Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

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Artist unknown, Link by Saints.SQPN.com

Today is March 17, St. Patrick's Day. Be blessed, safe, and happy however you are celebrating Ireland's patron saint.

Catholic Forum provides links to descriptions of St. Patrick here and here.

Saint Patrick's Breastplate

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort me and restore me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

In the spirit of the holiday, check out LiveIreland.com for webcasts of Irish music and other media direct from Ireland.

Steyn on Fluke

Mark Steyn has a unique talent for reminding us how our civilization is going to hell in a hand basket while keeping us in stitches all the way there. His comment on the whole Sandra Fluke episode is one of his best.

Nor is the core issue that, whatever the merits of government contraception, America is the Brokest Nation in History — although the Fluke story is a useful reminder that the distinction between fiscal and social conservatism is generally false. As almost all those fashionable split-the-difference fiscally conservative/socially liberal governors from George Pataki to California’s pathetically terminated Terminator eventually discover, their social liberalism comes with a hell of a price tag. Ask the Greeks how easy it is for insolvent nations to wean the populace off unaffordable nanny-state lollipops: When even casual sex requires a state welfare program, you’re pretty much done for.

Andrew Breitbart, RIP

Conservative media entrepreneur Andrew Breitbart passed away suddenly at the age of 43 early this morning in LA. His legacy includes Big Hollywood and its sister sites, which he and his colleagues have used to expose many of the cultural and political fantasies that have dominated our society in recent decades. The Anchoress has posted links to many comments here.

I recall seeing Andrew Breitbart at CPAC a few weeks ago, including his talk to a Students for Life session (held in a hotel hallway because the crowd was too big for the scheduled room). Here is a video taken of that talk, which explains a lot about Breitbart's passion to change the culture.