How I Spent My Afternoon

!!!WARNING!!!WARNING!!!WARNING!!!
!!!DISGUSTING PICTURE ALERT!!!

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gross.

Don't say I didn't warn you...

(...though at least I cleaned them up a little before photographing them...)

Yes, today I had a date with the oral surgeon, who, after cranking up the nitrous oxide as high as it would go, proceeded with great gusto to yank out an abscessed molar (right) and the broken wisdom tooth right behind it (left). He had to stitch up the holes these things left, and I feel pretty raw, but I have (a) some really far-out dope for the pain, man, and (b) the consolation of being rid of these tormenters. I unite this pain to the pain Christ felt when the high priest's servant struck Him in the face.

Why -- you may well ask -- am I keeping these disgusting things? Because the need to have them out arose at a time when it was beyond my resources to have it done; nevertheless, Divine Providence arranged to meet this need in spite of my lack. So from now on, they will serve as a reminder that God does provide. Being the weak creatures that we are, we all need to keep the reminders of Providence before us, even after we have had proof after proof of it. Look at the children of Israel: after the plagues upon Egypt, and the deliverance from slavery, and the pillar of fire, and the pillar of cloud, and the parting of the Red Sea, it still took them all of about thirty seconds to forget Whose Hands they were in. I can't honestly say I'm any different.

And in case the above pic "grosses" out anybody in particular, then I respectfully remind him whose idea it was to post it.

(Even if I did go along with it.)

Could It Happen?

Somebody brought up an interesting possibility today in regards to the Democrat ticket: could Bill become Hillary's running mate?

Whether it's a realistic possibility in political terms is not the purpose of this inquiry (though I rather doubt it will happen). From a legal standpoint, however, barring some case law I haven't found, it could happen. Clause 1 of the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, limiting presidential terms:

No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once. But this Article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President, when this Article was proposed by the Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this Article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term.

Note that it says, "No person shall be ELECTED" to the office of President, etc.; it does not say, "No person shall HOLD the office of President" more than twice. If Bill were Hillary's Vice-President, and Hillary became incapacitated, such that the Vice-President had to take over as President, then Bill would have attained to the office of President by a means other than being elected; as such, he would not come under the purview of the Amendment.

The way I see it, the 22nd Amendment does not operate to bar Bill Clinton from occupying the bottom spot on the Democrat ticket. My cursory research doesn't turn up any case law, but I am subject to being proved wrong.

It should be remembered, though, that just as Bill and Hill were a package deal in 1992, so they are still a package deal in 2008, even if Bill doesn't appear on the ticket. Think about it.

Keep Your Ovaries off My Rosaries!

And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to Me in heaven and in earth. Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.

Matthew 28:18-20 (Douay-Rheims)

The Church, following the example of her Founder, places great emphasis on the necessity of Baptism. So critically important is this Sacrament that, in danger of death, it may be validly administered by literally anyone -- even an atheist -- so long as the person administering it uses water, intends to do what the Church intends when baptizing, and uses the correct formula as clearly enunciated by Christ above.

As unmistakable as Christ's command is regarding Baptism, however, there seems no shortage of people who think they can improve upon it, and then go on to take it upon themselves to do just that, "baptizing" in the name of "the Creator, and of the Redeemer, and of the Sanctifier." The incredible pride that it takes to tamper with such an all-important Sacrament is apparently so prevalent, even among those in Holy Orders, that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has felt it necessary to issue a statement condemning the use of this feminist formulation, and warning that it results in an invalid Baptism. Anyone who has been "baptized" in the name of "the Creator, the Redeemer and the Sanctifier" is in fact not baptized at all.

This tampering with Baptism is not only prideful, but indicative of an appalling lack of faith. If you think it's more important to avoid being sexist than it is to save souls, your problem goes a lot deeper than poor prioritizing. If you take it upon yourself to change the formula for Baptism, then you don't really care whether Baptism is properly administered; if you don't care whether Baptism is properly administered, then you must not believe in its necessity; and if you don't believe in its necessity, then you can't possibly think that you have any use for a Redeemer, much less His Church.

Happily, the Pope has taken note of this problem in the Church, and issued the appropriate warning. Feminist priests and deacons are on notice.

February 28: Bl. Villana de Botti

Here is a beata that interests me, in no small part because she could possibly be one of my long-lost Italian relations (my mother is a Botti).

A Florentine of the mid-14th century, Villana de Botti ran away to a convent at the age of 13; however, she was rejected, and had to return home to her family, which quickly married her off. After her marriage, she gave herself over to idleness, vanity and worldly entertainments; then, one day, while she was primping in front of a mirror, she suddenly saw a hideous, demonic creature staring back at her in the mirror. Going from mirror to mirror, she saw the same awful reflection. Struck by the realization that she was seeing the state of her soul, she tore off her fancy dress, put on simple clothes, and went running to the Dominican fathers. She became a Dominican tertiary and devoted herself to her vocation as a married woman, to prayer and to penance. Although her zeal to atone for her formerly dissipated life sometimes led her to excesses which drew ridicule and slander, she was a mystic and a prophet, and reached a level of sanctity that even her detractors eventually had to acknowledge. She died on January 29, 1361 at the age of 29, and was beatified in 1829.

Prayer in Honor of Bl. Villana de Botti

O God, our merciful Father, you called Blessed Villana back from the emptiness of the world and aroused in her a spirit of humility and true penitence. Recreate in our hearts the power of your love and, filled by that same spirit, may we serve you in newness of life. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

R.I.P.: William F. Buckley, Jr.

There have been hints in his writings over the last two or three years: comments about the 2004 presidential election being the last he would live to see; hoping someone would do or say some particular thing in his memory in ten years; how he had given up skiing, and playing the piano; most alarmingly, how his pants had fallen down at some function, and nothing he could do would keep them up around his apparently fleshless waist. Then there was the letting go of his trusty sailboat. And the appearance on Rush Limbaugh's radio program on the release of his autobiography, Miles Gone By, when he couldn't seem to stop coughing. And the end of his public speaking engagements. And in April of last year, the death of Pat, his beloved wife of 57 years. The signs were unmistakable and inescapable, even when I wished him many more happy birthdays a year and a half ago. Though he continued to turn out his columns, the loss or the jettisoning of one after another of his loves and occupations pointed to an end not long to be delayed.

And now the end has come. Ill with diabetes and emphysema, he died at home this morning, apparently in harness, working in his study. May he rest in peace.

Yeah, Whatever

It's the 80th annual Academy Awards, but unfortunately for the movie biz, nobody seems to give a silver-plated rat's padoo about this landmark occasion in motion picture history. Can this have anything to do with the fact that Hollywood has long ceased to have any respect for its audiences, from its anti-Christian and anti-American story lines to the openly sleazy lives of its "stars"? (Yeah, a lot of the stars of yesteryear -- notice the absence of scare quotes -- also led sleazy lives, but at least the morality clauses in their studio contracts kept many of them from flaunting their sins publicly.)

I quit keeping track of the Academy Awards years ago; today, I doubt I could pick most of the nominees out of a lineup. Since a lot of people have also lost interest, I thought this might be a good time to reminisce about Oscar's Good Old Days.

Best Picture Oscars

The first Best Picture Oscar, in 1928, actually went to two movies; and the award wasn't called Best Picture. Wings (which I once got to see at the Egyptian Theater) got it for Best Production, and Sunrise got it for "Unique and Artistic Picture," a category never again repeated. Wings, starring Buddy Rogers (onetime husband of Mary Pickford) and Clara Bow (the "It" Girl) is a comic, romantic tragedy about two World War I flying aces. An extremely young Gary Cooper appears in this movie, but he lasts about as long as an ordinary crewman on an episode of Star Trek. Wings has the distinction of being the only silent movie to win Best Picture (or its equivalent).

These are my favorite Best Picture winners:

Casablanca (Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Paramount, 1942). I love the defiance of this film at a time when World War II could really have been lost, and was in fact going badly for the Allies. My favorite scene -- and one that gives me goose bumps every time I see it -- is the one where Victor Laszlo (Paul Henreid) makes the band strike up La Marseillaise and everybody stands and sings along, and drowns out the Nazi tune. This movie also has some of the most quotable movie lines.

Going My Way (Bing Crosby, Barry Fitzgerald, Paramount, 1944). Made back when Hollywood respected Catholics. I can't watch this without a huge box of Kleenex.

All About Eve (Bette Davis, Ann Baxter, George Sanders, 20th Century Fox, 1950). This is the one where Bette Davis utters her signature line: "Fasten your seatbelts: it's going to be a bumpy night!" It beat out one of my other favorites, Sunset Boulevard (Gloria Swanson, William Holden, Erich von Stroheim, Paramount, 1950). It held the record for the most nominations (14) until 1997, when Titanic also garnered 14 nominations.

A Man for All Seasons (Paul Scofield, Wendy Hiller, Leo McKern, Highland Films, 1966). How could I leave out a film about my patron saint, with one of my favorite actors (Leo McKern) as a bad guy?

Best Acting Oscars

Some of my favorite winners (or I should say, winning performances):

• Joan Crawford (as Mildred Pierce, 1945). Ann Blyth was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for playing her disgustingly snotty and evil daughter Veda.
• Bogie (Charlie Allnut in The African Queen, 1951). Starred opposite Katharine Hepburn, who holds the record for the most Best Actress Oscars (4).
• William Holden (J.J. Sefton in Stalag 17, 1953). This is one of the great war movies, though it has no combat scenes.
• Charlton Heston (Judah Ben-Hur in Ben Hur, 1959) (though I liked him even better as Mo-o-o-o-s-e-e-e-s in The Ten Commandments).
• Katharine Hepburn (Eleanor of Aquitaine in The Lion in Winter, 1968). Katharine Hepburn actually claimed to be a descendant of Eleanor of Aquitaine; given the number of children Eleanor had, this probably put her in company with a great many people.
• Richard Dreyfuss (Elliot Garfield in The Goodbye Girl, 1977). Although this movie involves shacking up, and although the dialogue in Neil Simon movies tends to be just this side of too-clever-by-half, I really like this movie. I like the fact that Elliot loves not only Paula but also her daughter. And Richard Dreyfuss'...shall we say, unconventional portrayal of Richard III is hysterical.
• Sissy Spacek (Loretta Lynn in Coal Miner's Daughter, 1980). Spacek sang all the songs; it wasn't dubbed. Beverly D'Angelo, who played Patsy Cline, also sang. Neither, of course, is the original, but I can't say it sounded terrible.
• Cher (Loretta Castorini in Moonstruck, 1987). "A wolf without a foot!"
• Jack Nicholson (Melvin Udall in As Good As It Gets, 1997). Surprised to see one so recent? So am I! But I found very compelling the treatment of the redemptive power of love. I just loved it when Melvin tells Carol that great compliment he has for her: "You make me want to be a better man."

And of course, there are plenty of good movies and actors and actresses who haven't won Oscars, or even been nominated. I guess that includes some that were not nominated this year, which might be another reason nobody's watching the Oscars tonight.

Brianna: Prayers Needed Again

Brianna, the granddaughter of one of our Third Order Dominicans, needs prayers again. Last year, she was diagnosed with colitis, which she has been managing; now, however, she is having a very painful attack. Please pray for her.

O God by whose Will the blessed virgin, Margaret, was blind from birth, that, the eyes of her mind being inwardly enlightened, she might think without ceasing on You alone: be the light of our eyes, that we may be able to flee the shadows in this world, and reach the home of never-ending light. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Jesus, Mary, Joseph, glorify your servant, Blessed Margaret, by granting the favor we so ardently desire. This we ask in humble submission to God’s Will, for His Honor and Glory and the salvation of souls. Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory Be…

Total Lunar Eclipse

See the total eclipse of the Moon last night -- the last one until 2010? It was in the east this time, and visible from the Middle East to North America.

Unfortunately, my area had a cover of mist in the east last night, from which the Moon did not emerge until just after totality; during totality, it looked like a watery orange-gray ball. But it did stir up pleasant memories of the last total eclipse, on August 27th of last year.

Whatever Remains, However Improbable, Must Be the Truth

Several times in this space -- August 1, 2006, August 24, 2007, and September 23, 2007 -- I declared the death of the hirsute tyrant whose idealized, hippie-manufactured portrait appears (appropriately enough) to the left, citing as evidence the fact that his Communist government insisted he was still alive, and even paraded a scrub-brush-faced old man in front of the cameras to prove it.

Now it has been announced that Castro will step down from his post as thug dictator President of the Glorious Cuban Revolutionary Island Paradise, thereby most likely leaving his little brother Raul in charge.

Whereas back in August of 2006, a groveling western media was grieving on behalf of the poor Cuban public, soon to be bereft of a leader they almost had a right to expect would live forever, this time, patronizing attention is turned to the Cuban exiles in Miami's Little Havana. While Castro's abdication apparently touched off some celebrating in the streets, AP reports that "the community's reaction to the news, long expected to spark vibrant celebration, was filled with caution." Of course it was filled with caution. The exiles are realistic enough to know that a new Maximum Leader doesn't necessarily entail a change of regime. What Cuba needs is an end to, and a repudiation of, the Glorious Revolution, and restoration of property rights and other basic human freedoms, pronto.

AP solemnly advises us that "Most exiles view Fidel Castro as a ruthless dictator who forced them, their parents or grandparents from their home after he seized power in a revolution in 1959," leaving us to conclude that this is a mere matter of their opinion which, given their obvious lack of disinterestedness, need not be taken seriously. "Police said they were 'keeping a sharp eye' on Little Havana, but no disruptions had been reported. The Coast Guard said it did not expect a mass migration or see a need to increase patrols off Florida." So I guess the drive-by media, which doesn't seem to see a need to protect our borders and shorelines from Al Qaeda, does see a need to safeguard America from dangerous hordes of Cuban exiles -- who had spent decades leading productive lives in this country -- seeking to go back to Cuba to reclaim what they had been despoiled of. And they're disappointed that the Coast Guard doesn't also see that need.

Now it's tough to know, really, whom or what to believe. How does the Principle of Communist Opposites apply in this case? A statement comes out that Castro is relinquishing power, which we are supposed to take to mean that he is now no longer in power. Planted in that statement is the assumption that Castro is still living. It seems the Commies are finally admitting Castro is no longer in power -- a state of affairs that has clearly been going on for about the last two and a half years -- but are not yet prepared to admit that he has assumed room temperature, much less when. In cases where a Communist statement appears to coincide with reality, it must always be remembered that such coincidences are nearly always self-serving. So it appears, then, pursuant to the Principle of Communist Opposites, that Castro is still in power, but dead. True, it sounds incredible; but remember what Sherlock Holmes said in The Sign of Four: when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

In (what purports to be Castro's) letter announcing his abdication, it is reported that Castro declares that he had hoped "to discharge my duties to my last breath. That's all I can offer." Well, no. Assuming you haven't been dead for two and a half years, Fidel, that is NOT all you have to offer. If you really want to offer something meaningful, cease and desist discharging the "duties" you have been discharging for the last half-century, and get your little brother and your band of thugs to do the same. Then you might just begin to make some small reparations for all the damage you have done.

President's Day

The trouble with "President's Day" is that not all Presidents deserve to be honored. Washington, the Father of his country, and Lincoln, its Preserver, unquestionably deserve holidays in their honor; the same, however, cannot be said of certain other Presidents. This seems to be all part of the culture of "equality," when mediocrity or even badness shares the spotlight with excellence, thereby degrading the latter while doing nothing to exalt the former. I wish we would get away from this business of celebrating all Presidents, whether they deserve it or not.

Unless we're going to start instituting holidays for the days when certain Presidents' terms end; in which case, I could go for that.

(I have a feeling we're going to be celebrating the end of the next administration, whichever candidate wins.)