First Catholic Lord Spiritual in the British House of Lords since the 16th Century?

It has been known that the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Mr. Gordon Brown, has talked with the Pope about the possibility of making the soon to be retired Archbisoph of Westminister, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, a Lord-Spiritual in the House of Lord (through a Life Peerage). This would be the first time a Roman Catholic bishop would sit in the British Legislature since the schismatic actions of Henry VIII and his daughter Elizabeth I in the 16th century. While the Cardinal has not made a public statement in response, perhaps we can consider this a light in the dark world of militant secularizations if we consider a brief quote from his last public discourse before retiring:

The greatest danger for us at the moment is to let ourselves believe what secular culture wants us to believe about ourselves, namely, that we are becoming less and less influential and in decline. I believe that the Church has a vigorous life, and a crucial role to play in our society – more important than at any other time in our recent history.

Some good olde-fashioned patriotism

Just a link, but I thought it was a good reflection on the Gettysburg Address.

Off to Belgium for a few days.

Much noted and Long Remembered

And the answer from yesterday's quiz!

(a) Mr. Blair is a trick answer. I have no clue what he said when taking office, but he probably did not have too many plans for America.
(b) CORRECT ANSWER: Mr. Regan
(c) Mr. Obama in a meeting with members of both parties on the economic stimulus in a great act of bipartisanship (it truly was, he told this to both parts), "I win, you loss."

Obama: Passive-Aggressive President

New Attack on Apostolic Nunciature in Venezuela; Head Synagogue Also Vandalized

from Zenit:

New Attack on Apostolic Nunciature in Venezuela; Head Synagogue Also Vandalized

CARACAS, Venezuela, FEB. 5, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Three teargas bombs were thrown at the apostolic nunciature in Caracas, in the seventh attack against this diplomatic see, and the second in less than 15 days.

According to a communiqué from the nunciature, on Wednesday several unidentified men on motorcycles threw "three devices, of which two fell and exploded in the exterior area of the property, and the third fell and exploded in the interior patio of the diplomatic see."

The nunciature described the act as one of vandalism and irresponsibility, and authorities were called on to "take the needed measures so as to guarantee the security and safety of the diplomatic mission and its personnel, as is established by the Vienna Convention."

Several attacks by pro-government groups have taken place since a student leader Nixon Moreno, who opposes President Hugo Chávez, was given asylum at the nunciature. The most recent attack, with five teargas bombs, happened last Jan. 19.

Wednesday's incident comes just a few days after the Venezuelan bishops' conference released a statement denouncing an attack against the principal synagogue of Caracas.
On Jan. 31, 15 unidentified people broke into the synagogue, destroyed objects for worship, and left anti-Israel graffiti.

The statement of the bishops, published Wednesday, expressed their "consternation and sorrow at the violation of the sacred space and the profanation of the religious symbols most dear to the Jewish religion."

It asserted that this event "is far from the spirit of tolerance and welcome that is traditional for the Venezuelan people."

Quick Quiz: Who said?

In a democratic society, what is political power? What do you value in a leader? Something like this:

The election was not a bestowal of political power, but a stewardship opportunity for us to reconsider and restructure the political agenda for the next two decades. The public has sanctioned the search for a new public philosophy to govern America.

So I simply ask, who said it?
(a) Tony Charles Lynton Blair, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
(b) Ronald Wilson Regan, president of the United States from 1981-1989
(c) Barack Hussein Obama, current president of the United States

Answer will follow tomorrow.

signed: William Jerome Brunner

I must give credit to where credit is due...

I few days ago I posted asking if the moral consideration of the economy were being considered in the response the government is making to the crisis. Hardly an original thought, I direct you to: Risky Business: Keynes, Moral Hazard, and the Economic Crisis, by Samuel Gregg. He writes,

If governments do not take moral hazard seriously, their response to the present recession may sow the seeds of a future economic crisis.

We must remember that any decision that a person freely makes is a moral decision. Any legislation that refuses to acknowledge this, does not acknowledge a basic fact about our humanity, and those risks failure. Men will act like men; and women will act like women -- this is what is beautiful about us. This is also what must be taken into account in the art of politics.