailing Address
14450 Valerio Street
Van Nuys, CA 91405
March for Life Chairman - Nick Bryan (818) 789-3237
Pro-Life Chairman - John Costello, PGK (949) 285-8918

Feb 25, 2009

Senate confirms L.A. pro-abort Hilda Solis as Labor Secretary

The U.S. Senate voted 80-17 today to confirm Rep. Hilda Solis (D) as Labor Secretary.

She calls herself Catholic but is a longtime pro-abort. She joined 47 other congressmen and women in 2004 in writing Cardinal McCarrick to demand that bishops not withhold Communion from politicians like themselves who facilitate the slayings of babies by the millions.

Well, that's not quite how Rep. Solis and her pals put it. But they should have, if they wanted to be honest.

Hildy also joined other Democrats in Congress in 2006 in signing a "Statement of Principles [sic]" in which they insisted they are good Catholics even though they "follow their consciences [sic]" by being for aborting babies and thus flouting Catholic doctrine on the sanctity of human life.

Well, that's not quite how the pro-aborts put that statement, either. But they should have, if they wanted to be honest.

Hildy lives in El Monte. Do you suppose Cardinal Mahony or anyone else from the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has ever tried, or is now continuing to try, to get her to repent of her complicity in mass abortion? Sure hope so.

Feb 24, 2009

Venite, Adoremus -- Come, Let Us Adore Him

Let's keep Jesus company this Lent in all His tabernacles and whenever and wherever Exposition and Adoration are available.

The prayer of exhortation below is from the "An Appeal from My Sacred Heart" page at www.therealpresence.org --

"Take advantage of your short time on earth. Do those things that will lead you to eternal life.

WON'T YOU, PLEASE?

Come to Me frequently before the Blessed Sacrament, especially when you are hurting with worry, fear, anxiety and pain and suffering of any kind.

Attend Mass and receive Holy Communion more frequently.

Pray more and say the rosary.

Get to know Me better so that I can better help you carry your cross."

This Lent, let's pray extra for the Pope

Maybe a little more than usual, the Holy Father has been asking people to pray for him.

So during Lent, let's remember that.

A lot of turkeys -- human ones -- are resisting the Pope. What a nerve they have! May they curb and root out their pride and obstinacy.

And may we defend the Vicar of Christ always and no matter what.

(Yes, I know -- we all need to root out our own pride and obstinacy. And Lent is a great time to do that, of course.)

Feb 22, 2009

The sentence for the Rev. Walter Hoye was unjust

I know an attorney who says we should not rejoice over the supposedly light sentence of 30 days in jail (to be substituted for by "community service"), a fine of $1,130 and a demand that he stay away from the abortion chamber, which a judge gave the Rev. Walter B. Hoye II (above, center) last Thursday in Oakland for pro-life sidewalk counseling.

This attorney calls the sentence unjust because what the Rev. Hoye was convicted of is not a crime but the exercise of a right -- twice approaching people to offer them a pro-life leaflet. If the Bill of Rights means anything at all, it is that we have a God-given right to freedom of speech.

And, the attorney adds, a year in jail and a $2,000 fine, which is what the district attorney wanted imposed, is a draconian sentence for each of the two counts of simply (and gently) trying to give a leaflet to someone. The attorney says we should not start to accept or get used to persecution such as this against pro-lifers who try to help moms and save babies.

These would make great points for you or me to use in writing a letter to the editor of the Oakland Tribune and the San Francisco Chronicle. Letters to the editor are excellent tools for us: The liberal news media publish our letters free of charge and hundreds of thousand of people get to see what we've said.

Let's keep praying for the Rev. Hoye and for all pro-life sidewalk counselors and prayer vigil-keepers. And let's go out and join them at the abortion chambers.

Feb 20, 2009

The Tidings publicizes pro-life Fr. Tad Pacholczyk

Glad to see that the new issue of The Tidings, Cardinal Mahony's archdiocesan newspaper, carries an article (click on this post's title) that publicizes pro-life Catholic bioethicist Fr. Tad Pacholczyk's latest comments about the immorality of in vitro fertilization.

Fr. Pacholczyk will be one of the speakers at this year's Religious Education Congress. Wouldn't it be wonderful if every speaker were as faithful to the Faith and to the right to life as he is! Then there would be no need to warn attendees about the dangers that some speakers pose.

Again this year, friend Kenneth Fisher and his compadres will be outside the REC on Saturday (Feb. 28) to warn people about the speakers who have track records of dissent. To help out, call 714-491-2284.

Maybe someday the archdiocese will make sure that all speakers are truly orthodox and truly pro-life. Why should things ever be otherwise?

Feb 19, 2009

Nancy Pelosi did meet with Archbishop Niederauer after all

You might have heard the news that Nancy Pelosi finally did accede to San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer's longstanding request that she meet with him about her stance on aborting babies.

The meeting, in secret, took place on Sunday, February 8. Obviously politician Pelosi was trying to clear the decks before her meeting with Pope Benedict XVI on Feb. 18.

As friend Gibbons Cooney of the "A Shepherd's Voice" blogspot has pointed out, Valerie Schmalz of Our Sunday Visitor found out about the meeting and is writing about it (click on this post's title).

Reporter Schmalz says that Maurice Healy, spokesman for the Archdiocese of San Francisco, said last night (Wednesday) that he learned about the meeting only on Tuesday, Feb. 17.

She also reported this:

"[Pelosi spokesman Brendan] Daly said that the meeting did not sway Pelosi's stance on life issues. 'She is not changing her position on abortion,' he said. Daly said Pelosi still goes to Mass and Communion every Sunday at San Francisco's St. Vincent de Paul parish or elsewhere when she is traveling."

Imagine meeting with your archbishop, and then with the Pope himself, the Vicar of Christ, and still having, evidently, the pride and obstinacy to not obey -- and the hardness of heart to have no mercy on the babies.

It would change the whole U.S. political equation if any American bishop excommunicated a pro-abortion Catholic politician.

It would lead to even more hatred against our Church than already exists, and to more persecution than already exists.

It would also draw the line clearly and make all Catholics, from the hierarchy on down, decide once and for all whose side they are really on, the babies' side or the baby-killers' side.

And it would SAVE BABIES' LIVES. If you were a dear little baby in your Mama's womb, would you care about the political fallout of excommunicating politicians, or would you just want to have your life saved?

Pro-life hero Rev. Walter Hoye will appeal his sentencing

The pro-life non-profit group Life Legal Defense Foundation (Life Legal, for short) does wonderful and indispensable pro-life work. It reports (be sure to click on this post's title) today that a judge in crime-plagued Oakland today (Feb. 19) sentenced the Rev. Walter B. Hoye II to 30 days in jail (for which "community service" may be substituted) and a fine of $1,130 -- for the "crime" of pro-life sidewalk counseling.

The Rev. Hoye has not agreed to the judge's order to stay away from a certain abortion business. His attorneys, who are from Life Legal, say they will appeal.

“It is absolutely incredible that in America an individual can be sentenced to jail for engaging in peaceful free speech activity on a public sidewalk,” says Allison Aranda, Staff Counsel for Life Legal Defense Foundation. “Rev. Hoye has a legal right to refuse onerous conditions of probation. Rev. Hoye will not and should not agree to give up his free speech rights."

You can read a riveting first-person account of today's sentencing, by friend Gibbons Cooney, at:
http://johnmalloysdb.blogspot.com/

A lawsuit in federal court that is separate from the case is challenging the constitutionality of the Oakland "bubble zone" city ordinance under which the Rev. Hoye was convicted.

Let's keep praying for the Rev. Hoye. By the way, his web site is at:
http://www.issues4life.org/

Questions: How come so often pro-lifers are out at the abortion mills in small numbers or even by themselves? How come there is not a crowd of believers with them? How come more of our clergy are not out at the abortion mills to lead us in prayer and sidewalk counseling?

More questions: Did any of our California bishops stand up publicly for the Rev. Hoye? Did any Catholic clergy in and around Oakland publicly support him? I'll be more than happy to publicize their support, if they did.

And here in Los Angeles, where Cardinal Mahony admits abortionists kill around 140 preborn babies every day, why aren't our Cardinal, our bishops and our clergy out at the abortion mills on a regular basis? Whose actions do you admire more, theirs or the Rev. Walter Hoye's?

Feb 18, 2009

Pope Benedict XVI admonishes Nancy Pelosi about aborting babies

This just in, as they say: The Catholic News Agency reports (click on this post's title) that Pope Benedict XVI today spent his whole 15 minute-session with Nancy Pelosi admonishing her about aborting babies, and that no photos were taken -- she got no photo op.

If you'll recall, Ole Q said just last night that it would be great if the Pope bawled her out like Pope John Paul II did the Sandinista stooge Fr. Ernesto Cardenal in Nicaragua in 1983. Sounds as if I wasn't too far off the mark.

No doubt we'll hear more about this meeting. It's big news! And good news.

Deo gratias, and alleluia!

Feb 17, 2009

Remember to pray for the Rev. Walter B. Hoye -- Thursday, Feb. 19, is the date of his sentencing for sidewalk counseling outside an abortion chamber

A judge up in Oakland is scheduled to sentence the Rev. Walter Hoye this Thursday, Feb. 19, at 1:30 p.m. -- for his pro-life sidewalk counseling.

We need to pray hard for the Rev. Hoye, a real hero. He could be given two years in jail and a $4,000 fine -- merely for being pro-life in public.

The Communist Castro regime in Cuba has put heroic pro-life physician Oscar Elias Biscet (we must pray for him too, and his brave wife Elsa Morejon Hernandez) in a hell-hole prison for being publicly pro-life. Will a judge in our USA now jail American pro-life hero Walter Hoye?

Wouldn't it be nice if our California Catholic bishops would speak up for the Rev. Hoye?

To follow the Rev. Hoye's case, click on this post's title. And also visit http://johnmalloysdb.blogspot.com

And oremus -- let us pray.

Pope Benedict XVI and Pro-Abortion Nancy Pelosi

Soon we'll know at least some of what went on when Pope Benedict XVI received pro-abortion Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday.

As the Holy See has pointed out, the Pope is receiving her in his capacity as head of a sovereign state, the Holy See. She is third in line to the presidency of the USA and is on an official visit.

The USA is really in trouble when the top three positions in its government are filled by human beings as ignorant, as extremist and as cruel and heartless as the remorseless pro-abortion zealots Nancy Pelosi, Joseph Biden and Barack H. "Punished with a Baby" Obama.

Mrs. Pelosi and Biden know zero about Catholic teaching about the sanctity of human life, and Obama professes not to know the elementary scientific fact that our lives begin at conception.

It is nice to imagine the Pope bawling out Nancy Pelosi and shaking his finger at her, just as Pope John Paul II did to the Sandinista stooge Fr. Ernesto Cardenal in Nicaragua in 1983.

We will see what happens. In any case, we know that the pro-abortion Catholics and the "it's only one issue" Catholics will be wrong if they try to claim the Pope is not fully pro-life.

By the way, for the latest on Nancy Pelosi's stonewalling on San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer's invitation to her to discuss the right to life, be sure to visit http://johnmalloysdb.blogspot.com

Cornwall's Prayer Book Rising of 1549

Here is a history interlude. In 1549 the English Protestant monarchy ordered that Protestant "Archbishop" Thomas Cranmer's First Prayer Book, which was in English, be the only text used for Mass and that the Catholic Latin Mass never be said again.

The English Protestants at this time were also busy stopping Catholic churches from "looking Catholic" -- by forcibly invading them and destroying their holy relics, as well as their beautiful holy images and statues, so that only Protestantized sanctuaries and bare walls remained.

In Dublin, the Protestant "archbishop" there had even burned the holy staff of St. Patrick, which was already 1,100 years old.

The English Protestant monarchy had also initiated devastating social upheaval by destroying the Catholic monasteries of England, Ireland, and, I believe, Scotland, Wales and Cornwall, and by kicking out their happy tenants and leaving them to fend for themselves by seeking work in the cities. The English crown took over all of the monasteries' land and cultural treasures.

Back to the Cranmer "prayer" book. The Catholics of Cornwall and nearby Devon were loyal to the Catholic Latin Mass and began banding together to reject the English authorities' attempted imposition of the English Protestant version in their churches.

I should point out here that the Catholics of Cornwall at that time understood and loved the Cornish language AND the Latin of the Mass, but knew no, or little, English.

Soon a Cornish Catholic rising was underway, and for a while it had a fair chance of succeeding. But the English authorities brought in German and Italian mercenaries and eventually crushed the lovers of the Catholic Latin Mass. To impose the Protestantized English-language "prayer" book, the English forces killed some 5,000 in Cornwall, including 900 captives whose throats they slit and not excepting the civilians whom they went around slaughtering after the battles.

The English refused a request by some of the Cornish to have Mass said in the Cornish tongue.

The Cornish "rebels" were not perfect. No uprising ever is. But the English were in the wrong.

To read a brief summary about a modern Jesuit scholar's history of the Prayer Book Rising, click on this post's title.

The situation in the Church today is not analogous to any of the above, of course.

Today we have two Catholic forms of the Mass, the vernacular and the Latin (to put it simply). May we pray that all the bishops and clergy who oppose the Latin Mass or put roadblocks in its way will reconcile themselves to the wishes and instructions of Pope Benedict XVI and to the desires of the faithful who are slowly discovering what they have missed in the last 40 years.

Feb 13, 2009

Abortion fanatic Nancy Pelosi to meet with Pope?

Glenn Beck reported today that abortion-pushing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was to fly off to Italy today to "be with" the Pope and to get an award from Italian legislators.

This is a good time to wonder if extremist anti-lifer Mrs. Pelosi ever responded to San Francisco Archbishop George Niederauer's invitation to meet with her and find out her views on aborting babies. (Hint to the Archbishop: She's for aborting babies. I coulda tol' ya that.)

Guess we'll find out soon enough whether she really is to meet the Pope.

Feb 12, 2009

Pope Benedict XVI and the SSPX

I haven't commented yet on Pope Benedict XVI's lifting of the excommunications of the four SSPX bishops and the ensuing scandal over Bishop Richard Williamson.

It seems clear that before he lifted the excommunications, the Pope did not know about Bishop Williamson's doubting the Holocaust. The Pope time and again through the years, and right now this week, has made it clear that the Church is not anti-Semitic, he is not anti-Semitic, no Catholic may be anti-Semitic and it is wrong to deny the Holocaust.

What the excommunications have done, as I understand it, is just to allow the four bishops to go to Confession and to receive Communion. That's all.

The SSPX silenced Bishop Williamson and then canned him from his seminary post. But the Catholic News Agency reported today that he has given an interview to the German news magazine Der Spiegel. He said he is going to "study the evidence." How could anyone be so obtuse, as well as so stubborn, as he has been in the interviews he has given?

A fellow parishioner of mine is a decorated, combat-wounded vet of World War II in the European Theater. A few years ago, big tears welled up in this American hero's eyes when he exclaimed, "Don't let anyone ever [say] there wasn't a Holocaust. I saw it." I will never forget that moment.

About the Legionaries of Christ

Well, I haven't commented until now on the Fr. Maciel scandal and what might happen now to the Legionaries of Christ and their lay arm, Regnum Christi.

Probably the best set of recommendations is that of George Weigel from last Monday (click on this post's title). The blogspot In the Light of the Law, which is by a canon lawyer, had some similar ideas the last time I checked, a few days ago. Someone outside the Legion could head an investigation and come up with a plan to straighten out the whole situation.

Any sincere Catholic has to admit that there are many wonderful Catholic priests in the Legion, and many good lay Catholics in Regnum Christi. Many or most are reacting in the right way: Feeling betrayed, being angry at Fr. Maciel's years of deception and double life, feeling sorry for the victims and wanting everything to be exposed, cleaned up and made right.

A big part of the deep hurt in the wake of the scandal, as I understand it, is that the Legionaries and their lay allies essentially were never supposed to question or doubt their founder and his wishes. They are now upset, to put it mildly, at that policy and at Fr. Maciel's defenders.

No one, even liberal Catholics, should want to see all the good that the Legionary priests and Regnum Christi members do be shattered. Maybe the Legionaries eventually will be reconstituted, and Regnum Christi too, and the good their members do can continue in that way.

Does the scandal mean that those who have disliked the Legion and Regnum Christi for their orthodox Catholicism were right? Not if what they disliked was just the orthodoxy, of course.

If you know any Legionary priests and any Regnum Christi members, reach out to them, let them talk out their feelings if they want to, and be kind and encouraging to them.

Let us hope and pray for the best.

Feb 9, 2009

Thanksgiving after Communion

Do many people in your parish stay after Mass to continue their Thanksgiving after Communion?

That used to be the Catholic practice. But it has faded in the "Spirit of Vatican II" era of Communion in the hand, swarming "extraordinary" ministers of the Eucharist, disappearing tabernacles, Mass as a meal instead of a Sacrifice, jackhammered altar rails and hostility toward Catholics who kneel for Communion.

Many people rush outside right after Mass and gab with each other, or do not even wait to get outside the church before they start gabbing. They don't know any better.

St. Padre Pio's Communions used to last from one Mass to the next. The Cure d'Ars used to spend the day spiritually preparing for his next day's Mass.

The Baltimore Catechism is right. So we could thank Jesus more than we do, talk with Him more than we do, love Him more than we do. The saints did so, and the popes tell us to.

Here is St. Thomas Aquinas's Thanksgiving after Communion prayer:

I give Thee thanks, O holy Lord, Father Almighty, Eternal God, that Thou hast vouchsafed, for no merit of my own, but of the mere condescension of Thy mercy, to satisfy me, a sinner and Thine unworthy servant, with the precious Body and Blood of Thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ. I implore Thee, let not this Holy Communion be to me an increase of guilt unto my punishment, but an availing plea unto pardon and forgiveness.

Let it be to me the armor of faith and the shield of good will. Grant that it may work the extinction of my vices, the rooting out of concupiscence and lust, and the increase within me of charity and patience, of humility and obedience. Let it be my strong defense against the snares of all my enemies, visible and invisible; the stilling and the calm of all my impulses, carnal and spiritual; my indissoluble union with Thee the one and true God, and a blessed consummation at my last end.

And I beseech thee that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to bring me, sinner as I am, to that ineffable banquet where Thou, with the Son and the Holy Ghost, art to Thy saints true and unfailing light, fullness and content, joy for evermore, gladness without alloy, consummate and everlasting bliss. Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Here is the Anima Christi:
Soul of Christ, sanctify me.
Body of Christ, save me.
Blood of Christ, inebriate me.
Water from the side of Christ, wash me.
Passion of Christ, strengthen me.
O good Jesus, hear me.
Within Thy wounds hide me.
Permit me never to be separated from Thee.
From the malicious enemy defend me.
In the hour of my death call me
And bid me come unto Thee,
That with Thy angels and saints
I may praise Thee forever and ever. Amen.
And here is a hymn:

O Lord, I am not worthy
That Thou shouldst come to me.
But speak the words of comfort,
My spirit healed shall be.

And humbly I'll receive Thee,
The Bridegroom of my soul,
No more by sin to grieve Thee,
Or fly Thy sweet control.

O Sacrament most holy,
O Sacrament divine,
All praise and all thanksgiving
Be every moment Thine.

Feb 7, 2009

What "community organizing" really is

Many Catholics in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles still do not realize that some of our clergy imagine they are applying Catholic social teaching when they believe in, support and even sometimes engage in left-wing "community organizing" along with their lay-activist friends.

Clergy fellow-traveling with leftist pressure groups in Southern California has been going on for the past several decades. For an explanation of "community organizing," click on this post's title.

And for an explanation of the Left's version of social justice, go to:
http://www.eagleforum.org/psr/2009/jan09/psrjan09.html

Not all community organizing and social justice efforts are as bad as those described at the above two links. And obviously, it is wonderful to help everyone improve their financial circumstances. But trying to do that by left-wing ideology, agitation and propaganda is not right and will not work, so we Catholics need to be careful about what groups we join and support.

Feb 6, 2009

Happy Birthday, President Reagan!

Happy Birthday, President Reagan!

Yes, the late, and great, President Ronald Reagan, born this day, February 6, in 1911: Defender of Preborn Babies, Liberator of the Captive Nations, Returner of the Name of God to American Public Discourse, Restorer of Americans' Love of Country and Eloquent Articulator of Our American Republic's Founding Principles of Individual Liberty and Limited Government.

No one had better criticize President Reagan around Ole Quintero. He saved the lives of millions of babies here and abroad with his pro-life policies and appointments, his Mexico City Policy and the encouragement and inspiration he gave to a generation of pro-life activists.

President Reagan brought down the Evil Empire -- by taking the unprecedented step of calling the USSR evil; by liberating Grenada and thus becoming the first U.S. President to take back territory from Reds; by showing the Soviet rulers he would never, ever back down; by giving pro-liberty speeches and issuing pro-liberty messages and proclamations, many of which made their way into the Captive Nations and gave consolation and hope to the oppressed, even to prisoners of conscience inside the Gulag slave labor camps; by explaining how liberty works, even to an audience of top Soviet students in Moscow; by traveling to the very doorstep of Soviet tyranny in Berlin and challenging Gorbachev to "open this gate" and to "tear down this wall;" and by observing 1988 as the thousandth anniversary of Christianity in what are today Russia and Ukraine with statements of faith and freedom that reached behind the Iron Curtain.

With these steps and others, President Reagan set in motion the crumbling of the Evil Empire and the freeing of hundreds of millions of oppressed people -- including millions of our persecuted fellow Catholics, who became free to restore their priesthood, to open their churches and to attend Mass in public for the first time in their lifetimes.

Okay, you can see I'm a fan of President Reagan and I've closely studied his words and deeds.

President Reagan and Pope John Paul II were soul-mates in their love of God, faith and freedom.

President Reagan brought back mention of God in American political discourse, and it was no act; for example, his dignified closings of speeches and statements with "God bless you, and God bless America" gave encouragement to liberty-lovers and consternation to atheistic secularists.

President Reagan also loved America, and the God-given rights and individual liberty that are at her heart, and her defenders, the heroic U.S. military and the Americans he called "quiet heroes," those who live their lives by doing their duty to God, faith, family and freedom.

Yes, Happy Birthday, President Reagan! May we never forget you, and may your spirit forever animate America's young people with the love of Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

God bless you, and God bless America.

Feb 2, 2009

Please join me in defending pro-life minister Walter B. Hoye II of Oakland

We can each do a kindness to pro-life minister Walter B. Hoye II, who has been convicted up in Oakland for his peaceful sidewalk counseling and faces possibly two years in jail and a $4,000 fine. Maybe you saw the Rev. Hoye on EWTN at the Walk for Life West Coast 2009 on Jan. 24. At his web site and blogspot (click on this post's title) you can read about the Rev. Hoye and about how abortion is devastating the black community.

Here is a request from the Rev. Hoye that was passed along to me:
----------------------

Greetings Everyone ...

And thank you for your prayers!

My sentencing is scheduled for 1:30 P.M., Thursday, February 19th,
2009 in Department 109 on the fifth (5th) floor of the Wiley W. Manuel
Courthouse, 661 Washington Street, Oakland, California 94607-3922,
where the Honorable Stuart Hing is presiding.

Please use the link below for Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse details:

- http://www.alameda.courts.ca.gov/courts/superior/661.shtml

With that in mind, would you consider writing a letter on my behalf?

My legal team has instructed me to ask that the letters not focus on
the abortion issue or the ordinance itself.

Apparently, this cannot be underscored enough.

As I understand their request, the letters should focus on my status
in the community, my ministry, achievements, character, integrity and
how any potential incarceration will affect the aforementioned.

All letters should go to:

- Allison Aranda, Esq.
- Post Office Box 890685
- Temecula, California 92589

They should be mailed no later than Friday February the 13th, 2009 to
ensure they arrive by Wednesday, February the 18th, 2009, which is the
last day my legal team will be able to retrieve them before my sentencing.

For those of you would even consider attending my sentencing, please
know that your presence will touch my heart and comfort my wife (Lori)
as she stands with me during the sentencing.

Many have asked me if know what my sentence will be?

For that I am sorry ...

I do not know what the judge, the Honorable Stuart Hing, has in mind
for me.

However, I do know that the maximum sentence I can receive is two (2)
years and a $4,000.00 fine.

Nevertheless, because God has given me a peace that passes my
understanding and a faith that I did not have before, I do not fear
what man can do to me.

God has comforted me with "so great a cloud of witnesses" to His truth
that my soul has been strengthened and prepared "to run with endurance
the race that is set before" me.

That "great cloud of witnesses" to His truth are all of you.

And I am grateful to God for your love, support and prayers.

Let us continue to look unto Jesus, the "Author and Finisher of our
faith."

Let us continue to pray for one another and lift one another up.

Let us continue to stand up, speak up and live up to the love God has
for the life of the unborn child.

Regardless of what you decide to do, please know that I consider all
of you to be my friends.

As such, I leave you with the most precious gift I have ...

I leave you with "the name of Jesus."

May God bless you and keep you.

Walter B. Hoye II
Issues4Life Foundation
Website: http://www.issues4life.org
Blog: http://issues4lifefoundation.wordpress.com
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