Catholics, Life Issues and the Election

Over 100 Catholic bishops in the US have weighed in on the importance of protecting human life in light of next week's election, many of them linked on this list. One particularly articulate and powerful statement is from Cardinal Rigali of Philadelphia.

At this moment in our country’s history, defense of innocent human life is a moral responsibility for all of us. The same God who thundered from Mount Sinai: "Thou shalt not kill," thunders still. When life in the womb is destroyed, God thunders: "This is a child!" When by the most barbaric means, unworthy of any civilized people, the brain of a child is sucked out of his or her head by a vacuum, God thunders: "This is a child!" When a baby is left to die of exposure on a shelf because of a failed abortion, and this is considered a "right" by any leader, God, the Source of all law and authority, thunders: "This is a child!" When we are faced with every modern means of education and communication, in addition to the law placed in our hearts at creation, no one, and most especially, no Catholic, can ever say: "I did not know."

Some observers, such as in this LA Times opinion piece, say that Catholic voters are drifting away from concern about protecting human life in making their election decisions. I doubt such a sweeping conclusion, which seems to be based on a selective focus on some of the wildly varying polls being published.

However, there is a reason for concern. I believe that the bishops are speaking out more strongly now partially to correct a couple of loopholes that some in the Church seem to have found in the US Conference of Catholic Bishops' statement "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship".

Is this election one of the "times when a Catholic who rejects a candidate's unacceptable position may decide to vote for that candidate for other morally grave reasons"? Many bishops have said "no," but "Faithful Citizenship" has been being taught throughout the nation's dioceses and parishes for many months. Stories abound of parish seminars where the pro-life concern was dismissed as "single-issue" or "divisive" and "partisan." It got so bad in the Diocese of Scranton that Bishop Joseph Martino crashed a panel discussion in a local parish and announced, "The USCCB doesn't speak for me."

Whatever the outcome of this election or the direction of the Catholic vote, I hope/expect that the bishops will clarify and strengthen their USCCB statements to reflect their stated concerns on the priority of the life issues.

Limbo Lower Now! How Low Can You Go?

Barack Obama and Joe Biden seem to be doing the Limbo Rock with the arbitrary line they've drawn where you earn enough income to have some of it "redistributed".

$250,000, $200,000, $150,000...?

How low can you go?

Obama's Own Words

Barack Obama has remained a national enigma while riding a popular wave the last two years of campaigning. His response to 'Joe the Plumber' a couple of weeks ago revealed a preference for "spreading the wealth around" through tax policy.

Now, a recording from a radio interview (audio and transcript) at WBEZ in Chicago in 2001 reveals just how far Obama's views in favor of redistribution of wealth go.

But the Supreme Court never ventured into the issues of redistribution of wealth and sort of more basic issues of political and economic justice in this society. And to that extent as radical as people tried to characterize the Warren court, it wasn’t that radical. It didn’t break free from the essential constraints that were placed by the founding fathers in the Constitution, at least as it’s been interpreted, and the Warren court interpreted it in the same way that generally the Constitution is a charter of negative liberties. It says what the states can’t do to you, it says what the federal government can’t do to you, but it doesn’t say what the federal government or the state government must do on your behalf.

So he would like to have seen an economic equivalent of Roe v. Wade, which imposed abortion-on-demand on the nation even though no such requirement exists in the Constitution. However, he says he prefers a strategy of "political and community organizing and activities on the ground that are able to put together the actual coalitions of power" to achieve his radical views.

So it is plainly obvious now what this election is about. No matter what your view on President Bush's performance, his administration will soon be history. The issue is is not just about competence, but about two radically different views on our way of life, a positive policy of freedom and growth v. redistribution.

One must ask, if Barack Obama thinks this "redistributive change" is such a great thing, why didn't he tell us all along? Why did it take a spontaneous conversation with a plumber and now a 2001 radio interview uncovered one week before the election for this world view to become publicly known?

A Journalist Looks at His Once Proud Profession

Journalist Michael Malone describes his shame how the journalism profession in the conventional media has declined, especially in light of this year's political campaign coverage.

The sheer bias in the print and television coverage of this election campaign is not just bewildering, but appalling. And over the last few months I’ve found myself slowly moving from shaking my head at the obvious one-sided reporting, to actually shouting at the screen of my television and my laptop computer.

But worst of all, for the last couple weeks, I've begun - for the first time in my adult life - to be embarrassed to admit what I do for a living. A few days ago, when asked by a new acquaintance what I did for a living, I replied that I was "a writer", because I couldn’t bring myself to admit to a stranger that I’m a journalist.

You Couldn't Write Fiction Like This

So much of the Media was singing hosannas over Ret. General Colin Powell's endorsement of Barack Obama for President (yawn).

Supposedly this gives national security cred to Obama. However, this may not impress the terrorists and tyrants of the world. who are likely to create a an international crisis during the first six months of an Obama presidency, according to Obama's running mate Joe Biden.

Now Biden's statements raised many eyebrows, but not so much among some major Media organizations, who were pre-occupied with investigating GOP VP candidate Sarah Palin's wardrobe.

The $150K figure attributed to Palin's wardrobe seems to attract more curiosity among the Media regulars than Obama's record shattering $150M spent in September.

I could go on, but it's past my bedtime. Sweet dreams.

Space Buzz

A number of exciting developments this week:

- After more troubleshooting, Hubble Space Telescope science operations are about to be restored after a switch to the B-Side of its Science Instrument Control and Data Handling system.

- An International Space Station (ISS) crew switch from Expedition 17 to Expedition 18 was completed yesterday with the arrival of the returning crew to Earth. Paying customer Richard Garriott, who stayed on the ISS while the crews were handing over, was doing more than space tourism. He was conducting an experiment that may have a great payoff for medicine and commerce.

- India launched its Chandrayaan-1 lunar robotic spacecraft, joining a growing community of nations exploring the Moon. Here's a link that provides some video of the historic launch.

- The SETI Institute is starting to operate its Allen Telescope Array (ATA) in northern California. The ATA will provide unprecedented capabilities in searching for possible intelligent signals from other solar systems in our galaxy.

So, How Informed Are You?

Do you think you know what the presidential candidates' positions are on the issues they would be facing as president? Kathryn Jean Lopez shocked many members of a crowd of young Catholics when she informed them of how radically pro-abortion Barack Obama's views are.

In a packed bar, I was discussing the contentious question of whether a Catholic can support Obama for president. I highlighted the priority that defending innocent human lives takes in these considerations, according to the Church. I then went through Obama's radical record on abortion. The jolt came after I finished speaking, when one by one, people told me they had no idea Obama was so radical.

They were shocked. And so was I.

Lopez cited numerous examples of Obama's position that are clearly on the public record despite the candidate's attempt to smooth talk his way out of his own record during last week's debate.

OK, so you were unaware of these facts on abortion and protecting life. Of course you know who's to blame for the mortgage debacle that led to the financial crisis. George Bush, right? Well, if you read the article by Stanley Kurtz on his research into the origin of the mortgage debacle, and/or check out this video clip (~11 min), you may be surprised.

So why is there so much confusion as to what the facts are surrounding some of the grave issues facing our society? For that matter, why are we so divided on these issues? Could it be that the traditional sources of information, the large news media institutions are distorting or omitting critical information and whipping up emotionally simplistic reactions to controversial issues? Could it be that not everyone trusts the same sources of news and that people are reaching out to increasingly diverse sources of information?

You don't have to rely solely on those traditional, so-called mainstream media sources. For that matter you don't have to rely on any narrow source of information, including this blog and the sources I cite. Being an informed citizen means taking the advice in the video linked above to use Google and other tools to check out and verify information for yourself. When you do so with an open mind you may be surprised. It may even change how you vote in two weeks.

'Joe the Plumber' Meets 'Senator Government'

Well, the third debate is over (transcript and video) as are the Al Smith Dinner proceedings (videos, McCain transcript and Obama transcript).

The big story of the week has been the encounter between Joe Wurzelbacher, a plumber, and Barack Obama in Ohio on Sunday.



John McCain successfully used the incident in Wednesday's debate to highlight how he and Obama differ on approaches to the economy and taxation. Much fallout has come from this, including some attempts by Obama supporters (including those in the Media) to question Wurzelbacher's background and credibility.

Regardless of all the details of Joe Wurzelbacher's life, the real issue here is Barack Obama's answer to his question, and what it tells about Obama's philosophy of economics and government. Many Americans like Wurzelbacher, who are currently well below Obama's arbitrary dividing line of who is rich enough to be taxed more, aspire to grow their business and wealth in the future. They are disturbed by Obama's claim that implies it is up to the government to decide how much an individual is allowed to prosper before their wealth is to be "spread around".

"Spread the wealth around" may sound rather benign but it raises real questions about what Obama's world view is. One's world view is influenced by what individuals and groups one associates with, so the questions about Obama's associations with Bill Ayers, Rev. Wright, ACORN, etc. are not just campaign distractions, but are relevant to what philosophy Barack Obama would use in governing.

This week's polling data indicates some narrowing of the race, as analyzed at Patterico.com. (Hat tip to Hugh Hewitt) Whether the issue raised by 'Joe the Plumber' alters the electoral outcome will depend on whether the McCain campaign, supporters and alternate media can effectively and persistently communicate this issue to enough voters between now and the election.

A Blogger Without a Keyboard....

...is like a fish out of water. After three days of not being able to type, replacement hardware from HP arrived yesterday, so I can once again comfort the afflicted and afflict the politically correct conventional wisdom.

Who Spoke These Quotes?

The first quote is

It was once said that the moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.

and the second is

I believe the truest measure of any society is how it treats those who are least able to defend and speak for themselves. And who is more vulnerable, or more innocent, than a child?

Are they both from the same person? Actually, the first one is from an early political hero of mine, the liberal Democrat Hubert Humphrey, Vice President of the United States. And the second? That was spoken by one who is currently seeking the office that Humphrey once held, Sarah Palin, who went on to say

Yes, every innocent life matters. Everyone belongs in the circle of protection. Every child has something to contribute to the world, if we give them that chance. There are the world’s standards of perfection ... and then there are God’s, and these are the final measure. Every child is beautiful before God, and dear to Him for their own sake.

Times have surely changed when some of those of the political party that Hubert Humphrey once belonged to and some of the more unhinged on the left, oh excuse me, "progressive" side denounce Sarah Palin in the vilest terms (which I will not repeat here) precisely because she speaks so strongly for the protection of the innocent.

Here are the text and a video excerpt of Sarah Palin's speech Saturday in Johnstown Pennsylvania.

Jim Benson, RIP

Jim Benson, space entrepreneur and founder of the commercial space company SpaceDev, passed away Friday after battling a brain tumor at age 63. I recall first meeting Jim Benson at the 1997 Space Studies Institute conference, where he was investigating business opportunities in the space field after recently retiring and selling off a couple of computer related companies he founded. Benson's company was originally founded to carry out a prospecting mission to a Near Earth Asteroid, but later shifted into launch vehicle and propulsion development. SpaceDev provided the hybrid engines which propelled SpaceShipOne on its pioneering human spaceflights.

An American Carol

Tonight I went to see David Zucker's An American Carol, an obvious satire on Michael Moore and his docu-ganda movies, which lampoons many politically correct icons while celebrating traditional American values. Kathryn Jean Lopez salutes this rare breakout from Hollywood's boringly predictable world view.

Second Time Around

A View Over Mercury’s Horizon (October 8, 2008)
Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

The MESSENGER spacecraft flew by the planet Mercury on Monday, the second of three flybys before the spacecraft enters orbit around the planet in 2011.

This afternoon a friend and I attended an event at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, the organization which built and is now controlling the pioneering spacecraft. We heard one of the leading mission scientists present background on the science and exploration of Mercury along with the latest results (followed by a stop for Mexican food and margaritas just outside the Lab). For continuing updates, check out the MESSENGER web site.

Connecting the Dots

While last night's debate (video and transcript here) yielded mildly positive results for both Senators McCain and Obama, many observers seemed to conclude that, for various reasons, this debate might lead to a cure for insomnia.

Two serious issues not addressed at the debate were the twisted history of the origins of the home mortgage debacle that led to the larger financial crisis and a growing scandal of potential voting fraud developing around the country. At the center of both of these stories is an organization called ACORN. What makes these developments so explosive at this time is the involvement with ACORN of one man: Barack Obama.

Stanley Kurtz describes this organization's aggressive push to force lending institutions to provide mortgages to people who would not have otherwise qualified for loans. Assisting poor people to move up in life is not a bad thing, but using intimidation to force lending institutions to extend unsustainable loans has led to disaster for the poor and others.

Meanwhile, Michelle Malkin describes ACORN and another organization being targeted by authorities in Nevada and other states investigating voter registration fraud. Here's more detail on the raid by authorities in Las Vegas.

McCain on Obama and the Economic Mess

As the markets went on another stomach-churning roller coaster ride today, John McCain delivered a speech in Albuquerque describing how Barack Obama and key Democrats in Congress thwarted action that might have averted the crisis.



This is a connection that must be repeated so that the voters can make a more informed decision on which persons and offices in our government allowed this situation to become so severe.

Sarah Comes On Strong

Last night's vice presidential debate (full video and transcript) was one of the most watched political debates in history with nearly 70 million viewers.

Over all, the debate went well. Joe Biden conducted himself well, though some of his statements proved to be reality-challenged. Sarah Palin shined with a great comeback after a rough couple of weeks for her and John McCain.

One of my favorite lines was Palin's response to Biden's incessant Bush bashing.

Say it ain't so, Joe, there you go again pointing backwards again. You preferenced your whole comment with the Bush administration. Now doggone it, let's look ahead and tell Americans what we have to plan to do for them in the future.

If some of Sarah's words sound warmly familiar, check out this video.



Sarah Palin has such a proactive fighting spirit that she even challenged the McCain campaign's decision to pull campaign resources out of Michigan, saying that she and her husband Todd wanted to go and win over support in that state.

Meanwhile, Republicans will need to build on Sarah's performance to make the case in this campaign. Public opinion polls indicate a majority blame Republicans for the financial crisis. The following ad from the NRCC documents some history that challenges that perception and sheds some light of accountability for the situation.

Tax Bill Now Law, Market Down

The huge rescue/bailout bill (PDF text)was signed into law this afternoon after passage by the House. Hopefully the positive features (FDIC insurance extension, accounting rule change, aid to credit market, etc.) will outweigh the pork and whatever hidden whoppers were included in this 'sausage-making' process.

Meanwhile, the stock market took another dive after the bill was passed. I don't know whether that says more about the federal legislation itself or about the state of Wall Street today (or about my limited knowledge of finance). I don't know if the biggest problem on Wall Street is greed or its flip-side, wimpishness. We've heard so much about "nervous" investors and bankers. It's time for them to step up and take some risks for the good of themselves and the country.

Finally, some on the left wishfully express the opinion that this rough economic period marks the decline of the free enterprise system. Nothing could be further from the truth. Free enterprise thrives in many different ways, but this week saw a historically significant advance thanks to Elon Musk and SpaceX with their successful launch to orbit. The frontier is opening wide.

Happy 50th Anniversary to NASA!

The pioneering US space agency was born on October 1, 1958. Here's a video (~15 min) that brings back many exciting moments. Amid mounting global and economic challenges, with a rapidly emerging commercial space enterprise and a growing number of international players, Jim Banke speculates on the next 50 years in space.

Senate passes Finance Bill

The tally is 74-25 on the $700B+ bill. The House will act on it tomorrow or Friday.

The Sky Hasn't Fallen

Today the Dow Jones soared 485 points, recovering over half the losses of yesterday's nose dive. Not that there is not still a serious situation here, especially in terms of a growing constriction on credit.

However, two developments underway may help restore stability and confidence to the economy. The Senate will be next at bat with a finance bill tomorrow evening. This version includes a package of tax breaks and a clause raising the federal deposit insurance limit from $100,000 to $250,000, which would be a big assurance to middle class Americans (a move supported by both Senators McCain and Obama). Also, the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued a "clarification" that loosens the "mark-to-market" rule that those more knowledgeable than me have said has had a depressing effect on the financial markets and credit.

A couple of thoughts on yesterday's House vote rejecting the previous rescue/bailout bill. Did Speaker Nancy Pelosi really proceed with the scheduled vote thinking it would pass? Did she really not bother to find out that 95 members of her own party would vote against the bill. These questions have led some to question whether she is either inept as a legislative leader or that she saw this more as a political issue to be exploited than a national crisis to be resolved.

Finally, there was some serious division among House conservative Republicans on yesterday's vote. John Hinderaker at Power Line presents the statements of two conservative Republican Reps from Minnesota who took opposing sides on the vote based on principle and assessment of the choices at hand.

Market Crash! Congress in Knots! Hubble Trouble! What a Day!

The stock market took a dive today after the House voted down the proposed rescue/bailout plan agreed to by leaders over the weekend. A majority of Republicans and a significant minority of Democrats voted against the plan, motivated largely by a tidal wave of calls from constituents opposing the plan. Speaker Pelosi's pre-vote diatribe and other back-and fourth charges made it a most contentious situation.

So what happens next? Congress will try to come up with a solution that doesn't anger constituents by having them foot the bill for Wall Street excesses and flawed government policies going back over a decade. Finance is not an area I understand very well, though Newt Gingrich and others say there may be a relatively straightforward way of mitigating the situation by suspending an accounting rule called "mark-to-market" that does not require an act of Congress. Probably the best advice for an average citizen investor is not to panic. We'll get through this.

Meanwhile, above it all, the Hubble Space Telescope encountered a serious data handling problem that will delay the upcoming Shuttle servicing mission, probably until early next year. Those of us involved in this mission will be doing some serious replanning in the coming days. We'll get through this too.

"Fourth Time's a Charm!"

So says Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, which this evening achieved success in reaching Earth orbit with its Falcon 1 launch vehicle after three earlier flawed attempts. This is a significant accomplishment for commercial space ventures. Companies like SpaceX and others, both new and established, may play a crucial role in assisting the US in mitigating the 'gap' between the retiring Space Shuttle and NASA's next human spaceflight program.

Given the serious economic woes of the moment, the persistance of entrepreneurs like Elon Musk and his team to put their money where their dreams are and open up frontiers is cause for optimism about future prosperity for America and the world.

Reports on the Falcon 1 launch success include those at Space.com and MSNBC. Also, look for numerous reports at Spacetoday.net and HobbySpace.

The Financial Fix Bill

It appears the long tough negotiating of the past few days has resulted in a bill to rescue the ailing financial system. (Here's the draft text via NRO.) While I can't claim to know what all transpired, it appears the stand taken by Republicans has resulted in a better bill, including removal of the onerous proposed subsidy to social activist organizations like ACORN. John Hinderaker at Power Line analyzes the side by side comparison of the two earlier versions of the bill with the one finally agreed to early this morning, and assesses a political angle to the outcome.

The role played by John McCain appears to have been a constructive one. He supported and worked with the House Republicans. The Democrats no doubt wanted his support for the final product, and that must have enhanced the Republicans' position at the table. The Democrats would not have wanted an unpopular bailout plan to be supported by Barack Obama and opposed by McCain.

If voters understood the events of the last week, they would probably return control of the House, and perhaps the Senate, to the Republicans. The mainstream media will make sure that doesn't happen.

Political implications aside, we better hope and pray that this package does settle things down and restore confidence in the financial system, given the dire consequences of failure seen by some of those knowledgeable in the financial field.

Chinese Space Traveler Takes a Walk

Zhai Zhigang became China's first spacewalking 'taikonaut' today. Mark Whittington has posted a link to a ~11 minute video clip of the event.) The three space travelers are preparing for a Sunday return to Earth.

China's Shenzhou 7 Launch Successful

Xinhua/Li Gang

The three crew members of the Chinese Shenzhou 7 spacecraft were launched into orbit earlier today. China's first attempt at an Extravehicular Activity (EVA) or spacewalk is likely in the next day or two.

Tough Dealing on Financial Fix

Efforts in DC to come up with a deal to avert a potential collapse of financial markets have entered a tough negotiating phase going into the night. As President Bush explained last night, this is a very serious situation where some kind of government action is necessary and probably inevitable.

However, demands for immediate action to avert a crisis do not mean we have to forgo thinking about what is a good solution and what would make a bad situation worse. Reportedly, from evening news and talk shows, Republican House members are holding out to move the package toward a more free market and responsibility compatible solution. Senator John McCain is reportedly playing a major leadership role. Of course almost anything could possibly happen, so let's pray for the best.

Largely overlooked this week is an apparent Republican victory in the fight to enable access to offshore and shale oil resources.

Safer Stem Cells

Safer for patients and for embryos: induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs) have passed a major hurdle toward being safely used in medical therapies, according to Wesley Smith and this Washington Post article.

Going for Stem Cell Results

Leading stem cell researcher James Thomson of Wisconsin is shifting his research focus to the new developments in non-embryonic stem cell research, according to this article on ProLife Blogs.

Barack Obama, Gianna Jessen and the Lives of Infant Abortion Survivors

Gianna Jessen, a 31 year old survivor of a failed abortion attempt in the late seventies appeared in an ad produced by BornAliveTruth.org, an independent 527 organization, taking Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama to task for his multiple votes against legislation to protect infant survivors of abortion.



Here is the ad that Obama's campaign put up in response to the Gianna Jessen ad.



Notice how the Obama ad includes a very small and brief video clip (no audio) of Jessen while attempting to blame his Republican opponent John McCain for a supposedly misleading and 'sleazy' ad. But that description more aptly describes Obama's ad on several counts. First, John McCain's campaign did not produce the original ad. An independent 527 organization did. Second, the Jessen ad is not misleading. Obama did vote several times to oppose the protective legislation and did not vote for it. Finally, Obama's ad is trying to have it both ways. By fleetingly using Gianna Jessen's video image, it is trying to vaguely remind viewers of the original ad without reminding them of the details or even of Jessen's identity.

This last point is significant, because Gianna Jessen's very existence is a threat to Obama's position and abysmal record on protecting infant abortion survivors. This issue touches on the deepest meaning of where our society stands on protecting innocent human life and Barack Obama is playing with fire by attempting this kind of deception to divert attention from the truth.

A Day of Food, Drink, Music and Merriment...

...at the Maryland Renaissance Festival today.

At the Gateway to Space

Last Friday I participated in a 'systems hardware walkdown' to view the flight hardware for the upcoming STS-125 Hubble Servicing Mission at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. While there, I also got to take some interesting pictures of the KSC/Cape Canaveral facilities and Cocoa Beach.


Shuttle Atlantis on Pad 39A awaiting launch to the Hubble Space Telescope. The top of the Shuttle's orange External Tank is visible while the rest of the vehicle is obscured by the pad's Rotating Service Structure.



Atlas V Launch Complex 41 on the left, Falcon 9 Launch Complex 40 on the right. The sets of four spindly towers at each launch site serve to protect the rockets and launch facilities from lightning strikes.



The view from in front of my room at the Holiday Inn, Cocoa Beach.

The launch to Hubble is currently scheduled for October 10. Meanwhile, our friends and colleagues at Johnson Space Center remain in our thoughts and prayers as they deal with recovering from the aftermath of Hurricane Ike.

Politics Gone Criminal

Personal e-mails of Sarah Palin and her family were hacked and published on the Internet. The political mud-slinging has gone lower while fast-and-furious, but this latest development is not only the most outrageous but also a criminal offense and an offense against privacy that must be of concern to all Americans.

Ike Strikes the Houston Area and Others

NOAA

Hurricane Ike surged ashore at Galveston, TX early this morning, leaving millions without power and making it difficult to move around the area. Authorities are still trying to account for those who did not evacuate the most endangered areas.

NASA's Johnson Space Center suffered some damage though major functions appear to remain intact., while space station operations were supported by a temporary site at a hotel in Austin.

Do keep all those affected by this storm in your thoughts and prayers.

In Remembrance of September 11, 2001

U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Michael W. Pendergrass

Seven years ago tomorrow morning, I overheard a coworker down the hall from my office telling someone else about planes hitting the World Trade Center. I checked in on the Internet and on news radio for reports on what would develop into the the modern era's day of infamy. We know of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, but there was also the attack that did not occur because of the heroic actions of the passengers on United Flight 93.

Seven years of daily living, along with increasing domestic rancor, may have dimmed the feelings of shock, horror, and outrage and the response of prayer, compassion, and resolve that united the people of America and most of the world. However, terrorist activity around the world should serve to remind us that the threat is still real.

This audio/visual Internet presentation developed by a New Yorker shortly after the attacks recaptures all of those experiences. The sequence is ~15 minutes long and some of the images and sounds are quite disturbing, others are inspirational. (I've also added the link to this video to my sidebar.)

Good for presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama, who will put aside their serious differences for a day and stand together in observance of this solemn anniversary.

It is important that we remember, not only to honor those who died and those who acted heroically that day, but to remain constantly aware of the ongoing dangers, of the presence of real evil in the hearts of some men, and to maintain constant vigilance and a determination to defeat this evil. Finally, we must always remember to trust in God and his mercy during trying times.

Down-Ballot Shift?

The Dem/Left/Media/Cultural Establishment melt-down over Sarah Palin and the shift in the polls has been coming too fast to have time to cover it all. One interesting trend is that the shift in the polls may not be limited to the presidential race. The Real Clear Politics Generic Congressional Vote polling data shows a narrowing of the generic preference for Democrats for Congress. The average of recent polls is down to a 5.4% margin for Democrats. Only a couple of weeks ago this margin was over 10%. Notice that the most recent poll, taken by USA Today/Gallup on 09/05 - 09/07 shows a 5% Republican advantage. Scroll down through the polling history that shows no other poll with a Republican advantage in the past two years.

Now one should be careful about putting too much stock in any one poll or even a short term trend, but if the trend continues, it will be a dramatic change in the atmosphere surrounding the congressional contests. The cause is apparently the coattails of the 'Palin effect' along with the possibility that the Republican initiative for comprehensive energy development, including drilling for our domestic oil resources, may be starting to break through.

Hanna Comin'

Tomorrow will be a day of heavy rain and strong winds here as Tropical Storm Hanna blows through the Mid-Atlantic region.

On the Pad

Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

The Space Shuttle Atlantis was moved out to the launch pad on Thursday for its launch to service the Hubble Space Telescope, now rescheduled for October 10.

Politics is Getting to Be Fun Again

Well, the week that began with predictions that the Republican National Convention would be drowned by Hurricane Gustav ended with a re-energized party and conservative movement. Sarah Palin's blockbuster speech Wednesday night (which I watched with a large group of fired-up supporters in Gaithersburg) and John McCain's solid leadership address last night have leveled the playing field for the coming election.

The pile-on by media and cultural establishment types against Gov. Palin only guaranteed her a bigger audience for her to reach the American people with her winsome way the other night. Her selection by Sen. McCain may have not only recast the presidential race but but could help mitigate what has been predicted as a looming disaster for GOP congressional candidates. (Hat Tip to Mark Whittington)

While we don't want to turn Sarah Palin into another messianic figure (one is too many this election cycle), Michael Reagan has given permission to consider her the Second Coming of the Gipper.

Now that each party has had its energizing convention, the campaign will turn on how each party's candidates persuade the voters on how they will lead, particularly on the nation's economic challenges. I feel McCain/Palin got off to a good start, particularly on energy development, but need to steadily press their position and continue to develop further their economic message.

With both sides now energized, the public is likely to become more engaged and turn out in higher numbers. That is definitely good for the country.

Gustav Roars Ashore

Hurricane Gustav came ashore along the Gulf Coast near New Orleans today. The devastation appears so far to have been less severe than during Katrina three years ago, although there is still concern and some action to fortify some of the levies. The definite good news is that all levels of government performed far better than during Katrina and the residents themselves also took the advanced warnings more seriously this time resulting in a more complete evacuation. Thank God a major catastrophe has apparently been averted and pray for those who are affected by the severity of the storm.

It's Sarah!!!!

John McCain has selected Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate. I'll have more this evening. This is going to be a fun campaign!

UPDATE Friday Evening: Yes, John McCain took a fix on the North Star in choosing his VP running mate. This seemed to stun many in the Media and the political punditry who were not familiar with Sarah Palin. I had heard of her as a possible running mate over the past couple of months through several web sites including this one and was kind of hoping McCain would pick her, but it seemed a long shot until this morning.

McCain's pick is rallying the conservative base while attracting positive interest from independents. Democratic spokespersons and some in the Media have attacked her for her lack of experience in foreign policy. A valid critique up to a point, since she has about as much foreign policy experience as, well, Barack Obama.

Palin is known as being a strong conservative, while successfully taking on corrupt politicians in her own party.

Most of all, Sarah Palin's rise to national prominence will blow the roof and doors off the conventional wisdom on social issues, particularly on life. Endorsed by the Susan B. Anthony List during her run for Governor and a member of Feminists for Life, Palin walks the talk on being prolife by welcoming and loving her youngest child who happens to have Downs Syndrome. (Note: A majority of babies diagnosed with with Downs Syndrome in utero are killed by abortion.) There sure must be some knotted stomachs among the usual suspects at Planned Parenthood and NARAL.

Like I said, this is going to be a real fun campaign.

Conventional Wisdom

The 2008 election campaign is revving into high gear with the Dem Convention this week and the GOP Convention next week. As I'm typing, Al Gore is waxing apocalyptic. Presidential nominee Barack Obama will speak from the temple later this evening. John McCain's campaign suggests that participants should come appropriately dressed for the world's largest toga party. Meanwhile Senator McCain has issued a positive ad congratulating Senator Obama on his historic nomination.

One issue that won't go away is the one that Gore and others tonight euphemistically referred to as 'a woman's right to chose'. The abortion issue has reached a new level when Catholic politicians Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden don't just insist on ignoring Catholic teaching but insist on re-interpreting it, leading a number of leading bishops to want to send them back to catechism class. Sadly, I don't know if the pols are deliberately distorting the Church's strong teaching on human life or are so steeped in the secular liberal culture and misled by some dissenting Church teachers that they don't know when they're wrong.

Happy Feast Day!

Today is the Feast of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven.

Father Clifford Stevens describes a historical account consistent with this belief in this article. (Hat tip to Kathryn Jean Lopez at The Corner)

That belief was ancient, dating back to the apostles themselves. What was clear from the beginning was that there were no relics of Mary to be venerated, and that an empty tomb stood on the edge of Jerusalem near the site of her death. That location also soon became a place of pilgrimage. (Today, the Benedictine Abbey of the Dormition of Mary stands on the spot.)

At the Council of Chalcedon in 451, when bishops from throughout the Mediterranean world gathered in Constantinople, Emperor Marcian asked the Patriarch of Jerusalem to bring the relics of Mary to Constantinople to be enshrined in the capitol. The patriarch explained to the emperor that there were no relics of Mary in Jerusalem, that "Mary had died in the presence of the apostles; but her tomb, when opened later . . . was found empty and so the apostles concluded that the body was taken up into heaven."

Father Stevens also notes the relatively recent elevation of this belief to formal Catholic doctrine.

In 1950, in the Apostolic Constitution , Pope Pius XII proclaimed the Assumption of Mary a dogma of the Catholic Church in these words: "The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heaven."

With that, an ancient belief became Catholic doctrine and the Assumption was declared a truth revealed by God.

Count Vlad's Rampage and 'Operation Vittles II'

Wow! Get behind in blogging for a few days and a new world crisis breaks out. The situation in Georgia is very serious and many people are suffering. While there is ambiguity on how this conflict started, it is clear that the Russian invasion has gone far beyond any possible justification regarding one breakaway province. The strong response of the US and some other nations is critical.

While direct US military intervention would be highly dangerous and probably not very practical, President Bush seems to have found a smart way to project a US presence in the region via a military airlift of humanitarian aid to the Georgian capital of Tbilisi. Interestingly, this move recalls, on a smaller scale, President Truman's initiating the massive Berlin Airlift (Operation Vittles) of sixty years ago to thwart the Soviet blockade of that city. Like that operation, this one puts the Russians on the spot, for they would have to be the ones to initiate conflict in order to stop the airlift or attempt to occupy the Georgian capital. Let's pray this situation ends peacefully without awarding aggression that puts the world at future risk of war.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
The Revolution Will Be Twittered

The Republican Congressional members continue their presence on Capitol Hill despite Speaker Nancy Pelosi's turning off the C-SPAN cameras. This story involves politics, energy policy and the use of new communications tools to spread information rapidly. What happened these last few days and how a grassroots movement is changing the political climate using new tools is described in this article at The Next Right blog.

So what does this have to do with a movement? It's just a bunch of middle aged Republicans speechifying in the dark! It only started that way. Less than an hour after the Dems departed and the GOP got going, Eric Odom and Allen Fuller from Flat Creek put up a Twitter site, 'Don't Go!', so GOP members could get their message out along with any citizen or Social Media savvy activist. That site hit the blogs and it was off to the races. They had multiple Tweets per minute beginning mid session Friday evening and it has continued unabated to this very moment!

I'll have to admit I am only now really starting to learn about this Twitter thing. Here's the official site to become active on Twitter.

Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?

But even without setting up a Twitter account you can follow what's going on on Capitol Hill and the growing public demand for action on energy development through the '#dontgo' Twitter site and an associated supporting web site.

Meanwhile, what's Nancy Pelosi up to now that she has her recess? She's out on a book tour for her work titled Know Your Power. In her usual pithy way, Michelle Malkin assesses the Pelosi tome.

The Democratic Speaker of the House and a co-author hired to try to add flavor to bland Beltway establishment oatmeal have penned a self-help book for "America’s daughters" to help them Know Your Power. It’s a dreadfully pedestrian text ("As long as we recognize the power within us, we will continue to have choices, and we will continue to lead."), surpassed in its dreadfulness only by the timing of its publication.

With congressional approval ratings at an all-time low and the Democratic Congress under fire for taking a five-week vacation instead of working on energy policy, perhaps this wasn’t the best time to send Nancy Pelosi jetting from coast to coast to tell our daughters how to save the planet, manage our households and run our government.

Sorry, Nan. There aren’t enough carbon offsets to compensate for this tree-wasting dud and its accompanying gas-guzzling, hot air-emitting publicity tour.

With events spinning beyond her control on the Hill while she's away, San Fran Nan may come to know her power is fleeting.

Alexander Solzhenitsyn, RIP

Author Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who bravely challenged the Soviet regime and exposed its infamous 'gulags' years before its collapse, has passed away at age 89.

Uprising on the Hill

Friday, August 1, 2008 may mark a seminal day in the intersecting history of New Media forums and American politics. The House Democratic leadership forced an abrupt action to begin its August recess in order to prevent a vote on comprehensive energy development on which scores of Democratic members were likely to defy their leadership and vote with the Republicans (and the majority of public opinion).

Speaker Nancy Pelosi ordered the lights, microphones and C-SPAN cameras turned off, but instead of ending the discussion, Republican members remained on the floor to argue for comprehensive energy development. Since there was no formal session, the members invited numerous tourists in the gallery to come to the floor and be a part of history in the making.

Jeff Emanuel, writing for the Red State blog, recounts Friday's events and particularly the role of new communications tools ('Twitter', blogs, etc.) Be sure to take the time to watch this 5 minute You-Tube clip from the House floor. (Remember, Nancy Pelosi does NOT want you to see this.)

Meanwhile, the energized Republicans will return to the Capitol tomorrow to continue to raise the energy issue. (Hat tip to Drudge Report) This story has barely begun to develop.

Space Highs and Lows

The third attempt by SpaceX to launch its Falcon 1 rocket ended in failure with an anomaly that occurred around the time of stage 1/2 separation. Company founder Elon Musk said in a statement that SpaceX had recently acquired "a significant investment" and vowed that the company's space efforts would continue.

There should be absolutely zero question that SpaceX will prevail in reaching orbit and demonstrating reliable space transport. For my part, I will never give up and I mean never.

The Falcon 1 setback came after a week of positive space developments including SpaceX's successful full nine-engine static test of it's larger Falcon 9 booster configuration.

Other significant developments last week included the roll-out of Virgin Galactic's White Knight 2, the giant carrier plane for the SpaceShipTwo commercial suborbital spaceplane now under development, and the demonstration of 'Rocket Racing' at the Oshkosh, Wisconsin air show this week.

Finally, the not-surprising but very significant confirmation of water on Mars by NASA's Phoenix lander. Apparently, there have been more intriguing discoveries soon to be made public, on which the White House has already been briefed.

Michael Griffin on HST

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin recently gave an address on the significance of the Hubble Space Telescope. I haven't had time to read it through yet. Maybe I'll get to read it in hard copy tomorrow on the plane to Houston for the Joint Integrated Simulation this week in preparation for the October STS-125 HST servicing mission.

I thought it appropriate to speak tonight about the Hubble Space Telescope, one of the greatest machines NASA has ever built, and about our relationship with that machine and what it has taught us about our universe and, more importantly, ourselves. In October, astronauts on Space Shuttle Atlantis will rendezvous with Hubble to repair and upgrade it for the fifth time in its nearly two decades of service. When they leave, it will be better than ever. It will be better than anyone ever imagined that it might be, back when I was working on the project some twenty-five years ago.

Tipping Point at $4/Gallon

Michael Barone points out how the public attitude on oil drilling has shifted with the recent rise in gas prices.

Now all that is in danger, because the pain of paying $60 for a tank of gas has convinced most Americans to worry less about the caribou or the recurrence of an oil spill that happened 39 years ago. Democratic leaders are preventing Congress from voting on continental shelf and ANWR drilling or oil shale development because they fear their side would lose and are making the transparently absurd claim that drilling won't lower the price of oil. They're scampering to say that they would allow drilling somewhere -- mostly in places where the oil companies haven't found any oil.

Ahead of Its Time

Tomorrow is the fortieth anniversary of the document that may go down in history as one of those most fiercely attacked by so many that have never read it. Pope Paul VI's Humanae Vitae is a short read as papal encyclicals go, but prophetic in terms of the reaction to it and of the state of today's culture.

It can be foreseen that this teaching will perhaps not be easily received by all: Too numerous are those voices-amplified by the modern means of propaganda-which are contrary to the voice of the Church. To tell the truth, the Church is not surprised to be made, like her divine founder, a "sign of contradiction," (22) yet she does not because of this cease to proclaim with humble firmness the entire moral law, both natural and evangelical. Of such laws the Church was not the author, nor consequently can she be their arbiter; she is only their depositary and their interpreter, without ever being able to declare to be licit that which is not so by reason of its intimate an unchangeable opposition to the true good of man.

Priests for Life has a description and an extensive list of links pertaining to the encyclical and related issues.

Political Video Humor

John McCain's campaign has a hilarious video which lampoons the Old Media infatuation with Barack Obama. (Chris Matthews seems particularly lovestruck.)

Meanwhile, on a nonpartisan note, after gaining fame with their 2004 campaign animations, Jib-Jab is back with its premier 2008 entry.

Anniversary Time Again

NASA

Today is the 39th anniversary of humanity's first expedition to the lunar surface. Check out Rand Simberg's ceremonial commemoration of that epic event.

I got back this morning from the Space Frontier Foundation's NewSpace 2008 Conference held this year in Washington, DC (well, actually in nearby Crystal City, VA). Check out Clark Lindsey's recent posts covering some of the highlights here.

Today is also the fifth anniversary ('blogiversary') of the launch of this humble blog. Here is the inaugural post (Note that I was too inexperienced to think of giving it a title.) on Life at the Frontier.

WYD 2008

Young people from around the world are gathering with Pope Benedict XVI in Sydney, Australia for World Youth Day events, energizing Faith in Christ in the "Land Down Under" and around the world. Amy Welborn provides a list of links and blogs for the event.

Tony Snow, RIP

Tony Snow, former White House Press Secretary and political talk show host and commentator, passed away after battling cancer at age 53.

I recall seeing Tony Snow speak last year at a conservative conference in DC. He was gifted with combining strong advocacy with gentleness and humor and his strong Catholic Faith. In addressing graduates of Catholic University, he said:

And pretty soon you are thinking about God. Don’t shrink from pondering God’s role in the universe or Christ’s. You see, it’s trendy to reject religious reflection as a grave offense against decency. That’s not only cowardly. That’s false. Faith and reason are knitted together in the human soul. So don’t leave home without either one.

Dr. Michael DeBakey, RIP

The man who did so much to advance heart medicine has passed away at age 99.

Happy Independence Day!

(This post I made last year is just as relevant today.)

As we join in the festivities of the Fourth, let's strive to keep to the values proclaimed in the Declaration that make it worth celebrating.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Power Line Blog links to a speech given by President Coolidge on the 150th anniversary of the Declaration and highlights a paragraph very relevant to the social and political issues in today's society.

About the Declaration there is a finality that is exceedingly restful. It is often asserted that the world has made a great deal of progress since 1776, that we have had new thoughts and new experiences which have given us a great advance over the people of that day, and that we may therefore very well discard their conclusions for something more modern. But that reasoning can not be applied to this great charter. If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions. If anyone wishes to deny their truth or their soundness, the only direction in which he can proceed historically is not forward, but backward toward the time when there was no equality, no rights of the individual, no rule of the people. Those who wish to proceed in that direction can not lay claim to progress. They are reactionary. Their ideas are not more modern, but more ancient, than those of the Revolutionary fathers.

ADDITION: 7/4/08: Check out this powerful video and remember those who are sacrificing for us.

This Anniversary is a Real Blast

Tomorrow is the 100th anniversary of the explosive arrival of a large object from space in Siberia on June 30, 1908. The issue of detecting asteroids or comets in the vicinity of Earth's orbit around the Sun, known as Near Earth Objects (NEOs), and responding to, preferably by deflection, of those that threaten to impact our planet, has gained attention in recent years. The B612 Foundation has as its purpose development of NEO deflection methods. Also, the citizens' space agenda organization Prospace (of which I am a member of the Board of Directors) included NEOs in this years 'March Storm' agenda.

It Ain't Over'Til It's Over

John Fund explains why, despite the conventional wisdom, there's no certainty of an Obama inauguration next January.

The McCain campaign can't expect to win the election on the strength of their man's personal appeal or character. He is most likely to win by engaging Mr. Obama on the issues, and forcing debates over competing visions of foreign policy, and the size and scope of government. Tackling concerns about energy and food costs are key.

Here Mr. McCain has an opening. On many core issues, the country still leans right of center. In last week's Washington Post poll, 50% of voters favored a smaller government with fewer services while 45% wanted a bigger government with more services - the same percentage breakdown as in June 2004.

Second Amendment Ruling

One doesn't have to have a big interest in guns to applaud an occasion when the Supreme Court (albeit by a narrow 5-4 vote) bases a decision not on foreign law, an "emerging national consensus", nor "the right to define one's own concept of existence, of meaning, of the universe, and of the mystery of human life", but on the US Constitution. What a concept!

Michael Reagan celebrates this week's Supreme Court ruling striking down the DC handgun ban, but ends on a cautionary note.

The Supreme Court ruling has been greeted by the American people as a welcome sign that many of their rights long threatened by out-of-control judges who make or misinterpret laws, rather than enforcing them, are now at last being safeguarded by the High Court.

That’s a dangerous misconception. The new decision was a 5-4 ruling. That tiny majority, often reversed in other rulings that defy the meaning of the Constitution, will vanish if the liberals manage to elect Barack Obama and give his party sufficient control of Congress to guarantee that future Court vacancies will be filled with activist liberal justices who will turn the Constitution upside down.

Water Ice and More on Mars

Phoenix mission scientists last week announced that material observed disappearing from a trench dug by the robotic lander was frozen water that evaporated after being exposed by the digging. (See the amazing evidence here.)

Since then, the mission team has begun to use the Phoenix lander's chemical analysis capabilities, which are already yielding quite interesting results.

Tim Russert, RIP

The Nation and the world are remembering Tim Russert for his contributions to journalism. He was known for asking tough questions, but probably more than many in today's media, was fair to people on all sides. Tim Russert's passions went beyond journalism and politics, as he was known for his devotion to his family and his Catholic faith.

I learned earlier in the week that a friend I'd grown up with from grade school through college had recently passed away. These two instances of people passing in the prime of their lives are a reminder to me that we each don't know how much time we have in this life and that we should be mindful of the next life.

Discovery Returns

The STS-124 mission completed this morning as the Shuttle Discovery landed in Florida after its highly successful mission to the International Space Station. The next mission to fly is the one I'm involved in supporting, the STS-125 mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope in October. Here is an impressive video preview. (Hat tip to NASA Watch.)

MARS Rising

Orbital Sciences Corporation has confirmed its selection of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) at Wallops Island, VA for launching the company's Taurus II launch vehicle. The rocket will demonstrate cargo resupply of the International Space Station along with lofting satellites into orbit.

As I've already noted, having an emerging major spaceport will be an exciting development for this region.

UPDATE 6/10/08 Here's the round-up of links from Spacetoday.net.

Year of the Potato

Almost halfway through the year, I've learned that the United Nations is honoring one of my favorite foods by observing 2008 as the International Year of the Potato. The observance highlights the spud's contribution to agriculture and mitigating world poverty. (Hat tip to Dr. Astropixie.)

Hi-Def Space History

This Sunday night the Discovery Channel starts it's spectacular series When We Left Earth showing (some never before shown in public) scenes from NASA's video vault covering the epic history of the US space program. Check out the spectacular video preview trailer.

Lab Delivery

The Kibo Lab has been successfully installed and opened up by the ISS/Discovery crews.

Discovery in Orbit at ISS

NASA/Jerry Cannon, George Roberts

Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off Saturday afternoon on its mission to the International Space Station (where it arrived today). Highlight will be the installation of the large Kibo Japanese laboratory module.

Update on Rachel's Field

In September 2006, I posted a short piece with links regarding Rachel's Field, an effort by some local prolife friends to establish a memorial to unborn babies lost to abortion. For the latest on the twists and turns on this amazing ongoing effort, please check out the Rachel's Field web site.

It's Fun to go to the I-S-D-C!

Yes, that's a take-off of a Seventies song, but the International Space Development Conference 2008 is being held here in DC tomorrow through Sunday, and that's where I'll be.

Phoenix Makes Landfall on Mars

NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
Timely image of Phoenix suspended from its parachute descending to the surface taken from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter


NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
Icy, patterned ground on Mars, imaged by Phoenix after landing.

The Phoenix lander arrived in the northern polar region of Mars last evening. A number of spectacular images have already been released. In a few days, controllers will start commanding the robotic lander to begin digging into the permafrost and conduct experiments on the frozen water deposited there. The results may provide indications on the possibility that microbial life was or is present on this region of Mars.

Another Venture on Mars to Begin Sunday

The Phoenix lander will land on the northern polar region of Mars on Sunday. There the NASA spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin, will investigate the significant presence of frozen water at this region and what it could mean for the past or present possibility of life on Mars.

Here is the Phoenix Mars Mission home page, which I've also added to my side bar.

Personhood in Colorado

A prolife group in Colorado says on Tuesday it will turn in more than enough signatures to qualify an initiative on the state's November ballot recognizing the personhood of unborn human beings from the moment of fertilization. The initiative potentially sets up a challenge to the 1973 Supreme Court decisions which imposed abortion on demand in the United States and will highlight the visibility of abortion during this year's elections for president and other offices.

Awaiting a Launch Site Decision

Orbital Sciences Corporation will shortly announce it's decision on whether its primary launch site for the Taurus II rocket will be Wallops Island, Virginia or Cape Canaveral, Florida. The vehicle will be one of those selected by NASA to demonstrate capabilities to resupply the International Space Station.

Along with my desire to see larger rockets launched from a location three hours driving distance from my residence, I think the nation could use two Atlantic coast orbital launch facilities to provide redundancy inn case of hurricane damage to either site.

Cosmic Bumper Cars

The Space Telescope Science Institute yesterday released a collection of images of colliding galaxies to mark the eighteenth anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit. The awesome images show a variety of structures caused by the collisions of these huge collections of stars. Be sure to check the tabs for videos, information and related links.

A Blessed Day in DC!

It was quite an experience to participate in the Mass this morning with Pope Benedict XVI in Washington, DC in a congregation of over 45,000. A joyous spirit filled the participants and I also noticed excitement and interest among others who did not attend the Mass. Here are a few of my pictures from Nationals Stadium.


The Holy Father Enters Nationals Stadium in the Popemobile


Pope Benedict Delivers his Homily during the Mass



Nationals Stadium as an Outdoor Church

For more background, here are reports from EWTN and the Washington Post.

Welcome Pope Benedict XVI!

Pope Benedict arrived this afternoon at Andrews AFB aboard 'Shepherd One', the call sign for the Alitalia jet that brought him from Rome. The Holy Father will have a heavy itinerary over the next five days in Washington, DC and New York City, proclaiming the theme of his visit, Christ Our Hope.

Papal fever has been building for days and I'm excited to be able to participate. I will be going with my parish Thursday morning to the outdoor Mass at the new Nationals Stadium. Stay tuned to EWTN for TV and Internet coverage of the papal visit.

Politics of Condescension

It seems that the two Democratic presidential wannabees aren't so much tearing each other up but each tripping themselves up. Hillary Clinton had barely torpedoed her own campaign with her tale of imaginary snipers when Barack Obama comes along commiserating with affluent liberal donors in San Francisco about small town residents 'clinging' to guns or religion out of 'bitterness' over the economy.

Noemie Emery writes that Obama's revelation has been a pattern followed by some previous Democratic candidates.

After their unexpected loss in 2004, Democrats were much too impressed by Thomas Frank's treatise What's the Matter With Kansas? which complained that they lost because middle-class voters were too stupid to vote their 'real' interests (which were presumably served by the Democrats), because conservatives wickedly played on their fears. ('Fear' is the Democrats' answer for every vote they don't get.)

Yuri's Night

Saturday is the annual celebration of Yuri's Night with 189 parties scheduled on and around the planet. Find a party near you to celebrate humanity's steps into space. I'll be attending the celebration at the Goddard Space Flight Center Visitors Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Trading Places

Soyuz launch of Expedition Seventeen on Tuesday Credit: NASA TV

The crew handover on the International Space Station is underway with the arrival on Thursday of Expedition Seventeen to relieve Expedition Sixteen.

Circus on the Severn Folds Its Tent for 2008

The Maryland General Assembly adjourned its 2008 session last night. This WBAL report summarizes what was done and (in some cases, thankfully) not done. Here is a summary of legislation posted by the Maryland Catholic Conference.