Month: February 2010

At 4:19 AM today we increased the grand-kids by one. Kaelen made her appearance and filled our world with joy. I won’t get to see her until this afternoon but I already know that she is one of the 3 most beautiful, smartest, and perfect children in the world.  Katherine is bummed out that she is no longer the baby of the family. She and Tommy are not too pleased that Grandma will be away for a few weeks. Well, we all must learn to live with disappointments.  Better to  learn while they are young.

The east coast is reeling under another huge snow storm. D.C. has had 55 inches of snow this winter. Virginia, Maryland, and the Carolinas’  are  fighting conditions they just are not equipped the deal with. We live in a well insulated house on Long Island and have fuel and power so the snow storm has not troubled us too much. Jan and Lily have been shoveling to clear the long, steep driveway, but other than that we are OK.  I just feel sorry for them.

The trees may not be doing so well. The white pines are bent over but look fine. The oaks have not lost any branches and also look fine. The arbor vitae not so much. Looking out the window they I see that are bent double. Snow covers every branch and twig. Everything looks like the woods in Canada or Vermont. Also it’s bitterly cold so that it is dangerous to be outside for long.  Wonder how long the snow will stay around.

The recent news about the Baptists from Iowa or Idaho, I really don’t remember which, is puzzling. I mean they go down to rescue orphans and wind up in possession of kids who are NOT ORPHANS! They also mention that they wanted these children to come to know Jesus and be Christians. Well all the Haitians I know are Christians. Most are Roman Catholic but several are evangelical Protestants.

So that begs the question… aren’t they considered Christians? I mean if a Catholic   group went to, oh I don’t know,  an impovrished area of Scotland or Germany to “Bring the gospel” to  the people living there what would people say? I’m sure someone/newspapers would point out the stupidity of that action. But no, a Catholic country must be brought into the light of American style faith.

Another point. In all the press about the groups going to Haiti to help out only the CBS Morning Show interviewed the Catholic Relief workers who were in Haiti  before the quake and will be there helping the poor for years after the quake.  If you read the papers or watch the TV everyone including the Scientologists were there. Yet only one show had a 5 minute interview with the relief group that has been there the longest and DID NOT pull out its workers when the quake hit.

Gee, no there is no anti Catholic bias in the Media.

I don’t remember what program was on, it might have been NCIS, and the rule of law in this country was discussed. One of the characters said we could become what we fight against if we do as  our enemies do. Fanaticism is a very bad thing no matter who is the fanatic.  Both the Catholic church and the Protestant  churches have shown viciousness against those who differ from them. Now in the Middle East some of the adherents of the Jewish faith and of Islam are determined to ignore those parts of their holy books that could bring peace to that area.

Here in the United States we hear the voices of those who would deny the basic protections of law to people who threaten us. The rule of law is one of the things that have made this country great. So it was with glee that I read that the Christmas bomber has started to cooperate with the Justice Department and has given  accurate and valuable information about Al Qaeda in Yemen. Hey folks this was done without “enhanced interrogation.” WOW!

I hope, but don’t expect, that this will silence the yapping of the far right talk shows on the subject of civilian criminal trials for those that they call enemy combatants.