I am Not Embarassed -- They Should Be

1. Cardinal George has weighed in on the NDU scandal. . The Cardinal said, in part, "Whatever else is clear, it is clear that Notre Dame didn't understand what it means to be Catholic when they issued this invitation". This is important. Not only is Cardinal George the President of the USCCB, Chicago is very closely connected to NDU and its alumni.

2. With all respect to the Cardinal, however, I have to take issue with something he said. He stated that NDU is an "extreme embarrassment"" to Catholics. No. I am not one of those who consider this "Midwestern university" (to quote Fr. Rutler) some kind of shining exemplar of Catholicism in the United States. NDU has nothing to do with my identity as a Catholic, and thus cannot embarrass me. This whole affair, including NDU's sad attempts to justify it, should be -- but apparently is not -- an extreme embarassment to the Congregation of the Holy Cross (which, in fairness, really only has a nominal at best control of NDU), the NDU board, administration, faculty, alumni and students -- after all, it's their school. It does not and cannot "embarrass" ordinary Catholics -- it scandalizes, outrages, upsets, disappoints, and betrays us. Archbishop Nienstedt of St. Paul-Minneapolis said it better -- it's a "travesty".

3. Here's the hapless superior general of the Holy Cross order, trying desperately to conduct a one-sided "dialogue" with the President on abortion. Nice try.

4. Dr. Francis Beckwith, recent convert to the Church, puts things in perspective, citing the words of Dr. Martin Luther King to debunk the idea that the President should be given a "Doctor of Laws" degree by a Catholic institution -- namely, because he defends a legal regime that is not valid law, but constitutes a usurpation and an act of violence.

5. Two same-sex marriage cases are going up to the New York State Court of Appeals. While the legislature does nothing to protect marriage, the slow-motion stealth legalization of same-sex "marriage" in New York proceeds apace.

6. Here's a good summary of the extremism of Dawn Johnsen, the nominee to head the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel. This office is significant because the OLC is the definitive advisor to the Administration on the meaning of laws and the interpretation of the Constitution. It is also a very prestigious position and can be a springboard to a federal judgeship. But don't worry, the President will no doubt be immune to radical interpretations of the law, thanks to that honorary (but not an honor!) "Doctor of Laws" from the leading Catholic university in the Universe.

7. Today is Terri's Day, the fourth anniversary of the killing of Terri Schiavo by court ordered starvation . Please pray for the repose of her soul, for the consolation of her family, and for the souls of all those who were involved in causing her death.