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VATICAN CITY, September 13, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - All legal recognition of "alternative" means of pursuing a family life, such as homosexual "marriage" and civil union laws, threatens to undermine the true model of marriage as the permanent bond of one man and one woman for the procreation of children, said Pope Benedict XVI on Monday.The pontiff said that “the Church sees with concern the growing attempt to eliminate the Christian concept of marriage and family from the consciousness of society.""The Church can not approve legislative initiatives involving a reappraisal of alternative models of married life and family. They contribute to...

And now for a little bit of Art, Music and Pop Culture to bring some variety to the mish-mash of socio-economics and politics I usually discuss. Expanding my own horizons, and hopefully yours. Today, a look at some Blago-inspired Chicago street art, a great song I can't get out of my head by MUTEMATH, and a look at Broken Lizard's latest comedy effort.

In March, the conservative-leaning pollsters at WND/Wenzel had GOP congressional candidate John Dennis garnering a meager 22 percent of the vote against House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Perhaps that accounted for his campaign's decision to go all-in with a bizarrely rendered "Wizard of Oz" ad that depicts his opponent as the Wicked Witch, the IRS as her "flying monkeys," Dorothy and friends as the helpless voters and, of course, John Dennis as the hero. The most immediate comparison to this "hackneyed" campaign ad would probably be fellow Californian Carly Fiorina's "demon sheep ad" this spring. And yes, to spoil the...

Wait. Before you click the link and see which they are, try to guess. Jot your guesses down in descending order from most number of speakers to least. See how close you get. As for me, I was surprised by one of them in particular. Genesis 11: And the earth was of one tongue, and of the same speech. And when they removed from the east, they found a plain in the land of Sennaar, and dwelt in it. And each one said to his neighbour: Come let us make brick, and bake them with fire. And they had...

INDIANOLA, Iowa — Gone are the days when President Obama was the biggest source of motivation for Democrats. The role now belongs to Sarah Palin... < snip > It was a telling moment at Senator Tom Harkin’s 33rd annual steak fry, where Mr. Plouffe, along with David Axelrod, a senior adviser to the president, came to try to dispel the predictions of a dismal November for Democrats. They promoted the party’s accomplishments, but they suggested that if members needed more enticement for Election Day, they should keep Ms. Palin and other Republicans at the forefront of the conversation. “Mitch McConnell...

Washington’s Islamic Center, a magnificently arched structure gracing Massachusetts Avenue on Embassy Row, was conceived in high principle as a “religious organization to provide a place of worship for the members of the Islamic faith.” Its opening ceremony, in 1957, commanded the presence of President Eisenhower, who praised Islam’s contributions to the “advancement of mankind” and concluded with the resolution that “America would fight with her whole strength for your right to have your own church,” noting that “without this, we would be something less than we are.” The center’s first board of directors was truly representative of the Islamic...

When the left attacks those of us who value our founding principles as "too radical," some of us may be tempted to respond, "We are not; we just want to uphold the Constitution. You're the ones who are radical!" So now we find ourselves in an odd position. The self-described liberals in America are those who want to maintain the present status quo -- the insane body of draconian regulations, the huge tax burden, and the massive governmental work force that sucks up to 30% of our national income. As conservatives in America today, we seek to conserve our founding...

After hosting his "Restoring Honor" rally at the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday, Fox News talker Glenn Beck said he has no intention of running for president. If he did run against President Obama, who would you vote for? Glenn Beck President Obama

Like putting a fox in charge of a chicken coop, Seton Hall University is allowing a pro-homosexual professor to give a course on “The Politics of Gay Marriage.” When plans for the anti-Catholic course were first announced at the diocesan university, the Most Reverend John J. Myers, Archbishop of Newark, responded. “This proposed course seeks to promote as legitimate a train of thought that is contrary to what the Church teaches. As a result, the course is not in synch with Catholic teaching,” he stated. However, despite the archbishop’s misgivings the course was not stopped. According to the New Jersey...

Cool new political ad: NancyPelosi

[London/Rome] A few days from the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI in Scotland and England, the "Number two" in the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, Direcoter of the "Foreign Office" of the Moscow Patriarchate, will make his visit to Great Britain. On the 9th of September he will meet [has already met] in Lambeth Palace with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, the Primate of the Anglican Communion. In a certain way "he makes straight the way of the Pope", as the Pope's meeting on the 17th of September is described by Vaticanist Sandro Magister in the Weekly...

I usually don't plug left wing websites, but this blog post from Think Progress is phenomenal. It details the statements of all Republican Senate candidates as it relates to Anthropogenic Global Warming. They note that all of the candidates are at least skeptical of AGW except..... you guessed it, Mike Castle. Here is what Castle writes on his congressional website: Believing that we must act now to mitigate the impact of global warming pollution, Rep. Castle supports U.S. participation in international agreements and a cap-and-trade program based on the best available science, which will deliver the kind of reform business...

The morning of the anniversary of 9/11 the Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star newspaper promoted Islamic propaganda and Islamization among University of Mary Washington. college students.The main articles featured in the regional news section dealt with local "Ramadan" observance and female Muslim students at UMW coaxing non-Muslim female students into wearing the "Hijab."[Promotion of Islam and Islamization among college students]"The Challenge Was To Wear A Hijab and See How It Felt."One Muslim participant promoted the false Islamic teaching that the Allah of Islam is the same as the God of the Bible:"Basically, if we all believe in one God, it must be the same God".Not true."The Allah of...

The President complained recently that Republicans talk about him as if he were a dog. This may be his strangest comments to date, and that is saying a lot: there is steep competition for Obama-Bizarro moments. After all, the President giggled while answering questions on 60 Minutes about the plummeting economy.

The one figure missing from both articles was our old friend the anonymous GOP Beltway Operative who for so long has been telling Palin to stand aside and let the real men get on with it.

In the aftermath of 9/11, Americans were angry, fearful and scrambling for answers. In the days that followed the terrorist attacks, President George W. Bush and Congress prepared their response, starting to work on stronger counterterrorism measures and preparing for a war in Afghanistan, where the Taliban had housed al Qaeda networks for many years. A few Americans turned their rage against Muslims who were living in the United States. Within a few days, Muslims, as well as individuals mistakenly perceived to be Muslims, were attacked. The Sikh owner of a gas station in Mesa, Arizona, was killed by a...

Having read what Cristina Odone said in her blog post last night I have to echo her words. Archbishop Vincent Nichols displays real energy and vigour in his dealings with the media, and an ability to cope with difficult questions. He convinces and, as Cristina says, sounds like a human being. Sadly, though, these are not qualities that you can be certain of finding elsewhere in the Catholic Church.Today’s Mail, for instance, highlights an excruciatingly embarrassing pamphlet produced by the papal visit team which compares the Mass to a “gig”, the Pope to a “headline act” and liturgists to “performers”....

Over ONE MILLION copies sold! On the NYTimes Bestseller List for 19 weeks, 12 weeks at #1!Buy it… read it… live it!“Conservatism is the antidote to tyranny precisely because its principles are the founding principles.” --Mark Levin in Liberty and TyrannyWelcome to “The Levin Lounge”… Step in and have a virtual FRink.Taking the country by storm, one radio station at a time – and kicking the BUTTS of the competition! Welcome all, to the most FUN LIVE THREAD on FreeRepublic.com! You can call Mark’s show: 1-877-381-3811

2010 NFL WEEK 1 MNF LIVE THREAD Monday, September 13th 7:00PM ET @ 10:15PM ET @