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Month: December 2006

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Current Events, Perspective, Political

Draft and martial law?

Coming to a community near you. From CNN: Bush: ‘We do need to increase our troops’

WASHINGTON (CNN) — President Bush asked his new secretary of defense to draw up plans to increase the overall size of the Army and the Marines, according to an interview with the president published Tuesday in the Washington Post.

“I’m inclined to believe that we do need to increase our troops — the Army, the Marines,” Bush said. “And I talked about this to Secretary Gates and he is going to spend some time talking to the folks in the building, come back with a recommendation to me about how to proceed forward on this idea.”

Hmm, thought I felt a draft there for a moment. I can see the signing ceremony now, the president surrounded by his junta and idiot congressman Charlie Rangel selling the young men of his constituency down the Tigris and Euphrates. His excuse – it’s ok as long as the rich die too.

Here’s an idea, pull the troops out of Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and South Korea. We’ll be overstaffed then. You’ll have to cut back.

Senior administration officials said the timing of the president’s comments is connected with Washington’s oncoming budget season, and that the president intends for such plans to be part of the fiscal 2008 budget.

But the comments also come amid increasing warnings from officials and experts that the U.S. military is stretched too thin to cope with the stresses of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The draft will be his greatest gift to the American people —“ that along with…

“It is an accurate reflection that this ideological war we’re in is going to last for a while, and that we’re going to need a military that’s capable of being able to sustain our efforts and to help us achieve peace,” Bush told the Post…

Ah yes, the ideological war, the one where the increased troop levels will helpfully assert and sustain the priorities of the Administration during the canceled elections.

Sustaining our efforts? And whose would those be? I’m thinking that the vast majority of Americans now disagree with your ideological war Mr. Bush, you know, the war where you’re silencing critics like Flynt Leverett (also here and here).

As for peace:

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, do I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid.

Current Events, Media, Perspective, Political

A trainload of freedom —“ leaving soon

No, not the freedom train, but rather boxcars loaded up with the freedoms you and I used to enjoy.

The train is being pulled along by the present administration in an effort to force people into a dialog on a single issue, under a predetermined script, with a single predetermined outcome. If you disagree —“ loose a freedom.

Ask Flynt Leverett. The former CIA, Department of State, and National Security Council specialist has been censored. His crime, he criticized Bush Administration policies. You see, former CIA employees must clear anything they write by the CIA. He wrote an article based on previously published, publicly available information. He submitted that article for clearance and was denied, not by the CIA per-se, but by the White House. For the whole story see: Flynt Leverett Blasts White House National Security Council Censorship of Former White House Officials Critical of Bush Policies from TPM Café.

These boxcars contain much of what we hold dear: Habeas Corpus, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to seek redress, freedom from cruel and unusual punishment.

This train, fueled by the Patriot Act and similar legislation with an added boost of egomaniacal energy, is fully under the direction and control of George Bush.

The real problem, the one beyond the obvious, is that once this train chugs through its long uphill slog and passes the crest of the hill, it will careen out of control – the whole rest of the way. When curmudgeonly uncle Bob, the self styled critic of the government, disappears one night and can’t be found, then you’ll know the train is at ramming speed.

Perspective

Mocking the Church

Our PNCC seminarian Adam, who’s a great internet researcher, found the website for a vagante church in Texas, the Fr. Mychal Judge Old Catholic Church. Two bishops and one priest with a ‘basilica’…

As if being vagante is not enough this ‘church’ takes vagante into a world of absolute depravity. It is, to say the least, sick.

They use the name of this martyred Roman Catholic priest to shill for things he didn’t believe, they allege possession of a relic of him, and they run a store in his name. It is beyond belief. At the bare minimum using the dead to raise a profit is in bad taste. What’s next, robbing the blind?

Adam puts his distaste into far stronger words in Making a mockery of the Catholic Faith. I agree with him.

Current Events, Perspective, Poland - Polish - Polonia, Political

When is a deli more than a deli

A deli is not a deli when it represents the meddlesome level at which government planning boards and other such bodies interfere in free commerce.

Now I agree that planning boards are important in that they help to maintain the character of a community. Citizens generally would disagree with having a big box store dropped down into the center of their quaint downtown. At the same time these boards (often unelected) hold sway over the natural course of business. The story: New Hyde Park Village Reserves Decision on Polish Deli from the Illustrated News makes that fact pretty clear.

After just three months of opening, Polish Deli owner Grzegorz Bak, 916 Jericho Turnpike, New Hyde Park, came before the New Hyde Park Village Board to ask for a special use permit to allow for the ability to cook foods in his store.

And this is necessary because? Now I could see getting a permit from the health department or even an inspection from the fire marshal, but a ‘special use permit’ from an agency that has no business meddling in such things is beyond me. Anyway, if the area is zoned commercial and the establishment fits the zoning, why a permit?

The original permit was for the store to only be a Polish grocery store with no prepared foods and now Bak said he has had inquiries from quite a large number of customers who want him to provide hot Kielbasas, hot pirogies and sandwiches.

See a demand, meet the need – but that would be in a country that didn’t have a planned economy (oops, thought I was in the Soviet Union for awhile).

He explained he has a huge counter and it would be easy to prepare hot foods with a countertop grill. His hours are currently from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. but with the new permit he would also be asking for an extension of hours from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. so that he could provide breakfast foods such as kielbasa with egg sandwiches.

Mayor Daniel Petruccio said that he is always happy to see businesses succeed, but he said he was mindful of the fact that this store is located in very close proximity to Park Deli, which has been in business in New Hyde Park for 49 years.

So the mayor thinks that an older established business has a right of veto over newcomers? Who knew?

I do understand. We wouldn’t want Mr. Khrushchev coming in and pounding his shoe on the counter – oops, flashback again.

Deputy Mayor Robert Lofaro said that coming before the board shortly after receiving an initial permit puts the board in a very “awkward” position.

Of course politicians who make stupid, intrusive, overbearing, bureaucratic rules that require people to kow-tow every time they sneeze creates such an awkward situation. You makes the rules and people are going to have to follow them.

Bak said that most of his customers are of Polish descent and, for the most part, do not live in the New Hyde Park area, but rather come from other areas such as Glen Cove and Hempstead; and when they do they are looking for kielbasas, pirogies and stuffed cabbage.

When the meeting was open to the public, Artie Ruesch, representing his father who owns Park Deli, came to the microphone. He said he felt it was a very bad precedent of the village to allow a permit to be changed in such a short space of time. He pointed out that anyone could receive a permit for a facility and then within months come back to the board and change the conditions of the permit. When asked by trustee Donald Barbieri if he served kielbasa and pirogies he said he did so, but usually just for holidays. He also added that he felt sure that Bak had in the back of his mind when he first applied for the application that he would be coming back to change the conditions of the application.

He further pointed out that there are many food places in the vicinity such as an Italian deli, a diner and Blimpie’s, which closed because of the amount of competition in the area. He ended his short comments by saying, “I hope that you will consider my objections to this application.”

So Mr. Ruesch, who grew up fat and happy (of course I’m guessing, unlike Mr. Ruesch who is certain as to what was in Mr. Bak’s mind) because of his father’s hard work, wants to make sure dad has no competition. Free market and all why don’t you get yourself down to dad’s deli and cook up some pierogi? If Mr. Bak’s business model fails that’s his fault. If he succeeds maybe he’ll give you a job.

The next person to speak was David Peykar, who identified himself as the manager of the building at 916 Jericho Turnpike. He said he disagreed with Ruesch and that competition is good. He pointed out that many stores in the area sell foods, including the bagel shop, Umberto’s, Italian Deli, Pizza Shop and Chinese food store and he said that is good for the village. He said he did advise Bak to go the “extra mile” when he applied for the initial application so that would have been done in “one shot.”

David Peykar, the only person who made any sense in the whole matter. Hey, this guy succeeds my rents go up – cool.

The board reserved decision on the application because it now has to return to the Nassau County Planning Commission; and when their reply is received, in about 30 days, the board will vote on the application.

Uh, yeah…

Homilies,

The Third Sunday of Advent

—Teacher, what should we do?—

Advent is a time of preparation, but did it ever strike you as odd in that we are preparing for something that has already happened?

That is one of the mysteries of the Christian faith. Jesus’ coming, His birth, death, burial, and resurrection, have ushered in the Kingdom of God. Yet the Kingdom has not arrived in its fullness.

So here we are; left with choices. The preeminent choice is whether we will faithfully follow Christ, join ourselves to His work, follow His way, and build up His kingdom.

Deciding to faithfully follow Christ, to join ourselves to His work, and to follow His way requires preparation. It requires a constant re-evaluation of our priorities and a desire to bring the Kingdom one step closer.

We prepare again. We prepare and struggle throughout our lives; lives that without hope would go on year after year, through the cycle of time, with no purpose other than death.

But for us God is our hope. As Christians we know that God created a world of cycles and times and that the Church faithfully follows these. We know that as we walk through time, through the seasons and cycles ordained for our lives, these repetitive cycles will end with the joy of heaven. As we walk through the cycle of times and seasons Jesus’ words are ever fresh; they speak anew to us, prompting us on to preparation and reparation.

Paul reminds us:

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.

The first among those requests is that we be prepared, prepared to do what we are called to do. We pray and petition God, asking Him to wash us and renew us. We ask Him to take charge of our growth, our change, and our work. We need His grace to assist us in our work for the kingdom. God help us to bring Your heavenly Kingdom one step closer to its fulfillment.

My brothers and sisters,

This time of preparation gives us the opportunity to engage in reparation.

Our lives are constantly changing, and as I noted, that change makes Jesus’ message ever new.

How has His message spoken to you? Prepare and repair.

This past year made us different in some way, both for the better and for the worse. Our ability to change, to work toward the kingdom is a constant challenge. Our ability to overcome our faults and our our sins, as they take on a new character to challenge us, is a never ending battle.

Perhaps our anger changed, our desires and lusts took a slightly different direction. Perhaps we found a new way to fall, to deny Christ, to be more cynical or sarcastic about our partners, our friends, our family, the Church, or God.

The times and seasons and God’s everlasting grace are the antidote to those new challenges; the time of preparation and reparation punctuated by the great joy of Christmas is the cure we so desperately need.

You remember that joy. You remember it – that morning when you caught mom or dad secretly smile because you were happy. That joy you felt when you learned that giving was more than spending money. That feeling of warmth, when you were surrounded by family, when you ate, sang, and walked or drove off to church together. That day you held new life in your hands for the first time and knew the meaning of hope. We return to that joy year after year because of Christ, because He affords us the opportunity to prepare and repair, through the seasons and throughout time.

Today we celebrated an expanded Sacrament of Penance, the very same sacrament you receive at the beginning of every Holy Mass. Prayer, petition, and thanksgiving —“ God make me a new man, a new woman. Get me back on the road, the work lies before me, the kingdom needs to be built. Here are my hands, here is my heart. I am sorry I wasted them in any way.

You are washed anew in the sacrament of penance. Through the penance you have been given, a means to reflection, recompense, and prayer, and through the words of the priest you are absolved of sin. Your sin is no more. You have entered back into full communion with your brothers and sisters, with the Holy Church, and with God.

So onward. Preparation and reparation… By these mystical means God builds you, prepares you, and sets you to work for His kingdom.

The sinful came to John in the Jordan and asked:

—And what is it that we should do?—

He told them: preparation, reparation, and amendment of life…

Now the people were filled with expectation

They were ready to move forward, at John’s words eagerly awaiting the Messiah.

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor
and to gather the wheat into his barn

Come Lord Jesus! Gather us in.

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