Snake Oil

They're going after PBS again. Read below.

September 21, 2005
House Passes Measure on Hurricane-Related Tax Breaks
By CARL HULSE

WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 - The House of Representatives rushed through a $6.1 billion package of hurricane-related tax breaks today, sending the bill to the Senate, whose members also planned to pass it quickly.

The House passed the bill, 422 to 0. This first infusion of help for the Gulf Coast region will offer tax breaks to people and businesses uprooted by Hurricane Katrina and expand tax breaks for some hurricane-related charitable donations.

Conservative House Republicans recommended today more than $500 billion in savings over 10 years to compensate for the costs of Hurricane Katrina as lawmakers continued to struggle to develop a consensus on the overall fiscal approach to the disaster.

One cut being considered is a delay in the start of the new Medicare prescription drug coverage for one year to save $31 billion and eliminating $25 billion in projects from the newly enacted transportation measure.

The list also proposes eliminating the Moon-Mars initiative that NASA announced on Monday, for $44 billion in savings; ending support for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, $4 billion; cutting taxpayer payments for the national political conventions and the presidential election campaign fund, $600 million; and charging federal employees for parking, $1.54 billion.

"What House conservatives will demonstrate through Operation Offset is that there is more than enough room in the federal budget to provide for the needs of the families affected by Katrina without raising taxes," said a House Republican aide who is working with lawmakers on the proposals.

The suggestions are certain to draw serious opposition from other lawmakers who consider those programs essential, illustrating the difficulty faced by the majority Republicans in finding acceptable ways to offset the hurricane costs.

Before the list was made public, Representative Tom DeLay of Texas, the House majority leader, declared that delaying the Medicare plan was a nonstarter. Mr. DeLay also expressed skepticism that most lawmakers would want to revisit the transportation bill, saying he would be reluctant to sacrifice the projects that he won for his district in the Houston area.

"My earmarks are pretty important to building an economy in that region," Mr. DeLay said of the local projects he backed in the bill. A watchdog group said those items totaled more than $114 million.

Mr. DeLay said Republicans would press ahead this year with their planned tax cuts, though Treasury Secretary John W. Snow told a trade association on Tuesday that some tax measures might have to be delayed, including a repeal of the estate tax and the effort to make permanent some cuts instituted earlier in the Bush administration.

"I think it will push to the back burner some issues that otherwise would have been on the agenda now," Mr. Snow said in a speech to the National Association of Federal Credit Unions.

Senate Republicans met for more than an hour on Tuesday with Joshua B. Bolten, director of the Office of Management and Budget, to try to hash out an approach to hurricane-related spending, a problem that lawmakers acknowledge is among the most difficult they have faced.

Senators said they continued to press the White House to name a prominent individual to oversee the relief effort, creating a central contact point for the flow of money, as well as many legislative proposals.

In the House, Democratic leaders called for establishing a special commission to try to prevent fraud and abuse in spending on the recovery.

"We need to make sure that federal contracts are awarded based on confidence and integrity instead of cronyism and greed," Representative Henry A. Waxman, Democrat of California, said. "And at long last, we need to start putting the interests of the taxpayers ahead of the private contractor."

Senate Republican leaders promised to be diligent in overseeing the money, which they said was being spent more slowly than immediately after the storm. They said they would keep the deficit in mind.

Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, the majority leader, said Congress needed "to make sure that that money is spent wisely, that it is spent with full accountability, that it is spent with fiscal responsibility and transparency."

There was a sharp split among Republicans. Some were more insistent on clearly defined cuts than others.

"There is no agreement to pay for this at all," Senator Judd Gregg, Republican of New Hampshire, said. "Those of us who would like to pay for it are very much a minority within our caucus."

Mr. DeLay said estimates that the recovery and rebuilding effort could cost $200 billion or more were unfounded. Other lawmakers disputed that, saying none of the rebuilding costs have been considered, as the Louisiana delegation is preparing a multibillion-dollar aid request.

More on FEMA's Ice Follies:

Media outlets around the country are reporting that trucks loaded with millions of pounds of ice meant for the Gulf region are popping up nationwide. FEMA redirected the trucks away from the South after realizing they had ordered too much ice, but the agency is paying truckers up to $900 a day to sit idly in their trucks far away from the affected areas.

“The $9,000 they’re paying me to move this load should have gone to some family down there,” one disgruntled trucker said. “There is definitely millions being wasted that could go to people who need it.”

Here’s where the FEMA “Icecapades” tour has been so far:

- Boise, Idaho

- Portland, Maine

- Glouster, Massachusetts

- Joplin, Arkansas

- Memphis, Tennessee

- Fremont, Nebraska

- Upper Macungie Township, Pennsylvania

- Cumberland, Maryland

Look for it in a town near you!

Go here to see the live links behind each of the towns listed above:

http://thinkprogress.org/2005/09/21/fema-presents-mismanagement-on-ice/

The government suggesting cutting $4 million support annually for PBS is a crime when they're spending $5.6 billion (with a B) a MONTH on the war in Iraq - that's $186 million a day. End the %$#@! war and bring the troops home NOW.

How much money would we save by cutting the salaries of House members and Senators by 20%?

Heard this on NPR / Marketplace...

A new site put together to let citizens identify pork passed by Congress and allow them to identify items that their individual Congressional reps will consider cutting.

List of pork $$ by state:
http://truthlaidbear.com/porkbystate.php

List of Senators and Reps committing to cutting to pork:
http://truthlaidbear.com/porkbusters.php

List of individual pork items by state:
http://truthlaidbear.com/listpork.php

How to find pork:
http://truthlaidbear.com/porkresources.php

How to add pork items to the list:
http://truthlaidbear.com/addpork.php

The site suggests calling your rep and senators and asking them what pork items they would commit to cutting and adding that to the list.

So the blogosphere takes on doing what the Bush Administration is unwilling and unable to do...

This is one way of figuring out how to pay for Katrina recovery. I'm curious to know if off-budget items such Halliburton compensation are included anywhere.

Want To Look Into The Eye of God?

http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/PS/TROP/DATA/RT/float-vis-loop.html

Rita: This one is a monster.

Indy are you still in Covington..?

Ok Ok..

Look at this BIZARRE little bush nugget in the national Enquirer.

I dont know what the hell to make of it, thats just...loopy.

http://www.nationalenquirer.com/celebrity/63426

And no im not a regular reader someone just pointed it out to me.

Do ya think that a cat 5 coming, recovery from Katrina and now a major tornado in Minn. about to happen, make these nut cases believe that mother nature may just want revenge and all in the name of global warming?? What else will it take?? Perhaps when the winter sets in and the heating bills go through the roof,or gas goes to five $/gal??
Just finished reading Anna Quinlan's article in Newsweek so here's the quote:"the long view is NOT about patching levees,or building houses,or assigning blame. It's about CHANGING the way we live,NOW." But those of us that wanted to have a JK/JE presidency already knew that!

Cindy Sheehan Caravan Stopped by Capitol Police
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/092105Q.shtml
At just past noon on Wednesday, anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan and the rest of the Bring Them Home Now tour were stopped by a pair of squad cars two blocks from the US Capitol by members of the Capitol police force. Officers explained that they wanted to use bomb-sniffing dogs to inspect the caravan of three RVs and several cars.

Just because Hurricane Rita is forecast to probably hit the TX coast (so far) doesn't mean it might not turn sharply northward and hit LA, MS, and AL (yes, I know it could also turn south and hit Mexico). At the very least, the amount of rain and wind New Orleans will likely get from the outer edges of Rita would once again topple levees that are not sufficiently repaired and more flooding could occur. I deeply wish the people who are still in NO would at least evacuate to higher ground until Rita passes. The people in the Mississippi Delta, particularly NO, have already been traumatized enough.

The only "good" thing I've seen on TV about evacuations in Galveston or Houston (the story wasn't clear which, but I think Galveston), is that they are allowing people to bring their pets. The one thing that seemed to keep some people in their homes in NOLA was the fact that they were not allowed to bring their pets along when the orders for mandatory evacuations began.

http://news.yahoo.com/fc/world/hurricanes_and_tropical_storms
New Orleans Residents in No Rush to Leave
NEW ORLEANS - Despite warnings another hurricane could swamp the city all over again, New Orleans residents weren't rushing to board evacuation buses Wednesday as forecasts raised hopes Hurricane Rita could pass them by.

We should all call the WH and make sure someone told george about Rita

Posted by: Christy at September 21, 2005 08:23 PM

The only thing that bothers me about that story is that writers like that ASSUME Nitwit has a conscience and that things like hurricane victims bother him. They haven't been paying attention to the words in his post-Katrina speeches. Cheerleader words, references to his war on 'terra' after 9/11, etc. The ONLY thing that bothers him is that his ratings have tanked and he knows that means he no longer has more than half the people of this nation fooled into believing anything about his war in Iraq, and most of us are on to his lies (with the exception of some Congressional members, it seems, who still roll over like submissive puppies when Nitwit barks).

Nitwit does not, IMHO, have a conscience. I firmly believe he was born without a conscience, just like any other psychopath. I've yet to hear or read anything he might have said that would lead me to believe he has a conscience.

has a conscience and that things like hurricane victims bother him.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Amen Sister

American Psycho fo sho.

The conference is being held by Sheehan and the others to announce their arrival in Washington and to kick off a weekend of resistance that is expected to include a march of 100,000 people and mass civil disobedience.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/092105Q.shtml

Mass.

Civil.

Disobedience.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

RE: Cindy in DC. DU has this posting with photos of Cindy at the WH gate delivering a letter to Boy George...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4843092

TY MD

For those going to DC this weekend, here's a good link to review, just in case...

http://www.starhawk.org/activism/trainer-resources/teargas.html

We should all call the WH and make sure someone told george about Rita

Posted by: Christy at September 21, 2005 09:10 PM

Now *this* is the funniest thing I've read all day! (sadly) hahaha

Poor georgie.

I almost feel sorry for the dumb, pathetic little bastard.

Then I remember he is the spawn of Hell.

I know something yall don't about Barbara Bush...Shes a succubus.

No I have no proof she is the devils whore but if they can claim God hit New Orleans because its sinful then I can claim that Barbara Bush has indeed spawned satans child.

My sources choose to remain anonymous, thank you.

Que pasa on Saturday and Sunday as DCPers, for those out of town and out of the loop? A table with all the great causes on the mall? A get together at our fearless leaders' home?

Digame, por favor.

We should all call the WH and make sure someone told george about Rita

Posted by: Christy at September 21, 2005 09:10 PM

Christy,

You go, girl. Tell it!!

I heard on the 5:30 news tonight that gas prices are expected to rise as high as over $5.00 per gallon.

Right away I went out and filled my 1/2 full tank with gas. A half tank cost $27.00.

I came back home, and thought to myself, they are just f$*@!$g us royal now.

Gulf Cartel drug gang,

HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

o. crap.

PLEASE DO ME A HUGE FAVOR.

I am not trying to be a bug like this but I am asking yall to simnply yahoo or google one phrase

Dixie Mafia.

Just LOOK at it PLEASE.

WHAT IF IM RIGHT ABOUT FOXX AND VENZEULA???

I WANT to be wrong. BUT WHAT IF Im right?

PLEASE just look it up.

LOOK DEEPER.

Ill beg if I have too.

Dixie Mafia

Here's a remarkable article telling the stories of some of the photographers from the New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper who have continued throughout this whole ordeal taking pictures and rescuing people.

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001140082

More real heroes...

Either I missed it because I'm ignoring MSM for the most part again, or it was not broadcast.

However the local in-state news at 10 p.m. just broadcast the info that the death toll for Katrina is now over 1000. It did not state their source for that number.

Also no mention of the Sheehan incident in NY, and no mention of Sheehan's arrival in DC, or the planned demonstration this weekend... which may be overshadowed by news about Rita when that hits, wherever it hits.

http://photos1.blogger.com/img/74/890/440/dry_drunk.jpg

Make up your own caption.

Neffer mind. The TV station got it off the internet... an AP story is on Yahoo. I shoulda checked the headlines before posting....

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050922/ap_on_re_us/hurricane_katrina_hk2
Katrina's Death Toll Climbs Past 1,000

Who thinks Bushco Propaganda will spend 99% of the time covering the hurricane instead of the Washington rally this weekend ?

Blanco asks for independent investigation into Katrina response

06:03 PM CDT on Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Gov. Kathleen Blanco asked President Bush on Wednesday to appoint an independent commission to investigate the preparations for and response to Hurricane Katrina -- adding her voice to a chorus of Democrats calling for an independent investigation.

Blanco sent a letter to Bush with the request, pointing to the independent commission set up to investigate the Sept. 11 attacks.

"Only an independent, nonpartisan commission investigation that commands full support from the executive and legislative branches will accomplish what we need -- a thorough, comprehensive review which is only concerned with getting to the truth," she wrote in the letter released by the governor's office.

Bush has named Frances Fragos Townsend, his in-house homeland security adviser, to lead an administration investigation into the sluggish federal response to Katrina. The appointment of Townsend, a former federal prosecutor, hasn't satisfied Democrats on Capitol Hill who are demanding a fully independent investigation.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Vitter: This didn't have to happen

05:07 PM CDT on Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Houma Courier

U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., gave an opening statement Tuesday at a Senate subcommittee hearing on the prediction of Hurricane Katrina and the work of the National Hurricane Center.

Chairing the Senate Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Disaster Prevention and Prediction hearing was U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina.

The witnesses at the hearing were Dr. Max Mayfield, director, National Hurricane Center; Windell Curole, general manager, South Lafourche Levee District; Marc L. Levitan, director, Louisiana State University Hurricane Center; Keith G. Blackwell, associate professor of meteorology, Coastal Weather Center, University of South Alabama; and C. Patrick Roberts, president, Florida Association of Broadcasters.

Following is the text of Vitter’s statement as submitted for the record:

“Mr. Chairman, at your June 26th hearing on hurricane prediction, I gave an opening statement describing a ‘worst case scenario’ – the hypothetical situation of a major hurricane having a direct hit on the parishes of St. Bernard and Plaquemines and on the city of New Orleans.

“We used posters showing the National Weather Service’s predictions of inundation in these areas. Computer models showed up to 18 feet of water in the city of New Orleans.

“At that hearing I expressed my frustrations with the policy at every level of government being reactive to disasters instead of being proactive to prepare and prevent these disasters from ever occurring. My exact quote was ‘we can spend millions now preparing for a disaster, or we can spend billions later responding to a disaster.’

“Finally, I said, ‘it is not if we are hit by a hurricane, but when the disaster occurs.’

“Mr. Chairman, we know the ‘when’ – it was August 29th – two months to the day following your hearing. Both hell and high water came to Louisiana and Mississippi. Now we are spending the billions responding.

“This did not have to happen. It did not have to be this way. Hundreds (or thousands) did not have to lose their lives. Unlike the tragedy of September 11th or the tsunami last year in the Indian Ocean, there was no element of surprise. We knew what was going to happen, and we knew when it was going to happen.

“There has been an extraordinary amount of finger pointing and partisanship in the aftermath of Katrina. In all of this political posturing, some very bright lights have been ignored.

“Due to the great work of Director Max Mayfield and his team at the National Hurricane Center, we knew exactly where Hurricane Katrina was going to make landfall 56 hours before the storm came ashore. That is enough time to drive from New Orleans to New York – twice – with a good night’s sleep both times. Director Mayfield, as you know, hundreds of thousands of Louisianans did load up their families and evacuate. Thank you to you and your team for your hard work.

“Another bright light back here today is Marc Levitan of the Louisiana State University Hurricane Center. Marc’s team provided data predicting that the levees on Lake Pontchartrain would be topped a full 36 hours in advance of the storm. New Orleans is a bowl. A topped levee means widespread flooding.

“Another witness here today, Windell Curole, has been expressing his concerns of Louisiana’s hurricane preparedness for years. Windell brought this to our attention and helped Congress design the ongoing hurricane protection evaluation currently underway by the Corps of Engineers.

“Again, it did not have to happen this way.

“Now we are moving toward the recovery and rebuilding phase of this disaster. Some estimates have exceeded $300 billion dollars, and a few Members of Congress have expressed reservations with the restoration price tag. For those that view this as a parochial issue or an unjustified need, let me assure you otherwise.

“Every single one of your constituents have felt the pain of Hurricane Katrina through higher energy prices. Gasoline prices alone have escalated 90 cents a gallon in some areas due to the hurricane. Offshore Louisiana and our associated infrastructure provide 20 percent of this nation’s energy. Our waters have provided this country with nearly $140 billion for the U.S. Treasury in the form of energy royalties. Our state also has 16 percent of the nation’s refining capacity.

“The ports between Baton Rouge and New Orleans comprise the largest port system in the world. We provide 36 states with maritime commerce and mid-western farmers depend upon our ports and waterways to get their crops to market.

“Finally, Louisiana’s offshore industry provides up to 30 percent of the domestic seafood consumed in this country – shrimp, crawfish, oysters and many more. Much of our ecosystem and fishing fleet is destroyed.”

N.O. may settle at half its previous size for at least a year

10:19 PM CDT on Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. -- As New Orleans recovers from Hurricane Katrina over the coming year, it may be able to handle only a little more than half the number of people it held before the storm ravaged the city on Aug. 29, Mayor Ray Nagin said Wednesday.

The city held more than 484,000 people before Katrina covered more than 80 percent of the city in flood waters, leaving thousands of homes uninhabitable, weakening levees and ruining much of the city's infrastructure.

"We are probably looking at repopulating the city right now at about the 250,000 level, that's probably all we can handle within the next year," Nagin said during a public briefing at the state Capitol.

Still, the mayor said he is ready to resume an ambitious re-population plan as soon as Hurricane Rita is no longer a threat to the city, and he said he eventually wants everyone who left the city to come back.

Nagin's plan to repopulate the least-damaged areas of the city was discouraged in recent days by federal authorities, including President Bush. He suspended the plan Monday as it became clear that Rita would enter the Gulf of Mexico and become a major hurricane.

Nagin said Wednesday he is ready to resume the re-entry plan as soon as Rita is no longer a threat to southeastern Louisiana. But he cautioned that anyone who comes to stay is taking on certain risks.

Tap water on the east bank of the Mississippi River will not be drinkable until at least next week, sewage treatment is not up to full capacity, hospital services are severely diminished, and the city's levees have been weakened, Nagin said. Another storm could require a quick evacuation, he added.

"Anyone who is thinking about coming and staying -- make sure that you are a very mobile person," Nagin said.

On Wednesday, Nagin found himself under pressure from City Council members and state lawmakers to not only open up the least damaged areas, but also to temporarily open those areas that are still uninhabitable.

Rep. Peppi Bruneau, a Republican attorney whose home and office were inundated in the Lakeview neighborhood, was among those pressing for a date on which residents of seriously damaged areas can come in to salvage keepsakes and gather information for insurance claims. He said he has received hundreds of calls from people wanting permission to re-enter.

"We understand the risk involved," Rep. Cedric Richmond, a Democrat representing eastern New Orleans, added later. He said many are willing to assume the risks.

Richmond's remarks were applauded by many in the standing-room-only crowd, but one state senator urged caution. "I think it would be very irresponsible for this mayor to allow people to take that risk on their own," said Sen. Ann Duplessis, D-New Orleans.

Nagin said his priority is to get the least damaged areas of the city up and running as soon as possible. He stressed that he will try and develop a plan for residents in other areas as quickly as possible. But throughout the meeting he noted that there are numerous safety concerns in the worst-flooded areas, including pollution and disease and questions about the structural safety of many of the inundated homes.

He also noted that searches for bodies were intensifying in areas that are believed to have flooded the worst. Authorities expect to find bodies in homes and amid tremendous amounts of debris.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Rummy has just been caught with his pants down. 911 aint over. not by a longshot.

September 22, 2005
Senators Accuse Pentagon of Obstructing Inquiry on Sept. 11 Plot
By DOUGLAS JEHL

WASHINGTON, Sept. 21 - Senators from both parties accused the Defense Department on Wednesday of obstructing an investigation into whether a highly classified intelligence program known as Able Danger did indeed identify Mohamed Atta and other future hijackers as potential threats well before the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The complaints came after the Pentagon blocked several witnesses from testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee at a public hearing on Wednesday. The only testimony provided by the Defense Department came from a senior official who would say only that he did not know whether the claims were true.

But members of the panel, led by Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, said they regarded as credible assertions by current and former officers in the program. The officers have said they were prevented by the Pentagon from sharing information about Mr. Atta and others with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

A Pentagon spokesman had said the decision to limit testimony was based on concerns about disclosing classified information, but Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, said he believed the reason was a concern "that they'll just have egg on their face."

Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., Democrat of Delaware, accused the Pentagon of "a cover-up" and said, "I don't get why people aren't coming forward and saying, 'Here's the deal, here's what happened.' "

The Pentagon has acknowledged that at least five members of Able Danger have said they recall a chart produced in 2000 that identified Mr. Atta, who became the lead hijacker in the Sept. 11 plot, as a potential terrorist, but they have said that others with knowledge of the project do not remember that.

"Did we have information that identified Mohamed Atta?" said William Dugan, an assistant to Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld for intelligence oversight, restating a question put to him. "I've heard the testimony presented, but I don't know."

Among those who testified about Able Danger was Representative Curt Weldon, Republican of Pennsylvania, who has mounted an aggressive campaign to call public attention to the program, which used computers to sift through volumes of unclassified data in an effort to identify people with links to Al Qaeda.

Another witness, Mark S. Zaid, a Washington lawyer, testified on behalf of two clients whom the Pentagon barred from speaking at the hearing. The clients, Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, an Army Reserve officer, and J. D. Smith, a former contractor on the project, were in the audience.

Erik Kleinsmith, a former Army major who was involved in early stages of Able Danger, told the committee that, by April 2000, the program had collected "an immense amount of data for analysis that allowed us to map Al Qaeda as a worldwide threat with a surprisingly significant presence within the United States." Mr. Kleinsmith said that his affiliation with the project ended about that time and that he had no recollection of information that identified Mr. Atta.

But Mr. Kleinsmith told the committee that he had been "forced to destroy all the data, charts and other analytical product" in compliance with Army regulations that prohibit keeping data related to American citizens and others, including permanent residents who have legal protections, unless the data falls under one of several restrictive categories.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/22/politics/22intel.html?ei=5088&en=be75fe63345fa799&ex=1285041600&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&pagewanted=print

September 22, 2005
New Vatican Rule Said to Bar Gays as New Priests
By IAN FISHER and LAURIE GOODSTEIN

ROME, Sept. 21 - Homosexuals, even those who are celibate, will be barred from becoming Roman Catholic priests, a church official said Wednesday, under stricter rules soon to be released on one of the most sensitive issues facing the church.

The official, said the question was not "if it will be published, but when," referring to the new ruling about homosexuality in Catholic seminaries, a topic that has stirred much recent rumor and worry in the church. The official, who has authoritative knowledge of the new rules, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the church's policy of not commenting on unpublished reports.

He said that while Pope Benedict XVI had not yet signed the document, it would probably be released in the next six weeks.

In addition to the new document, which will apply to the church worldwide, Vatican investigators have been instructed to visit each of the 229 seminaries in the United States.

Although work on the document began years ago under Pope John Paul II, who died in April, its release will be a defining act in the young papacy of Benedict, a conservative who said last spring that there was a need to "purify" the church after the deeply damaging sex scandals of the last several years.

The church official said the ban would pertain only to candidates for the priesthood, not to those already ordained. He also said the document did not represent any theological shift for the church, whose catechism considers homosexuality "objectively disordered."

Although the document has not been released, hints of what it will say are already drawing praise from some Catholics, who contend that such a move is necessary to restore the church's credibility and who note that church teaching bars homosexuals, active or not, from the priesthood.

Other Catholics say, though, that the test should be celibacy, not innate sexuality, and they predict resignations from the priesthood that can worsen the church's deep shortage of clergy.

"I'm hearing that some men will choose to leave, because if they don't, it would be like living a lie," said the Rev. Robert Silva, president of the American National Federation of Priests' Councils, who opposes a ban because it would be "extremely hurtful" to chaste gay priests who are serving the church.

But the church official who discussed the expected new rules said the document called for barring even celibate men who considered themselves homosexual because of what he contended were the specific temptations of seminaries.

"The difference is in the special atmosphere of the seminary," he said. "In the seminary, you are surrounded by males, not females."

The issue of homosexuality in the priesthood and seminaries has long been a difficult one, which the Vatican appears to be addressing, particularly in the United States, on two apparently connected fronts.

The visits to the American seminaries cover a wide range of concerns, but among those the investigators will be looking for is "evidence of homosexuality" and whether seminarians are being properly prepared to live celibately. Both the document and the investigation come under the authority of the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education.

Taken together, the document and visits seem aimed at imposing a stricter standard on both the atmosphere at seminaries and on whom they accept as candidates for the priesthood. Archbishop J. Michael Miller, the congregation's secretary, noted at a meeting in Baltimore last week with more than 100 bishops, priests and lay people that the new rules would come as no surprise because there was an existing Vatican document barring homosexuals from the priesthood, according to two church officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they felt there might be repercussions if they spoke for attribution.

Archbishop Miller appeared to be referring to a 1961 document that recommended against ordaining anyone who has "perverse inclinations to homosexuality or pederasty."

But that document has been overlooked by seminaries in the United States for many years. Although practices vary, most American seminaries in recent years have not uniformly rejected candidates with a homosexual orientation, seminary officials say.

Instead, they try to ascertain case by case whether the candidate is capable of living in a chaste and celibate manner, often rejecting candidates who have been sexually active in the years before deciding to join the priesthood.

Many gay men have entered the priesthood, though, and they are increasingly open with their colleagues, their bishops and in some cases, even with their parishioners, about their sexual orientation. The Rev. Donald Cozzens, a former American seminary rector, contended five years ago in his book "The Changing Face of the Priesthood" that "the priesthood is or is becoming a gay profession."

James Hitchcock, a conservative Catholic and a professor of history at St. Louis University, said some seminaries had reached the point of being "openly welcoming of homosexuals" and "don't even regard chastity necessary. "

"In that environment - and then you add to that the pedophilia scandals - probably the Vatican thinks that strong medicine is necessary for a serious disorder," said Mr. Hitchcock, who said he would nonetheless favor a system that allows for rare cases to be decided individually.

In fact, the degree to which the new rules would allow some slack appears to be a major question. It seems clear that the rules will be far more restrictive than current practice.

In what many church experts saw as a hint of the new rules, the archbishop leading the seminary visits was quoted last week by The National Catholic Register as saying even homosexuals not sexually active for a decade or more should not be accepted into seminaries.

But the church official said the rules were not absolute. The very definition of homosexuality, he said, is not fixed. And there may be rare cases in which a prospective seminarian who is confused about his sexuality might be accepted if the church decided he would still make a suitable, celibate priest.

"There is room for this," he said.

Still, Father Silva of the Federation of Priests' Councils and three other church officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they feared they would lose their jobs if they revealed dissension within church ranks, said several influential American church leaders had tried to persuade Vatican officials not to release a document about gay seminarians because it would create more problems in the priesthood than it would solve.

"People would do what they used to do, which is not be honest," said a gay American priest and professor at a Catholic college who did not want to be identified because he fears he could lose his church position if his sexual orientation was known.

"The irony is, if you look at the exact ages and seminary graduating classes of those priests who were convicted of sexual abuse in the past few years, they were not on the whole people who entered seminaries in the 1980's, when there began to be more openness about homosexuality," he said. "These were people from the old closeted days.

"So what the church is doing is repeating, in a weird way, the conditions they had before that gave rise to the abuse crisis."

But any move to ban or limit gay men from serving as priests would probably be popular among conservative Catholics, some of whom contend that heterosexuals hesitate to enter the priesthood because they have heard it is predominantly gay.

Mike Sullivan, of Catholics United for the Faith, a conservative advocacy group, said his group would favor a ban because putting a homosexual in an all-male seminary environment subjects that person to too much temptation, and increases his likelihood for failure.

"It's not appropriate to put an alcoholic in a bar either," he said.

On the general issue of homosexuality, official Catholic teaching, as explained in the catechism, says that while some people appear to have a predilection toward same-sex attraction, homosexual acts are impermissible and that homosexuals should remain chaste. But the church has also counseled understanding, and in 1986, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, headed then by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, denounced the "unfounded and demeaning assumption" that homosexuals could not control their sexual behavior.

The church official said, however, that the church was entitled to make its own decisions, based on theology, about who is allowed to be a priest, comparing the issue to that of women, who are barred from the priesthood as well.

"Being a priest is not a right," he said. "The Catholic Church never ordains anyone on the conception of human rights."

Ian Fisher reported from Rome for this article, and Laurie Goodstein from New York.

"But any move to ban or limit gay men from serving as priests would probably be popular among conservative Catholics, some of whom contend that heterosexuals hesitate to enter the priesthood because they have heard it is predominantly gay."

Methinks that heterosexual males hesitate to enter the priesthood because they like women, and because celibacy is unnatural for the vast majority of unmarried men and people. Once they marry, however, celibacy apparently becomes more popular. Hence, by allowing Priests to marry, this celibacy obsessed church could have its cake, as well as eat it!

"The church official said the ban would pertain only to candidates for the priesthood, not to those already ordained. He also said the document did not represent any theological shift for the church, whose catechism considers homosexuality 'objectively disordered'."

As I wrote in last Sunday's column:

"That American psychologists and psychiatrists increasingly see homosexuality in a much more positive light will have little impact on the rhetoric that parishioners hear from Benedict's clergy. This rhetoric will have an inevitable, and in light of its foreign origin, completely inappropriate impact on how issues like gay marriage are even debated."

"Now, some Church apologists will defend Benedict's elevation of subjective creed over science by citing the doctrine of Papal infallibility in matters of faith and morals. I note, however, that this doctrine only came into existence in 1870, at the First Vatican Council, after centuries of documented Papal sexual and financial misconduct, and decidedly un-Christ-like power-brokering and war-mongering. One can only speculate about the miraculous events that must have taken place during this Council. Truly, only a miracle of extraordinary proportions could make it possible for leaders who had proven themselves throughout history every bit as fallible as any member of the laity, to hereafter be draped by a cloak of infallibility of any kind."

Hey Guys!

We made the Washington Post--see the front page for the story!

(The front page of this site, not the Post...)

Cindy Sheehan & Bring Them Home Now bus tour arrived in DC yesterday...

WaPo has a fairly decent article, although I disagree with it's headline...

Sheehan, Supporters Descend on The Capital
Antiwar Activists in Town For Weekend Protests
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/21/AR2005092102244.html

My favorite quote from Cody...
"This is not about right or left. It's about right or wrong," Camacho said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/21/AR2005092102244.html
Posted by: madame defarge at September 22, 2005 07:37 AM

"We love our country," she continued. "If we didn't love our country, we could pool our resources and buy an island and get away from our country."

This is my favorite quote from the article. Since 2000 I've said that I'm so disgusted by the political climate that if I could afford it I'd move to another country and give up my US citizenship. True. The neoCons and PNAC are terrifying to think of and the Dems act like submissive puppies rolling on their backs and piddling themselves every time Bu$hCo barks. If the puppy Dems can't play with the big dogs (i.e., do what's right for the citizens they represent), they should leave the Senate or the House and go home to their mommies. I'm heartily sick of it all, and the fact that so few Dems and independent or moderate Repubs who should vote for what's right and not what's expedient. That only favors the administration who are nothing more than fascists by other names.

If they vote in favor of Roberts there will be a SCOTUS chief justice who will help legalize all the torture and other illegal activities of this particular administration, as well as elevate the executive branch above the other two, which will effectively rubber-stamp any fascist (PNAC) ideas Bu$hCo has. If Roberts had any ethics, he would have recused himself from the legal decision made four days before he was originally nominated to replace O'Connor, but he approved the legal decision that (IMHO), in effect, gives the POTUS dictatorial powers and approves torture. If he knew he was up for a potential nomination to replace O'Connor then, he should have recused himself...! Even above the fact that he will likely try to overturn Roe v. Wade and the fact that not all the secret papers that cover the Iran-Contra years have not been released (and HOW can the senators make an INFORMED DECISION about a SCOTUS chief justice or justice without those papers?!?!?), the fact that Roberts approved extra powers to the POTUS and approved torture proves (to me) that Roberts is ethically challenged and does NOT deserve approval for either post with SCOTUS.

As far as our friends peacefully demonstrating this weekend: YAAAAAAAYYYYYYYY!!!!!!! :-) Way to go for making the headlines.... Wear an orange bow in your hair for me, and two extra orange bows for my patriotic and peaceful parents who would have had their birthdays on Mon. & Tue. this next week if they were still alive....

My favorite quote from the WaPo article on the demos this weekend:

"Shallal became a researcher in medical immunology at the National Institutes of Health, then switched to the restaurant business -- he also owns Mimi's American Bistro and the Luna Grill near Dupont Circle -- and became active in peace issues. He camped in Crawford, Tex., with Cindy Sheehan.

He expects a lot of the land where now he is a citizen.

"I don't want it to be another country with better plumbing," he says."

hehehehe

Hey when all this breaks loose on the 24th please please make sure to get us some links to see.

We are in another almost total blackout down here. They will use Rita to completely make yall dissapear

What will Hastert say about rebuilding portions of Houston and Galveston or do we only rebuild his home District in Illinois. Will he be at a new fundraiser when that happens?

Once they marry, however, celibacy apparently becomes more popular. Hence, by allowing Priests to marry, this celibacy obsessed church could have its cake, as well as eat it!

Posted by: Cyrano at September 22, 2005 06:48 AM

hahahah

Then 'Not tonight dear, I have a headache' would be a virtue!

Cindy Sheehan & Bring Them Home Now bus tour arrived in DC yesterday...

WaPo has a fairly decent article, although I disagree with it's headline...

Sheehan, Supporters Descend on The Capital

Antiwar Activists in Town For Weekend Protests

Posted by: madame defarge at September 22, 2005 07:37 AM

Madame,

Unfortunately that is how the puppetmaster has chosen to spin this weekends demonstrations.

I heard it on a couple MSM televison news programs that the weekend march is tied into Cindy Sheehan.

They are trying to Swift Boat style slime her to get her discredited. They are portraying her to be another (and I say this lightly) "Jane Fonda".

Personally, I think it's time for more Cindy ads and anti war ads on t.v.