Event: Support local pro-life in Washington DC

I've talked before about how there is something everyone can do to support pro-life activities in their local community. Sometime that "something" is as easy as having a good time.

I'll be attending this year's "23rd Annual Indian Summer Ball" (despite the chilly, fall weather) this weekend, where the proceeds go directly to supporting the wonderful and critical pro-life work done by the Northwest Center. Here is the event description:

Our annual Indian Summer Ball is one of Washington D.C.’s premier pro-life events. This black-tie affair features live music and dancing, a gourmet buffet, and a silent auction.  Over the past two decades, the Ball has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to support the work of The Northwest Center while providing a memorable night for all our guests. Reserve your ticket or sponsorship today!

This event will be held October 17th, 2009 at the Organization of American States near the National Mall.

Click here for more information including directions and ticket sales.

2008 Photos - 2007 Photos

There's still time for you to buy your ticket. Or, if you live outside of Washington DC, support the center directly. Washington DC is not only our nation's capital, but a sad "abortion capital" of sorts (admittedly behind New York City in total numbers of abortions per year).

Whatever government programs have promised to accomplish here, the most effective way of supporting a cultural of life directly is to provide local and immediate support for women who want to make the choice for life. I hope you'll join these fruitful local efforts.

Pro-Life Protesters arrive at White House on Obama's first day

WashingtonTimes reports:

It's President Obama's first full day in office, day 2 of the first 100 days, and he already has protesters giving him grief.

About 50 people from a pro-life organization held crosses, each with a year written since Roe v. Wade.

Obama isn't here, but a man with a bullhorn shouted at him that change should mean an end to abortion.

Yeah I know, like, how annoying - *rolls eyes*.

A legislative threat to the Archdiocese of Washington?

Local blogger William Newton alerts us:

Former Mayor and current City Councilman Marion Barry is known for (and has plead guilty to) many things. Now he appears to be spearheading a movement to go after the Archdiocese of Washington in court. In the interest of supporting our Archdiocese, I supply the following which was forwarded to me[]. Please pray, and do what you can to combat this effort.

I'm looking for some confirmation. Has anyone else heard about this?

update: read the DC Wire to get more of the back story. Note how enemies of the Church cleverly phrase their arguments to mask their intentions. But their aims are obvious: they want to further pilfer Church assets.

update 2: Read this letter to the editor in WaPo from the Arch. of Washington's Chancellor.

Ph/t: Eric Wilson.

Picture: "Why Believe in a God?" bus advertisement

Yeah, it's "great" living in Washington DC. I take public transportation and get to see stuff like this:

Talk about "essence of lame":

Ads proclaiming, "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness' sake," will appear on Washington, D.C., buses starting next week and running through December. The American Humanist Association unveiled the provocative $40,000 holiday ad campaign Tuesday. (AP)

More from CNA.

Actually, if people have never asked themselves why they believe in God, maybe the ad campaign could be useful. The problem here is - and I state it with nauseating repetition - that these "humanists" only think a God who is able to be discovered through scientific observation could be "real". They refuse to admit the possibility of a reality beyond the empirical sciences or scientific method.

Well, I hope they have fun examining and dissecting that lump of coal they're going to get for Christmas.

One pharmacy says no to birth control ...

... and the world doesn't explode:

A new drug store at a Virginia strip mall is putting its faith in an unconventional business plan: No candy. No sodas. And no birth control. Divine Mercy Care Pharmacy is among at least seven pharmacies across the nation that are refusing as a matter of faith to sell contraceptives of any kind, even if a person has a prescription.

States across the country have been wrestling with the issue of pharmacists who refuse on religious grounds to dispense birth control or morning-after pills, and some have enacted laws requiring drug stores to fill the prescriptions.

In Virginia, though, pharmacists can turn away any prescription for any reason. (AP)

On Tuesday, the little pharmacy that could received a blessing from Arlington bishop Paul Loverde.

On the road: Value Voter's Summit

I hope to drop by this event over the weekend sometime:

The annual Values Voter Summit is expected to draw thousands of concerned Americans from across the country to hear some of the nation’s foremost experts from the fields of politics, media, entertainment, and Christian ministry discuss values they think should influence voters’ candidate choice.

Hosted by the social conservative group Family Research Council, the three-day summit – which begins Friday, less than two months before the presidential election – will feature prominent and diverse figures including former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, CNN’s Lou Dobbs, NFL Coach and NASCAR team owner Joe Gibbs, actor and evangelist Stephen Baldwin, and possibly presidential nominees John McCain and Barack Obama (both were invited and have yet to confirm).

Organizers say they seek to energize voter participation in the political process by educating and equipping Americans to change the nation’s policies on issues such as the sanctity of life and marriage, immigration reform, religious freedom, health care, radical Islam, and judicial activism, among others.

Official website: Values Voter Summit 2008. I'll probably be hanging around "blogger's row."

They also provide a live, free webcast here.

AmP Report: Onward Christian Soldiers book launch

On Wednesday I attended an official book launch hosted by InsideCatholic of Deal Hudson's new book "Onward Christian Soldiers," in downtown Washington DC, and which featured a short speech by Senator Sam Browback.

About the book:

Many books have been written about the so-called Religious Right in American politics. Deal Hudson's new book, Onward, Christian Soldiers: The Growing Political Power of Catholics and Evangelicals in the United States, published by Simon & Schuster, documents the surprising role of Catholics in the creation of the religious conservative movement. Hudson conducted dozens of interviews with religious and political leaders to explore the history and significance of Catholics in the conservative movement. He looks not only at Catholic contributions beginning in the 70s but also the specifically Catholic controversies that arose along the way.

Bill Donohue's endorsement:

Hudson has written an insider's jewel on the political and cultural dynamics that have affected presidential politics over the past several decades. It is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in understanding the intersection of politics and religion in the twenty-first century. Professors and pundits alike will repair to this book for years to come."

The event was recorded by C-SPAN, and I'm told that the video will be aired as part of their Book TV series in the next 2-3 weeks. In the meantime, here is a short video of Hudson answering a question about John McCain and the religious right:

I've uploaded a few photos from the event to the AmP Flickr page.

For the response to a question I posed to Senator Browback during the Q&A session about John McCain's continued support of embryonic stem cell research, click here.

Deal reports on the IC blog that they sold all the books which were available for purchase and signing. I hope to read the book once I get some spare time from classes and preparations for the pope's visit.

About the DC Red Mass, and the new Supreme Court session

Zenit coverage:

The American project is to live out the consequences of Judeo-Christian humanism, Archbishop Timothy Dolan said in the presence of six Supreme Court justices at an annual Red Mass.

The Mass at St. Matthew the Apostle Cathedral in Washington was attended Sunday by some 1,500 civil leaders, including Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. and Justices Clarence Thomas, Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Stephen Breyer and Samuel Alito Jr.

Breyer is Jewish; the other five justices are Catholic. Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington was the lead celebrant.

The annual Red Mass is held each year before the Supreme Court begins its fall session. The session started today.

• Full text of Abp. Dolan's homily.
• Washington Times coverage here.
• Jay Anderson has a good post on the origin and history of the Red Mass.

So how are things looking for this upcoming session of the Supreme Court? Sadly, not all that great:

• Supreme Court rejects challenge to contraceptive mandate (CWNews): "The US Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from religious groups challenging a New York state law that requires all employers to subsidize birth-control costs for their workers."
• From the AP: "Instead of last term's defining cases — abortion, race and campaign finance — in which Kennedy's views aligned him with the conservatives, the big issues are those on which Kennedy has more often sided with the liberals."
• Again: "Looking ahead to this term's lineup of cases, "I can't identify a significant win for conservatives," said Thomas Goldstein, a Washington lawyer who writes about the court and argues before it."

Pray especially for Justice Anthony Kennedy, who remains the deciding vote when the others deadlock.

Kerry not coming to CUA. Reason? "Scheduling Conflict"

LifeSiteNews reports.

Hmm, now what exactly am I supposed to do with all the materials I bought to construct Kerry protest signs? Oh well, I guess I'll save them for the next time something like this happens. ;-)

Local front: Michigan residents oppose cloning, destroying embryos

CNA reports:

A statewide poll, commissioned by the Michigan Catholic Conference, demonstrates that Michigan residents are overwhelmingly opposed to measures that would clone and destroy human embryos for research.

Draft legislation, recently introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives, seeks to amend Public Act 368 of 1978, which prohibits the destruction of human embryos for research purposes.

The bill would allow researchers to clone and destroy human embryos in the process know as therapeutic cloning. No treatments or cures have resulted from therapeutic cloning to date.

Encouraging news.