Free Republic

On November the 11th, 2004, Judith Miller of the New York Times wrote an article about the death of the infamous terrorist leader Yasser Arafat titled "Yasir Arafat, Father and Leader of Palestinian Nationalism, Dies at 75". Her inane, eight-page obituary began with the following words: "Yasir Arafat, who died this morning in Paris, was the wily and enigmatic father of Palestinian nationalism who for almost 40 years symbolized his people's longing for a distinct political identity and independent state. He was 75." She went on to opine that "No other individual so embodied the Palestinians' plight: their dispersal, their...

I'm trying to get all this political stuff straightened out in my head so I'll know how to vote come November. Right now, we have one guy saying one thing. Then the other guy says something else. Who do we believe? Lemme see; have I got this straight? Clinton awards Halliburton no-bid contract in Yugoslavia - good... Bush awards Halliburton no-bid contract in Iraq - bad... Clinton spends 77 billion on war in Serbia - good.. Bush spends 87 billion in Iraq - bad.. Clinton imposes regime change in Serbia - good... Bush imposes regime change in Iraq - bad.....

In today's Opening Prayer, the Novus Ordo asks God to help us use wisely the blessings He gives us. The collects, relatively speaking, are the same, one of those rare moments. Therefore the Mass for both rites has a similar focus. One of those blessings God gives to us is that of Holy Mass, where we not only learn our faith, but we receive Our Lord and Savior in the Blessed Sacrament. As is the custom in this series, The Traditional Mass will be marked by TM, the Novus Ordo Missae by NOM. Which liturgy helps us to better use...

If there is one liturgy that the faithful should focus on, this is one of them. This is the liturgy where we focus on the Body and Blood of Christ, and most importantly, what it does for us. If we are looking to establish which liturgy better conveys the truth to the faithful, we should examine very carefully the doctrinal teaching applied to the specific issue that each liturgy gives us. I believe it is with this examination, the Novus Ordo is found extremely wanting. The two liturgies start off with different Introits; Psalm 17:19-20 for the Traditional Mass, and...

One of the possible blessings priests in the Novus Ordo may give at the end of this Sunday's Mass asks that the Holy Spirit enlighten our minds and to strengthen our faith. As faithful Catholics who have a choice, let us determine which liturgy better strengthens us in our faith and enlightens our minds for this great Feast, the Birthday of the Church, the day the Holy Ghost descended upon the Apostles. Both Introits use Wisdom 1:7, yet the Traditional Introit had Psalm 67:2. When one reads what Psalm 67:2 is, one understands why the Novus Ordo decided, in the...

The June issue of National Geographic contains one of the rare honest looks at India. The article "India's Untouchables" gives a shocking picture of some of the most persecuted people on earth. For far too long, India has been one of a number of countries used by the intelligentsia to denigrate the United States. The image or the insinuation has been that we are materialistic, they are spiritual; we are violent, they are peaceful -- and so on. Instead of picturing every country as it is, warts and all, too often the picture of the United States has been warts...

The Nature of Faramir? An analysis of Faramir, as it relates to the conversion from book to film Some notes on the introduction of Faramir (in the book -- not the movie)When Faramir and his men capture Frodo and Sam, Faramir declares his identity to the two Hobbits with the following words: "'I am Faramir, Captain of Gondor,' he said. 'But there are no travelers in this land: only the servants of the Dark Tower, or of the White.'" (A minor side-note by the way: one white use this passage for an argument that the two eponymous towers are those...