Re MoveOn PSA today re John Hagee re Jews responsible for holocaust:

I forwarded email copy of said PSA to RNC, which PSA represents link to petition demanding McCain renounce Hagee (p.s.- PFAW et al back to allegations racist GOP will keep people from voting for an Af-Am candidate this Fall); finding such things meaningless to what one will do in office and HAS done or failed to do WITH OWN VOTES, or voice (Obama HAS said Qaeda was innocent of 9/11, and Obama DOES say Judeo-Christian religious views DO provoke Islam and that we'll have less terror with a neutered Christ and less Messianic-causing Jewish faith...hey, that's what Europe's been saying since 1976, like Carter, and boy weren't THEY right), I added the within following to said PSA:

"Did you know...some of the people who live in my County are criminals? Did you know I probably gave them the time of day from my watch once, or stood in a line at the same theater? Do you know how many even escaped killers have wound up in Mayor Richard M. Daley's office (notably, that "consultant" for years who was an escaped killer for decades from Massachussettes)? Do you know how many scum try to obfuscate corporate names as pieces of filed paper, just to donate to ALL candidates, propositions, PACs, just to play all bases/set up someone? Do you know how many folks would say anything for a $$$$ guest fee, no matter how low or high their status nor issue at hand? In a word, you couldn't vote for anyone at all if this or that parallel inference were to influence you...ask Obama and his "realtor pals" or Hillary and her "Asian friend...ahhhhh, Hsu!". But this must mean what with 3 out of 4 folks STILL unhappy with the Democrat agenda Obama would not oppose (heck, he didn't even show up 90% of the time to OPPOSE anything at all), MoveOn et al are struggling to maintain a toehold; I would at least respect Democrats if they relied on the meat of things this Convention/Fall, and didn't ask us to go down wholly irrelevant matters; myself, I continue to stand by the Conservative philosophy."

I got so teary, watching Carlos Mencia on Comedy Central last night...he had a stage where puppets and people acted out how incredibly third-world Mexico, Latin America, and other places are, places with poor sanitation and no food and no healthcare and bare feet, on and on it went...with Mecia otherwise commenting the economy in the USA will only be "bad" when Mexicans stop wanting to come here; and then I got even tearier, watching some save or feed the children ads in re South Africa and non-Darfur nations.
 
Then remembering a Conservative bucks up and looks at situations, even a crisis, with stoic logic and judicial inquiry, I thought back how that blogger caught a Bush National Guard record that had text not even producible until decades after Bush was out of the service; I paid keener attention to those save/feed ads, and maybe it's just me, but they seem to be loops of the same kids a decade or more ago.
 
I then thought how sure...back in the 1960's when Ted Kennedy was touring Latin America and thence convinced ever-after Latin Americans, dictators or not, manage their economies against their own people in reflex to palsy somehow caused by the USA economy, much of that decades-worth of bloviation based on the Senator's and admirers' opinions on facts they don't really lay out; okay, say back in the '60's we just wanted to help out whoever couldn't make it in Mexico or wherever...back then, we had a huge industrial-military complex helping run a Free World thrive against advances of Eastern Communism, and really we just got the under-educated types like Congress likes to bait for ("unskilled", THEY say) in majority although professionals were welcome too.
 
But the USA of 2008 is about as 180 degrees different in terms of small business opportunity, grant opportunity, artistic opportunity, cultural diversity expressions in architecture and in leisure, and so on...we seem to be this homogeneous New Urban landscape no longer even farming our own food.
 
I then sampled to see if anybody out there disagreed with Mencia about Latin America, Mexico, or Africa; I sampled at http://www.visitmexico.com/wb2/, http://www.think-venezuela.net/, http://www.turismo.gov.ar/eng/menu.htm, http://www.visit-chile.org/splash.php, http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=brazil+tourism, http://www1.southafrica.net/cultures/sv-se/satdefault.southafrica.net/, http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=zambia+tourism, http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=nigeria+tourism ...you get the idea. I was in search of this great, vast third world ALL immigrants States, Cities, and Congress Members in amorphous combinations thirst for come from; but all I could find was apparent managed economies doing, on visuals, at least as well as most USA tourist and community emplacements under our own New Urbanism...what if just like here where many nationals highly and lowly educated find themselves in the same boats, many other nations just don't know what to do with their surplus nationalized human capital?
 
The wish for not citizenship but walkabout amnesty is compassionate, but only if there's something ANY immigrant COULD run home to but for third-world problems; amnesty or citizenship, if they're here to stay period, will the non-Western Hemispheres and Mid East fatwa doodlers shower us with power to have quality private healthcare and housing at affordable prices, quality low-cost food, or gasoline and fossil fuels, and no need for a stress of variable public's Big Brother, HR 1955/FISA/PATRIOT layering of government re immigrants AND nationals? A quick scan at the media and every gas station on my route today says "apparently not".
 
Wherefore, as some in Congress love to nitpick on need to investigate each other for arcane deals, or tell us symptoms of perceived attrition (e.g., marry your own gender if you have to, abort your kids, teach kids all adults are out to get them, brace for economics sure to result in marital spats and verbal abuse, et al) are of higher importance, massive immigration a mere comma in USA history, I respectfully submit those same MCs have missed even investigating and proving-up what they find to be the quality and issues of life in Latin America or elsewhere, to best focus true needs toward improving managed economies here and abroad to make those "DREAM"s of 1960's and 1970's memory a plausible reality...sort of, ala Eleanor Roosevelt, just selling raw emotionalism untethered to anything real at all, just a worn out 1960's Democrat paradigm for Latin America no matter WHERE immigrants come from.
 
Thus, I eagerly await the quadrennial conventions and Fall debates, to see which candidates will play the closest to truth, closest to delivering on what they tell us what we want to hear, and how best to defeat or drive around speed bumps of terrorism and nationalized human capital economies. After all, if it's that bad elsewhere despite elsewhere looking ala the USA, shouldn't we all at least find out that "bad" is so we can all get better together?

There's a lot out there today once again telling us to get soooo excited because Barack Obama will just BE the next President, many GOP sighing "eh, well then we either give up now or copy Obama ala Bush-Gore 2000", amnesty IS a done deal, more zillions of no-income immigrants IS the only USA future, USA residents of all races already will just be doing "God's penance for their sinfulness" per Roman Catholics et al, on and on it goes.
 
I can't imagine, though, that ALL candidates are going to sidestep the treatment of ALL people in the Western Hemishpere as or in the nature of nationalized human capital such precepts and slogans require...and how except for those not yet here to hide the fact farms and businesses and jobs shrink overall as cheaply made housing proliferates; food costs are high and food standards ever-lowering mainly due to stamps and fact we have to import most of the stuff, in a way like oil that's almost "No problemo, jeffe de El Norte...Mexico or Venezuela will just raise prices, cripple your peeps, and all will trade everything just to beg you for bread...SOUNDS like Marxism or whatever, but hey...it's the co-mutually managed national economy of the Western Hemisphere as one together, and who wants to upset the sweet security for our officials' and their rarafied few business orthodoxy friends, no?".
 
The way it currently sounds in PSA land, Conservatives say we need trade as stimulus, Pelosi and her side we WILL have mass ongoing immigration into government subsidized or owned homes and society, it looks like there's a choice, but actually at best we're do to BOTH and still have a chance at trade or job stimulus, Iraq, the price of tea in China, and all else including marrying gays being wholly irrelevant to the base of economics from which all society will flow.
 
In the interest of letting trade and agricultural possibilities flourish in the USA, I favor Conservatives generally as they don't agree joining a managed economy such as Mexico and Latin America have had for at least 100 years will do much to reduce the factors outside the USA bolstering static economies, or do more than expand its lifestylings of uber-wealthy and say-so powerful elites being the only folks besides serfs hanging around...ala FA Hayek's admonitions.
 
In re amnesty, both as a USA national and Conservative, looking at the currency of the situation I would be comfortable accepting that all immigrants here in a non-subsidized capacity be made USA citizens with requirement that prior citizenship(s) be renounced; that  any immigrant naturalized or not who runs out on mortgages or any credit forfeits the property to government here even if a bank made the loan, to discourage predatory use of property within communities as well as against poor people; that for a period of 5-10 years the USA issue only student and limited visitor visas, putting a hold on h1b until such time as it appears such work rerealistically exists and cannot be met from the diverse populations already present; that anyone without documentation be given emergency medical care as naturally seems a true emergency, a life-threatening situation, then transported to nation of origin, so dictators and bad economics folks abroad can't exist by throwing surpluses to us and dragging down all here while watering down political resistances they face, or using 287g to "clear brush"; and that the Federal government subject to reports to the full Congress track for 5-10 years all Federal funds received by States and Cities to ensure same are spent on what they're sent for.
 
I respectfully submit these thoughts as I'm sure nobody in this election wants to use an Eleanor Roosevelt-like oversimplification of facts re the economy, military even unused for diplomatic credibility, needs of people living abroad, what is God's will and what's His penance even if it's more like arbitrarily separating goats and sheep in terms of who is worthy of social existence, is a border fence to keep people out or to keep 287g's from escaping rendition clutches, and how just trusting Laden, Iran, Hamas, Chavez, ad infinitum will "keep the USA safe in a win-win scenario" involving less commerce then for um, er going green in such nobility......DO they?
 
 
 

Okay...in Illinois, for example, most of everything south of I-80 let alone Northern IL is New Urban HOUSING....surrounding lands have been de-certified for farm use for YEARS; WHERE are these crops?

The elitist tug is too obvious at least in my State: gimme immies, gimme bucks to stabilize "neighborhoods" and foodstamps, keep Fed noses out, whoops! BUSH snuck those folks in....Dems just knew about AG workers! And 287g'ed all those "bean pickers" who CERTAINLY were of no "real" value to us or lived here...nice dignity, huh?

I don't see much support out there for a deeper and longer-lasting 2007 mortgage/economy fiasco, just to get Dems in or out or whatever goofy spin masters say, and I agree with say Rep. Mark Kirk this farm bill shove in should NOT be made.

1. It was a stitch to watch Illinois State officials on PBS last night, droning on and on about sure...since 2005, they've been receiving road and transit funds (and literally ALL operating/salary/loan-out funds from general Federal receipts), but see, THIS year's funds are tied up because they say so, and isn't that more interesting than what they've been spending already-had cash upon or what roads have connected? The clear message: vote DEMOCRATIC if you want progress and accountability?
 
2. Presently, Illinois is widening its tollway at Gurnee Illinois, which...like the State Lottery...it wants to sell to private concerns for less than the 2005-2009 road and transit funds received from Bush; a 100% Democrat-run State, only a non-progressive couldn't see the fiscal responsibility and excelsior stewardship.
 
3. Media and the Roman Catholic Chicago archdiocese (Cook and Lake Counties) are advertising what Cardinal George feels all the social justice global immigrants need, to be demanded in a 05-29-08 march, is reunion in the USA with ALL their family members together with the same old/same old foodstamps/healthcare/subprime housing risks to them and us ( http://www.archdiocese-chgo.org/pdf/events/SomosLAfamiliadeDios_en.pdf ). The Cardinal presenting this as the Pope's will to make you think the GOP wills this due to its appreciation of the Benedict XVI the Catechisms and non-liberation theology the archdiocese opposes, the Cardinal alternatively compliments Senator Durbin et al via posing foodstamps/local government loans "paid" for by the Fed as the "dream act"...nay, God-given command and right...of global populations (again sarcastically mocking Bush re "freedom"). No one seems to mention therein that once you become a "proud American" the moment a subprime loan is in your hands, if your house gets blown down by a stiff wind or flood, hey...Americans aren't worthy of raising  disaster aid for as ANY such "proud" person is either self-sufficient or a spendthrift racist or greedy or a Tio Tomas, right?
 
4. Some Democrats, led by Illinois Senator Barack Obama, just know that USA nationals need en masse observation as homegrown terrorists, as they might fall under the spell of some GOP who actually suggest we may need strategic defense reserves of assorted nature, as ANY nation maintains...you can't draw meaningful foreign investment if you're weak to third-nation manipulations or military attacks. Obama also seems creeped out by "bitter, clinging racists" his Rev. Wright and he say are better sent to perdition, especially those in the ROMAN Catholic Church not embracing liberation theology.
 
   Well, it could be just me, but there don't appear to be a lot of Roman Catholics here opposed to interracial worship or mutual concern for going forward in jobs and such from where we all are together. But there's a lot of still-unused New Urban housing in the new Gurnee BYZANTINE Catholic Church area, which Church skedaddled out of Waukegan; wouldn't it be funny if Illinois imported Eastern (Orthodox) Europeans into Gurnee, left Waukegan and Zion to Hispanics, then "proved" two sets of non-English speakers MUST be racists based on clannishness? Stuff like that would naturally require HR 1955 type homegrown say-so maneuverability at local levels as nationals would be on the outside looking in with too many variables in personal stress-handling ability; this also explains why no one yet introduces against FISA, PATRIOT, and 287g powers allowing even Mayors to detain/disappear any immigrant legal or not (by extension of 1996 Federal law re no crime too small to get booted out even if naturalized).
 
5. To some, a police State where government either hands out mass subsistence or owns all housing and services, importing all food it can pay for or sharply raising costs/curtailing potability standards to limit consumption or breeding, seems a way to do God's will, defeat terrorists and dictators abroad, cure global warming, develop domestic fuel alternatives, and make every person on earth prosperous...that's why massively overbuilding every inch of the USA is eco-friendly, but giving Bush 3,000 acres out of 17 million in ANWR for strategic oil or otherwise is wildly out of line with soberly going green...note that some objector say police-state immigration is all the defense we need, as we've "LOST" to current or former Communists not at war with us, and to terrorists even if they can only meaningfully rebuild global-strike power in our absence from the Mid East.
 
    Rather than Mid East oil, or our own or domestic alternative productions, Bush-haters say use the green defenders Chavez and Lula, even if they HAVE denuded rain forests with oil pipelines in gerrymander AND side with Hamas and Qaeda re the USA having NO oil for reserve use; this must be because using Iraq funds for police-state maintenance at home will assure no one can hurt the USA again like on 911 or Pearl Harbor Day...if you project you care less what any non-elected/appointed people get anthrax, other plagues or diseases, or get killed, together with growing and making nothing, what can ANY foreign power gain by attacking the USA? But we can slap around serfs if they get uppity at work or seek to petition lawfully against officials' opinions, so at least people WANT to work even if no real investor trusts overall security.
 
7. Neither I nor do I perceive most people on earth expect Franciscan solutions, piety, or selflessness from their officials...but it does seem hard to grasp how Congressional agendas offered in such spirit by Democrats and some GOP meet up with possible endgame fruition.
 
Wherefore, I agree with Republican Whip Blunt that the stimulus most needed is trade; hiding from the world, reducing domestic consumer power, demonstrating unwillingness to protect foreign investments for real jobs, and engaging with dictators/oppressors abroad/terrorists seeming only to spread anything BUT commerce in and between nations, I continue to support Conservatives for national office.
 

While I understand some in Congress will necessarily be concerned about conserving over-all oil should President Bush add to the strategic reserve, taxing it if domestic and tax breaking it if foreign not only seems flailing for "goodwill" of Chavez and other dictators who NEVER are satisfied with the USA, since dictators et al will cut supplies anyway to constrain USA strategics, but seems to undercut the big commerce and good-paying jobs...the kind of good things Illinois Democrats now promise through "all-at-once" road resurfacings/widenings, promise to not use Neighborhood Stabilzation Act funds for but new immigrants/subprime/foodstamps/higher attendant costs, and building of strip malls smaller than the failed area businesses; these are important considerations, what with H&R Block now saying the stimulus payments are to be repaid from future refunds and are not "special".

It seems normal status quo market producers can cut back release of oil to the public with eye to job-making industry use as part of the strategic reserve effort, and really...unless and until one has income and purpose, what is the pressing need to drive or tool about anyway...I'm hardly "well-off", and enjoy health benefits (mental and physical) of walking, yet I walked from the day I was born through EVERY level of my income.

For these reasons, the here within following balance of text is verbatim as received from Americans For Tax Reform; having read and agreed with same, I endorse it, said text being, to-wit (addressed to U.S. Senators): 

As the economy shows some signs of entering a recession, it is disconcerting to hear Congress continue to talk about raising taxes, especially on domestic energy production.

Congress should be considering proposals that increase our nation's energy security and lower Americans' overall tax burden, not discouraging investment, hindering domestic production and killing jobs. 

It is essential to oppose all legislation that directly interferes with free-market enterprise and the basic fundamentals of a market-driven economy

I urge you to reject any tax increase on energy and instead work to promote a sound and diversified energy policy for the United States that does not punish our existing sources. I ask that you vote AGAINST any tax hike provisions that come to the floor.

Whether standalone, or part of a larger package, our economy cannot afford tax hikes on energy production.

Just ahead of the Pope's USA visit last month, PFAW was chief in a Democrat-themed attack on those who attend Churches or have Christian faith simple ("bitter", "clingers", "racists", ad infinitum); at that same time, some democrat-themed religious (e.g., Obama and Wright saying God should commit the USA to eternal perdition for a slew of anti-USa economic and strategic "reasons"); now, Catholic attack groups like America Need Fatima (a/k/a American Tradition Family Property, or TFP) are arranging "anonymous" and in-person shock tactics against theaters running "Jerry Springer: The Opera In Concert" as it offers news to the public of a widely enacted change in the faith deposit and Bishopric (including confraternally) interpretations of catechism and Scripture favoring Christ as Ghandi, the Eucharist as not real presence, God subject to human re-interpretations of what He deposits as eternal words, Christ favoring abortion, euthanasia, birth control, and homosexuality...TFP rags on those who only report if in a graphic and stylized, yet obviously effective, manner...of course, either GOP sell-outs or Democrat "socialists/communists" must be behind this "attack on the Supreme Pontiff's ideals".
 
Just as gerrymadering say USA anti-terror and interstate crime efforts, via letting each State or Town come up with HR 1955-like "criteria", is what we had before 911, it seems gerrymandering Bishopric "veracity and confraternity between branches on the same vine of Christianity" has had similarly counter-productive results and blames anyone but the source, unfairly burdening politicians of every stripe.
 
In 1992, then Cardinal Ratzinger wrote up the present Catechism of the Catholic Church, and John Paul The Great formally adopted it in 1994; can I be the only one who notices said Catechism in its John Paul II preface specifically ordains said Vatican catechism shall NOT supercede nor re-write any local Bishopric catechisms then or after in force, the Vatican only wishing to guide them? You couldn't do better, especially where most other Christian faiths essentially "ditto", to say there is no defineable and set reason(s) for believing anything at all is God's faith deposit(s) or that Christ, the Apostles, and Scriptures create a universal Church or faith...i.e., the former "eternal" nature of the Word has been cancelled.
 
At that time, the sole idea was to keep numbers up and $$$$ in the boxes, baskets, and bank accounts of drifting memberships, moving towards atheism, New Age religions, agnosticism, and such...any Bishop or Cardinal also archbishop could re-write for his diocese population, to attract whatever seemed otherwise popular to folks but not necessarily tethered to Christ. This was back in the early 1990's, and thus has no tether itself to national security, appeasing OR provoking Ladenists or Hamas or MyMood Alibabajihad, or liberating folks from this or that Latin or other dictator(s). Necessarily, as pols offered government "can't fail" faith funding to Churches which could sustain their numbers, most pols HAD to play to Bishopric dogma taught in their locales to happy parishoners...and thus voters.
 
However, over-reliance on the Hispanic vote, largely due to Catholic and ranking Protestant clergy long therein intermeddling, has led to a "liberation theology" appeasement which...as 2007 mortgage fiasco and high national costs/debts and diminutions to strategic defenses/resources show...is hardly bringing much "social justice" or "human personal dignity" to folks abroad or faith-portered into the West. And Ladenists and others lick their chops as the USA in particular fades. Things like "oh, another tsunami or tornado in another foreign dictatorship or land; let's raise relief cash; oh, the dictator kept it, bring 'em here" aren't serving as they used to, as such "goodwill devices" show even more wind or flood damages to USA residents, immigrants included, and the motif there is always "bad Americans! Greedy, too!", causing many foreigners to doubt social justice can be had if we all just listen to say that Bishop in Chavezland or Chicago's Bishops.
 
Because I perceive HR 5818, the Neighborhood Stabilzation Act, would in effect only again and more greatly exacerbate the very lacking social justice self-interested and adrift clergy allege, I respectfully again submit HR 5818 should be vetoed with such veto sustained.
 

Now, I'd rather have any "economic stimulus" (or as Pelosi's 'House Call' e-PSA said last weekend, "economic recovery") check sent to Iraq via the Bush military plan; we don't need to cannibalize funds just to let dangerous types consolidate power there against free people and Muslims, and to strangle strategics while doing as they please in expansion of their plots; neither do we need "stimulus" of in my case $600 if for every dollar we get we'd be enabling dynamics prices rise $10-$20 or more on oil and food and all.
 
Separately, Family Research Council today sent me its own e-PSA, which in part told me of Christian clergy still detained by the Communist Chinese government. Just because I'm involved in asking my own RC clergy if right for me to believe as someone tells me I'd "better", and I wouldn't do/not do that or ANYTHING for egalitarianism on someone else's part, nor would I endorse such being done to anyone on earth at all (come on, real tough guys don't kidnap like yammering babies in need of diaper changes, no matter where on earth), and most assuredly as I do not believe in going belly up against say Qaeda or domestic uber-criminals, I do not believe there is any matter whatsoever compelling the Chinese to "need" to hold ANY non-credibly-criminal clergy...what statement there to be made, on what need of the actual People of China in-house or outside? Surely, that somebody "might get me" for being Roman Catholic,  a Benedict XVI supporter, Republican, male, USA national, Conservative, ad infinitum is of no concern to me, and kidnapping or torturing or killing innocent Christians just to scare me in the USA...pals, that's exactly what Qaeda tries and tries, and like the Satan they serve, can never ever figure out they are never going anywhere with their malarkeys.
 
I hope Giulianis or Pelosis aren't just messing with Christ's divinity or authority to write catechisms and such, or re-writing/inventing Scripture, JUST to appease Laden, other thugs, that sort of thing...taking "cast-offs" from Latin dictators doesn't improve much for "God-hating" leaders there either, and wrecks havoc on our economy including for ever-mounting immigrants Cardinal George e.g. says "must be helped" (only his way doesn't work after too many years, so maybe lib theology's a clinker).  
 
To reiterate, I respectfully submit my endorsement of any and all funds for Iraq and the war on terror generally as President Bush may ask; I also respectfully request that the United States State Department inquire as to when the Chinese will either publicly try or release any and all Christian clergy they are detaining.
 

As everyone reading my Townhall blog knows, I've not been absent wilfully...i.e., in defiance of God...from my Roman Catholic Church since Easter; whenever I hear Presidential candidates, media, and assorted pols team up to label such Catholic ecclesia "Nazi, bitter, racist Crusaders", as PFAW mails a six-page letter re Bush and all Western faiths misspending millions in faith funds on the wrong people (?), I tend to jump out of Masses, especially where clergy are almost mum, the I stick with Vatican prayers and ephemera, watch EWTN, and really give issues a good shake as best I can...especially where some luminaries represent the Catechism and Canons to be worthless pieces of paper (as Catholics), meant to be makers of princes over us; some take the ad damnum into ALL Christianity for "failing" to acknowledge made-up Scripture re global warming, yet that's beside the point here.
 
To be sure, no other faith known to man gets pounded like my RC; a bazillionth of Priests molested somebody, so many say end that faith by any means; yet, a similar number of Muslims (small) have been terrorists, and nobody crusades against Lutheranism due to BTK killer being a Lutheran minister, e.g.; also, apparently BYZANTINE Catholic Canons somehow AREN'T avoidable...on and on it goes.
 
Some readers need to know that an Illinois State investigator was querying about me two days after I checked out a copy of the RC Catechism from the library, that being sole gist, prior to Benedict XVI in USA...I here so state.
 
As to the 2008 gang-up on Roman Catholicism to date, the upshot of much investigatory and political inquiry by me has shown it's all self-serving rodomontade, as if to promise there's a prize for folks if they get on the bandwagon...only don't ask what it is; any prize, IF any, appears to be in nature anticommunist/antisocialist Fulton Sheen then won't be canonized, or similar wind through fingers. In any case, no link to Vatican-faithful Catholicism and USA national security, Iraq, or economy drift has yet been shown.
 
Of course, some Cardinals and Bishops represent Benedict XVI is some "rouge" Pope, as if to say he's wrong about gays, wrong about opposing liberation theology of the Left, and wrong in the Eucharist and faith of the Catechism/Canons; which is odd, because as some clergy now grouse, pre-20005 so did Winnipeg Canada and other Bishops and Cardinals including against 1968 Humanae Vitae...yet Benedict XVI was elected by such grousers IN 2005. Theer is an air to this some clergy of rank fear losses to the faith, yet waffling on Benedict seems to undercut apostolic fruitfulness. As to Annual Appeal or anything else which can't be verified spent on even Catholic teaching the faith itself controls, I shall continue to withhold my pledge pending.
 
As to the clergy of my Parish, it has been satisafctorily established to me that they are what they represent to be; I cannot know if, at all, ala the tiny cadre of neckchain "Nametag Nazis" at my wife's Lutheran Church (did I mention they also photograph everyone at ALL Masses and functions, most never printed/posted?), my Parish lay committee members have outside interests coloring faith duties, membership rolls, and such...down to Monstrance unreadiness, listing my non-converted ELCA Lutheran wife and I as RC members first well after our absence and on heels of Obama's "bitter and clingy" opinion, and bulletin editing.
 
As to the attendees of various RC Masses at my Parish, nothing in their demeanor or speech indicates to me they are involved in more than worship in the traditional sense. On sight, they are about as "bitter and clingy" as Ward and June Cleaver, Edith Bunker, or Andy Taylor; they are adults, families, children, all ages...easily seen are Caucasians, African-Americans, Asians, and Hispanics together. While some may outwardly appear to stumble in "liturgical etiquette" at Masses, still, they truly desire worship of God, fellowship, and the Eucharist.
 
Wherefore, as my wife elects to keep attending her Lutheran Church (we were civilly married 20 years ago, no ministers thereafter to date) despite there lay committee malarkey, I too have concluded that there is absolutely no visible reason(s) to continue to worry soemthing is wrong with my Parish clergy or attending public, and as of yesterday I returned to their gathering. I would respectfully suggest anyone out there having doubts as I did, re clergy/faith, prudently research similarly, so that mere lay or political gossip or hype doesn't interfere with spirtual life.