Terrorists in the Heartland?

The Obama administration has decided that a western Illinois prison, Thomson Correctional Center, is perfect for housing Guantanamo Bay terrorist detainees.  This is apparently strongly supported by both Governor Pat Quinn and IL Senator Dick Durbin.  Does it surprise me that Quinn, Durbin, and Obama would support this?  Of course not.  And of course, I don’t support this effort.

First let me briefly address the most public reason for not supporting this effort.  Many opponents are citing safety concerns for opposing the move of the detainees to rural Illinois.  The concern of some Republicans is, according to a Chicago Tribune article,  that Illinois would become a ‘magnet for terrorists’.”  Republican U.S. Representative Don Manzullo, who represents the Thomson, IL district, said that “Gitmo is not being closed, it’s being moved to northwest Illinois.”  U.S. Representative Mark Kirk od Chicago said that “with the busiest airport in the world and the tallest building in North America, I do not think we should make Chicagoland the center of jihadi attention in the world.”  He also expressed concern over a nuclear power facility in the Quad Cities, a four city region spanning across the Mississippi River in Iowa and Illinois and located very near Thomson.

Manzullo’s comments suggest that there is a concern about the security of the facility and district of which he represents.  I would reply by saying that the early plans indicate that the prison’s security will be increased and will likely become the most secure federal prison in the US.  I believe that can and should be done if the plan is to move forward.  Therefore I think the security of Thomson will be fine.  Kirk’s concerns are, I believe, with more merit.  My gut says that jihadists will prefer to spend the remaining moments of their lives to kill as many christians and jews as they can, not waste it attempting to free prisoners.  Are Chicago and the Quad Cities viable targets? Of course.  But the truth is that Chicago should not be more of a target due to this prison than it was previously.  And, every nuclear facility is a potential target regardless of where it is located.

Residents of Thomson, IL appear to be in favor of the federal prison for employment reasons.  Springfield’s State Journal Register reports that the “Thomson Correctional Center is here, so it might as well be filled.”  Jim Falls, a resident of a nearby town, stated what many felt, “if they do bring them here, that would put more people to work here.”  And with September unemployment in Illinois reaching 10.5%, 8.4% in the Quad Cities, and 15.2% in Rockford located north-west of Thomson, it is not suprising to hear such comments.  The White House claims that the prison could “create” between 2,300 and 3,200 ongoing jobs (many of which will actually be military positions).  This may seem great for the region, but why did Illinois build a prison in 2001 that sits 90% empty in 2009?  Reports suggest it is due to budget issues.  Well doesn’t the construction and ongoing maintenance of this empty prison add up?  Isn’t that taxing the citizens of Illinois unnecessarily? No wonder Governor Quinn wants to dump it.  This just seems typical of Illinois, to build a prison at great expense for non-existing prisoners.  Illinois’ government appears to subscribe to the tax-spend-waste form of government.  I don’t remember being taught that form of government in high school civics.  Maybe Quin should look at shuttering the prison completely instead of selling it to the feds. 

The reason I have a problem with moving these prisoners to Illinois is the same reason I don’t support prosecuting terrorists in civil criminal courts in New York.  These terrorists are enemies of the state who either planned or were invovled in attacks on the United States of America.  These are not US citizens or US nationals that committed a typical crime.  These are terrorists that killed thousands of innocents.  Those not directly involved in 9/11 attacks, attacked our soldiers on the battle fields as extremists looking to bring down our country.  They should be brought in front of military tribunals just as enemy combatants have always been done since President George Washington established them many years ago.  If the tribunal finds a detainee to be innocent, then give him/her a plane ticket home with our apologies and maybe a little cash for their troubles.  If they are found guilty then punish them accordingly.  Let the tribunals determine guilt and punishment.  Bringing detainees to a federal prison in Illinois will only give more credence to the idea that these terrorists should be accorded rights under our Constitution.  Notice I said OUR Constitution.

These terrorists should be keep in a dark hole in a military prison until they can be brought to trial.  This does not mean that I believe they should be detained indefinitely, as I do not.  I think it is not fair to any human to keep them locked away for years upon years with no opportunity to face a tribunal and provide a defense.  Let’s start prosecuting these terrorists in the tribunals with fair but swift proceedings.

Senator Harkin, Another “Catholic” for Abortion

Wisdom and Folly is not a blog about abortion/pro-life issues.  However, the health care reform effort has forced many of us to examine the issue once again.  This particular post is about a fellow Roman Catholic, Tom Harkin of Iowa.  Harkin is a long time US senator and was recently named as chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.  Harkin, like Senator Grassley his Republican counterpart from Iowa, wins a large majority each time he runs for election.  With the relative security of his Senate seat and his powerful chairmanship, Harkin has a great opportunity to impact the grave sin of abortion in our society.  He could raise this issue in a manner that educates the public of the evil or to use his position to guide the country away from the sin as any true Catholic should do.  He however has chosen to do the opposite.  Senator Harkin’s statements and actions help to remind me that a majority of supposed “Catholic” political leaders fail to protect the unborn.  To be clear, I am by no means suggesting that the senator would choose to abort his own child or encourage one of his children to undergo and abortion.  I am simply saying that he wants to provide women with every opportunity, and possibly tax payer funding, to abort their unborn children.  To demonstrate his views and the political gamesmanship he uses regarding the issue, I will use two examples from the current health care reform effort.

First, I contacted the senator in recent weeks regarding the current effort to ”wreckovate” health care in America.  I asked the senator to resist the liberal efforts to create a public health care system, for many reasons, and asked him to prevent federal funding from being provided for abortions.  I received the expected response about how important the effort to reform health care is to our country and how it would save billions.  Here is an excerpt of his response regarding abortion:

I would like to address your question about abortion coverage in the legislation currently under review.

As you may know, current law prohibits the federal government from paying for abortions in federal programs, including Medicaid, Medicare, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the mother is in danger. Under the current health reform proposals pending before Congress, that will not change.

Additionally, the Affordable Health Choices Act – the legislation recently approved by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, of which I am Chairman – does not specify which services private insurance plans or the public option plan must cover to participate in the insurance gateways that are established under the bill. Instead, the bill directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a minimum level of benefits that all companies offering coverage to individuals and businesses through the gateway must offer. In doing so, the Secretary will act in consultation with an expert advisory board which will take public input and receive public testimony.

The senator’s response was about what I expected.  He attempts to appease me by saying that the legislation in his committee does not provide funding for abortion.  He continued to evade answering my question by saying that some other group will be responsible to determine what benefits will be provided under heath care plans.  So this tells me two things.  1) He is playing a political game by only commenting on what is specifically stated in the legislation from his committee and not what the legislation would actually allow.  He knows that his legislation leaves the door wide open for this fly to buzz in, but he refuses to shut the screen door or at least acknowledgment the fly’s existence.  He also knows that other versions of health care legislation being considered do provide funding for clinics whose business rely heavily, or at least in some part, on abortion procedures.  He further knows that his committee’s legislation will not be the legislation that is brought in front of both chambers for a final vote.  Therefore the specific content of his legislation is somewhat irrelevant.  2) The senator is fully aware that the Hyde amendment does not apply, to which he is referring by stating “current law prohibits the federal government from paying for abortions,” to the health care reform bill.  The Hyde Amendment does not apply to this bill for two reasons.  First, it only applies to the annual Health and Human Services appropriations bill.  Health care reform would not in any way involve the HHS appropriation bill.  Second, it must be renewed annually as part of the HHS appropriations bill so could be discontinued at any time.  While possessing this information, he implies that this is a non-issues and he refuses to commit to not funding abortion.

A second example can be seen in recent comments by Harkin following the House’s passage of the Affordable Health Care for America Act with the Stupak Amendment.  About the amendment Harkin said that the abortion restrictions go too far.  The Stupak Amendment attempts to ensure that the federal government would 1) not provide abortion services through a public health plan, and 2) not provide federal funds for private health plans that provide abortion services.  The legislation says specifically that federal funds can not be used “to pay for any abortion or to cover any part of the costs of any health plan that includes coverage of abortion.”  Despite the legislation allowing women to purchase a separate policy that would cover abortion services,  Harkin stated “I think that [amendment] is unfortunate and goes too far. So, we will be addressing this issue before [the Senate bill] goes to the floor.”

Harkin does not commit specifically to providing federal money to fund abortion in either his comments about the House bill or in his letter to me.  But, reading between the lines it is not hard to see that he would like the federal treasury, read as you the taxpayer, to pay for women to kill their innocent unborn children.  Harkin’s thoughts about federal funding for abortion are clear in my mind.

I will resist the urge to ramble on about a supposed “Catholic” supporting abortion, but I will say that I am offended, angered, and hurt by Catholics like Harkin.  Americans, Catholics, and the Church must stand up against Catholic politicians like Harkin who repeatedly work to undermine the moral teachings of the Church.  Harkin, in the examples above and a long list of other examples that I won’t list here (see a short list of legislative examples here), has demonstrated time and again that he supports allowing women in our society to commit the grave sin of abortion despite his Catholic upbringing and supposed current faith.  I know it is folly to address this as Harkin’s heart and soul will not be changed by my thoughts, but it is possible that one more voice could help to awaken the Harkin’s Bishop, the public of Iowa, and more importantly other voters.

Anti-Catholicism in the US

A few weeks ago I had read a response regarding ArchBishop Dolan of New York about a New York  Columnist who did not speak highly of the Catholic Church.  You can read the article here.  After taking a look at this I was surprised and decided to dive deeper.  Maureen Dowd’s original post is here.  One with her mindset may say in a righteous manner”As a Catholic woman…,”  but it is important to realize those are also women who are taking part in overturning the natural order.  When I say natural order, I am referring to the roles of men and women and how we truly are created with different strengths and weaknesses.  I am referring to the women who will take part in degrading the masculinity of all men out there to prove that woman are not considered in her comment,”Nuns were second-class citizens then and — 40 years after feminism utterly changed America — they still are.”  I cannot fathom how she begins  to speak  about being Catholic if she cannot understand the basics of why a nun would choose to wear a habit (this is a bit harsh, but to make a point).  Dowd  states “The pope can wear Serengeti sunglasses and expensive red loafers, but shorter hems for nuns? Disgraceful!” – The question is: why would a nun want to wear a shorter hem if they are a symbol of respect for women, chastity, commitment to the Faith, femininity, and so many more? Keep in mind the fact that a shorter skirt implies women are only around  for their looks and being used for sexual symbols.  Why would they want to wear street clothes where they will not stand out as a symbol visibly to all they encounter?  If she wants to compare articles of clothing, then compare the habit to the priest clerics not sunglasses.  When someone takes a look at a priest in clerics, something may come to mind-intrigue, awe, respect, and an attraction to God.

I read a refreshing blog post in regards to the Maureen Dowd article, Sister Maureen Gets it Wrong.  Kathryn Jean Lopez states “The Vatican has taken action because there are ships off course.”  I can attest to being introduced to a new Catholic that was being swayed off course due to a nun they knew.  It was sad to see that they did not know how far away from the Catholic Church this particular nun spoke.  This is why we need to be diligent to protect the Catholic Church and speak out, yes to protect the Church, but because this will make an eternal difference with all of the society. To read the original post from the ArchBishop which was rejected from the Times see here.

I would stop there, but today I heard about a Democratic representative Lynn Woolsey who states the IRS should investigate the tax-exempt status of the Catholic Church.  She is grabbing straws in her frustration about loosing to the stride on her desires for the health care bill.  There is a good blog post I read regarding this topic, feel free to take a look.

It is clear that there are so many people on the left who will just throw comments out there when they clearly only understand a little about the Church.  They must have their own wounds and only know how to pick open scabs which have clearly already healed.  The important piece to remember here is that there are going to be people who will try to attack the Church, but She will prevail.  We have to be sure that people are not scandalized by misconceptions and misrepresentations of the Truth.

Let us take a stand.

Tragedy in Texas

The events at Fort Hood Texas are disturbing and unfortunate.  My prayers go out to the victims of this tragedy and their families.  A lot of questions have been raised about the shooter, his motives, and the connection to radical Islam.  I will not comment more on the events at this time except to say that I hope the shooter does live and can 1) provide some explanation of the events, and 2) suffer for his crimes against individuals, the Army, and the country.

Illinois’ Parental Notification Law

Late Wednesday I was prepared to write a short post on the small victory over unnecessary death, but alas the progress was halted again.  In 1995 Illinois passed the Parental Notification Act.  The law required the notification of the parents of a minor girl 48 hours prior to an abortion being performed.  This law did not prevent the abortion, it simply notified the parents that the child intended to have the procedure.

After years of battles, the final hurdle was cleared on Wednesday. After a federal appeals court lifted an injunction on the enforcement of the law in August, the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation delayed enforcement and granted a 90 day grace period before the law would be enforced to allow time for a judicial waiver process to be finalized.  Despite the expiration of the grace period an additional day  ”>was granted to allow the Illinois Medical Disciplinary Board to meet and determine if an additional grace period should be requested.  The board decided to allow the law to be enforced.

It appears however that the ACLU and Planned Parenthood have won again.  Cook County Judge Daniel Riley issues a temporary restraining order until a hearing is held on November 2. It appears that the issue at hand is whether this law will cause unnecessary and irreparable harm on minors seeking abortions.

Illinois has been attempting to implement a version of a parental notification law for around 30 years.  The courts have stopped a number of the previous efforts, including the current law on which the IL Supreme Court refused to act on until 2006.  Now the courts have stepped in once again to the detriment of the unborn.  The right of the unborn to live is yet again being ignored.  When will the human race wake up and protect its most vulnerable?

Comment on Elections from the East Coast

I had heard of some in the state of VA, where as before November 3 was under the charge of a democratic leader, that did not care whether to go vote or not. Though I have not been in Virginia long enough to speak first hand of the last time the Republican party held the office I can state that it was back in 1993.  Anyone hearing the time that one party has had in control can see why this Virginia was so hot. One may ask, what makes this election one to watch if the gubernatorial leading candidates,  thus Virginia’s past Governors, have been from the Democratic party and more recently the state, for the first time, was a Democratic state for  the Presidential election?  My opinion is that the roots of the area really are of the conservative values which align with the Governor elect- Bob McDonnell.  One of the topics his opposing candidate attacked most frequently was family values.   I was elated to hear of his win but for  the issues he stands for.  In observation there certainly were the major issues of transportation congestion, education costs, and increasing jobs all across the state.   I would take a moment to consider being a part of a family who has lost jobs in the small communities along valleys, or being stuck in traffic for over an hour and a half for 18 miles, or being affected by the rising costs of education for my children, and through my efforts to imagine myself right there with the difficulties that were discussed during the election, one thing that never left my mind was the importance of family to aide in my getting through the difficult moments.  I won’t get into the different stances the One candidate certainly could relate to the ideals of a solid family, father of 5 children, just exuded his gentle but firm guidance.  The other candidate, a father of 4 children, during the debates I viewed spoke about being a father in a way one may read off their resume, but it could be that they just don’t have great public speaking.  I digress, regardless of their paternal instincts with their children we do need the governor to have the paternal instincts to look for the best for the state of Virginia.  Governor elect McDonnell does not plan to allow funding for  abortions.  Imagine how that choice making an eternal difference and is looking out for the future of Virginia.  Maybe a life has a chance to continue living to be a terrific teacher, or to design the next modules for carbon sequestration plant now that is having the vision for VA and for the world.

In sum, yes it was a turnover, but I want to point out Creigh Deeds’ words from his speech on the night of the election“ now is not the time for bitterness, or retreat into our partisan corners—it’s time to overcome that …with our determination to build a better Virginia, together.”  I am happy to have voted for the Governor elect, but I point out what he said so that we will remember working together, without becoming complacent, is important for the future of the whole community.  We do need to remember not to all become the same person in that effort either though.  Remain an individual, stand up for your beliefs, yet willing to listen to the other views.

Quick Election note

I am in a district where there is no particular issues at the state or local level to drive me and other voters to the polls.  I will however join my wife, and drag my child,  to the poll tonight after work.  And in voting I will fulfill my obligation.

However, I wish there was more at stake in this election as I greatly desire to join the many conservatives that will take a stand in New York, New Jersey, and Virginia.  I especially wish I had the opportunity to cast a vote for the Conservative party candidate, Doug Hoffman, in New York’s 23rd House district.  I wish I has a chance to join many of my fellow Americans in voting conscience and not party.

It is easy to walk into the polling both and pull the party lever, but that is wrong and needs to stop.  We need to wake up and support a candidate and not a party.  Many of us in the past have donated to one of the two primary political parties, often wasting our money.  Why do we not donate to a candidate’s campaign instead of a party.  As a conservative, I oppose excessive taxing and top down allocation of my “government support.”  Given that, why would I donate to the national committee just to have career party staffers decide who will receive my funds.

I have received multiple calls in the past six months from the RNC and the NRCC requesting that I turn over a portion of my family’s hard-earned money for their use in campaigning.  I resisted in every case.  I can just imagine that if I had not resisted, a portion of my donation would have gone to a liberal candidate such as Republican Dede Scozzafava.  This is confirmed in a blog post by Michelle Malkin.  Michelle reports that over $1 million was spent by the RNC and the NRCC on this “RINO’s” campaign.

Okay enough ramblings; the point is this.  Stop voting party and vote candidate.  Likewise, stop contributing to party and contribute to candidate.

The Smells of Autumn

While walking to my office from daily mass I overheard a conversation between a man and a woman, a conversation about the smells of autumn.  The man and woman had very different views about the smells.  The woman commented in a pleasant voice about the wonderful smell of fallen leaves.  They remind her of autumns past and the joy those past seasons brought her.  The man replied that it is simply the smell of decaying leaves.  The two of them gave pleasant little jabs at each others views as I drifted out of their conversation and into my own thoughts.

The smell of fall does lead to reminiscing and romantic ideas about the season.  It can help one recall family gatherings around a grand meal, a walk with a loved one in the crisp fall air, or our childhood days of jumping into piles of raked leaves.  Of course for some of us, it also brings happy and disappointing memories of baseball playoffs and football!  These memories are a result of and made possible by God.  Our joys and pains should be lifted to God in thanksgiving.  Through God we live.

As I thought about the decay of leaves, I first thought of how the leaves return nutrients to the soil for the tree to  feed on in the spring.  Through that death and decay the tree come back to life, so to speak, in full glory with flowers and new leaves.  I then realized that this is not dissimilar to our own deaths.  We must die before we can join the full glory of God in new life.  Through death we live.

To the point.  We often fail to see how earthly events and conditions reflect the existence and glory of God.  It is easy to overlook God in the minute, in the common, in the everyday.  But, it is in the minute, in the common, and in the everyday that I believe we can most easily see God’s glory.

Governor’s Election

Election Day is just around the corner for the states.  You will be going to the polls for various local issues, but Virginia and New Jersey are the only states with Governor’s elections this year.  This is certainly not something that will go unnoticed.  I personally will focus on one particular issue and be aware as you continue to read this, I am aware there are quite a few things to consider as you approach the polls, but please consider this information.

Here we see that governor candidate Deeds is trying to use quotes of McDonnell as a reason to not vote for McDonnell, but I want to point out that this is such a critical matter and we cannot take this lightly (view Youtube clip).  To the 2008 National Right to Life Committee, Bob McDonnell states “the Policy makers with the votes determine whether you will have a pro-life state….whether they are pro-life or not will make an eternal difference.”   When 30 second ads like this run, especially when it starts with an introduction by the party who sponsored this add will have viewers tune out.  We tire of listening to ads from a party that will try to lash out at the other party and you can usually tell within the first 8 seconds of the ad if it will go down that road.  This series of political ads I have found interesting because I have actually stopped to listen to the adds.  Adds for both parties were hitting home with my roots and encouraging me to vote for the same candidate.  It is our moral duty to stand back and take a look at the issues that will as McDonnell states “make an eternal difference.”  In a letter from the Catholic Bishops of VA (Bishop Loverde and Bishop DiLorenzo) they points out teachings of the truth that is revealed both in Sacred Scripture and Tradition.  ”Disregarding the right to life itself- the foundation upon which all other human rights are based and without which no other right could possibly exist is more serious than any other human rights violation.”  Here you see a very important point that is brought up when bringing the candidates to our consciences.  This is not time to sit back and let what happens happens, but a time to encourage all those you know to use their civil duty and vote.  It is also very important to not just sit and stay quiet.  If you overhear someone on the bus or in the office discussing a grave matter I urge you not to sit back, but pray a Hail Mary, or ask for the grace to step in and say what is needed- you are the voice for all those who cannot speak out.

Welcome to Wisdom and Folly

A year ago I ceased my work with a political blog that I had hopes for but also had some frustration with.  For this blog I was required by directive and necessity to write on current political events.  While such work was rewarding in many ways, it did not provide sufficient time or latitude to explore my personal political philosophy.  Further in my everyday life, I have little time to have philosophical discussions on politics, faith , and religion.

This blog intends to remedy this.  This blog will act as a means of exploring my beliefs and understanding of political philosophy, political events, faith, and my religion.  I will also comment on current events so my opinions can be added to the greater discussion and so I can apply my beliefs to the events of the world in which I live.

I will not be the only blogger participating on Wisdom and Folly.  At least one other soul has agreed to participate in this work with me.  I will not attempt to explain her motivation in participating, but I will say I have complete faith in her abilities and know that she will provide very valuable insights.