Reality Check*

*Image courtesy of AP Images.

You might be forgiven for wondering just whom is pictured above, though he should be quite familiar in a few days. His name is Bishop John M. D'Arcy of the Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese in Indiana. And he is one among a growing number of Catholics opposing President Obama's recent love affair with the Culture of Death. To the point, he and nearly 65,000 other good souls are protesting the honorary degree and speaking engagement offered by the University of Notre Dame to last year's ballot box regret. Significantly, they argue that the President's endorsements of stem cell research and abortion run contrary to fundamental Catholic teachings and basic morality. And I would have to agree.

It will be very interesting to see if Notre Dame--a fine institution of higher learning with a history of hosting sitting presidents--will rescind their offer. Otherwise, one might begin to wonder just who pays the bills to keep the place running. Granted, I very much see the point in seeking out powerful men such as the President to come and speak, even if there are basic differences in belief. But for those who so stridently carryout political doctrines obviously arrayed against the foundational ethics of the school, the students, and the board of directors? Honestly. Here's to hoping those scheduling speakers at Nortre Dame wise up soon.

In other news, the Cue-Card-in-Chief, et al. are officially tucking tail on the War on Terror--or at least this is so when it comes to selling the whole idea to the American public. Sadly, it appears that the whole thing has strangely been renamed "Overseas Contingency Operation." I'm about as thrilled as you are. Let us hope that this is just another PR stunt. . .or a silly word game to obscure the true nature of the rough and tumble work we must be about on the global scale. As if we couldn't take the truth after six years of war. Sheesh.

Thankfully, it seems at least that the willingness to fight in Afghanistan remains, though one prays this does not mean playing patty-cake with that murderous horde of zealots called the Taliban. Carpet bombing is too good for them, as are cushy seats and tea with any administration official or public servant of the USA.

And finally, some sanity over the whole AIG debacle from one Jake DeSantis. He makes some very important points about the true nature of those who made honest sacrifices to salvage the company's image and bottom line. If I haven't said so clearly before, taxing bonuses is indeed a bad idea, and government takeovers are a downright rotten idea. Long live the Jake DeSantis' of the world--may they be working somewhere much more deserving of their talent, common sense, and guts.