Courtesy of the Talkmaster today, we have a nugget of joy from the University of Delaware.  But first, let’s take a look at dictionary.com’s definition of racist, won’t we?

 a person with a prejudiced belief that one race is superior to others

Ahh, the standard, historical definition of racist. Yes, many people confuse bigotry with racism, or discrimination with racism, but there it is – the real, true, honest definition of racist.

Not so fast!  The University of Delaware has created a new definition for racist, and all students must memorize and agree to this definition, or they’re not students there anymore.  Here goes:

A racist is one who is both privileged and socialized on the basis of race by a white supremacist (racist) system. The term applies to all white people (i.e. people of European descent) living in the United States regardless of class, gender, religion, culture or sexuality. By this definition, people of color cannot be racists, because as peoples within the U.S. system they do not have the power to back up their prejudices, hostilities or acts of discrimination.”

There you have it.  All whites are racist, and it’s impossible for any other color person who believes that their race is superior to actually be a racist.

And in good conscience we’re supposed to send our kids off to places of higher learning?

Not every day that a presidential candidate admits seeing a UFO.  Appropriate for Halloween, though.

Asked about the statement by actress Shirley MacLaine that Kucinich had seen a UFO at her house, Kucinich said that he had. He quickly sought to clarify — an “unidentified flying object” he said holding up his hand — but man oh man.

The big news tonight: DENNIS KUCINICH HAS SEEN A UFO.

Then again, is Kucinich really a presidential candidate?

Gerald has a great post today where he has some strong words for folks who are designing slutty costumes for girls to wear for Halloween.  As he says, it’s a pedophile’s dream.  Dress a kid up like this, gee, do you think it might tempt some sick freak?  Speaking of sick freaks, I believe it was the great philosopher Glenn Beck who coined the term “prosti-tots” to refer to how parents are willingly dressing their daughters.  Anyway, some excerpts from a Washington Post article:

Gabby Cirenza wanted to be a referee for Halloween. The outfit she liked had a micro-mini black skirt and a form-fitting black and white-striped spandex top held together with black laces running up the flesh-exposing sides. She looked admiringly at the thigh-high black go-go boots that could be bought as an accessory. And she thought the little bunny on the chest was cute.

That’s all I am posting, because as the dad of two girls, it’s all I can handle.  Read more if you’d like.   

My kids, by the way, will dress up as animals (Caroline’s going to be a cat tomorrow) or as witches, ghosts, and their favorite saints.  My plan is that we’ll never actually go to a store and buy a halloween costume.

Breaking news from Atlanta today.  Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory has the following to say on the Archdiocese of Atlanta’s website:

On Monday morning, Nov. 5, I will undergo prostate surgery at Emory University Hospital. I was diagnosed with the early stage prostate cancer after a biopsy in September. I have sought additional medical advice, and I have decided to have this surgery as the best response to my condition. This means that I will be out of commission for the next several weeks.

I am very much at peace with this situation since I believe that I have received expert medical advice and that I will have the best of medical care. I have enjoyed wonderful health throughout my life, and I anticipate returning to a fully active schedule after my recuperation.

Some of you might now wonder why I am being so candid about my health. Well, you are my family, and you have a right to know: Besides if I were to be absent for an entire month, the rumors would be far worse than telling you the simple truth up front. I have never been restricted in my activity for such a long time, and I look forward to getting some reading done that I have not had the opportunity to do. I anticipate that I will be bored quickly, and so I’ll need to practice patience with myself—not an easy task to be certain.

I went to the Sacrament of Reconciliation while I was in Rome. The last thing the Franciscan confessor in St. Peter’s Basilica told me was that I was in good hands—since I am sure he was not an Allstate agent, I presume that he meant in the Father’s hands.

Good to see he’s maintaining a sense of humor going in, eh?

Whole column here 

The Mathericks have been foster parents for almost 30 kids…but now they’re going to have their foster son taken away.  Why? Because they refuse to follow policies laid down by the British government stating that they must teach their 11-year-old foster son about homosexuality and present it in a positive light.  They’re Christians and they say it goes against what they believe.  Some excerpts:

Earlier this year, Somerset County Council’s social services department asked them to sign a contract to implement Labour’s new Sexual Orientation Regulations, part of the Equality Act 2006, which make discrimination on the grounds of sexuality illegal.

Officials told the couple that under the regulations they would be required to discuss same-sex relationships with children as young as 11 and tell them that gay partnerships were just as acceptable as heterosexual marriages.

They could also be required to take teenagers to gay association meetings.

“We have never discriminated against anybody but I cannot preach the benefits of homosexuality when I believe it is against the word of God.”

By the way, the foster system in Britain needs another 8000 foster parents.  What a great way to attract new volunteer foster parents: by telling them they must teach their foster kids what the state says, even if it is against their beliefs.

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H/T to the Talkmaster

HT to the Curt Jester on this one.

The rapid spread in Latin America of the virus that causes AIDS is made worse by the Roman Catholic Church’s stand against using condoms, a U.N. official said on Monday.

…

“In Latin America the use of condoms has been demonized, but if they were used in every relation I guarantee the epidemic would be resolved in the region,” said Alberto Stella, the UNAIDS Coordinator for Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

Isn’t that a brilliant comment? If condoms were used in every relation, the epidemic would be resolved. That would be because the population would all die out without reproducing. Oh well, I guess we could claim victory over AIDS if there were no people around to contract AIDS. On top of that, there’s the numerous studies showing how AIDS remains rampant even in areas with high condom use rates. Hmm. You might think that maybe the solution would be to just not have promiscuous sex at all.

The Curt Jester points out:

If only the Catholic Church was a powerful as they infer and that Catholics are as obedient as they assume. Somehow we are suppose to believe that many Catholics won’t use condoms, yet somehow they will commit fornication and adultery. I am pretty sure the Church teaches that these are grave sins regardless of whether you are using a condom or not. Final impenitence of these acts will send you to hell regardless. Do they think that there is a deeper circle of hell for those who use condoms in addition to these other acts?

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Here’s something you won’t hear on the evening news.

Violence in Iraq has dropped by 70 percent since the end of June, when U.S. forces completed their build-up of 30,000 extra troops to stabilize the war-torn country, the Interior Ministry said on Monday.

Of course, most likely the percentage is made up by the evil Bush administration since nothing good can possibly happen in Iraq.  Bad news for the left, betcha it gets buried.

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Another HT to Gerald at the Closed Cafeteria.

Some time ago we covered the attempted Democrat smear against Bobby Jindal, a Catholic Republican of Indian heritage who had made comments about his opinion of Catholicism (favorable) compared to Protestantism (less favorable.)  To shock everyone, he has now become Governor Elect of Louisiana!

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Here’s something that’ll come as no surprise.  Archbishop Niederauer of San Francisco says this about blogs:

“The blogosphere is a kind of dangerous, endless recess in a global schoolyard,” he said, “where the bullies with the biggest bullhorns can shout whatever they want.”

He also says that the whole incident with the Sister of Perpetual Indulgence was blown way out of proportion.  If an issue being made of those in manifest grave sin being given the Eucharist is “blowing it out of proportion,” one wonders what the Archbishop would approve as worthy of public outcry.

HT Closed Cafeteria

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HT to Fr. Malloy via the Curt Jester.

Abp. Niederauer’s giving of the Blessed Sacrament to a couple of cross-dressing blasphemers (gay guys dressed up in mock nun habits) a couple of Sundays ago has turned a number of heads.  The Archbishop has stated he didn’t notice that they were in mock religious garb, and has apologized to his flock, stating that they clearly weren’t properly comported to receive the Eucharist.  From Fr. Malloy:

As if on cue, the Jesuits chime in on the scandal of Archbishop Niederauer’s giving communion to two members of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. From this morning’s San Francisco Chronicle:

“The general sacramental principle is that you don’t deny the sacrament to someone who requests it,” said the Rev. Jim Bretzke, professor of moral theology at University of San Francisco, a Jesuit Catholic university…..”Over-accessorizing and poor taste in makeup is not an excommunicable offense.”

Fr. Bretzke is the co-chair of the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at USF. He’s also on the Advisory Board of the Lane Center for Catholic Studies and Social Thought, who sponsored the “Queer Perspectives” seminar last February at Most Holy Redeemer.

“Over-accessorizing and poor taste in makeup is not an excommunicable offense.” If I was a Catholic parent spending $25K per year to send my Catholic son or daughter to an ostensibly Catholic University, I’d expect this issue to be taken a little more seriously.

Well said, Father.

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