The Autumn of 2009 Was Real Rough for ME! VERY BUSY AND NO TIME TO BLOG!
But I will be blogging and vlogging a lot more as I travel to London, England on January 9, 2010 for 4 months. This site, along with FACEBOOK AND TWITTER, will document my travels.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
About Last Week..
6.30.2009
About Last Week…
Wow. The week of June 21 to June 28 for me was one of the most interesting weeks in recent memory. We crowned a US Open Champion at Bethpage Black after a weekend of rain and we saw the ABC Television Network dial in on Healthcare by hosting a town hall meeting with the President at The White House. On the more somber side, we lost two great pitchman in Ed McMahon and Billy Mays, two great cultural icons in Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, and nine ordinary but no less extraordinary individuals in the largest METRO crash in DC History. We watched in horror as images of the Iranian crisis were fed back to us on twitter and we were shocked with an apparent coup taking place in Honduras. And if there wasn’t enough news, a politician decided to destroy his political career by first going MIA from the known world and then admitting to an extramarital affair with an Argentinean lover during a bizarre press conference. Indeed the week of June 21 to June 28 was full of news.
But what did we learn? Well for one we certainly learned that cable news loves the stories aforementioned (minus the Iranian situation and Honduran Coup, not sexy enough for them) and we learned that tragedies do occur and that accidents indeed happen. We learned that death can be long and easily foreseen, while also being sudden and shocking. Finally, we reaffirmed our belief that the majority of politicians are greedy and lustful and in the end will get caught.
While proper reflection on each of the previously mentioned stories would quickly turn this blog into a book, I can share with you some brief opinions I have on the stories we watched so closely during these past few days:
1) Congrats Lucas Glover for winning the US Open, although I wanted Phil to win so badly and applaud him for playing such an extraordinary round of golf.
2) Great job ABC. You challenged the President on his healthcare plan and left many GOP’ers biting their tongue after accusing you of broadcasting an Obama infomercial.
3) So long Ed…from one Catholic University man to another
4) Billy Mays…so sudden…so schocking…it just shows you how life is so fragile and why it should always be treasured
5) You’ve got guts Farrah. While most terminally ill people prefer to go into seclusion during their finals days, you chose to be brave and tell your sad story with the world reminding us all of the evils of cancer.
6) Michael..oh Michael. The sad thing is that your death perhaps resurrected your legacy more than any concert or newly released album ever could. After all, even I have found myself downloading MJ tunes on Itunes after hearing them during these past few days.
7) Metro…clearly something went wrong that shouldn’t have and innocent lives were lost. I only hope that Metro learns from their shortcomings and make a conscience effort to ensure that what happened on that faithful rush hour evening will never happen again.
8) Iran…Obama is doing the right thing by being tough on the acts but not interjecting himself into the process. One thing must be remembered: regardless of who is in charge Iran will be an enemy to the United States.
9) Honduras..being in Honduras just 3 months ago…I am saddened by the recent events. Honduras is full of loving people who sadly will be negatively affected by the coup. My thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Honduras, especially the folks at APUFRAM and Mission Honduras and I hope the situation is resolved peacefully, swiftly, and DEMOCRATICALLY.
10) Governor Mark Sanford…you sicken me. Nothing disgusts me more than people who claim to be pious and so God loving and then behave in such a ridiculous manner. You lucked out sir. If their weren’t so many deaths last week, you would have your resignation submitted already and I hope you get what you deserve. Whose the winner in this? Haley Barbour? Yes. He is quickly becoming a favorite among Republican candidates for a possible 2012 run.
Okay so there are my thoughts and I hope that this week is much quieter for all of us. After all, we need time to reflect on what occurred.
Joe St. George
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Healthcare Must Get Done...and Here is How it Can
6.24.2009
Healthcare Must Get Done...and Here is How it Can
Health care in the United States is one of the most pressing issues facing Americans today. After all 46 million Americans don’t have it and they should. Why is this the case?
One word: cost. Private health insurance in this country is simply too costly for a large number of Americans. Many would rather go on a vacation annually than pay for something that by most estimates is extremely overpriced. Members of Congress understand this and a large number of Americans do as well. So what is the problem? Politics and Ideology.
When the founding fathers gathered in Philadelphia to write the Constitution, most envisioned a country free of political parties. Their rationale was two-fold: 1) they had just escaped Great Britain where political ideologies caused more harm than good and 2) the founding fathers believed that people would vote for individuals who displayed the highest quality of character, individuals that would make decisions that would be in the best interest of America and not politics. It is for that reason that the words “politics,” “party” and “convention” are left out of America’s founding document. In fact, while they tell us how to elect the president, they do not tell us how to nominate a President and because of such America has been “winging it” for centuries. Indeed while the founding fathers got many things right when they wrote the constitution, they were wrong in predicting that political parties would never exist.
Just as political parties were omnipresent when John Adams took office as this nation’s second President, so too are political parties omnipresent today and because of such health care reform is looking like it is going to be a lot harder to pass than President Obama initially thought. On the table right now are a plethora of proposals, proposals that in and of themselves have flaws. But before we look at public options or even universality lets go back to the main problem and take it from there: Cost. Cost is high because private, non-governmentally regulated insurance companies have for years tried to make profits first and foremost (of course they will…they are businesses) often times at the expense of the consumer. They have worked collectively together (ie. Blue Shield and Kaiser Permanente) to make sure no one is offering such ridiculously low rates that their profits are affected. Another reason health insurance has sky rocketed is because the cost of healthcare has skyrocketed. Doctors charge ridiculous fees and so do drug companies. Consequently, insurance companies must charge more for coverage because they will be paying more to these medical professionals for your care.
So by my estimate if we reduce the cost of health insurance more people will have health insurance. That DOES NOT mean that everyone will have health insurance and I am okay with that just as long as everyone has ACCESS to it. So how do we do that? In my opinion we need to adopt 3 keys concepts: 1) someone must run a health insurance firm that does not seek to make a profit (either governmentally run or a non profit), 2) a conscience effort must be made by Healthcare professionals to reduce costs, and 3) effective TORT reform must be past so that frivolous lawsuits are eliminated.
Why do I advocate a governmentally run or non-profit style healthcare option? Because unless we do health insurance companies will not reduce costs. After all, they will still be in the business of making profits and they will do so by providing minimal/ limited care. I envision this healthcare option having several different plans with different price levels. For instance one level would provide minimal care while another would provide coverage equivalent to that of a Member of Congress. Under this plan not everyone would receive the same coverage (because not everyone would pay the same amount for their coverage) however more people would receive SOME coverage and that is much better than our current system. And of course we need to reduce the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs. The quickest solution to cutting cost is putting medical records online. Not only does this make economic sense (saves paper costs), it is environmental and just more proficient. Finally, Members of Congress must make a conscience effort to reduce the number of ridiculous lawsuits filed against doctors. Doctors, in many cases, are just doing their job and people must expect that tragedies will occur in medical care. By reducing the number of lawsuits people can file against our nation’s doctors, their insurance premiums will go down which will ultimately result in lower prices for their patients.
So why isn’t my plan being adopted? Politics. If our founding fathers (the great men who once thought political parties would never take place in this country and instead they entrusted that leaders would do what is best for America) were leading this country, healthcare reform would have been past years ago. Instead this debate, which has failed to result in concrete changes has gone on for decades, leaving millions of Americans behind.
So tonight I hope everyone turns into ABC at 10PM ET to listen to what will surely be a riveting debate revolving around how healthcare reform can be accomplished. While GOP folks will try to make ABC News look they are putting on an infomercial for President Obama, they fail to take into consideration the journalistic prowess of Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer who will carefully critique everything the President says.
Will Politics then go away? No. Republicans will oppose it because it is not the best political thing to do. For that reason the Democrats should be political back at them and spend every cent of their political capital to use the “nuclear” option to make sure that Healthcare reform takes place, regardless of whether or not a single Republican votes for it.
Harsh? Yes. Necessary. You betcha.
Joe St. George
Healthcare Must Get Done...and Here is How it Can
Health care in the United States is one of the most pressing issues facing Americans today. After all 46 million Americans don’t have it and they should. Why is this the case?
One word: cost. Private health insurance in this country is simply too costly for a large number of Americans. Many would rather go on a vacation annually than pay for something that by most estimates is extremely overpriced. Members of Congress understand this and a large number of Americans do as well. So what is the problem? Politics and Ideology.
When the founding fathers gathered in Philadelphia to write the Constitution, most envisioned a country free of political parties. Their rationale was two-fold: 1) they had just escaped Great Britain where political ideologies caused more harm than good and 2) the founding fathers believed that people would vote for individuals who displayed the highest quality of character, individuals that would make decisions that would be in the best interest of America and not politics. It is for that reason that the words “politics,” “party” and “convention” are left out of America’s founding document. In fact, while they tell us how to elect the president, they do not tell us how to nominate a President and because of such America has been “winging it” for centuries. Indeed while the founding fathers got many things right when they wrote the constitution, they were wrong in predicting that political parties would never exist.
Just as political parties were omnipresent when John Adams took office as this nation’s second President, so too are political parties omnipresent today and because of such health care reform is looking like it is going to be a lot harder to pass than President Obama initially thought. On the table right now are a plethora of proposals, proposals that in and of themselves have flaws. But before we look at public options or even universality lets go back to the main problem and take it from there: Cost. Cost is high because private, non-governmentally regulated insurance companies have for years tried to make profits first and foremost (of course they will…they are businesses) often times at the expense of the consumer. They have worked collectively together (ie. Blue Shield and Kaiser Permanente) to make sure no one is offering such ridiculously low rates that their profits are affected. Another reason health insurance has sky rocketed is because the cost of healthcare has skyrocketed. Doctors charge ridiculous fees and so do drug companies. Consequently, insurance companies must charge more for coverage because they will be paying more to these medical professionals for your care.
So by my estimate if we reduce the cost of health insurance more people will have health insurance. That DOES NOT mean that everyone will have health insurance and I am okay with that just as long as everyone has ACCESS to it. So how do we do that? In my opinion we need to adopt 3 keys concepts: 1) someone must run a health insurance firm that does not seek to make a profit (either governmentally run or a non profit), 2) a conscience effort must be made by Healthcare professionals to reduce costs, and 3) effective TORT reform must be past so that frivolous lawsuits are eliminated.
Why do I advocate a governmentally run or non-profit style healthcare option? Because unless we do health insurance companies will not reduce costs. After all, they will still be in the business of making profits and they will do so by providing minimal/ limited care. I envision this healthcare option having several different plans with different price levels. For instance one level would provide minimal care while another would provide coverage equivalent to that of a Member of Congress. Under this plan not everyone would receive the same coverage (because not everyone would pay the same amount for their coverage) however more people would receive SOME coverage and that is much better than our current system. And of course we need to reduce the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs. The quickest solution to cutting cost is putting medical records online. Not only does this make economic sense (saves paper costs), it is environmental and just more proficient. Finally, Members of Congress must make a conscience effort to reduce the number of ridiculous lawsuits filed against doctors. Doctors, in many cases, are just doing their job and people must expect that tragedies will occur in medical care. By reducing the number of lawsuits people can file against our nation’s doctors, their insurance premiums will go down which will ultimately result in lower prices for their patients.
So why isn’t my plan being adopted? Politics. If our founding fathers (the great men who once thought political parties would never take place in this country and instead they entrusted that leaders would do what is best for America) were leading this country, healthcare reform would have been past years ago. Instead this debate, which has failed to result in concrete changes has gone on for decades, leaving millions of Americans behind.
So tonight I hope everyone turns into ABC at 10PM ET to listen to what will surely be a riveting debate revolving around how healthcare reform can be accomplished. While GOP folks will try to make ABC News look they are putting on an infomercial for President Obama, they fail to take into consideration the journalistic prowess of Charlie Gibson and Diane Sawyer who will carefully critique everything the President says.
Will Politics then go away? No. Republicans will oppose it because it is not the best political thing to do. For that reason the Democrats should be political back at them and spend every cent of their political capital to use the “nuclear” option to make sure that Healthcare reform takes place, regardless of whether or not a single Republican votes for it.
Harsh? Yes. Necessary. You betcha.
Joe St. George
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Thoughts about the NBC News/WSJ Poll
Thoughts about the NBC News/WSJ Poll
The survey of 1,008 adults, conducted Friday to Monday, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points for the full sample
Data:
Overall Approval Rating: 56% (down from 61% in April)
Overall Handling of the Economy: 51%
Overall Handling of Foreign Policy: 54%
Fault for the Economic Deficit: Bush Admin. 46%, Dem. Congress 21%, Obama 6%
Believe the Economy will get better: 46% versus 38% in April
Strongly Support Sotomayor: 43% versus 38% when John Roberts was nominated
Concern over Govt. Intervention of the Economy: Nearly 70%
Focus on Deficit being down: 56%
Is Obama taking on too many issues: 37%
Important issue facing economy: 24% Deficit versus only 11% for Healthcare
Support for Obama Healthcare plan: 55%
After hearing arguments against plan: 47% still support it
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So what does this mean? I would argue that the American people are beginning to question the policies of the Obama administration and that is a good thing. In my humble opinion, President Obama is getting a pass from the majority of the American people because of their overall liking of his personality and appeal. That is a problem. While they may like the fact that he and his family plant gardens, play basketball, go out on the town for dates, and just look so darn cool most of the time, the American people need to question the policies of the Obama administration because the Obama administration is making drastic changes to the way government acts in this country, changes that may never be reversed. Healthy debate must occur. Debate must happen not only on cable news and in the Halls of Congress but it must happen at the water cooler and at the dinner table. Families need to talk about whether or not they like the federal government owning America’s car industry, they need to discuss whether or not they want Healthcare to be universal, and the need to discuss the Obama administration strengths and weaknesses in regard to foreign policy. Healthy debate must happen on this issue because whatever happens we, the American people, need to make sure the government gets it right.
The Data aforementioned shows that a great debate will undoubtedly occur over the future of the American Healthcare system with a great deal of Americans still in need of convincing that Obama’s plan is right for the United States. This data also shows that the American people do not want the government intervening in the American economy any more which could help the GOP and their argument that bringing 1/6 of the GDP under the umbrella of the Federal government is unpractical and superfluous. Also the American people’s desire to reduce the deficit could result in a Republican argument that Healthcare Reform is too costly and that overall spending should be reduced. While this poll should give confidence to my Conservative friends that things are beginning to balance out, one thing from this data is clear: Sotomayor will be the next Supreme Court Justice and any efforts to stop or delay her nomination would be costly politically for the GOP since a great deal of the American people are comfortable with her being on the court.
These are off course just numbers and they could change with the wind but both parties should look closely at what NBC News and the Wall Street Journal discovered and plot their political strategies accordingly.
Joe St. George
Monday, June 15, 2009
I went to a Parish, not just a Church
6.15.2009
I went to a Parish, not just a Church
I told you that it would be unlikely that I would be able to write a Blog post every single day…sometimes life gets ahead of me and for that I apologize. But I promise to write on this medium as much as I can, especially when interesting thoughts or quips pop in my mind.
While this is not a Blog that focuses solely on religious events or beliefs, I am yet again writing about the church. However this time I will try to be less cynical than my previous tirade (although I think I had good reason).
Today I write about a church parish. No not a chapel where students gather for mass or a Basilica where every time you attend you could technically call it a pilgrimage. I am talking today about a parish, where the priests know the names of most of the parishioners and most of the parishioners want to shake hands with the priest after mass. Today I am talking about a place where you see the elders of the parish seated in their traditional Sunday seat while hearing the cries of last week’s newly baptized baby in the vestibule. Indeed it is in this place where a priest’s homily enriches the spirit, where music is not only sacred but also uplifting.
Why am I so interested in writing today about what it is like to be in a parish? Because I have missed being a part of one, a fact that I did not realize until I attended St. Matthew Cathedral’s 5:30 p.m. Mass this past Sunday. Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the Campus Masses in St. Vincent’s and the Basilica services in the Great Upper Church of the Shrine. While both of these places preach the same gospel on a daily basis and say the same prayers over the Eucharist as St. Matthew’s, they are certainly not the same. Going to St. Vincent’s for me is like going to the Student Center. After all, the faces that you see are those of your friends, all reasonably the same age. You hear no babies crying nor do you see the “elderly” in their traditional weekly seat. While seeing friends in the pews may appear to be a great benefit, for me it ultimately results in too many distractions. In fact, I sometimes find that I know more details about the clothes that the members of the congregation are wearing after mass than the weekly scriptures.
The Basilica on the other hand is so grand and august in and of itself it is very difficult to feel a personal relationship with your priest let alone your neighbor. While the Basilica has its share of babies crying, there are no parish picnics, there are limited smiles by the priest, and the music, white it is very sacred, it is also without a question a little boring. Indeed the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a magnificent church but it is not a parish.
All I have to do on Sunday is look out my window and I see a church but on Sunday I went to Mass at a Parish. Fr. Greenville, the celebrant for my mass, reminded me a lot of my former Pastor Daniel Venglarik before his passing. Fr. Greenville was intellectual, a great orator, and above all deeply spiritual. The Contemporary Music was uplifting and the smiles from the parishioners were refreshing. The bulletin (something that the Basilica does not have) reminded me a lot of what I was missing in my home parish of St. Charles: Golf outings, refreshments after mass, etc. 5:30 p.m. Mass at St. Matthew’s was definitely a great experience.
Will I go to St. Matthew’s Cathedral every week? Probably not simply because of the convenience of the Basilica and St. Vincent’s. However when I do go I know that I am attending Mass at Parish and not just a church and that is something that I deeply enjoy.
Joe St. George
I went to a Parish, not just a Church
I told you that it would be unlikely that I would be able to write a Blog post every single day…sometimes life gets ahead of me and for that I apologize. But I promise to write on this medium as much as I can, especially when interesting thoughts or quips pop in my mind.
While this is not a Blog that focuses solely on religious events or beliefs, I am yet again writing about the church. However this time I will try to be less cynical than my previous tirade (although I think I had good reason).
Today I write about a church parish. No not a chapel where students gather for mass or a Basilica where every time you attend you could technically call it a pilgrimage. I am talking today about a parish, where the priests know the names of most of the parishioners and most of the parishioners want to shake hands with the priest after mass. Today I am talking about a place where you see the elders of the parish seated in their traditional Sunday seat while hearing the cries of last week’s newly baptized baby in the vestibule. Indeed it is in this place where a priest’s homily enriches the spirit, where music is not only sacred but also uplifting.
Why am I so interested in writing today about what it is like to be in a parish? Because I have missed being a part of one, a fact that I did not realize until I attended St. Matthew Cathedral’s 5:30 p.m. Mass this past Sunday. Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the Campus Masses in St. Vincent’s and the Basilica services in the Great Upper Church of the Shrine. While both of these places preach the same gospel on a daily basis and say the same prayers over the Eucharist as St. Matthew’s, they are certainly not the same. Going to St. Vincent’s for me is like going to the Student Center. After all, the faces that you see are those of your friends, all reasonably the same age. You hear no babies crying nor do you see the “elderly” in their traditional weekly seat. While seeing friends in the pews may appear to be a great benefit, for me it ultimately results in too many distractions. In fact, I sometimes find that I know more details about the clothes that the members of the congregation are wearing after mass than the weekly scriptures.
The Basilica on the other hand is so grand and august in and of itself it is very difficult to feel a personal relationship with your priest let alone your neighbor. While the Basilica has its share of babies crying, there are no parish picnics, there are limited smiles by the priest, and the music, white it is very sacred, it is also without a question a little boring. Indeed the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is a magnificent church but it is not a parish.
All I have to do on Sunday is look out my window and I see a church but on Sunday I went to Mass at a Parish. Fr. Greenville, the celebrant for my mass, reminded me a lot of my former Pastor Daniel Venglarik before his passing. Fr. Greenville was intellectual, a great orator, and above all deeply spiritual. The Contemporary Music was uplifting and the smiles from the parishioners were refreshing. The bulletin (something that the Basilica does not have) reminded me a lot of what I was missing in my home parish of St. Charles: Golf outings, refreshments after mass, etc. 5:30 p.m. Mass at St. Matthew’s was definitely a great experience.
Will I go to St. Matthew’s Cathedral every week? Probably not simply because of the convenience of the Basilica and St. Vincent’s. However when I do go I know that I am attending Mass at Parish and not just a church and that is something that I deeply enjoy.
Joe St. George
Monday, June 8, 2009
Surprising and Disgusting News...
6.8.2009
Surprising and Disgusting News…
I went home to Youngstown, Ohio this past weekend to surprise my sister at her graduation party and had planned to write about the whole concept of graduates hosting lavished, expensive celebrations to commemorate their achievements. While I thoroughly enjoyed these parties when I graduated, during these tough economic times I find these parties to be more of a nuisance than jubilation. After all, not only do parents have to pay thousands of dollars to host their own son or daughter’s party but they also have to give hundreds upon hundreds of dollars to their child’s friends whose own parties they attend. That idea was the working thesis for this back to work Monday blog until Sunday morning when I woke up and saw this headline in my hometown paper The Vindicator:
Former Mooney, Boardman priest removed over abuse allegation
Considering I am a graduate of Cardinal Mooney and a parishioner of the Boardman parish in question, I gasped prior to reading the name of the priest: Fr. Thomas Crum.
According to the article, Fr. Crum admitted to the thirty year old allegation to church authorities and immediately resigned. Bishop George Murray has since put the priest on administrative leave and has threatened to defrock the once respected man as the investigation goes forward. Regardless I am left feeling disgusted, ashamed, and perplexed with questions.
After all, Fr. Crum was at my parish, St. Charles parish, and I remember having a close relationship with the energetic priest when I was younger, even participating in a parish run play entitled “Welcome Matt” with him. During his short two years at St. Charles I found his homilies to be enlightening and his youth-oriented approach refreshing. Now we now what his true indent was behind all that attention he gave to the parish kids, including myself.
The article said that prior to coming to St. Charles he took some time off from the priesthood. Remembering this to be the case, I thought nothing of it at the time however I am now wondering: Did the Diocese know of this incident then and put him on administrative leave? Did they then in turn put my well being and the well being of all the minors in my parish in jeopardy by assigning him to my parish? In short, I do not know but I certainly have questions.
So is there anything worse than a priest abusing a minor? No. But something does come close: the tarnishing of reputations of otherwise good priests. Remember 99.9% of all Catholic priests are good, loving, and deeply spiritual men who find this behavior just as abhorrent as you and I do. Now their lives are affected. Now they are looked upon differently by society. Now these great, admirable people will hear words like “pedophile” and “creep” be muttered under people’s breaths when they see them on the street and that is damn shame.
Yes the behavior of Fr. Crum is disturbing and yes it is inexcusable but please do not let the actions of one man ruin your perceptions of an otherwise honorable profession with genuinely wonderful priests.
Joe St. George
***Note: I was never touched nor did I feel uncomfortable around Fr. Crum at any time
Surprising and Disgusting News…
I went home to Youngstown, Ohio this past weekend to surprise my sister at her graduation party and had planned to write about the whole concept of graduates hosting lavished, expensive celebrations to commemorate their achievements. While I thoroughly enjoyed these parties when I graduated, during these tough economic times I find these parties to be more of a nuisance than jubilation. After all, not only do parents have to pay thousands of dollars to host their own son or daughter’s party but they also have to give hundreds upon hundreds of dollars to their child’s friends whose own parties they attend. That idea was the working thesis for this back to work Monday blog until Sunday morning when I woke up and saw this headline in my hometown paper The Vindicator:
Former Mooney, Boardman priest removed over abuse allegation
Considering I am a graduate of Cardinal Mooney and a parishioner of the Boardman parish in question, I gasped prior to reading the name of the priest: Fr. Thomas Crum.
According to the article, Fr. Crum admitted to the thirty year old allegation to church authorities and immediately resigned. Bishop George Murray has since put the priest on administrative leave and has threatened to defrock the once respected man as the investigation goes forward. Regardless I am left feeling disgusted, ashamed, and perplexed with questions.
After all, Fr. Crum was at my parish, St. Charles parish, and I remember having a close relationship with the energetic priest when I was younger, even participating in a parish run play entitled “Welcome Matt” with him. During his short two years at St. Charles I found his homilies to be enlightening and his youth-oriented approach refreshing. Now we now what his true indent was behind all that attention he gave to the parish kids, including myself.
The article said that prior to coming to St. Charles he took some time off from the priesthood. Remembering this to be the case, I thought nothing of it at the time however I am now wondering: Did the Diocese know of this incident then and put him on administrative leave? Did they then in turn put my well being and the well being of all the minors in my parish in jeopardy by assigning him to my parish? In short, I do not know but I certainly have questions.
So is there anything worse than a priest abusing a minor? No. But something does come close: the tarnishing of reputations of otherwise good priests. Remember 99.9% of all Catholic priests are good, loving, and deeply spiritual men who find this behavior just as abhorrent as you and I do. Now their lives are affected. Now they are looked upon differently by society. Now these great, admirable people will hear words like “pedophile” and “creep” be muttered under people’s breaths when they see them on the street and that is damn shame.
Yes the behavior of Fr. Crum is disturbing and yes it is inexcusable but please do not let the actions of one man ruin your perceptions of an otherwise honorable profession with genuinely wonderful priests.
Joe St. George
***Note: I was never touched nor did I feel uncomfortable around Fr. Crum at any time
Friday, June 5, 2009
NBC goes Inside the People’s House…
6.5.2009
NBC goes Inside the People’s House…
All this week NBC has been showcasing their spectacular documentary “Inside the Obama White House” on all of their NBC Universal stations. Anyone who missed this wonderful 2+ hours of television and loves American politics should check it out on NBC’s website http://whitehouse.msnbc.com/.
My thoughts?
As a politics lover, what NBC broadcasted was unbelievable. I have only been in the White House 4 times in my life and it was very interesting to see the President walk by the places that I knew existed and even cooler to see the places that I have never seen before ie. the Chief of Staff’s office.
I can only imagine the amount of time all of the producers, editors, and camera personal put in to making the two hours that we all saw so enjoyable, let alone the negotiation process between NBC and the White House Press office as to the access NBC could receive.
The Drudge Report (a traditionally conservative news source) had a field day with the picture of Brian Williams, the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News and host for the special, apparently bowing before the President. In my opinion however this was nothing more than a “thank you” for an extraordinary day from one guy to another, especially since these two high profile individuals have seen a lot of one another over these past few years and have probably established a report.
Another focal point that I was intrigued by is the amount of young people surrounding the President. Now don’t get me wrong, young staffers are ubiquitous around politicians on Capitol Hill (I should know I was one of them for over a year and a half) however I thought the President might be different. NBC found this point interesting as well and I have included the video below.
NBC goes Inside the People’s House…
All this week NBC has been showcasing their spectacular documentary “Inside the Obama White House” on all of their NBC Universal stations. Anyone who missed this wonderful 2+ hours of television and loves American politics should check it out on NBC’s website http://whitehouse.msnbc.com/.
My thoughts?
As a politics lover, what NBC broadcasted was unbelievable. I have only been in the White House 4 times in my life and it was very interesting to see the President walk by the places that I knew existed and even cooler to see the places that I have never seen before ie. the Chief of Staff’s office.
I can only imagine the amount of time all of the producers, editors, and camera personal put in to making the two hours that we all saw so enjoyable, let alone the negotiation process between NBC and the White House Press office as to the access NBC could receive.
The Drudge Report (a traditionally conservative news source) had a field day with the picture of Brian Williams, the anchor and managing editor of NBC Nightly News and host for the special, apparently bowing before the President. In my opinion however this was nothing more than a “thank you” for an extraordinary day from one guy to another, especially since these two high profile individuals have seen a lot of one another over these past few years and have probably established a report.
Another focal point that I was intrigued by is the amount of young people surrounding the President. Now don’t get me wrong, young staffers are ubiquitous around politicians on Capitol Hill (I should know I was one of them for over a year and a half) however I thought the President might be different. NBC found this point interesting as well and I have included the video below.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
So Bravo NBC and thank you for showing us politics nerds the inner workings of the White House in a way never before televised.
Joe St. George
(Full Disclosure: I am currently interning for NBC’s sister network CNBC in their Washington Bureau)
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Assalaamu Alaykum!
6.4.2009
Assalaamu Alaykum!
President Obama in Cairo…
Today President Obama fulfilled his promise to deliver a speech in the Muslim world regarding US-Muslim relations. While I was unable to watch the speech live (610 AM EST is a little early for me) I did watch and read his remarks. 17 pages by my count, the speech was candid, honest and in my humble opinion very well done. The President mentioned the September 11th attacks three times and evoked the Koran five times in an effort to build a bridge between two very polarizing worlds. Seeking a “new beginning between the United States and Muslims,” President Obama first went back to the “very beginning” by mentioning the first encounter the United States had with the Muslim world in 1796. After all it was Morocco, a Muslim nation, that first recognized the United States. John Adams wrote then that “The United States has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility of Muslims” and today, two hundred and thirteen years later, President Obama delivered the same decree. All in all the speech focused on seven key points: Violent extremism, Israeli-Arab relations, nuclear proliferation, democracy in and of itself, religious freedom, women’s rights, and economic development and opportunity. I found the following quotes to be very powerful…
In referencing the September 11th Attacks and the deaths of innocents…
“These are not opinions to be debated; these are facts to be dealt with.”
When discussing the difference in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq…
“Unlike Afghanistan (which was out of necessity) Iraq was a war of choice.”
In referencing the Holocaust and the state of Israel…
“Six million Jews were killed – more than the entire Jewish population of Israel today. Denying that fact is baseless, ignorant, and hateful.”
When discussing nuclear non-proliferation and Iran…
“That is why I strongly reaffirmed America’s commitment to seek a world in which no nations hold nuclear weapons.”
When discussing women’s rights…
“I reject the view of some in the West that a woman who chooses to cover her hair is somehow less equal, but I do believe that a woman who is denied an education is denied equality.”
In referencing progress in the Arab world…
“I also know that human progress cannot be denied.”
In summation, I think Barack Obama’s address in the Arab world sent a powerful message that America’s philosophy has changed. However, we are far from living in a peaceful world with no fear of Islamic extremism toward the United States. After all, no matter how much our philosophy has changed---it will never change as much as some fundamentalists would like and because of such a Jihad continues.
Joe St. George
Assalaamu Alaykum!
President Obama in Cairo…
Today President Obama fulfilled his promise to deliver a speech in the Muslim world regarding US-Muslim relations. While I was unable to watch the speech live (610 AM EST is a little early for me) I did watch and read his remarks. 17 pages by my count, the speech was candid, honest and in my humble opinion very well done. The President mentioned the September 11th attacks three times and evoked the Koran five times in an effort to build a bridge between two very polarizing worlds. Seeking a “new beginning between the United States and Muslims,” President Obama first went back to the “very beginning” by mentioning the first encounter the United States had with the Muslim world in 1796. After all it was Morocco, a Muslim nation, that first recognized the United States. John Adams wrote then that “The United States has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility of Muslims” and today, two hundred and thirteen years later, President Obama delivered the same decree. All in all the speech focused on seven key points: Violent extremism, Israeli-Arab relations, nuclear proliferation, democracy in and of itself, religious freedom, women’s rights, and economic development and opportunity. I found the following quotes to be very powerful…
In referencing the September 11th Attacks and the deaths of innocents…
“These are not opinions to be debated; these are facts to be dealt with.”
When discussing the difference in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq…
“Unlike Afghanistan (which was out of necessity) Iraq was a war of choice.”
In referencing the Holocaust and the state of Israel…
“Six million Jews were killed – more than the entire Jewish population of Israel today. Denying that fact is baseless, ignorant, and hateful.”
When discussing nuclear non-proliferation and Iran…
“That is why I strongly reaffirmed America’s commitment to seek a world in which no nations hold nuclear weapons.”
When discussing women’s rights…
“I reject the view of some in the West that a woman who chooses to cover her hair is somehow less equal, but I do believe that a woman who is denied an education is denied equality.”
In referencing progress in the Arab world…
“I also know that human progress cannot be denied.”
In summation, I think Barack Obama’s address in the Arab world sent a powerful message that America’s philosophy has changed. However, we are far from living in a peaceful world with no fear of Islamic extremism toward the United States. After all, no matter how much our philosophy has changed---it will never change as much as some fundamentalists would like and because of such a Jihad continues.
Joe St. George
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Welcome to my Blog!
Hello Everyone,
So I am beginning a new adventure tonight...starting my own blog. I am not guarenteeing that I post every day, put I do guarentee that I will post...so check back often.
My blog will consist of everything---from my personal life to my thoughts on global affairs.
I look forward to sharing this journey with you....
Best
Joe
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