A Reprieve To Accomplish Some Good

By SHAUN KENNEY President Trump is right to crow just a bit after the 2018 midterms. In a typical election, the opposition party tends to get about 31 net seats in the House; 39 if the president’s approval ratings are at 40 percent. In short, the Democrats not only underperformed their own narrative, they underperformed historically. This same narrative only gets worse for the Democrats in the U.S. Senate, where the Republicans will emerge with a comfortable majority that should hold until 2022 at the earliest. With news that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg suffered a fall which cracked three of her ribs, it is a reminder that a Republican-led Senate will not only be selecting federal judges for lifetime appointments,…Continue Reading

Orders From On High . . .

The Fine Art Of Dino Carbetta… Bringing Religious Art Into Today’s Reality

By REY FLORES If there is any Heaven-like beauty in this world, aside from human life and nature, it is found in the timeless sacred art within many older traditional Catholic churches everywhere. Starting from the tabernacles and monstrances holding the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and then going to the frescos, statues, and crucifixes, all remind us of the eternal destination we must strive to attain. While most of us within the Church can and do appreciate traditional sacred art, most religious art from the last fifty years or so tends to be modern and with subject matter that is much less reverent. Many of today’s newer Catholic parishes incorporate a bland and neutral…Continue Reading

“Sex” Vs. “Gender Identity” And Title VII

By MIKE MANNO There is an interesting case out of Michigan that has been appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court that has the potential to determine whether the word “sex” in Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act also refers to “gender identity” for purposes of anti-discrimination enforcement. Courts have been split on the issue and this case, with its unusual mix of facts and law, might be the vehicle with which the top court finally decides the issue. To the facts: The defendant in a case brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a Detroit funeral home, R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes; the complainant is the former Anthony, now Aimee, Stephens. Mr. or Ms.…Continue Reading

Bishops Offer Lots Of “Measures” — Where’s The Truth?

By CHRISTOPHER MANION When the USCCB meets next week in Baltimore, their website tells us they will “vote on a series of concrete measures to respond to the abuse crisis.” As usual, these “measures” comprise updated policies, protocols, programs, and procedures. Call them “The Four P’s.” That’s what the bishops voted on in their historic 2002 meeting in Dallas after all, and we’ve seen how well that worked. Under the guiding hand of then-Cardinal McCarrick, they adopted a “charter” designed to protect children — and themselves. In anticipation of their gathering next week, it is worth taking a look at some consequences of those “measures.” To bring that effort to bear on the local level, we will consider the policies…Continue Reading