Father Albert out of the Catholic Church just in time

This week, the disgraced Roman Catholic priest from Miami, Father Albert Cutie announced he will become an Episcopalian.

This caused Archbishop Favalora to have a little hissy fit. But it looks like Father Albert will be having the last laugh because now the it has been announced that up to 14 Catholic churches in the Miami archdiocese may have to close.


Here is Archbishop Favalora in full on hissy fit mode.

A spokeswoman for the archdiocese, Mary Ross Agosta is quoted as saying that the closings are needed because "We're looking at finances and a shift in the Catholic population."

She did not add "And because we lost our Superstar Priest who was our best TV asset to fleshly temptation"

I'm sure that Father Cutie's loss is simply huge for the Catholic Church in South Florida.

I couldn't be happier.

Lovely News

U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb of Wisconsin on Thursday May 28th denied motions to dismiss a lawsuit brought by the Freedom from Religion Foundation against the National Day of Prayer.

I'm guessing this will be the only time we will see President Obama and Shirley Dobson on the same side of ANY lawsuit.

Good for this judge!

It all may be a lost cause though because the judge actually wrote that "the defendants arguments have merit and ultimately may be successful". The reason the motions to dismiss were rejected were simply because they are "premature" as summary judgment is yet to be issued on the FFRF's original suit.

Damn! I thought this ridiculous notion of a "National Day of Prayer" was in danger!

What I did find disturbing last year were the stories I read that even though the NDP is a non-partisan event, in her position as Chairman of the NDP Task Force, Shirley Dobson only wanted Christians in her organization - and she interviewed potential volunteers and quizzed them about their Christian Faith.

Of course, if she was just Chairman of the "NDP Christian Task Force" that would be :-

a) More accurate....and.....

b) A clarification that Shirley Dobson DOES NOT have any kind of overarching national role in an event that isn't ( by Presidential decree ), for Christians only.

Shirl and Dobbo every year try to bend the NDP to their Christian will. I'm sure that of the people who even know the NDP exists, the majority don't know that it is open to people of all faiths.

The Dobsons certainly never say so as they pump up Shirley's role from a simple coordinator for one faith's participation in the event to "Chairman of the National Day Of Prayer Task Force".

But that's "Doctor" for you - a man with a slippery and superficial understanding of the Bible in general and that pesky commandment about bearing false witness in particular.

Returning to "Utter Evil"

I want to just make another couple of points regarding James Dobson's broadcast of May 14th 2009, the great "Utter Evil is coming out of Congress" program.

In the program Dobbo bemoaned the fact that the Democrats control all the branches of government, the Presidency, the Congress and ultimately the Judiciary via the Supreme Court. "Which will only get more liberal". So there are now no "checks and balances" on what the hated Democrats can do. He said in effect that checks and balances to stop the excesses of one party running amok were a good and desirable thing.

Of course what the old goat completely failed to mention was why he was so vehemently against checks and balances when the Republicans controlled the Presidency and both houses of Congress - when just the Supreme Court provided some very light reins to restrain their excesses.

Oh. That's right. They were "Activist Judges". So they must have been the "wrong kind" of checks and balances. You know the kind? Those that James Dobson doesn't like.

What a Republican shill Focus on the Family has become. Now they don't even bother to say that purely political programs are brought to us by "Focus On The Family Action".

They really are that contemptuous of the law.

This week Tom Minnery said on one of the the "Focus Action Updates" on the Citizenlink website discussing the California Supreme court ruling upholding Proposition 8, "Our side raised nearly $40 million and some of that money came from Focus on the Family" [ to initially pass Prop 8 ]. Shouldn't that have been Focus on the Family Action providing the money?

Someone really needs to investigate the 501.c(3) status of Focus on the Family because Dobson and Minnery are definitely playing fast and loose with its tax exempt status.

What else?

I know. During the program Representative Gohmert actually quoted and I guess, expanded on, a quote by Chuck "the convicted felon" Colson that is so freaking stupid that I feel obliged to put it out for the ridicule in deserves.

"You can't have the morality of Woodstock without producing a Columbine, [or a Madoff]".

WOODSTOCK CAUSED COLUMBINE?

What monumental Arschloch-ing stupidity. And what an unbelievably insensitive thing to say to the families of the Columbine dead. "The morality of a rock concert in upstate New York in the 1960's caused your child's death". WTF? What is "The morality of Woodstock" anyway? Free love? Peace? Those things caused deranged killers?

Un-freaking-believable. THIS MAN IS IN CONGRESS FOR GOODNESS SAKE!!

WOODSTOCK CAUSED BERNIE MADOFF?

Deregulation caused Bernie Madoff. Greed caused Bernie Madoff. Republicanism without checks and balances caused Bernie Madoff.

The Travails of Father Albert

So finally I have to come to the Father Albert Cutie story.

Not too sure how much traction this story is having nationally, But down here in South Florida it is quite a big deal - especially after Father Albert himself introduced that perennial Dade County element - "It was CUBAN SPIES that made me do it".

Let me give a little background. I see the Father Albert story as simply the latest cherry to precariously sit atop South Florida's rancid Archdiocese of Miami.

For me, it all started a number of years ago when 1040 AM WLVJ, a rabid Protestant radio station all of a sudden allowed three hours of Catholic programming every morning. And who opened every daily broadcast? You guessed it, Father Albert praying "The Angelis" whatever that is. I can only guess that WLVJ needed the money for them to allow the Roman Catholic Church to take such a daytime stranglehold on their broadcast schedule.

So we had three hours of Catholic propaganda every day. It surely could not last.

And it did not.

First to go was "Catholic Answers Live!", a phone-in program based out of San Diego. Clearly it being on at 09:00 AM made it spectacularly NOT LIVE! here in Florida.

I was disappointed to see it go because I kind of liked hearing the lunatic certainty of dogma. At least they got in a few licks against WLVJ's regular anti-catholic audience. It that respect, it was kind of subversive.

So then we were down to two hours ( 7:00 to 09:00 )

Father Albert would introduce the whole thing ( I think as a recording ). He certainly every day completely ballsed up the emphasis on the prayer at one point completely altering its meaning. You had to hear it. As Mike Myers would say "He had the emPHAsis on the wrong SylLABle". I always will wonder why they didn't have Father Albert record it again. Probably because he thought it was fine and he was the "superstar priest" so no one would say anything.

So the first hour was a mishmash - some elements being the same every day and others rotating in on a weekly basis. Typically it would be :-

1. Father Albert
2. Sister Ann Shields and "Food For The Journey"
3. Conversations with the Archbishop John Clement Favalora
4. "Breakfast For Your Spirit" with Philip Carlton a 30 minute phone-in where they had to BEG for calls. They usually got a couple, Sometimes they got none at all. Which left Philip in full on waffle mode - very bad radio.

That would typically cover 07:00 to 08:00. Let me say now that Philip Carlton has the WORST VOICE FOR RADIO EVER - it wavers and cracks. He sounds like he is two seconds away from actually croaking.

And let's not get to talking about Archbishop Favalora - He "umms" he "aahs", he clears his throat, he "umms" some more. Simply terrible radio. Awful. You simply cannot listen. He should never do radio again until he improves his diction.

And that brings us to a segment that fell away next - that was the occasional bit called "Life Matters" from the "Respect Life Office" of the Archdiocese. This was spectacularly inappropriate anti-abortion screed every week. I don't want to hear abortion details over my cornflakes - and I guess neither did the audience because this segment bit the dust.

One time I heard a woman call Philip Carlton to say that she missed "Life Matters" because she played it to her young daughter on the way to school. Talk about child abuse. It was always so graphic. I was glad to see it go. It certainly was never appropriate fare for young girls.

And then one day "Pow!" the entire hodgepodge that was the 07:00 to 08:00 hour was gone and replaced by an hour of worship music in Portuguese called "Happy Days!"

Awww! No more Father Albert!

So all we have left is the 08:00 to 09:00 hour called "Religion, Politics and the Culture" with a lay apologist called Dennis O'Donavan. This I guess remains on the air because it is a traditional US radio talk show - a right wing host trumpets his dogmatic opinions and denigrates ( "in love and with respect" ) any callers who disagree with him.

Because this works as radio, there are sponsors for this show and it remains on the air. Dennis says he is respectful of he callers - HE ISN'T.

So that is a brief history of "Radio Peace" on WLVJ showing in just a few hours of programming the ineptitude of the Roman Catholic Church here in South Florida. They got into radio because they could. They sucked at it. They now have one program left in English - a program that brings nothing essentially Catholic to the table.

And in such a weak and badly run Church can a man with the peccadilloes ( sexual and egotistical ) of Father Albert Cutie rise to a position of prominence and influence.

Of course, he's done for now. In the eyes of the Church diddling with a WOMAN has to be the ultimate sin - and a DIVORCEE too! OMG! Next thing you know Father Albert will say she was a Cuban Honey Pot - just to try to save his own skin.

Of course that won't work. WOMAN+DIVORCEE=DONE FOR.

I feel sorry for the woman herself. There were already fisticuffs outside Father Albert's Church between his aged supporters and more traditional wrinkled adherents to Church teaching.

I bet the congregation is not treating this woman well at all.

Doesn't the Bible say we are all sinners? I guess people won't forgive her because she took away their superstar priest. I'm sure they see her as some sexual temptress who snagged Father Albert with her wiles.

When of course, Father Albert broke his vows because, like John Edwards, he sees himself as a big shot and he thought he could get away with it because the organization he works for likes him.

He was and is, simply WRONG about that.

Focus On The Family Brodcast for 5/15/09

Today on the Focus On The Family broadcast they played a recording taken at the National Day of Prayer and it contained a short speech by Representative Michele Bachmann ( R-Minnesota ). In this address she was explaining about prayer and its importance in her life and she said "the still small voice told me stay home [that day] and to attend my local Republican endorsing convention. Oh that still small voice!"


Listen to that. God or the Holy Spirit or the Baby Freaking Jesus PERSONALLY told her to be a Republican. I think that's significant. GOD TOLD HER to be a Republican.

Which is odd because he told me all Republicans are in league with Satan and should be exposed for the Pharisees that they so evidently are - Praising themselves for the adulation of the crowd. "He [my husband] started a ministry for at-risk children." and "He [the Lord} gave us 23 great foster children to raise". Clap! Clap! Clap! You are so pious Michele, so godly!

Dobson of course praised her to the hilts as "some one to watch in Congress". He clearly is passing on her being AN IDIOT.

This is the woman who called for Congressional investigations of fellow Americans because, in her twisted universe, they are "unpatriotic".

Her latest gaff ( lampooned dead-on by Jon Stewert ) was to try and pin swine flu on Democrats in the clumsiest of ways by equating the last outbreak as also occuring under a Democratic President ( Jimmy Carter ) - when of course it was under Gerald Ford.

What a partisan hack she is. There is no Republican talking point she won't parrot and no Democratic policy she won't sneeringly denigrate.

Focus On The Family 5/14/09

The Focus On The Family broadcast for 5/14/09 was a doozie.

Doctor said that "utter evil" was coming out of the US Congress and various State Houses so we had to have a special broadcast about what's going on....

His guests were :-

1. Tom Minnery - the Focus on the Family hack
2. Gary "the dwarf" Bauer of "American Values"
3. Representative Louis Gohmert of Texas ( why isn't that a surprise? )
3. Representative Steve King of Iowa

He said he had "dozens" examples he could choose from to show this "utter evil" but he only chose to mention :-

1. The confirmation of Kathleen Sebelius as the Health and Human Services Secretary.
2. The Federal Hate Crimes Bill ( this is where the bulk of the broadcast fell )
3. A California law about sperm donation and "sperm washing". TMI there Doctor!

So let's just say Doctor Dobson hates Governor Sibelius and move on to the meat of the broadcast.

Both of the politicians knowingly misrepresented the Federal Hate Crimes Bill so that they could parrot the Republican talking point that "Paedophiles are a protected class in this bill".

Heck Congressman Gohmert used to be a judge and shame on him for stirring up falsehoods about this bill. "Some judge is going to rule that sexual orientation is whatever you are orientated to sexually".

No they are not you lying idiot Republican you.

Sexual orientation is defined in US law. It is homosexuality or heterosexuality.

It is not like some of the paraphilias Doctor Dobson listed ( but shied away from saying what they are ) will become "sexual orientations" or "gender orientations" under this law :-

1. Urophilia - aka "water sports"
2. Necrophilia - surely even Dobson drones know what this is?
3. Sadism
4. Paedophilia
5. Incest

or even some Dobson didn't mention...

6. Dendrophilia - "you are a GIANT Redwood aren't you?"
7. Knismolagnia - Oooh I'm tickled pink!
8. Sinophilia - Everyone loves eating Chinese don't they?
9. Partialism - I love your eyes/armpits/knees/elbows just not "those rude bits".

No one with these deviancies is going to become a member of a "protected class" under the Federal Hate Crimes Bill and shame on the people on this broadcast who said they are. All they are trying to do is SCARE PEOPLE.

---||---

And then very briefly they talked about some law in California about sperm donation.

James Dobson's seems to have some inside knowledge on the subject of sperm washing. Apparently ( for him ) it is not foolproof. I imagine he washes his every night.

Dobson was concerned that a 2007 California law that allowed people ("homosexuals" ) with STDs and even AIDs to donate sperm ( which gets washed ) now is going to be changed to "weaken the protections" for the women who get this sperm. Apparently ( according to Doctor Dobson ) they now won't be told the health status of the donors.

I would be concerned too if I believed anything that Dobson says.

I can't give blood in the US because I lived in England 25 years ago. So I don't believe that changes to California laws ( if they are even allowed ) will weaken or endanger US citizens because the California Legislature is bowing to the Homosexual Lobby.

Again, it's just scaremongering from Focus - business as usual in Colorado Springs.

Miss California was on Focus On The Family

Quotes from the Carrie Prejean ( Miss California ) interview with James Dobson.

"These women are beautiful, intelligent. They're driven. Some of us have law degress. We're very educated. We don't solve all the answers in the world. [ We don't have all the answers. ]

Remember, this woman wants to be a teacher.

"I don't see how I got first runner up I really don't. After I answered my question I thought "OK I'm going to be fourth runner up". I don't, I can't say I was going to win or not, but I do know that had I not gotten that question, the outcome would be different."

Er...if the outcome was going to be different, then she's either saying :-

a) She would have won with a politically correct answer - which she admits she can't say.

Or....

b) She would have been even lower in the judging with the politically correct answer. Which implies both that her answer was the "right one" and that towing the pro gay marriage line would have been the wrong thing to do. ( if she wanted to win )

This woman can't speak two sentences without them being contradictory. She couldn't walk the intellectual walk with human cerebellums for shoes.

Family News In Focus - April 2009

So here is the analysis of the stories run on "Family News In Focus" for the month of April 2009.

Not counting the days where stories were repeated from the previous day and Friday April 17th when the link to "Family News in Focus" was broken, the total number of stories commented on was 101.

The total number of comments, discounting those of reporters, was 169

The total number of comments from "Focus On The Family" stooges was 31.

I have lumped all the following together in the "stooge department" :-

1. Focus On The Family Action
2. Focus On The Family
3. Family Research Council ( because Doctor Dobson was involved in setting it up, pre-FoFA )

So 18.3% of all comments were from people who work directly or indirectly for James Dobson.

As I predicted, the winner for comments from FoFA was Jenny Tiree. Step forward Jenny and take your 2009 "Shilling for an Old Trout" award. You deserve it. Truly.

I ran into that pesky FoF vs FoFA thing. Gary Schneeberger was described one time as working for FoF and another as working for FoFA. Yes, that 501.c(3) status is pretty damn flexible it seems.

What surpised me most was the sheer number of FoFA "commentators".

Carrie Gordon Earll (2)
Bruce Hausknecht (2)
Daniel Weiss (4)
Dawn Vargo (2)
Candy Cushmann (1)
Ashley Horne (2)
Jenny Tirree (5)
Bill Spencer (1)
Chad Hills (1)
Gary Schneeberger (1)

Two other names jumped out as talking heads for sale :-

Wendy Wright of "Concerned Women for America" (4)
Professor John Kent (3) - a "gambling expert". Hint: He's against.

And the kicker......

How many people were actually heard who were AGAINST the
Focus On The Family slant to a story?

1. Perez Hilton ( in a clip lifted from the Today program - 4/22/09 )
2. Winston Blacksone - A PROPONENT FOR POLYGAMY ( 4/1/09 )

And these I would describe as "neutral" to a particular story.

1. Donald Trump on the Carrie Prejean "I believe in opposite marriage" debacle ( 4/22/09 )
2. Pam Young a spokeman for Eastern Michigan University ( 4/10/09 )
3. Andy Fell of UC Davis ( 4/6/09 )

Of course, that means that of the 169 commentators I listened to,
164 towed the Focus on the Family line.

That is 97%. I think I'll repeat that - it sounds kind of important. NINETY SEVEN PERCENT of the people heard on one month of Family News in Focus broadcasts agreed with James Dobson's bias on any particular "report".

How is Family News in Focus in any way "news" with this level of bias in its reporting?

As I stated at the beginning of this exercise, I am not in favor of bringing back the Fairness Doctrine. It isn't coming back no matter how many times loons like James Dobson tells you it is.

All I am asking for is a little truth in advertising. Is that too much to ask?

How about rebranding "Family News in Focus" as "Doctor Dobson's Opinions in Focus"?

What it isn't is "News". With no context or even remote explantion of the contradictory arguments to a story, there is simply not enough infomation in a Family News in Focus broadcast to allow a rational person to take a rational position on the items covered.

Therefore I choose to dismiss Family News in Focus as just hot air from right wing gas bags.

It works for me.