Showing posts with label moral values. Show all posts
Showing posts with label moral values. Show all posts
Shoplifting rises globally as recession persists
The Retail Research in United Kingdom in its Global Retail Theft Barometer reports that more people worldwide are resorting to thievery partly due to the money crunch brought about the recession. Thievery accounts for only 1.5% in retail stores in the previous years. However, recently, many people have started stealing in public places raising the incidence of shoplifting to 6% with an estimated business loss of $115 billion.
“…Though the problem was documented across all regions, the steepest increases occurred in North America (8.1%), the Middle East (7.5%) and Europe (4.7%). In terms of total losses, retailers in North America topped the charts at $46 billion, followed by Europe's $44 billion and $17.9 billion in the Asia-Pacific region. In North America and Latin America, store owners and employees were the leading pilferers; in Europe, Asia and the Middle East, it was customers who were swiping the most loot.---- Time.com (11/11/09, Crumley, B.)
Regarded as a “victimless crime,” stealing in retail stores seems benign. Many think it has almost no effect on the consumers at large. But on the contrary. just like hidden expenses of other businesses, losses from shoplifting are charged indirectly to the buying public. Coincident to the fraying of society’s moral values stealing is being rationalized by people. In the ranks of shoplifters are middle-class thieves who don’t only steal to survive, but to do it for fun.
Justifying stealing, shoplifters point to dishonesty in a corrupt society. A redirection of moral outlook is certainly needed. To curve the losses from stealing, security improvement is likewise required. By estimates, shoplifting brings an additional expense burden of $436 and $250 per American and European household respectively per year. (Photo Credit: ReneS) =0=
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Clash between Penafrancia tradition & the secular festivities of Naga City government
With the backing of the Archdiocese of Caceres and the Roman Catholic clergy, religious groups of Naga City complained to the Naga City government for reneging on a bilateral agreement to ban activities that didn’t reflect the faith-based observance of the Penafrancia fiesta. In part, the letter sent by the laity to City Mayor Jesse Robredo read:
“We are disappointed and dismayed when we saw the calendar of activities prepared by the city government of Naga published in its widely distributed Viva Naga, Viva Bicolandia pamphlet. Viva Naga and Viva Bicolandia Festival include activities that have been banned within the novena on moral grounds. In the joint statement, it is very clear that pageants and beer plazas should not be held within the period of the novena.”---Vox Bicol (09/13/09)
The letter was sent by concerned citizens representing groups like the Archdiocesan Council of the Laity, Apostleship of Prayer, Our Lady of Peñafrancia Association, Holy Name Society, Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, Mother Butlers' Guild, Parish Renewal Experience (PREX), Couples of Christ, Pastoral Council of Bagumbayan Sur, Knights of Columbus, Children of Mary, and Visita Domiciliaria among others, airing their disapproval to government-sponsored revelries like gay beauty pageants, street parties, and drinking fests.
Demanding for accountability from those who plan and implement the highly secular civic celebration, the church-affiliated groups considered the vulgar activities disrespectful to the tradition of prayer to God and Ina that the Bicol-wide Penafrancia celebration is known for.(Photo Credit: Jerry Lim Lee) =0=
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Sen. Sarah Palin stirs the healthcare debate with her warning of the “death panel”
If Alaska Sen. Sarah Palin is dumb as her detractors have portrayed her all along, how come, in spite of her resignation from her governorship, she has been getting attention from the American public? In her recent indictment of the healthcare overhaul proposal of Pres. Barack Obama, she speaks of a “death panel” that looms when it is approved.
Sen. Palin refers to the effect of rationing that has to be done to rein over the cost of medical care. Rationing is almost inevitable in Obama’s healthcare reform for it plans to cover 47 million uninsured people including illegal aliens. There will be sharp need for doctors and nurses for the expected rise in the demand of medical services. Long waiting times may occur. Quality of care will suffer. Delays in diagnostics and treatments like what happens in Canada and other countries are likely. All these can result to an overall rise in the price of the whole healthcare services. And it can lead to the decline in the preeminence of US medical care which attracts patients worldwide.
There are sectors in society who boldly sell their judgment on who is worthy to avail of the resources of the government. If there will be any cost-cutting measures, the elderly, the disabled, the very young and handicapped are threatened to be denied of services in favor of the young and productive.
Healthcare Discrimination
Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, the brother of the White House chief of staff, a radical adviser of Barack Obama believes that the life of Americans 15 to 50 years are more valuable and therefore deserving of services more than the old, the chronically ill, and the dying. Put in a compromising stance, Emanuel disavowed his previous support on rationing. Disguised as humanitarian, his scary point of view is an extension of the old debate that supposes that the unborn in the womb is expendable and it’s OK to abort them. Obama is pro-abortion.
After reversing the pro-life policy of Pres. George W. Bush, Obama has already started funding of abortion at taxpayers’ expense not only in the United States, but outside the country. One can see why the debate on “death panel” raised by Palin has morphed into a human rights and moral issue that casts doubt on the Obama plan. The selection on who may live may shift from fetuses in utero to those who are old and unproductive in society.
My Personal Experience
Sen. Palin knows so well because of Trig, her son born with disabling Down’s Syndrome. I can just sympathize with her because I too am handicapped with an unrelenting rare blood disorder. Under Medicare, I have been denied of diagnostic tests and treatments, an aftermath of cost-cutting and government rules interfering with my doctor’s medical judgment.
My doctor and I have to be contented with a medical regimen that is second in line (and probably less effective than what was originally planned.) Such insurance-mandated treatments may shorten my survival and that of other patients who are prevented to get the first line medical intervention.
I have to buy additional coverage from private insurances to help when my primary insurance falters. Speaking from experiene, by responsibly planning one's medical needs and spending for them, one can avoid devastating mistakes. Despite the imperfections of my coverage, my gut tells me problems in healthcare will worsen with what Obama is proposing.
End of Life Issues & Medical Reimbursement
In a push to “popularize” end of life decisions, a group of Obama supporters have inserted in the healthcare bill an end of life provision that will give reimbursements to doctors who discuss to their patients on how to decide on death issues. The provision somehow validates Palin’s “death panel” fears. It is a step closer to the door of euthanasia or something more sinisterly evil. Though optional, the proposed money incentive creates a pressure to direct a patient to decide. To avoid problems ahead, the congressmen decided to drop the provision.
Sarah’s liberal detractors labeled her assertions as “false rumors” and "alarmist" but the intent of the Medicare reimbursements are ominously suggestive. The provision they dropped has hints of selective triage on who deserves to live. That’s not unexpected for there those who won’t stop at anything---at a cost on trampling on age-old moral values---just to cut down the expense of healthcare.
The old and the very young and those with diseases requiring expensive treatments are vulnerable in these cost-saving measures. If they think certain persons are socially expendable, they want to throw the sanctity of life out of the window. Assurances to the contrary is offered by Obama, but will they hold when the right time comes?
Healthcare Intrusion to Private Lives
Plans are in the offing for a group of health experts in government to oversee the decision on who can avail of standard medical care and who will avail of them with what kind of doctor and where. The experts will have access to information of patients when electronic records are set up. Those who fall outside their regulations may be denied or be challenged to go on appeal, delaying treatment, without assurance of success. So we know why the healthcare debate has heated up all over America.
Bureaucrats are inching their way to ram into the throats of the public a social plan that tends to devalue the life of a certain segment of society. The town meetings across America are airing the voice of the angry opposition. Trying to snuff off dissent, those who want to push the healthcare reform have accused these meetings as disruptive handiworks of the mob. Obama blamed the media for paying attention to the protesters.
Foiling Effective Dialogue
Sen. Nancy Pelosi of California (D,) among other partisans, called protesters of the heathcare bill anti-American and pro-Nazi. Such immature accusations by a government official frustrates meaningful discussions to resolve the complex issues of the problem.
The healthcare proposal is promised to be cheap. But the calculations of expenses have run into trillions of dollars that compromise taxpayers’ money. The huge spending and debts scare ordinary Americans who believe it will be hard to come out solvent in this ambitious plan. There are so many promises to digest from Pres. Barack Obama and his self-avowed cognoscentis. Tempers rise. Frustration and confusion take over.
What Can be Done?
Reining on healthcare expenses can start with limiting bureaucracy and fraud in Medicare and Medicaid. Electronic records will bring savings. Personal healthcare accounts and aavings for expected medical needs must be encouraged. Give the people medical choice (not the single public payer which give the government too much control) to allow market forces to work with competing companies.
Implement tort reform in mediicine to discourage frivolous lawsuits that jack-up the overhead expenses of health professionals. Disease prevention must be emphasized to avoid expensive treatment when people get sick. Limit government intrusion on the freedom of doctors to treat their patients.
Palin as Victim of Media bias
Amazing! Sarah Palin whom the arrogant liberals and the biased media have demonized, cajoled, underestimated and labeled as dumbed now stands in the forefront of “activism." In her straightforward way, the victim of hate and scorn helps make the public aware of the other side of Obama’s healthcare proposal. She asks people to weigh on crucial issues that our health system, comprising a 1/6th of the US economy.
Sarah may be more informed than some of her political counterparts. Many lawmakers and their constituents don’t know the intricacies of the healthcare bill which comes in more than a 1,000 pages. Majority of lawmakers don’t know what is in the book. They haven’t read it. But Obama wants it approved in a snap of a hand, just like the $787 billion bailout that is hyped as the panacea of America’s financial problems. In bated breath, America is waiting with trepidation. (Photo Credit: infacinatorin; healthcare4every1) =0=
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Elderly parturient dies; leaves two toddlers as orphans
An elderly Spanish woman who went all the way to Los Angeles to have in-vitro fertilization and secure to be a single mom at age 66 died three years after--- leaving two innocent children without parents.
Sixty-nine (69) year-old, Cadiz-resident Maria del Carmen Bousada who was confident she would live long enough because her mother died in old age at 101, pursued her dream of motherhood in old age by selling her home for $59,000 to pay for the pregnancy and birth. It was unclear whether the "tumor" she suffered soon after the babies' delivery was related to the hormones she got to induce her pregnancy and perhaps contributed to her death.
Saying she was 55 years-old, she lied about her age in the fertility clinic in order to qualify for assisted pregnancy. Now, her brother sold her story to a TV outfit hoping to raise funds to support the orphaned children.
It is uncertain who will take care of Bousada’s hapless children, but before she died, the post-menopausal mom was contemplating of marrying a younger man to support her family.
The report brings a sorry note of how innocent people get entangled into self-serving plans of others. At 66, it is astonishing that a woman will opt to have children without enough safeguards for care, in case something horrible, like an unexpected death occurs.(Photo Credit: Celikins) =0=
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Conductor and wife die in an assisted suicide in Switzerland
The former British Philharmonic and Royal Opera conductor Edward Downes, 85 and his 74 year old wife died of assisted suicide in a clinic in Zurich, Switzerland after years of failing health. Known for his outstanding musicality and conducting prowess, Downes who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth was almost blind and deaf. His wife Joan was a noted dancer and choreographer who worked as his devoted assistant. The couple had been together for 54 happy years.
A sign of secularist and liberal thinking, ending one’s life at one’s will is creeping into the norms of life. This is exactly what the Downes decided. At their own choosing, in a clinic supervised by a group called Dignitas, they died “peacefully.” The death facility which was founded in 1998 had about a hundred British citizens, many with terminal illness or disability, choosing its service to end their life.
“Dignitas says it is meeting the needs of its members. It says it charges 10,000 Swiss francs ($9,200) for its services, which include taking care of legal formalities and arranging consultations with a doctor willing to prescribe the barbiturates. British law is clearly against assisted suicide, but enforcement has been somewhat lax.”---AP (07/14/09, Lawless, J.)
The legal assisted suicide permitted in Switzerland is backed by a law which dates back in 1942. It allows foreigners from other countries from Europe to come and kill themselves, a controversial practice that needs regulation and deep moral consideration.
The decision to kill oneself surely raises serious ethical and religious questions. A society swept in relativism, it is permitted in some countries like Netherlands, Belgium and states of USA like Oregon. Some accuse Switzerland as promoting suicide as a tool of tourism. (Photo Credit: weeteeth) =0=
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Gov. Sarah Palin withdraws from governorship of Alaska
Sarah Palin, the lightning rod of political intrigues since she run for vice-presidency in the last election announced that she was stepping down as Alaska governor to avoid being a “lameduck’ public official. In a press conference in her hometown in Wasilla, Alaska, Palin said she will not seek re-election. Instead, she will devote time in private life---a decision she planned way before because she wanted to work and support a variety of unspecified political causes. In July 26, 2009, she will turn over her duties to Lt.-Gov. Sean Parnell.
The upbeat and articulate governor spoke of the culture of hate and personal destruction which she experienced on the hands of her political opponents and the bias media. Soon after she ran for vice-presidency a team of political manipulators came down to Alaska to dig dirt about her---too rapacious and unfair to even drag her innocent children to the political discussions in order to discredit her. Many of the innuendoes about her family had been unworthy of serious consideration.
A total of 15 frivolous ethics accusations against Palin by her political opponents were lodged at the expense of taxpayers’ money which all turned out to be in her favor. According to her, to defend herself on those baseless accusations, she had to uselessly spend half a million dollars which could have paid for meaningful espenses.
Money expended to discredit Palin could have helped pay for salaries of government workers. The nonsensical and wasteful effort which defamed individuals like her exposed a new breed of Americans who harbor self-deluding "moral rectitude" that frustrate the public.
With Palin's popularity and potential to be a presidential candidate in the next election, the good-looking former beauty queen which makes the Democratic Party uneasy do not lack criticisms from her harsh detractors. In spite of being a strong woman and conservative mother, she had been unjustly reviled as an "empty shell" in spite of her remarkable public record as governor of Alaska which didn't pale with the track record of Pres. Barack Obama.
A Republican bet against the questionable Obama administration, many speculate her decision to withdraw from governorship is a step towards her plan to run in the next presidential election. (Photo Credit: Infacinatorin) =0=
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Foursome kinky sex: Calvin Klein’s raunchy ad stirs protests
In New York’s Soho district where thousands pass by everyday, Calvin Klein compnay has put up a 50-foot billboard advertising. Two young men, a woman and another man are in explicit pose with strong sexual undertones illumined high above the street.
Semi-nude man and woman are shown kissing. Another man is embracing. With navel exposed and a flat abdomen heaving, a confused guy undresses to the verge of the mon pubis----something that corporate business brings to sell blue jeans fast.
But many people aren’t happy. Parents are bothered by the racy poster which shows the disturbing unnatural sexual message to children. Even if others justify the risqué billboard claiming that “obscenity is on the eyes of the beholder,” Randy Sharp, the director of special projects for the American Family Association, vehemently protests with many others:
"Not only the billboard, but a company -- a corporate giant in America -- feels it appropriate to put a semi-nude photograph in a major billboard in a high-traffic area where tens of thousands of children see this kind of activity going on... If it were going on in the back of a parking lot with steamed windows, they would be arrested, and yet they broadcast it to a whole city."----ABC News (06/17/09, Donaldson James, S)
With liberalism all around, this is the kind of lewd advertising people get. There are reasons to be concerned and concerned citizens are justified to voice their displeasure.
That’s why members of the organization who find the ad disgusting have flooded the Calvin Klein Co. with thousands of email complaints against the sexualized billboard. It’s something the jean company wants---- Perhaps, to foment cultural and moral discord in pursuit of that attention which brings sales in the cash register. Photo Credit: stylelist/ Maggie Coughlan/ AOL) =0=
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Doctor slay sparks new debate on abortion
If you support late term abortion----termination of pregnancy beyond the time of fetal viability, you’ll probably hail Dr. George Tiller of Wichita, Kansas as a hero. A reproductive health provider, he helped desperate women get abortions at a time when few doctors would agree of the terminations.
The controversial doctor who reportedly aborted as many as 60,000 fetuses under strict medical guideline during his career was gunned down while attending the Sunday morning church services in Wichita Reformation Lutheran Church on May 31, 2009.
The suspected killer in custody is Scott P. Roeder, a 51 year-old native of Merriam Kansas, an ardent opponent of abortion. It is unclear if the alleged gunman acted alone or in cahoots with an anti-abortion group.
“Tiller was a rallying symbol for both sides. The 67-year-old physician's clinic was bombed in 1985, and he was shot in both arms in 1993. He was acquitted of criminal charges in March related to performing late-term abortions. Abortion rights supporters praised his work."---McClatchy Newspapers (06/01/09, Goldstein, D.)
If you are against abortion, the slaying of Dr. Tiller marks the end of a baby killer who profited huge sums of money for performing termination of unwanted pregnancies. Millions of innocent fetuses are killed in utero for varying justifications in USA and the death of the physician may be looked upon by anti-abortion proponents as a “murder of a murderer.”
Yet, for most of us, Dr. Tiller and his killer’s fate must not end senselessly as this. The gruesome killing shows an apparent rush to get justice at the expense of the law. Such an unfortunate incident is likely to be exploited by groups to advance their views in such a contentious subject.
While a fraction of Americans believe that the doctor has provided needed medical services and helped women under difficult circumstances by performing abortion, as many as more than 2/3 (72%) of US citizens are against the termination of babies during the last phase of pregnancy.
In the backdrop of citizens asserting their pro-choice stance in support of abortion, the arguments against the killing of the unborn don’t only transcend cultural tradition, but contradicts religious beliefs as well. Since the news of Dr. Tiller's death, criticisms and threats of backlash are hurled in all sides of the issue which make us ask again:
"Can't we get along?" "Will we not respect the life of the defenseless babies because we are stronger than them?" "If we are the fetuses to be aborted, will we allow the procedure of babaric baby death?" (Photo Credit: AP/ Charles Riedel) =0=
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Obama addresses Notre Dame University amid protests
Pres. Barack Obama finally was able to attend the commencement exercises of Notre Dame University on March 17, 2009 amid protests for his stance against abortion. In what many Catholic bishops consider as a scandal, the school went on to give the president an honorary degree which offended many.
There were at least 27 protesters arrested during the graduation rites who believe that terminating the life of the unborn is intrinsically wrong. They believe having Obama in the Catholic university receiving an honorary degree damages the moral teaching of the Church.
“Obama entered the arena to thunderous applause and a standing ovation from many in the crowd of 12,000. But as the president began his commencement address, at least three protesters interrupted it. One yelled, 'Stop killing our children'"--YahooNews.com/ AP (05/17/09, Pace, J)
To assuage his audience, Obama, a staunch abortion advocate called for understanding saying that willful termination of pregnancy should be rare. But many of his opponents who know how the president had used words to his advantage doubt if this will be true. (Photo Credit: Supernova)=0=
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Sidelining the National Day of Prayer & honoring an abortion promoter in a US Catholic university
Perhaps, a sign of state-sanctioned alienation between religion and the American people, the Obama administration didn’t publicly celebrate its usual interfaith gathering of religious leaders in a day of National Prayer on Thursday, May 7, 2009. Instead Pres. Barack Obama passed the 58th annual occasion silently with his own “private’ prayer without the traditional ceremony in the White House.
This comes as the controversy of having the US president in the graduation exercises of Notre Dame University heats up. Catholic TV preacher Fr. John Corapi, speaking for the Cardinal Newman Society in a You Tube clip has voiced his vigorous objections in honoring Obama saying he is "anti-life and an enemy of Catholic moral teaching."
Former Archbishop of St. Louis and top Vatican prelate Raymond Burke, one among about 70, has criticized the attendance of Obama to the Catholic school ceremony. The archbishop says having him in the May 17 graduation is a source of “greatest scandal.” He is the same Catholic leader who called the confirmation of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, a Catholic and abortion advocate in Obama’s cabinet, "the source of deepest embarrassment for Catholics."
“Obama supports abortion rights and embryonic stem cell research. He also repealed a policy that denied federal dollars to international relief organizations that provide abortions or abortion-related information. And he backs legislation that would prohibit state and local governments from interfering with a woman's right to obtain an abortion.”---Huffington Post (05/06/09, Laleski, K)
Many Catholics are deeply offended of having to honor politicians who support the killing of the innocents and pursue secular prestige over what their moral beliefs dictate. According to the Cardinal Newman Society, a new Rasmussen Reports survey finds that more than twice as many Americans (with a bigger margin among Catholics) don’t agree with University of Notre Dame’s decision to give an honorary law degree to President Barack Obama. (Photo Credit: Supernova9) =0=
For Fr. John Corapi's message: www.youtube.com/watch?v=X89_XLYbpxU
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Miss USA finalist graciously defends her anti-gay marriage position
Expressing the sentiment of majority of Californians and Americans, Miss California Carrie Prejean who placed second in the recently concluded Miss USA pageant, reiterated her bible-based belief that marriage is between a man and a woman. She made it clear she won't choose the dictates of political correctness and compromise her belief just to win a beauty contest.
The scintillating and outstandingly pretty beauty contestant clearly explained her position gaining her more respect and adulation from TV audiences who watched her clarify the controversy. She said she had no regrets having to express her long-held belief because she thought that was the right thing to do. =0=
RELATED BLOG: "Miss California lost because of a politically (in)correct answer in the Miss USA 2009 Pageant?" Posted by mesiamd at 4/21/2009
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Miss California lost because of a politically (in)correct answer in the Miss USA 2009 Pageant?
When Miss California Carrie Prejean was asked about her thoughts on same-sex marriage, she quickly shared her opinion which many believed was excellent--- an answer that came direct from her heart and mind.
“We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what, I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that's how I was raised."
But according to reports, her answer to the question and answer portion of the contest angered an openly gay pageant judge because it wasn’t politically correct---it didn’t conform to the progressive liberal political agenda that he wants others to espouse. Her conservative innocuous comment against same-sex unions probably caused Ms. Prejean to lose the Miss USA title to another gorgeous lady, Miss North Carolina Kristen Dalton.
Many questioned why the politically charged question was ever asked at all. Or why it should matter when in America, everyone is entitled to each one’s opinion. Others believe that if a person goes for traditional marriage---that which is contracted between a man and woman--- one is a bigot, a racist, and homophobe. Gay marital unions entail a redefinition of marriage and run contradictory to religious beliefs.
Miss California got praise and respect for her honest answer. Some snide remarks against the first runner-up are mostly undeserved. The controversial question intended to advance political agenda must have no place in a beauty pageant. The assault on traditional values which serve as the foundation of families and strength of society make people wonder where the American culture is heading. (Photo Credit: AP/ Eric Jamison x 2) =0=
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Caroline Kennedy’s support for abortion disqualifies her as US ambassador to the Vatican
After her failed bid to become the New York senator replacement of Hillary Clinton, Caroline Kennedy, 53, the only surviving child of the Pres. John F. Kennedy was considered unfit to serve as ambassador to the Holy See. According to Vatican sources, Kennedy’s staunch support abortion (just like the support of other Obama nominees) disqualifies her for the position.
Obama's endorsement of Caroline to the post had been perceived as a reward for the Kennedy's support to his presidential election. Many Catholics believe it is an insult to their faith to send in a woman who accepts the killing of unborn human beings.
The embarrassing rejection which the White House didn’t comment on, was upheld by Raymond Flynn, a former US ambassador to the Vatican, who said the well-connected Kennedy who espouses secular-liberal values contrary to Roman Catholic teaching wasn’t a good choice.
"It's imperative, it's essential that the person who represents us to the Holy See be a person who has pro-life values. I hope the President doesn't make that mistake," he told the Boston Herald. "She said she was pro-choice. I don't assume she's going to change that, which is problematic."----Telegraph.co. uk.(04/11/09, Spillius, A)
It’s just right that the Roman Catholic Church must assert what it teaches. A religion doesn’t have to bow down to the dictates of the secular society---especially if such dictates are contrary to its beliefs and traditions. Caroline's faulty nomination to the Holy See is just one among several in Obama administration who accepted positions with questionable qualifications. Photo Credit: photo240779) =0=
RELATED BLOG: "Caroline Kennedy backs out from New York US Senate race" Posted by mesiamd at 1/22/2009
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Fighting corruption with "Moral Force Movement"
Chief Justice Reynato Puno of the Supreme Court finds the Holy Week celebration an apt occasion to remind Filipinos to fight corruption. In spite of the Philippines being the only Christian country in Asia, he tells the country's moral degeneration that has made it a pariah among its neighbors.
“Corruption in the country has been deforming all its institutions, undermining our stability and security and preventing our socio-economic development. We can arrest this social decadence through a moral force.” ----Reynato Puno. Philstar (04/07/09, Punay, E.)
Last year’s Global Corruption Report revealed that RP's corruption index hase fallen into the 141st spot tying with Cameroon, Iran, and Yemen, among 180 countries. This is a 10 point drop from the country’s rating of the previous year. The worsening corruption index had been attributed to major corruption cases that the government had been unable to solve.
Recently, World Bank (WB) exposed collusion in the giving of road project contracts in the Philippines which brings shame to government officials running the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH.) Jose Miguel Arroyo, the husband of Pres. Gloria Arroyo is implicated in the scandal, but little effort is made to fully investigate his case.
Puno envisions the moral movement to be politically neutral. A moral force is being harnessed by tapping leaders for the "Moral Force Movement"----from business, church, youth, and the media to combat the debilitating effects of dishonesty in government. Similar to the goals of "Kaya Natin Movement," the moral force's current focus is to help attain an honest presidential election in 2010.
Religious organizations like the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines, the Philippine Bible Society and the Ecumenical Bishops Forum are supportive of the initiative that is long-overdue. (Photo Credit: by Zero_Q)=0=
"Moral Force" Movement Core Group
Reynato Puno, Chief Justice, Supreme Court
Marixi R. Prieto, Chair, PDI; trustee Metrobank & Gerry Roxas Foundation
Henrietta de Villa, Chair, Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting
Mgsr. Gerardo Santos, Pres. Catholic Educational Asso. of the Philippines
Dr. Emerito Nakpil, (Ret.) Bishop of United Mathodist Church
Brig. Gen. Jaime Echeverria, (Ret.,) Asso. of Generals and Flag Officers
Dr. Milwida Guevara, Dir. of the Synergeia Foundatin
Atty. Andres Juan Bautista, Dean, FEU Institute of Law
Noorain Sabdulla, TOYM Awardee and Muslim Representative
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Survey says a rising number of Americans have “no religion”
The poll made by Program of Public Virtues of Trinity College in Hartford, CT between February and November last year reported that only 76.7% of Americans identified themselves as Christians, a 9.5% decline from the 86.2% in the 1990’s. Most of the attrition comes from non-Catholic denominations. The percentage of Catholics has significantly increased in the Southwest, greater than in the Northeast, shifting attention to the needs of Hispanics in the Roman Catholic Church.
Additional findings of the American Religious Identification Survey include:
1. Americans claiming “no religion” is up from 8.8% in 1990 to 14.2% in 2001 and 15% in 2008
2. Between 2001 and 2008, 4.7 million Americans claimed to have “no religion”
3. Northern New England is ahead of the Pacific Northwest as the least religious section of the country, with Vermont, at 34% with “no religion” leading all other states by 9 points.
4. 90% of the decline among Christians comes from the non-Catholic segment of the Christian population, mostly from mainline denominations, including Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians/Anglicans, and the United Church of Christ. Source: http://usnews.com/ (03/09/0, Gilgoff. D)
This may represent a changing culture---- the rising secularization of United States where having “no religion” has turned to be more socially acceptable than a decade ago. The demographic shift among believers and non-believers may affect the way Americans think, vote, and live on issues like abortion, stem cell research, same-sex marriage, euthanasia, and education among others as liberals, leftists, and secular progressives veer away from the Judeo-Christian tradition which is the cornerstone of the moral and cultural values of America since it was established. (Photo Credit emardaalvinbabista) =0=
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Obama’s stem cell research policy: the use of embryonic cells from helpless unborn sparks religious debate
As a sign of the moral dilemma and political divide rocking the United States, Pres. Barack Obama reverses the Bush-era stem cell policy that protects the embryo from being used as a tool in finding treatments and cures for illnesses. It is one of the many secularist liberal thrusts of the new administration.
The contentious decision is a triumph for those who want effective treatments against diverse illnesses like cancer, stroke, heart attack, and Parkinson's disease. However, it is a set-back for the outspoken anti-abortion groups and pro-lifers who believe that life starts at conception and therefore the unborn is deserving of social protection.
“Embryonic stem cells are master cells that can morph into any cell of the body. Scientists hope to harness them so they can create replacement tissues to treat a variety of diseases — such as new insulin-producing cells for diabetics, cells that could help those with Parkinson's disease or maybe even Alzheimer's, or new nerve connections to restore movement after spinal injury. But they come with criticism. "I believe it is unethical to use human life, even young embryonic life, to advance science," said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, a conservative organization that opposes the move.”:----Yahoo News/ AP (03/08/09, Eliot, J)
Obama is criticized by conservatives for approving the use of embryos in stem cell research to be funded by tax payers’ dollars. But his supporters believe curing sickness and allaying suffering take precedence over the welfare of the embryo. The advocates of the new policy are part of the rising number of Americans who believe that life without maladies is possible. They hope the words "incurable" and "terminal" may one day be banished from the vocabulary.
"This action is morally wrong because it encourages the destruction of innocent human life, treating vulnerable human beings as mere products to be harvested," said Cardinal Justin Rigali, the Archbishop of Philadelphia and Chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities"----Yahoo News/ AP (03/09/09, Gorski, E)
There are those who believe that the public funding of embryonic stem research is a paradoxical prelude to setting up of a healthcare policy which will use less costly medical services to the aged and the severely ill----a radical triage plan which favors more care for people who are young and productive over those who are old, and disabled.
Despite the advance of modern science and temptations to hasten social engineering, life must be respected at the start of conception. Having seen abortion and selective pregnancies done in the America first hand, I don’t concur with Obama’s stance to use the cells of developing embryos in research investigations.
Though I may well benefit from embyronic stem cells because of my illness and disability, on ethical and religious grounds, I believe researches must find a way to spare the embryo. Life in its early form has been redefined, used and abused to suit certain socio-political agenda. The growing embryo deserves equality, dignity, and protection from society just like any human being.
“Princeton University politics professor Robert George, a Catholic and another member of the Bush-era Council on Bioethics, said the moral argument over embryonic stem cell research is not rooted in religion but in ethics and equality. He said research shows that an embryo is a human being in its earliest form of development, so we have to ask ourselves whether all human life should be treated equally, with dignity and respect. “----Yahoo News/ AP (03/09/09, Gorski, E)
Convenience, easing suffering, prologation of life, and escaping mortality must not be done at the expense of others in society. From the vantage of science, embyronic stem cell research is not the only way to find cures against life-threatening and debilitating illness.
It’s my belief that individuals and governments have no ethical right to use cells of helpless embryos to advance the conveniences of the strong even if the need is pressing. Though cures from stem cells may one day be realized with the use of the conceptus, humanity can’t escape the changes that go with something as natural as sickness and ageing---all that leads to dying and demise. (Photo Credits: California Institute for Regenerative Medicine x 2)=0=
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UP’s bizarre nude runs spill over university belt
What was once a prank of running nude in the UP Diliman had morphed into a spectacle of genital display among other students in the University belt in Manila. Elevated from a raunchy tradition by the Alpha Phi Omega (APO) fraternity to dramatize “protests” against school issues like tuition fee increases or government corruption, members of the same fraternity staged another nude run in public streets. The event has the usual draw of crowds--- giggling watchers and cajoling voyeurs as male students excitedly bare their skin, interrupting commerce and vehicular traffic. The disruptive display of private body parts has caught the ire of Senator Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel who sees zero value in the immature behavior.
Airing his disapproval to the Senate Education Committee and demanding for an investigation, Sen. Pimentel asserted, "Sanction the parties responsible, including the university authorities for their failure to exercise their duty to see to it that the laws and the rules of this country may prevail... What redeeming social value does displaying the male genitals to prurient or innocent audience, young and old, pose to justify it?" GMANewsTV (03/04/09; 03/05/99 Balagtas-See, A)
For the overwhelming majority, Pimentel can rightly remind individuals and school authorities of laws against lascivious public exhibitions. There are boundaries of decency that Filipinos must uphold even if students and their teachers imagine they are the naked patriots, "mga hubad na bayani"--- the emblematic reincarnations of the statue guarding the entrance of UP.
Organized shedding off of clothes is hardly an affair that one can be proud of. The “Oblation Run” has become embarrassingly vulgar. Many innocent children have been exposed to body parts better wrapped in garments. Yet even UP, the cream of the country’s universities, finds nudity exhilarating. For its frequency, the bizarre exhibitions come like a recurrent lewd joke devoid of meaningful significance.
At the end of the 100th year of the state university, close to a hundred Upians in Diliman bare themselves as an “offering” to their alma mater. Similar controversial naked runs have been staged in different UP campuses and in schools where the APO fraternity has its members. (Photo Credit: Justin Jovellanos) =0=
RELATED BLOGS: "The Oblation Run: a risque prank becomes a raunchy protest" Posted by mesiamd at 6/20/2008; "Nudity in UP Campus" Posted by mesiamd at 12/18/2008
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Morality as an administrative order
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The administrative order No. 5 signed by Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo calls for a program that will bring moral renewal to the country. Is it for real? The presidential edict comes on the heels of many corruption charges which see no end. As the president’s tenure reaches the finish line, the entire nation wonders what will be accomplished by the action plan for moral rejuvenation. Zero tolerance towards corruption---that's what the president says.
"Why only now? She should have done it long before. It is funny she's calling for moral renewal now as it is only a year before the end of her term unless she plans to extend her term," Jinggoy Estrada said.---GMATVNews. Net (02/17/09)
Widespread corruption is out of the box in the Arroyo government, but no one has the resolve to prove it. Used to inaction, Filipinos live in apathy and forlorn silence with their frayed cultural values. They hope a deliverer will come to rescue them--- or something will happen by simply waiting.
Foreign observers point to widespread dishonesty, but most of us choose to keep our mouths shut. The emboldened corrupt among us are defensive. They are trying to convince us there’s nothing that can be done. It’s only a year before the next presidential election and many believe the government is better left alone to wither away for the next status quo. (Photo Credit: bw.futures(away)=0=
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Octuplets spark debate on medical, socio-economic, & moral issues of assisted pregnancies
The birth of 8 babies to an unmarried California woman who already have 6 children and lives with her parents sparked controversies which cover medical, social, economic, moral and rearing issues. The unusual multiple births by caesarian section of octuplets by 33-year old Nadya Suleman didn’t come without the help of fertility treatments. This is according to Angela Suleman, the 31 week-old babies’ grandmother who said her daughter, the mother has been "obssessed" of having children. In spite of having delivered babies in the past, she chose in-vitro fertilization because of clogged fallopian tubes.
In-vitro fertilization (IVF) usually involves implanting fertilized embryo (blastocyst stage,) normally no greater than six, usually 2 or 3 in the womb. If more than two embryos take, the patient is given the choice by her physician to keep the babies or kill some of them in an abortion-induced reduction procedure. Many doctors focus on giving the best medical care and they feel it's not their duty to dig on abortion issues (rights of the unborn) or prescribe how many children their patients must have. Suleman opted to keep all babies whose number was erroneously determined by ultrasound as 7.
Certain religious believers and anti-abortion advocates decry the practice of pregnancy reduction by doctors. Although Suleman rejected the offer to have any of her babies aborted after they were artificially set to develop in utero, there are strong objections on the medical and ethical judgment of implanting the 8 embryos on her who already have six children. There are those who believe the fertility doctor must be investigated and sanctioned for a breach of standard practice.
In 30 years of practice, "I have never provided fertility treatment to a woman with six children," or ever heard of a similar case, said Dr. David Adamson, former president of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine and director of Fertility Physicians of Northern California.---Yahoo.News/ AP (01/31/09 Watkins, T; Neergaard, L)
There are strong doubts if the unmarried Suleman has the capacity to care for the 6 boys and 2 girls born premature along with 6 older children, ages 2 to 7. It is unclear whether she is employed, though she lives with her parents who are not financially stable. The parents filed bankruptcy last year with more than $900,000 liabilities. Records show Suleman kept a psychiatric techinician license in 1997 to 2002.
The premature octuplets who are currently cared for in a Kaiser Permanente hospital surely need specialized care. With skyrocketing medical costs in a state teetering towards financial insolvency, many critics fear Suleman may not be able to sustain the duties of a single mom--- the physical, psychological, social, and economic demands of rearing 14 dependents. If she can’t keep up with the burden of motherhood, she may require public assistance and the effects on the children are hard to know. It is likely the cost of rearing them will be passed on to taxpayers and society in general. (Photo Credits: byaconnel73170; Ekem PD)=0=
UPDATE: February 2, 2009. Many critics believe the doctor didn't make good ethical judgmentt in placing at least 8 embryos on Nadya Suleman whose mother Angela is critical of her daughter's "obssession" to have babies.
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Iraq unveils a shoe monument
We can forget Imelda Marcos’ shoes for a while. Iraqis are still elated and angered by the shoe thrown at Pres. George W. Bush and Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki last December 2008 by journalist Muntadhir al-Zaidi. A brown shoe sculpture seems a funny retaliation by a culturally sequestered people who appreciate al-Zaidi and boil mad on the former US president even if they have been liberated from Saddam Hussein's tyrannical rule.
Surely, the Iraqis have strong reasons to be mad. The cost of war is high in places of ethnic strife and tribal clashes. Many human lives have senselessly been lost in the name of freedom. 5.1 million people were displaced and about an equal number of children were left without parents.
To vent their anger and send praises for the jailed shoe-thrower who dreams of getting an asylum status in Switzerland, Iraqis and children from the Tikrit Orphanage helped sculptor Laith al-Amiri make a symbolic shoe monument. A brown footware with a raggedly brown surface was mounted on a white cloth so the people could see and ponder.
Whatever thrill one gets in looking at the oversized shoe, the use of children to make a political point is disturbing. There is negatism and darkness young minds can't miss when they see the controversial shoe. The footware is less likely a symbol of disrespect and misplaced rage, but more a reminder of the derision the Muslims have for USA and Pres. George W. Bush.
Lacking gratitude after being saved from Saddam’s terroristic regime, some Iraqis have taken the low road of the warring militants who succeed in teaching generation(s) of children on selective memory and tough love. The faith-based beliefs against the "infidels" are still the driving force of hatred against the Western civilization. There are those who have become one-track thinkers--- intolerant, violent, self-righteous, and unforgiving in their political views. This is one reason why the culture of violence kills the innocents. And peace is so elusive in that part of the world. (Photo Credit: CNN) 0=
UPDATE: Feb. 1, 2009. Iraqi officials ordered the dismantling of the shoe monument in the Tikrit Orphanage. They say government facilities must not be used as a venue to air political views.
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