George Offerman
I received extremely joyful news this morning, in learning Pope Benedict XVI has elevated my former classmate and good friend Fr. Donald Hying to Auxiliary Bishop of Milwaukee Archdiocese. This truly is a joyful and monumental happening and those who know Fr. Hying can only hope and pray for a long life and a very successful transition into the new role of shepherd for the Archdiocese.
Fr. Hying and I spoke this morning, and when he told me how he was feeling, and saw this elevation as ‘unbelievable’, I reminded him of our dinner conversation last February that I thought he was being groomed for Bishop, and that he would make a very good Bishop. Fr. Hying, in his meek way, mentioned he was looking forward to wrapping up his tenure as Rector of St. Francis seminary to get back into the work he loved the most: active parish ministry. So, I am not surprised at Fr. Hying’s elevation to Bishop.
This is a man who is extremely intelligent, but who also has a heart for the people. When I would visit with him at his various parish assignments, he would greet all of his parishioners by name, and knew so much about each one of them, that it was very apparent he had care and compassion for all of the sheep in his fold. Fr. Hying also lived out his commitment to Jesus Christ and to his church. I don’t recollect any ambiguity in his teachings and beliefs that would give one pause as to what Fr. Hying stands for.
I am very pleased the Church made this decision. So while Fr. Hying may be surprised by this elevation as a parish priest and Rector of a Seminary, I am more pleasantly surprised at the fact the Church elevated a man who will truly lead this large flock in a solid Catholic path and will not be deterred by phoniness and hype (and pride). I was joking with him (half joking) that he may be promoted as Archbishop some day, and then may be elevated to Cardinal, in which he would be eligible to vote for pope (or be elected pope himself). His response was ‘well, that’s really projecting some things”. Yep, it is, and I will take full responsibility for that statement.
Fr. Hying is the right man for the right position in these turbulent times. I hope the people and priests of the Arch Diocese of Milwaukee know how God has blessed them with a shepherd of this quality. Fr. Hying has always been a man with a heart for the people and a man of prayer. Now he will be able to demonstrate these qualities in a way that will be more visible, but more importantly in a very influential way.
God Bless you, and I love you brother.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE IS IMMORAL?
George Offerman
I recently debated a fellow pro lifer, who is very insistent in his views that anyone getting arrested for any reason pertaining to the pro life issue is ‘hurting the cause’ and is acting immoral. This was spurred on by discussions pertaining to Notre Dame specifically, and the idea of challenging unjust and immoral laws in general. Despite giving this gentleman the circumstances surrounding the arrests, he was very adamant about the legalistic view that one should not go out of his way to break a law in order to draw attention to the cause of ending legalized child killing. It appears from his point of view, that ‘trespassing’ in the name of drawing attention to the immoral law of the land is somehow worse than the evil act of slaughtering an innocent human being.
Unfortunately, too many well meaning, but misguided pro lifers think this way, and it actually goes against what is taught in Scripture and traditions within the Catholic Church. As I presented scriptural evidence of that, as well as traditions and teachings of the late Blessed Pope John Paul II, this man held onto his position, and was unwilling to budge from it. When I asked how legalized child killing would end, he gave the response of ‘changing hearts and minds’. (Interestingly enough, this man demonstrated an inability to change his mind about the arrests, and was unwilling to even consider the fact the majority of the ND 88 felt strong conviction by the Holy Spirit to go through and be arrested). I pointed out how it has been an abysmal failure for the past 38 years, and asked what needs to happen to change directions. He had no response.
If one takes the time to study social change, in this country, or for that matter, anywhere in the world at any time in history, it was always those that had strong conviction, and the willingness to put much at risk personally to draw attention to their cause. Because many are uncomfortable with this, if not feeling outright terror, it is easier to justify condemning those who use these tactics than to investigate or to look at themselves and see if they need to adjust their own behaviors and attitudes. But the biggest issue is, these people actually undermine the efforts of those who are willing to risk significant personal damage to themselves by attempting to make them look extreme, and by distancing themselves from the mainstream ‘pro life movement’. It is in this way that efforts like the ND 88 can be wasted by the ‘mainstream pro lifers’. They would rather sit back and go the easy and convenient route than consider the way of the cross when considering the plight of their unborn brethren.
Yes, these are strong words, but no where in scripture or in our traditions are we to take a defensive and weak posture when it comes to protecting the most innocent and vulnerable of our society. If one can justify doing little to nothing by being overly focused on not ‘violating’ man’s laws, what are they going to do WHEN sharing one’s faith and speaking in public about Christianity is illegal? Will they then ‘violate’ the law and obey the Master? I doubt it. I have heard too many justifying inaction, and then throwing out some theoretical situation, in which they will suddenly have courage and ‘do the right thing’. Doing the right thing is sticking up and protecting the unborn, regardless of the cost. I don’t need to ‘pray about it’ or ask advice on this matter. It is clear in Scripture and our Churches teachings and there is no need to investigate any further. I do agree that one may not be called to participate in significant civil disobedience, but they sure well better not condemn those who are called and obey the Master in this task. The least they should and can do is to support these warriors in following their paths because ultimately, this is how change is going to take place. Holding up signs and signing petitions that will never be read has not, nor will ever work.
I recently debated a fellow pro lifer, who is very insistent in his views that anyone getting arrested for any reason pertaining to the pro life issue is ‘hurting the cause’ and is acting immoral. This was spurred on by discussions pertaining to Notre Dame specifically, and the idea of challenging unjust and immoral laws in general. Despite giving this gentleman the circumstances surrounding the arrests, he was very adamant about the legalistic view that one should not go out of his way to break a law in order to draw attention to the cause of ending legalized child killing. It appears from his point of view, that ‘trespassing’ in the name of drawing attention to the immoral law of the land is somehow worse than the evil act of slaughtering an innocent human being.
Unfortunately, too many well meaning, but misguided pro lifers think this way, and it actually goes against what is taught in Scripture and traditions within the Catholic Church. As I presented scriptural evidence of that, as well as traditions and teachings of the late Blessed Pope John Paul II, this man held onto his position, and was unwilling to budge from it. When I asked how legalized child killing would end, he gave the response of ‘changing hearts and minds’. (Interestingly enough, this man demonstrated an inability to change his mind about the arrests, and was unwilling to even consider the fact the majority of the ND 88 felt strong conviction by the Holy Spirit to go through and be arrested). I pointed out how it has been an abysmal failure for the past 38 years, and asked what needs to happen to change directions. He had no response.
If one takes the time to study social change, in this country, or for that matter, anywhere in the world at any time in history, it was always those that had strong conviction, and the willingness to put much at risk personally to draw attention to their cause. Because many are uncomfortable with this, if not feeling outright terror, it is easier to justify condemning those who use these tactics than to investigate or to look at themselves and see if they need to adjust their own behaviors and attitudes. But the biggest issue is, these people actually undermine the efforts of those who are willing to risk significant personal damage to themselves by attempting to make them look extreme, and by distancing themselves from the mainstream ‘pro life movement’. It is in this way that efforts like the ND 88 can be wasted by the ‘mainstream pro lifers’. They would rather sit back and go the easy and convenient route than consider the way of the cross when considering the plight of their unborn brethren.
Yes, these are strong words, but no where in scripture or in our traditions are we to take a defensive and weak posture when it comes to protecting the most innocent and vulnerable of our society. If one can justify doing little to nothing by being overly focused on not ‘violating’ man’s laws, what are they going to do WHEN sharing one’s faith and speaking in public about Christianity is illegal? Will they then ‘violate’ the law and obey the Master? I doubt it. I have heard too many justifying inaction, and then throwing out some theoretical situation, in which they will suddenly have courage and ‘do the right thing’. Doing the right thing is sticking up and protecting the unborn, regardless of the cost. I don’t need to ‘pray about it’ or ask advice on this matter. It is clear in Scripture and our Churches teachings and there is no need to investigate any further. I do agree that one may not be called to participate in significant civil disobedience, but they sure well better not condemn those who are called and obey the Master in this task. The least they should and can do is to support these warriors in following their paths because ultimately, this is how change is going to take place. Holding up signs and signing petitions that will never be read has not, nor will ever work.
Monday, May 23, 2011
WHAT WENT WRONG?
George Offerman
It is always unfortunate when there is a well known and largely disseminated message about predicting the end of the world, and upon its not happening much scorn and derision is heaped upon the person making the claim, as well as the religious system this person embraces. There are many who have made fun of Mr. Camping, and have been deriding Christianity and the whole idea of an apocalypse and second coming. It is unfortunate, because it is throwing out the whole idea of judgment, end of times and the nature of Christ, and the fact that He will be returning as He said He would. So, the idea of this post is to briefly examine the errors and to take a look at what could have been different.
Mr. Camping, by his own admission, is ‘self taught’ in his Bible knowledge. This, in and of itself, is not a problem, but it seems in Mr. Camping’s case, his lack of basic hermeneutics and exegesis skills was very detrimental to his cause. For instance, his idea of the great week, being 7,000 years is correct; however, starting the clock at the time of the flood is erroneous, because the age of sin began in the Garden of Eden, and the flood marked the first destruction of evil people. Mr. Camping also did not take into consideration any of the time clocks specifically given in Daniel and Revelation, and his predictions did not reflect any of these most important factors.
There are too many points to put in this posting that would even begin to cover the most rudimentary reasons this prediction did not come true, nor will it ever come true. When bad theology and improper hermeneutics are utilized, there can be no other outcome than a poor one and it only results in derision and scorn upon the one making the claims, and the system he represents. I have mentioned in many previous postings concerning the nature of many laity taking it upon themselves to educate themselves on these matters, as the Church seems to want to minimize the nature of Judgments and the Justice of God versus the Mercy of God, and the idea that we can live any way we want, and do not have to be concerned about the consequences.
The Church knows, and has taught priests and ministers for centuries, the nature of God and within the nature of God is the idea of judgment and the end of time. Unfortunately, if the mainstream churches want to no longer teach about Judgments, and then attention paid to the end of time has no value, and will be ignored. In my short time in Seminary, I was taught enough about Sacramental theology, Biblical and church history, eschatology, and Church traditions to understand the basic precepts of the Faith as well as the Bible. This is not hidden information from the average Seminarian, but it was sure minimized in its importance in my experience and training. Why will the Churches not teach what they know to be true? Why do lay people have to come forward and do the job of the Clergy?
This is at the heart of what I believe went wrong. Mr. Camping appears to have heartfelt conviction concerning his beliefs and calculations. Despite being way off, and having huge amounts of abuse sent his way by the unknowing and willfully ignorant MSM, this man demonstrated way more faith in his convictions than any of the Churches I have seen in my lifetime. Jesus warned us very sternly in Revelation, that it is those who’ refuse to know the truth’ that will be condemned, not necessarily those who earnestly seek out, and are in error. There were too many ‘theologians’, ministers, priests and assortment of other ‘religious experts’ that came out of the woodwork to condemn this man. That’s fine, but where are or were any of these fine folks when it comes to teaching the Biblical truths to the laity? Why is this knowledge not being ‘shouted from the rooftops’ by these knowledgeable individuals?
I think it is still the case, as I did when in Seminary: I’m not convinced these people really believe it themselves, but know enough about prophecy to ‘debunk’ those who have not gone through formal training as they have. The one thing I will say about Mr. Camping is that he has guts, and acted on his conviction. This is most likely too scary for those comfortable enough to tell the world how mistaken Mr. Camping was, but unwilling to go into the ‘deep thoughts of God’ themselves and make the bold proclamations our faith requires of us. This is why we are in so much trouble today, and that’s why I am convinced when these events really begin to take place, we will be ‘caught off guard’ and many who are currently very smug in their ‘beliefs’ will be overwhelmed by the ‘justice’ side of God, which is thought in the current line of ‘sophisticated thinking’ to be non existent.
If we could combine the guts and conviction of Mr. Camping with that of some of those who have the proper hermeneutical trainings and teachings, we may be in a much different place in our society. Those that mock the faith may very well be humbled and contrite, and we would see a renaissance in our time. But as it is, it is not happening, and we are left with mediocrity. So, we are not prepared for the times we live in and we will be caught off guard when things begin to heat up.
It is always unfortunate when there is a well known and largely disseminated message about predicting the end of the world, and upon its not happening much scorn and derision is heaped upon the person making the claim, as well as the religious system this person embraces. There are many who have made fun of Mr. Camping, and have been deriding Christianity and the whole idea of an apocalypse and second coming. It is unfortunate, because it is throwing out the whole idea of judgment, end of times and the nature of Christ, and the fact that He will be returning as He said He would. So, the idea of this post is to briefly examine the errors and to take a look at what could have been different.
Mr. Camping, by his own admission, is ‘self taught’ in his Bible knowledge. This, in and of itself, is not a problem, but it seems in Mr. Camping’s case, his lack of basic hermeneutics and exegesis skills was very detrimental to his cause. For instance, his idea of the great week, being 7,000 years is correct; however, starting the clock at the time of the flood is erroneous, because the age of sin began in the Garden of Eden, and the flood marked the first destruction of evil people. Mr. Camping also did not take into consideration any of the time clocks specifically given in Daniel and Revelation, and his predictions did not reflect any of these most important factors.
There are too many points to put in this posting that would even begin to cover the most rudimentary reasons this prediction did not come true, nor will it ever come true. When bad theology and improper hermeneutics are utilized, there can be no other outcome than a poor one and it only results in derision and scorn upon the one making the claims, and the system he represents. I have mentioned in many previous postings concerning the nature of many laity taking it upon themselves to educate themselves on these matters, as the Church seems to want to minimize the nature of Judgments and the Justice of God versus the Mercy of God, and the idea that we can live any way we want, and do not have to be concerned about the consequences.
The Church knows, and has taught priests and ministers for centuries, the nature of God and within the nature of God is the idea of judgment and the end of time. Unfortunately, if the mainstream churches want to no longer teach about Judgments, and then attention paid to the end of time has no value, and will be ignored. In my short time in Seminary, I was taught enough about Sacramental theology, Biblical and church history, eschatology, and Church traditions to understand the basic precepts of the Faith as well as the Bible. This is not hidden information from the average Seminarian, but it was sure minimized in its importance in my experience and training. Why will the Churches not teach what they know to be true? Why do lay people have to come forward and do the job of the Clergy?
This is at the heart of what I believe went wrong. Mr. Camping appears to have heartfelt conviction concerning his beliefs and calculations. Despite being way off, and having huge amounts of abuse sent his way by the unknowing and willfully ignorant MSM, this man demonstrated way more faith in his convictions than any of the Churches I have seen in my lifetime. Jesus warned us very sternly in Revelation, that it is those who’ refuse to know the truth’ that will be condemned, not necessarily those who earnestly seek out, and are in error. There were too many ‘theologians’, ministers, priests and assortment of other ‘religious experts’ that came out of the woodwork to condemn this man. That’s fine, but where are or were any of these fine folks when it comes to teaching the Biblical truths to the laity? Why is this knowledge not being ‘shouted from the rooftops’ by these knowledgeable individuals?
I think it is still the case, as I did when in Seminary: I’m not convinced these people really believe it themselves, but know enough about prophecy to ‘debunk’ those who have not gone through formal training as they have. The one thing I will say about Mr. Camping is that he has guts, and acted on his conviction. This is most likely too scary for those comfortable enough to tell the world how mistaken Mr. Camping was, but unwilling to go into the ‘deep thoughts of God’ themselves and make the bold proclamations our faith requires of us. This is why we are in so much trouble today, and that’s why I am convinced when these events really begin to take place, we will be ‘caught off guard’ and many who are currently very smug in their ‘beliefs’ will be overwhelmed by the ‘justice’ side of God, which is thought in the current line of ‘sophisticated thinking’ to be non existent.
If we could combine the guts and conviction of Mr. Camping with that of some of those who have the proper hermeneutical trainings and teachings, we may be in a much different place in our society. Those that mock the faith may very well be humbled and contrite, and we would see a renaissance in our time. But as it is, it is not happening, and we are left with mediocrity. So, we are not prepared for the times we live in and we will be caught off guard when things begin to heat up.
Friday, May 20, 2011
SECOND COMING 1 1/2
George Offerman
There have been several people asking me my thoughts about the ‘upcoming rapture’ to take place tomorrow. Frankly, it was so low on my radar that I was going to let it pass, but for the sake of not being on record prior to this non event that will not occur, I decided I will write a brief commentary on it. The doctrine, or should I say theory of the Rapture is embraced by many, and there are even a few who make a decent case of finding this in scripture. However, I am not a believer in the rapture (I will go over this in a separate posting) and see this as another sensationalist making waves that will ultimately result in many people getting frustrated. There may be a healthy secondary benefit, in that at least some will consider the times we live in, and they may grow closer to God as a result.
I settle for this title instead of the more absurd “Second coming, the double secret probation edition” because even though I do not believe this scenario, the Second Coming is no joke and will be the most serious event in the history of mankind and of the universe. I, like my children, enjoyed the “Lion King, 1 ½” as it told the story within the story of the first and second movies. But unlike the movie, I do not find any convincing Scriptures that discuss a secret, Second Coming 1 ½, in which those ‘left behind’ have another chance at redemption. It was not done at the time of the flood, it was not done at Sodom and Gomorrah, it was not done at the tower of Babel, it was not done at the time of enslavement of the Israelites, and it was not done at the time of the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. Given that God is unchangeable and that his character remains the same, once the test starts, all of us will undergo the test he has set up for us.
This prediction violates several premises in the Bible, and the first one has already been covered. We are told by Jesus himself that we will not know the day or the hour of his coming, and when it does occur, it will take mankind by surprise. Neither of these truths, as revealed by Jesus can be met by this event as they violate both of them. We also know from Daniel that Revelation is to be 1335 days in length, a rather specific amount of time, and this gentleman is predicting the Rapture tomorrow, with the ‘end of time’ sometime this October. That is a time span of around 150 days. Where did Mr. Camping get the authority to change ‘the times’ in Scripture?
There seems to be no doubt that Mr. Camping is serious about his prediction, and appears to have enough conviction about it to ‘shout it from the rooftops’. This is an admirable trait, even though I, along with many others, believe it is misguided. Mr. Camping has also taken no money from the 72 + million he has raised for his ministry over the years. I also have found his calculations concerning at least 1994 to be relevant, even though it appears we would disagree as to the nature of 1994 and what it really meant. The hope in this is, when tomorrow comes and passes without incident that many are not deceived and end up despairing over what did not occur. God in his wisdom did not intend prophecy to bear these fruits, but prophecy is there to warn us of the future and to prepare ourselves for that future.
Since there seems to be ample evidence in scripture that all alive at the start of Revelation will go through Revelation, I am not putting any hope into a ‘rapture’ event either tomorrow or anytime in the future. Scripture tells us that we are warned by prophets, and if we follow their recommendations and fall before the Lord with humble and contrite hearts, judgment will be postponed. Likewise, if we do not heed the “thus says the Lord’ we will deal with the consequences and judgments together. Either way, get a good night’s sleep tonight, and with God’s grace, hope to see you all on Monday.
There have been several people asking me my thoughts about the ‘upcoming rapture’ to take place tomorrow. Frankly, it was so low on my radar that I was going to let it pass, but for the sake of not being on record prior to this non event that will not occur, I decided I will write a brief commentary on it. The doctrine, or should I say theory of the Rapture is embraced by many, and there are even a few who make a decent case of finding this in scripture. However, I am not a believer in the rapture (I will go over this in a separate posting) and see this as another sensationalist making waves that will ultimately result in many people getting frustrated. There may be a healthy secondary benefit, in that at least some will consider the times we live in, and they may grow closer to God as a result.
I settle for this title instead of the more absurd “Second coming, the double secret probation edition” because even though I do not believe this scenario, the Second Coming is no joke and will be the most serious event in the history of mankind and of the universe. I, like my children, enjoyed the “Lion King, 1 ½” as it told the story within the story of the first and second movies. But unlike the movie, I do not find any convincing Scriptures that discuss a secret, Second Coming 1 ½, in which those ‘left behind’ have another chance at redemption. It was not done at the time of the flood, it was not done at Sodom and Gomorrah, it was not done at the tower of Babel, it was not done at the time of enslavement of the Israelites, and it was not done at the time of the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. Given that God is unchangeable and that his character remains the same, once the test starts, all of us will undergo the test he has set up for us.
This prediction violates several premises in the Bible, and the first one has already been covered. We are told by Jesus himself that we will not know the day or the hour of his coming, and when it does occur, it will take mankind by surprise. Neither of these truths, as revealed by Jesus can be met by this event as they violate both of them. We also know from Daniel that Revelation is to be 1335 days in length, a rather specific amount of time, and this gentleman is predicting the Rapture tomorrow, with the ‘end of time’ sometime this October. That is a time span of around 150 days. Where did Mr. Camping get the authority to change ‘the times’ in Scripture?
There seems to be no doubt that Mr. Camping is serious about his prediction, and appears to have enough conviction about it to ‘shout it from the rooftops’. This is an admirable trait, even though I, along with many others, believe it is misguided. Mr. Camping has also taken no money from the 72 + million he has raised for his ministry over the years. I also have found his calculations concerning at least 1994 to be relevant, even though it appears we would disagree as to the nature of 1994 and what it really meant. The hope in this is, when tomorrow comes and passes without incident that many are not deceived and end up despairing over what did not occur. God in his wisdom did not intend prophecy to bear these fruits, but prophecy is there to warn us of the future and to prepare ourselves for that future.
Since there seems to be ample evidence in scripture that all alive at the start of Revelation will go through Revelation, I am not putting any hope into a ‘rapture’ event either tomorrow or anytime in the future. Scripture tells us that we are warned by prophets, and if we follow their recommendations and fall before the Lord with humble and contrite hearts, judgment will be postponed. Likewise, if we do not heed the “thus says the Lord’ we will deal with the consequences and judgments together. Either way, get a good night’s sleep tonight, and with God’s grace, hope to see you all on Monday.
Friday, May 13, 2011
NOTRE DAME, PART 3
George Offerman
The arrests were the centerpiece of the weekend
Many pro life organizations came for the speech, and the media was already in place, due to the arrests. I had clarification of this because there were relatives of mine who happen to be in Denmark for this weekend, and saw me getting arrested on the news over there. I had several friends record the news over the weekend, and they covered many differing news outlets, and the arrests were shown for nearly four days. Many remarked how the most vivid image of the arrests was Fr. Weslin and him being carried off by the Notre Dame police. It was very shocking to the sensibilities of the faithful, and it was this event more than anything else during the weekend that triggered the response it got.
There were many pro life groups extremely critical of the arrests and of Randall Terry, and wanted to distance themselves from this event. However, it became such a magnet for bringing legalized child killing front and center, these same groups then jumped at the chance to get involved and are taking credit for the publicity this event received that they had little to do with creating. This was done while still condemning the tactics used by Randall Terry and the Insurrecta Nex team and many of these same groups who then called Randall Terry a ‘show hog’ for garnering the majority of the attention with the arrests, are now saying they were the main reason for the extensive coverage this event received.
What these groups don’t seem to understand is that arrests take the center stage due to the unjust nature of them. Signs, although important, do not garner attention from the media because signs are used in many locations, and frankly, are not newsworthy. When people are willing to put comfort, convenience and their good names on the line for a cause, others want to know about it. And despite the fact the pro life media resents the mainstream media, the mainstream media knows what is news, and know how to exploit a story for their benefit. The mainstream media, through their actions, made the arrests the centerpiece, because they know their audience, and know this is newsworthy. Randall Terry was not a ‘show hog’ and didn’t coerce any of the MSM to follow the story, the MSM did this all on their own because they know what is newsworthy, and the arrests met that criteria. The plane and the 2 mile long sign holding chain did not.
The aftermath of the arrests
Long after the speech and commencements and after the cameras were all shut off and packed away, 88 peoples’ lives were changed in a significant and an inconvenient fashion. We were now left in limbo by Notre Dame not letting go of the charges, and not attempting to persuade the prosecutor to drop the charges. We were chastised by many in the pro life movement, who accused us of seeking attention, and the purists and legalists were all defending the nebulous ‘trespassing’ charges, while ignoring the fact pro Obama supporters freely were walking around as we were being arrested. The alumni association, the Sycamore Trust, also discovered that two very controversial groups represented by the homosexual contingency were let go and not prosecuted for the exact same reasons we were arrested.
Notre Dame outright lied about this, as well as released public statements about our motives and intentions ‘to bring about chaos and possible violence’ as their reason to continue their pursuit of charges. We, as defendants, had to remain silent as we were openly slandered by Fr. Jenkins and Notre Dame, as commenting would have jeopardized our cases. Too many of the prolifers jumped on this bandwagon, and soon the ‘what you know that ain’t so’ crowd took control of the dialogue in condemning what we did. What was and still is true about us was we went on with peaceful intent to pray the rosary on a Catholic Campus to protest an abominable act that needed to be rectified. Most were grandparents and others who had never done anything like this before, and they have been misaligned by the university, many in the pro life movement, and most of the MSM.
Thank God for many of the worker bees and the few pro life organizations that had the integrity to back us up. Lifesitenews.com immediately jumped on this by starting a petition to have the charges dropped, and received over 17,000 signatures. Many of the ND alumni also came to our aid and began to publicly denounce ND and stopped donating to the school. Tom Dixon and the Thomas More Society represented us pro bono to negotiate for us. Overall, we did get the support from those who understood the need to protest this very unjust event, and did not get hung up on the ‘legalese’ of this, which many used as an excuse to do little to nothing. Shame on them.
Peace be with you
The vast majority of the ND 88 I had contact with stated they were there out of conviction, and many were willing to go to jail if necessary. The one thing our critics will never understand about this is the level of conviction each had when going on campus and the peace of mind most reportedly had before, during and after the arrests. There is no need to explain to the critics why we did what we did. We followed the orders of the Master, and if that is not clear by now, then it never will be. I know that I was at peace about going to jail, even up to one year if necessary. This life will be over soon enough, and there will never be another chance to do what is true and what is asked of all of us by our Savior. I am grateful, in the words of Fr. Weslin that I was ‘found worthy in the Master’s eyes’ to participate in this unjust event. That’s good enough for me.
As this chapter wraps up, those I continue to keep in contact with see what we did as the right and holy thing to do. There will be more battles that will require even more of us, and Notre Dame was simply a warm up exercise. We are constantly being called by the Master to reach beyond what we think we are capable of, and our only job is to respond in the positive: “Here I am lord, send me Lord”. What is next is more important than what was, and as far as I’m concerned, the ND 88 is finished. We may have a reunion some day, but we already lost one of our members, and some of the 88 have already declared they have no interest in attending any reunion.
Our prayer is that our efforts were not in vain, that they conveyed meaning, and started a process in which the Christian community was given a clear wake up call to get off the couches and kitchens across this great nation, and do something about the legalized child killing fields that are so prevalent. We will soon see if the ND 88 had this effect, and if so, real change will sweep this country and we will right a very evil wrong in our history, and thereby save ourselves and this country from judgment.
The arrests were the centerpiece of the weekend
Many pro life organizations came for the speech, and the media was already in place, due to the arrests. I had clarification of this because there were relatives of mine who happen to be in Denmark for this weekend, and saw me getting arrested on the news over there. I had several friends record the news over the weekend, and they covered many differing news outlets, and the arrests were shown for nearly four days. Many remarked how the most vivid image of the arrests was Fr. Weslin and him being carried off by the Notre Dame police. It was very shocking to the sensibilities of the faithful, and it was this event more than anything else during the weekend that triggered the response it got.
There were many pro life groups extremely critical of the arrests and of Randall Terry, and wanted to distance themselves from this event. However, it became such a magnet for bringing legalized child killing front and center, these same groups then jumped at the chance to get involved and are taking credit for the publicity this event received that they had little to do with creating. This was done while still condemning the tactics used by Randall Terry and the Insurrecta Nex team and many of these same groups who then called Randall Terry a ‘show hog’ for garnering the majority of the attention with the arrests, are now saying they were the main reason for the extensive coverage this event received.
What these groups don’t seem to understand is that arrests take the center stage due to the unjust nature of them. Signs, although important, do not garner attention from the media because signs are used in many locations, and frankly, are not newsworthy. When people are willing to put comfort, convenience and their good names on the line for a cause, others want to know about it. And despite the fact the pro life media resents the mainstream media, the mainstream media knows what is news, and know how to exploit a story for their benefit. The mainstream media, through their actions, made the arrests the centerpiece, because they know their audience, and know this is newsworthy. Randall Terry was not a ‘show hog’ and didn’t coerce any of the MSM to follow the story, the MSM did this all on their own because they know what is newsworthy, and the arrests met that criteria. The plane and the 2 mile long sign holding chain did not.
The aftermath of the arrests
Long after the speech and commencements and after the cameras were all shut off and packed away, 88 peoples’ lives were changed in a significant and an inconvenient fashion. We were now left in limbo by Notre Dame not letting go of the charges, and not attempting to persuade the prosecutor to drop the charges. We were chastised by many in the pro life movement, who accused us of seeking attention, and the purists and legalists were all defending the nebulous ‘trespassing’ charges, while ignoring the fact pro Obama supporters freely were walking around as we were being arrested. The alumni association, the Sycamore Trust, also discovered that two very controversial groups represented by the homosexual contingency were let go and not prosecuted for the exact same reasons we were arrested.
Notre Dame outright lied about this, as well as released public statements about our motives and intentions ‘to bring about chaos and possible violence’ as their reason to continue their pursuit of charges. We, as defendants, had to remain silent as we were openly slandered by Fr. Jenkins and Notre Dame, as commenting would have jeopardized our cases. Too many of the prolifers jumped on this bandwagon, and soon the ‘what you know that ain’t so’ crowd took control of the dialogue in condemning what we did. What was and still is true about us was we went on with peaceful intent to pray the rosary on a Catholic Campus to protest an abominable act that needed to be rectified. Most were grandparents and others who had never done anything like this before, and they have been misaligned by the university, many in the pro life movement, and most of the MSM.
Thank God for many of the worker bees and the few pro life organizations that had the integrity to back us up. Lifesitenews.com immediately jumped on this by starting a petition to have the charges dropped, and received over 17,000 signatures. Many of the ND alumni also came to our aid and began to publicly denounce ND and stopped donating to the school. Tom Dixon and the Thomas More Society represented us pro bono to negotiate for us. Overall, we did get the support from those who understood the need to protest this very unjust event, and did not get hung up on the ‘legalese’ of this, which many used as an excuse to do little to nothing. Shame on them.
Peace be with you
The vast majority of the ND 88 I had contact with stated they were there out of conviction, and many were willing to go to jail if necessary. The one thing our critics will never understand about this is the level of conviction each had when going on campus and the peace of mind most reportedly had before, during and after the arrests. There is no need to explain to the critics why we did what we did. We followed the orders of the Master, and if that is not clear by now, then it never will be. I know that I was at peace about going to jail, even up to one year if necessary. This life will be over soon enough, and there will never be another chance to do what is true and what is asked of all of us by our Savior. I am grateful, in the words of Fr. Weslin that I was ‘found worthy in the Master’s eyes’ to participate in this unjust event. That’s good enough for me.
As this chapter wraps up, those I continue to keep in contact with see what we did as the right and holy thing to do. There will be more battles that will require even more of us, and Notre Dame was simply a warm up exercise. We are constantly being called by the Master to reach beyond what we think we are capable of, and our only job is to respond in the positive: “Here I am lord, send me Lord”. What is next is more important than what was, and as far as I’m concerned, the ND 88 is finished. We may have a reunion some day, but we already lost one of our members, and some of the 88 have already declared they have no interest in attending any reunion.
Our prayer is that our efforts were not in vain, that they conveyed meaning, and started a process in which the Christian community was given a clear wake up call to get off the couches and kitchens across this great nation, and do something about the legalized child killing fields that are so prevalent. We will soon see if the ND 88 had this effect, and if so, real change will sweep this country and we will right a very evil wrong in our history, and thereby save ourselves and this country from judgment.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
NOTRE DAME, PART 2
George Offerman
Why me Lord? Pick on someone else.
My wife had been back and forth from South Bend, assisting the Insurrecta Nex team and was in charge of media relations while I was back in Virginia holding down the fort. Randall called me shortly after his arrest and informed me that things were beginning to heat up at Notre Dame, and he and the team came up with another strategy to put more pressure on Fr. Jenkins, Obama, and Notre Dame to rescind the invitation to speak. It appeared with the initial arrests, that Fr. Jenkins was making a very clear statement that he intended to make this even happen; despite the fact it violated clear tenets of the Catholic faith, as well as the fact that Bishop D’Arcy had asked Notre Dame to rescind the invitation. If Fr. Jenkins was going to dig in his heels, so would we.
Randall Terry’s strategy was to send waves of people onto the campus with nothing other than rosaries to pray, and with very clear instructions to be peaceful and nonviolent. Because this strategy had not been used before, Randall was unsure whether arrests would happen, but one would have to be prepared to be arrested and to possibly sit in jail for at least a weekend. Since Randall knew I was coming back with my wife to south Bend for the weekend, he had asked me if I would be willing to be arrested. I told him I would think about it, but inside I dismissed this as foolishness and at that moment, had absolutely no intention of doing nothing other than protesting outside the gates. What I did not understand at the time was that someone with greater authority than me, had other plans.
The servant is no greater than the master.
God speaks to us in our own unique ways. God speaks to me in two ways I have readily identified: quietly when I am willing to listen, and with a 2 x 4 when I’m not. This was one of those 2 x 4 ‘moments’ and I have to admit that I put up a real good fight. The conviction came over me in such a way that the best I can say is that “I can’t not do it”. I could find no valid reason to not proceed on, and kept running into scripture verses that mandated me to act on what I knew was the truth. If Jesus found it good enough to get arrested under false charges, who am I to make any statement about how ‘unfair’ it is?
This process took several days, and my mind was not at peace until I made the decision to proceed onto south Bend, and participate in this protest to its fullest extent. However, I did not inform Randall of my decision, thinking he would encourage me to stay in jail for the weekend, if being arrested was the final outcome. It was then decided we would set out for South Bend on May 13 and I would be joining the first wave of prayer warriors to enter the campus on May 15th. Prior to going to our lodging, I asked my wife to drive by St. Joseph’s county jail to see what my possible ‘weekend home’ looked like. Even at this time, I was still hoping we would be left alone to pray and would not end up in jail, but also remembering rather clearly that I was willing to do the Lord’s bidding on this matter.
Arrested for praying.
That morning, there was a large gathering at the Francis Street house which served as the residential headquarters for this event. There were about 30 + people willing to enter the campus and risking arrests. The previous Friday, Dr. Alan Keyes and 17 others had entered the campus pushing baby carriages with dolls, and were arrested fairly quickly, and it was likely our fate would be the same. After getting into formation, we walked the 3 blocks to one of the main entrances to the campus, and could see the campus police waiting for us. There were also a myriad of pro Obama protestors waiting as well. After a quick prayer in front of the gate we proceeded in. We did not get much further than about 50 yards in when the police confronted us and ordered us to leave. (However, the pro Obama counter protestors were left alone) Dr. Keyes was the first arrested then the rest of us were eventually taken into custody. Fr. Norman Weslin was one of the last to be arrested on that day, and decided to go limp. It took 5 officers to get him to a separate van, and once they had Fr. Weslin squared away, we were off to St. Joseph’s county jail. In all, 22 of us were arrested that Friday, and 10 of us stayed in Jail overnight.
There were two other waves of arrests that weekend, 19 on Saturday which included Norma McCorvey and Fr Weslin again, and 27 arrests on Sunday, the day of the commencement speech. In total, 94 people had been arrested over the course of 3 weekends with the bulk being the weekend of the speech. The international media was all over the arrests, and many of the people arrested were approached by all sorts of media wanting to know their stories. The arrests and tactics used by the Insurrecta Nex team, coupled with the support of Dr. Monica Miller and CPLS and others made this event an international news item.
There is no question president Obama had to address the issue of abortion, knowing multiple numbers of Americans were getting arrested for speaking up for the life issue. There was no doubt that we were making a difference, despite the fact our first objective failed, in getting Obama cancelled. It raised the bar for the dialogue that Fr. Jenkins claimed to want to do by inviting Obama in the first place. Without the arrests, this event would have been lightly protested and there would have been minimal coverage of this event, as it is the case for the majority of presidential commencement speeches. However, we did not get the support of most of the pro-life movement, and many of the accusations by these groups were just starting.
To be continued
Why me Lord? Pick on someone else.
My wife had been back and forth from South Bend, assisting the Insurrecta Nex team and was in charge of media relations while I was back in Virginia holding down the fort. Randall called me shortly after his arrest and informed me that things were beginning to heat up at Notre Dame, and he and the team came up with another strategy to put more pressure on Fr. Jenkins, Obama, and Notre Dame to rescind the invitation to speak. It appeared with the initial arrests, that Fr. Jenkins was making a very clear statement that he intended to make this even happen; despite the fact it violated clear tenets of the Catholic faith, as well as the fact that Bishop D’Arcy had asked Notre Dame to rescind the invitation. If Fr. Jenkins was going to dig in his heels, so would we.
Randall Terry’s strategy was to send waves of people onto the campus with nothing other than rosaries to pray, and with very clear instructions to be peaceful and nonviolent. Because this strategy had not been used before, Randall was unsure whether arrests would happen, but one would have to be prepared to be arrested and to possibly sit in jail for at least a weekend. Since Randall knew I was coming back with my wife to south Bend for the weekend, he had asked me if I would be willing to be arrested. I told him I would think about it, but inside I dismissed this as foolishness and at that moment, had absolutely no intention of doing nothing other than protesting outside the gates. What I did not understand at the time was that someone with greater authority than me, had other plans.
The servant is no greater than the master.
God speaks to us in our own unique ways. God speaks to me in two ways I have readily identified: quietly when I am willing to listen, and with a 2 x 4 when I’m not. This was one of those 2 x 4 ‘moments’ and I have to admit that I put up a real good fight. The conviction came over me in such a way that the best I can say is that “I can’t not do it”. I could find no valid reason to not proceed on, and kept running into scripture verses that mandated me to act on what I knew was the truth. If Jesus found it good enough to get arrested under false charges, who am I to make any statement about how ‘unfair’ it is?
This process took several days, and my mind was not at peace until I made the decision to proceed onto south Bend, and participate in this protest to its fullest extent. However, I did not inform Randall of my decision, thinking he would encourage me to stay in jail for the weekend, if being arrested was the final outcome. It was then decided we would set out for South Bend on May 13 and I would be joining the first wave of prayer warriors to enter the campus on May 15th. Prior to going to our lodging, I asked my wife to drive by St. Joseph’s county jail to see what my possible ‘weekend home’ looked like. Even at this time, I was still hoping we would be left alone to pray and would not end up in jail, but also remembering rather clearly that I was willing to do the Lord’s bidding on this matter.
Arrested for praying.
That morning, there was a large gathering at the Francis Street house which served as the residential headquarters for this event. There were about 30 + people willing to enter the campus and risking arrests. The previous Friday, Dr. Alan Keyes and 17 others had entered the campus pushing baby carriages with dolls, and were arrested fairly quickly, and it was likely our fate would be the same. After getting into formation, we walked the 3 blocks to one of the main entrances to the campus, and could see the campus police waiting for us. There were also a myriad of pro Obama protestors waiting as well. After a quick prayer in front of the gate we proceeded in. We did not get much further than about 50 yards in when the police confronted us and ordered us to leave. (However, the pro Obama counter protestors were left alone) Dr. Keyes was the first arrested then the rest of us were eventually taken into custody. Fr. Norman Weslin was one of the last to be arrested on that day, and decided to go limp. It took 5 officers to get him to a separate van, and once they had Fr. Weslin squared away, we were off to St. Joseph’s county jail. In all, 22 of us were arrested that Friday, and 10 of us stayed in Jail overnight.
There were two other waves of arrests that weekend, 19 on Saturday which included Norma McCorvey and Fr Weslin again, and 27 arrests on Sunday, the day of the commencement speech. In total, 94 people had been arrested over the course of 3 weekends with the bulk being the weekend of the speech. The international media was all over the arrests, and many of the people arrested were approached by all sorts of media wanting to know their stories. The arrests and tactics used by the Insurrecta Nex team, coupled with the support of Dr. Monica Miller and CPLS and others made this event an international news item.
There is no question president Obama had to address the issue of abortion, knowing multiple numbers of Americans were getting arrested for speaking up for the life issue. There was no doubt that we were making a difference, despite the fact our first objective failed, in getting Obama cancelled. It raised the bar for the dialogue that Fr. Jenkins claimed to want to do by inviting Obama in the first place. Without the arrests, this event would have been lightly protested and there would have been minimal coverage of this event, as it is the case for the majority of presidential commencement speeches. However, we did not get the support of most of the pro-life movement, and many of the accusations by these groups were just starting.
To be continued
Monday, May 9, 2011
NOTRE DAME, PART 1
George Offerman
It has been nearly two years since the now infamous “ND 88” was arrested and had trespassing charges pending over our heads for that duration. Since this was an ongoing case, we had been advised by our attorney Thomas Dixon, to refrain from making direct statements or comments that may have jeopardized our case. Because this particular event and circumstances took on a life of its own and grew larger than any of us ever expected, others picked up the mantle and ran with it, and in the process, discovered more information that was very embarrassing for ND. It is in this way that many in the pro-life movement has shown support for our cause and without pressure from the various groups and influential individuals, we may have been looking at a very different outcome. As far as I am concerned, this is a very large victory for our side and it exposed the weaknesses of the Church and confronted them on their weaknesses and hypocrisy. This is my story of the events that transpired over the two months leading up to the Obama speech and honorary doctorate at Notre Dame.
It’s not my issue.
Nine of us from the Insurrecta Nex team had just returned from a very successful trip to Rome, in which we were able to meet with nine prelates and four representatives to present them with compiled information Oves Sine Pastore (sheep without a shepherd). It became apparent after this trip that we could not depend upon the American Church or most of the Bishops within the body of the USCCB to be overtly supportive of the pro-life movement (although many individual Bishops have been bold in their statements and support). Randall Terry had made suggestions while in Rome, that we ‘need a fallback position’ and it seemed at the time the soon to commence Sotomayor hearings and nomination to the Supreme Court would be this position.
Upon returning to the states, we learned that Notre Dame announced it had invited Obama to speak at it's 2009 commencements, and he had accepted. Notre Dame was also going to honor Obama with an honorary degree, and the school spun this as ‘opening dialogue’ concerning many of his ‘social issues’. Despite the fact it disgusted us, no one other than my wife Kathy thought much about doing anything other than writing letters of protest, and allowing for the local pro-life groups in the Midwest to do something about it. After all, we were focused on Sotomayor and getting the word out about her pro death positions to the country. It was not something we thought we should invest in, and it was seen as a ‘distraction’ from the stated purpose of moving forward in the soon to be supreme court hearings.
It was a couple of days later that Randall Terry had an ‘epiphany’ that it was Obama’s position, coupled with the Catholic Churches complicity in allowing this atrocity to occur that needed more urgent attention than even the Sotomayor hearings. So we gathered as a team, and it was decided that Randall and his family would re locate to South Bend for the next two months and begin a ‘boots on the ground’ campaign to have Obama cancelled from Notre Dame.
At that time, there was little commentary written about this atrocity, and no other groups were present at South Bend, and no other groups demonstrated any interest in pursuing this as an issue equiring their persence there. With a donated office, and two homes rented, the Terry’s and several members of the Insurrecta Nex made South Bend their home. And for the next two months, these vigilant warriors made noise that began to attract a great deal of media, both positive as well as negative. Many groups in the pro-life movement were negative about this effort, and were highly critical of tactics used and were convinced this was the wrong move to make. (Many of these groups ultimately showed up on the weekend of the 17th, and have been taking credit for the publicity and exposure to the media of these efforts).
As the efforts at South Bend began to bear fruits, it began to attract the attention of a much wider swath of the pro-life movement, and people of stature began to commit to this effort. Joan Andrews Bell, a well-known warrior from days gone by committed to the cause. Norma McCorvey, of Jane Doe fame, Fr. Norman Weslin, founder of the Lambs of Christ, Dr. Monica Miller of the Citizens for a Pro Life Society, Jack Ames of Defend Life, Missy Smith of WAKEUP, and eventually Alan Keyes joined in on the efforts.
The arrests start
Randall Terry, along with other protestors, entered the Notre Dame campus on Friday, May 1st with baby carriages filled with bloody plastic fetuses. While Randall was arrested fairly quickly, Diane Roccogrande nearly made it to the administrative building that houses Fr. Jenkins’s office. These arrests lead to a step up in tactics and ultimately set the stage for confrontation with Notre Dame. Had Fr. Jenkins let this effort play itself out instead of ordering the arrests, it may have been likely that little attention would have been paid, and this occasion very well may have generated little interest in the media. Since Fr. Jenkins decided to use the tactic of arrests, it ultimately brought about the ‘media circus’ he was hoping to avoid, and drew attention to his very un Catholic stance by inviting the most pro-death president in the history of the United States to speak at this prestigious university.
Once it was apparent that the tactic to be used by Notre Dame would take in the future for protests would be arrests, the nature of the tactics used by the Insurrecta NEX team also changed. It became apparent that in order to make the point we were attempting to make would require significant sacrifice on the part of all those who planned on going onto the campus. The team also decided to abandon the bloody babies, and simply challenge the school by coming onto campus and praying the rosary. The team thought that Fr. Jenkins would not be so bold as to arrest peaceful prayer warriors praying the rosary on a so called Catholic Campus. But to our chagrin, we were wrong in this assertion and it thus changed the whole strategy of what we wanted to do.
To be continued.
It has been nearly two years since the now infamous “ND 88” was arrested and had trespassing charges pending over our heads for that duration. Since this was an ongoing case, we had been advised by our attorney Thomas Dixon, to refrain from making direct statements or comments that may have jeopardized our case. Because this particular event and circumstances took on a life of its own and grew larger than any of us ever expected, others picked up the mantle and ran with it, and in the process, discovered more information that was very embarrassing for ND. It is in this way that many in the pro-life movement has shown support for our cause and without pressure from the various groups and influential individuals, we may have been looking at a very different outcome. As far as I am concerned, this is a very large victory for our side and it exposed the weaknesses of the Church and confronted them on their weaknesses and hypocrisy. This is my story of the events that transpired over the two months leading up to the Obama speech and honorary doctorate at Notre Dame.
It’s not my issue.
Nine of us from the Insurrecta Nex team had just returned from a very successful trip to Rome, in which we were able to meet with nine prelates and four representatives to present them with compiled information Oves Sine Pastore (sheep without a shepherd). It became apparent after this trip that we could not depend upon the American Church or most of the Bishops within the body of the USCCB to be overtly supportive of the pro-life movement (although many individual Bishops have been bold in their statements and support). Randall Terry had made suggestions while in Rome, that we ‘need a fallback position’ and it seemed at the time the soon to commence Sotomayor hearings and nomination to the Supreme Court would be this position.
Upon returning to the states, we learned that Notre Dame announced it had invited Obama to speak at it's 2009 commencements, and he had accepted. Notre Dame was also going to honor Obama with an honorary degree, and the school spun this as ‘opening dialogue’ concerning many of his ‘social issues’. Despite the fact it disgusted us, no one other than my wife Kathy thought much about doing anything other than writing letters of protest, and allowing for the local pro-life groups in the Midwest to do something about it. After all, we were focused on Sotomayor and getting the word out about her pro death positions to the country. It was not something we thought we should invest in, and it was seen as a ‘distraction’ from the stated purpose of moving forward in the soon to be supreme court hearings.
It was a couple of days later that Randall Terry had an ‘epiphany’ that it was Obama’s position, coupled with the Catholic Churches complicity in allowing this atrocity to occur that needed more urgent attention than even the Sotomayor hearings. So we gathered as a team, and it was decided that Randall and his family would re locate to South Bend for the next two months and begin a ‘boots on the ground’ campaign to have Obama cancelled from Notre Dame.
At that time, there was little commentary written about this atrocity, and no other groups were present at South Bend, and no other groups demonstrated any interest in pursuing this as an issue equiring their persence there. With a donated office, and two homes rented, the Terry’s and several members of the Insurrecta Nex made South Bend their home. And for the next two months, these vigilant warriors made noise that began to attract a great deal of media, both positive as well as negative. Many groups in the pro-life movement were negative about this effort, and were highly critical of tactics used and were convinced this was the wrong move to make. (Many of these groups ultimately showed up on the weekend of the 17th, and have been taking credit for the publicity and exposure to the media of these efforts).
As the efforts at South Bend began to bear fruits, it began to attract the attention of a much wider swath of the pro-life movement, and people of stature began to commit to this effort. Joan Andrews Bell, a well-known warrior from days gone by committed to the cause. Norma McCorvey, of Jane Doe fame, Fr. Norman Weslin, founder of the Lambs of Christ, Dr. Monica Miller of the Citizens for a Pro Life Society, Jack Ames of Defend Life, Missy Smith of WAKEUP, and eventually Alan Keyes joined in on the efforts.
The arrests start
Randall Terry, along with other protestors, entered the Notre Dame campus on Friday, May 1st with baby carriages filled with bloody plastic fetuses. While Randall was arrested fairly quickly, Diane Roccogrande nearly made it to the administrative building that houses Fr. Jenkins’s office. These arrests lead to a step up in tactics and ultimately set the stage for confrontation with Notre Dame. Had Fr. Jenkins let this effort play itself out instead of ordering the arrests, it may have been likely that little attention would have been paid, and this occasion very well may have generated little interest in the media. Since Fr. Jenkins decided to use the tactic of arrests, it ultimately brought about the ‘media circus’ he was hoping to avoid, and drew attention to his very un Catholic stance by inviting the most pro-death president in the history of the United States to speak at this prestigious university.
Once it was apparent that the tactic to be used by Notre Dame would take in the future for protests would be arrests, the nature of the tactics used by the Insurrecta NEX team also changed. It became apparent that in order to make the point we were attempting to make would require significant sacrifice on the part of all those who planned on going onto the campus. The team also decided to abandon the bloody babies, and simply challenge the school by coming onto campus and praying the rosary. The team thought that Fr. Jenkins would not be so bold as to arrest peaceful prayer warriors praying the rosary on a so called Catholic Campus. But to our chagrin, we were wrong in this assertion and it thus changed the whole strategy of what we wanted to do.
To be continued.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
HALLELUIAH, CHARGES DISMISSED AGAINST THE ND 88
George Offerman
Word has come out the charges against the ND 88 have been dismissed. I will inform you of more details as they come out.
WE have been waiting for this injustice to be remedied for nearly two years now, and with the help of the Thomas Moore Society and Thomas Dixon, our tireless lawyer, it is finally finished.
For many, it has been a difficult and challenging road, and has cost much for many in our ranks. And due to the sensitive nature of the negotiations, I have refrained from making any public comments about the negotiations, as well as going into the varying aspects of material presented by our defense team.
I will be writing a few posts on this matter, and then this matter will be put to rest as far as I am concerned. It is now time to concentrate on the next battle, and to continue fighting for the babies.
God bless all of you who have prayed for us and stood with us during this time.
Word has come out the charges against the ND 88 have been dismissed. I will inform you of more details as they come out.
WE have been waiting for this injustice to be remedied for nearly two years now, and with the help of the Thomas Moore Society and Thomas Dixon, our tireless lawyer, it is finally finished.
For many, it has been a difficult and challenging road, and has cost much for many in our ranks. And due to the sensitive nature of the negotiations, I have refrained from making any public comments about the negotiations, as well as going into the varying aspects of material presented by our defense team.
I will be writing a few posts on this matter, and then this matter will be put to rest as far as I am concerned. It is now time to concentrate on the next battle, and to continue fighting for the babies.
God bless all of you who have prayed for us and stood with us during this time.
Monday, May 2, 2011
RECOVERY?... WE AIN'T IN NO STINKIN' RECOVERY
George Offerman
According to Ben Bernenke and company at the federal reserve, the economy is in recovery mode and things are looking up except for some ‘minor inflation’ due to all of the QE’s or whatever they are called. It is amazing how much BS can pass for the real state of affairs, and how many people want to drink this koolaid despite all of the clear evidence our financial house is collapsing. It is no wonder we are in so much trouble and cannot see the trees from the forest. As long as we continue to ignore the reality around us, we will continue to be as deluded as the clowns running the show (asylum).
Consider these few tidbits and see if this once great country’s economy is in ‘recovery”.
- According to government records, for the FIRST TIME IN U. S. HISTORY, a low of 66.8% of adult men are employed.
- Oil is at a sustained $100 + per barrel, and gas is at $4 + per gallon
- More than 40% of families are on food stamps.
- Food and staples are up 25% + year over year
- The annual budget deficit is projected to be 1.7 TRILLION for this year and no end in sight for further years.
- QE II is scheduled to end, and no new buyers for Treasuries are emerging. In fact, net selling by China and Japan are occurring, the number 1 & 2 buyers of these securities.
- Gold is up over 20% for the year, and silver is up a whopping 50%.
- McDonald’s had over a million people apply for 60,000 jobs.
- Housing continues to drop, with an estimated 3-4 million additional foreclosures for this year.
- Wal-mart announced declines in same store sales, and sees significant increases in prices for most consumable products.
- No COLA’s for seniors and others on fixed income and retirement incomes.
- Further eroding of the industrial base.
- Increases in taxes and bureaucratic red tape that retards any start up businesses and impedes existing small businesses.
- Blatant printing of new money to pay for ongoing deficits.
These are just a few examples of what is going on in our nation, and the band of idiots in the Nation’s Capitol want us to continue supporting and funding all of this nonsense. These people want to ride the U.S. Titanic to the bottom of the Atlantic, and want as many fools to join them on the ride. And unfortunately, many who may as well consider themselves Christian socialists (because they believe they have a God given right to the labors and fruits of others) will be sailing along for this one way ride to the bottom. We are following in the path of many great empires who stole from the productive to reward the non productive of society. Where there is too much time and entitled attitude there also rests debauchery and skullduggery, and it will not end until those who do the work demand their God given right to keep what is theirs.
Our nation is seeing economic collapse because it has violated too many of God’s laws, and it is the natural consequence of such actions. Whether one wants to call this judgment from God or simply a logical conclusion to a chain of events, the end result will still be the same. If one still does not want to see the very clear writing all over every wall visible, then God help him, or have pity on him for what is about to occur. It is not time to pretend everything is alright, or that things will get better on its own. It is time to make some serious and quick preparations while there is the ability to do so.
Recovery for this country (within the current system) is as likely as someone stepping off a high building, and floating in the air like Wile E. Coyote does in the cartoons. This current system is dying right before us, and we ought to be doing everything in our power to do something for ourselves, family and community as best as our abilities allow. Given the government and the churches are doing nothing to prepare anyone, it is imperative we take matters into our own hands and get the word out and get the preparations well on their way.
The good news in this is, those best prepared will survive, and possibly thrive, and will have the possibility of rebuilding a community, region or nation much stronger and God fearing than the one ready to pass onto the ash heap of history. That is what God wants more than anything. It requires people brave enough to see what is going on, and to then ACT ON THIS INFORMATION. Playtime is over. This big league game has started and the enemy is in position on the playing field. We need to get out there and whoop up on these evil sociopaths.
According to Ben Bernenke and company at the federal reserve, the economy is in recovery mode and things are looking up except for some ‘minor inflation’ due to all of the QE’s or whatever they are called. It is amazing how much BS can pass for the real state of affairs, and how many people want to drink this koolaid despite all of the clear evidence our financial house is collapsing. It is no wonder we are in so much trouble and cannot see the trees from the forest. As long as we continue to ignore the reality around us, we will continue to be as deluded as the clowns running the show (asylum).
Consider these few tidbits and see if this once great country’s economy is in ‘recovery”.
- According to government records, for the FIRST TIME IN U. S. HISTORY, a low of 66.8% of adult men are employed.
- Oil is at a sustained $100 + per barrel, and gas is at $4 + per gallon
- More than 40% of families are on food stamps.
- Food and staples are up 25% + year over year
- The annual budget deficit is projected to be 1.7 TRILLION for this year and no end in sight for further years.
- QE II is scheduled to end, and no new buyers for Treasuries are emerging. In fact, net selling by China and Japan are occurring, the number 1 & 2 buyers of these securities.
- Gold is up over 20% for the year, and silver is up a whopping 50%.
- McDonald’s had over a million people apply for 60,000 jobs.
- Housing continues to drop, with an estimated 3-4 million additional foreclosures for this year.
- Wal-mart announced declines in same store sales, and sees significant increases in prices for most consumable products.
- No COLA’s for seniors and others on fixed income and retirement incomes.
- Further eroding of the industrial base.
- Increases in taxes and bureaucratic red tape that retards any start up businesses and impedes existing small businesses.
- Blatant printing of new money to pay for ongoing deficits.
These are just a few examples of what is going on in our nation, and the band of idiots in the Nation’s Capitol want us to continue supporting and funding all of this nonsense. These people want to ride the U.S. Titanic to the bottom of the Atlantic, and want as many fools to join them on the ride. And unfortunately, many who may as well consider themselves Christian socialists (because they believe they have a God given right to the labors and fruits of others) will be sailing along for this one way ride to the bottom. We are following in the path of many great empires who stole from the productive to reward the non productive of society. Where there is too much time and entitled attitude there also rests debauchery and skullduggery, and it will not end until those who do the work demand their God given right to keep what is theirs.
Our nation is seeing economic collapse because it has violated too many of God’s laws, and it is the natural consequence of such actions. Whether one wants to call this judgment from God or simply a logical conclusion to a chain of events, the end result will still be the same. If one still does not want to see the very clear writing all over every wall visible, then God help him, or have pity on him for what is about to occur. It is not time to pretend everything is alright, or that things will get better on its own. It is time to make some serious and quick preparations while there is the ability to do so.
Recovery for this country (within the current system) is as likely as someone stepping off a high building, and floating in the air like Wile E. Coyote does in the cartoons. This current system is dying right before us, and we ought to be doing everything in our power to do something for ourselves, family and community as best as our abilities allow. Given the government and the churches are doing nothing to prepare anyone, it is imperative we take matters into our own hands and get the word out and get the preparations well on their way.
The good news in this is, those best prepared will survive, and possibly thrive, and will have the possibility of rebuilding a community, region or nation much stronger and God fearing than the one ready to pass onto the ash heap of history. That is what God wants more than anything. It requires people brave enough to see what is going on, and to then ACT ON THIS INFORMATION. Playtime is over. This big league game has started and the enemy is in position on the playing field. We need to get out there and whoop up on these evil sociopaths.
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