12 reasons why some men have a dog, but no wife

Many thanks to Agent 9, who has neither, for sending along these 12 reasons why some men have a dog, but no wife.

1. The later you are, the more excited your dogs are to see you.

2. Dogs don't notice if you call them by another dog's name.

3. Dogs like it if you leave a lot of things on the floor.

4. A dog's parents never visit.

5. Dogs agree that you have to raise your voice to get your point across.

6. Dogs find you amusing when you're drunk.

7. Dogs like to go hunting and fishing.

8. A dog will not wake you up at night to ask, "If I died, would you get another dog?"

9. If a dog has babies, you can put an ad in the paper and give them away.

10. A dog will let you put a studded collar on it without calling you a pervert.

11. If a dog smells another dog on you, they don't get mad. They just think it's interesting.

And... last but not least:
12. If a dog leaves, it won't take half of your stuff.

To test this proposition: Lock your wife and your dog in the garage for an hour. Then open it and see who's happy to see you.

Cardinal Dolan calls faithful Catholics the "new minority"!

Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York, has finally figured out that it's the Catholics who are true to the Faith of our fathers who are being ignored by Church, in her headlong rush to embrace modernism and minority groups and "those who may feel excluded" such as "the single, those with same-sex attraction, those divorced, widowed, or recently arrived in a new country, those with disabilities, the aged, the housebound, racial and ethnic minorities."

Writing in his blog on October 12th, His Eminence points to the danger of overlooking faithful Catholic families, the kind of people  he calls a "new minority", even in the Church.

...there is now a new minority in the world and even in the Church. I am thinking of those who, relying on God’s grace and mercy, strive for virtue and fidelity:
- couples who -- given the fact that, at least in North America, only half of our people even enter the sacrament of matrimony -- approach the Church for the sacrament;
- couples who, inspired by the Church’s teaching that marriage is forever, have persevered through trials;
- couples who welcome God’s gifts of many babies;
- a young man and woman who have chosen not to live together until marriage;
- a gay man or woman who wants to be chaste;
- a couple who has decided that the wife would sacrifice a promising professional career to stay at home and raise their children.
These wonderful people today often feel themselves a minority, certainly in culture, but even, at times in the Church! I believe there are many more of them than we think, but, given today’s pressure, they often feel excluded.

Walt congratulates Cardinal Dolan on finally getting it, or at least some of it. The problems of the mainstream Roman Catholic Church stem in large part from trying to adapt the Truths that Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Fathers of the Church taught us to the trendy lies relentlessly repeated by (as the prelate says) the media and the liberal "cafeteria Catholics" who follow the teachings they like but disregard the ones they don't.

Who is to blame for the loss of Faith and the loss of millions upon millions of believing Catholics who feel they have no place in today's Church? Step forward the modernists in the Church hierarchy, up to and including a couple of "sainted" popes who have led us astray for the last half-century. That would include, errr, Cardinal Dolan.

Memo to Cardinal Dolan from Ed.: Your Eminence badly needs an editor and/or graphic artist who knows how to deal with run-on sentences and huge blocks of type. I offer my services for my usual modest honorarium.

"I can't bake you a cake, because I love you"

Suppose you're a Christian -- a committed Christian who takes seriously the teachings of the Bible and the Church, including the teaching that homosexual sexual acts are morally wrong and will lead those who perform them to face the judgment of God.

And suppose you're a baker, one whose business it is to create, among other things, wedding cakes for couples who are about to celebrate their marriage. According to the politically correct laws of the land -- many US states and all of Canada -- that would include gay couples intent on entering into a same-sex "marriage".

Advocates of same-sex "marriage" -- Walt puts the word in quotes because a union between two men or two women cannot be a valid "marriage" sanctioned and blessed by God -- want to force Christian bakers to bake cakes celebrating such "marriages". If they don't, they face civil or even criminal penalties for refusing to do what their religion and conscience forbid them to do.

In "I Can't Bake Your Cake, Because I Love You", published yesterdary on Aleteia, a website for searchers for the truth, Dr. Dennis Bonnette argues that the Christian's refusal to accept the custom of a homosexual couple is not an act of homophobia or hate, the PC lamestream media would have us believe, but an act of love.

Dr. Bonnette has been mentioned before here on WWW. Until his retirement in 2003, he was a Full Professor of Philosophy at Niagara University in Lewiston NY. He is the author of Aquinas' Proofs for God's Existence and Origin of the Human Species: Third Edition. He is presently teaching free courses in philosophy at the Aquinas School of Philosophy in Lewiston. Agent 10 (to whom much thanks for sharing this) attends regularly, and will send you details if you let me know your e-address.

Also by Dr. Bonnette: "What Marriage Is and Isn't, and What to Expect from a Redefinition"

Worth reading again on WWW: "Homosexuality condemned in the Word of God"

How to bring balance to your life

A good wife can bring balance to your life.

Thanks and a flip of the fedora to Agent 36.

Groundhog day results conclusive: early spring!

Ed. here. The results are in! First out of his hole this morning was Shubenacadie Sam, who was greeted by bright sunshine. Somewhat later Punxatawney Phil (the Great American Groundhog) did not see his shadow. So far, a tie... Carrying with it the possiblity of cross-border hostilities.

Shortly after 0800 (EST) Wiarton Willie had the same vision, or lack thereof, as Phil. And now... Wait for it... Walt has likewise failed to see his shadow. Yes folks, it's a 3 to 1 vote for an early spring!

Walt needs a little rest so Ye Ed. will dip into readers' e-mail and answer some burning questions.

Lon Moore sends a TXT msg: HOW OLD WALT REALLY?
Ed.: Old Walt really fine. How you?

Rick Tushernia asks: Walt sometimes writes "Lifetime pct .991" or some other number. What is he talking about?
Ed.: You're obviously not a fan of baseball, the sport that entertains through the minute analysis of statistics. Walt is referring to his record of correct vs incorrect predictions. As of today he has been right 991 times out of 1000. Walt is occasionally wrong, but never in doubt!

Pat Strami writes from Rye NY: Don't you think Walt is just a bit anti-Semitic?
Ed.: Tell me who or what you think Semites are and I'll tell you the answer. Walt says some of his best friends are Jews.

Cordelia Weatherbee wants to know Walt's opinion of marriage.
Ed.: Walt thinks marriage is a fine institution, if you want to be in an institution. But, he warns, anyone who thinks "love means never having to say you're sorry" has never been married.

Bess Arabia enquires how Walt voted in the last election.
Ed.: Walt voted early and often, but it didn't do any good. Next time (he says) he won't vote; it only encourages them.

And remember folks... Blessed are the flexible, for they shall never get bent out of shape.

Happiest people on earth?

You would think that Americans, living in the greatest nation on earth -- if you don't believe that, just ask them -- would be the happiest people on earth. You would be wrong, according to the Earth Institute of Columbia University.

In its first ever "Happiness Report", the Earth Institute says the four happiest countries are all in Northern Europe: Denmark, Norway, Finland and the Netherlands. The four least happy countries are all poor countries of sub-Saharan Africa: Togo, Benin, the Central African Republic and Sierra Leone.

Europe happy; Africa unhappy. No surprises so far. But what of North America? Canada ranks 5th on the survey's "Cantril Ladder" (see page 31), and the USA... errr... 11th. And get this! Although the report finds the world has, broadly speaking, become a “little happier” in the past three decades, as living standards have risen, America is an exception. In the United States, life satisfaction has not improved.

All of which proves that wealth alone doesn’t make people happy. (The USA is not the richest country either, but it's well up there.) Other than income, key factors in defining happiness include: political freedom, strong social networks and an absence of corruption. These things, the authors say, are "together more important than income in explaining well-being differences between the top and bottom countries."

At the individual level, "good mental and physical health, someone to count on, job security and stable families are crucial." What does that last one say about societies where public discourse is dominated by "progressive thinkers" who are actively working against families and family values?

The authors of the "Happiness Report" believe that stable family life and enduring marriages are important for the happiness of parents and children. Yet our "mainstream" politicians and lamestream media keep telling us that gay marriage, divorce and abortion are not just "human rights", but good for our society. Some cognitive dissonance there, surely!

Revolutionary product copes with SBDs, as seen on TV!

Walt doesn't watch much TV, and when the infomercials come on, that's my cue to grab the newspaper and head for the little brown shack out back. Thus it is that I missed the pitch for a great new product, guaranteed to cure one of the greatest causes of marital discord. I have learned about it only now, thanks to a tip from Mrs. Walt.



Well?! Don't just sit there! Dial that 800 number! Get your Better Marriage Blanket today!

What??!! You think this is a spoof? Here's the link; see for yourself.

NY bishops condemn legalization of same-sex "marriage"

The Roman Catholic bishops of the state of New York have issued a statement lamenting the State Senate’s 33-29 vote approving the legalization of same-sex marriage. Governor Andrew Cuomo, who calls himself a Catholic, signed the measure into law.

"The passage by the Legislature of a bill to alter radically and forever humanity’s historic understanding of marriage leaves us deeply disappointed and troubled," said the bishops. "We strongly uphold the Catholic Church’s clear teaching that we always treat our homosexual brothers and sisters with respect, dignity and love. But we just as strongly affirm that marriage is the joining of one man and one woman in a lifelong, loving union that is open to children, ordered for the good of those children and the spouses themselves. [Walt's emphasis.]

"This definition cannot change, though we realize that our beliefs about the nature of marriage will continue to be ridiculed, and that some will even now attempt to enact government sanctions against churches and religious organizations that preach these timeless truths." [See preceding post on the David Parker case. Ed.]

"We worry that both marriage and the family will be undermined by this tragic presumption of government in passing this legislation that attempts to redefine these cornerstones of civilization," the bishops added. "Our society must regain what it appears to have lost – a true understanding of the meaning and the place of marriage, as revealed by God, grounded in nature, and respected by America’s foundational principles."

Senator Mark Grisanti, another so-called Catholic who voted for the bill, admitted that he was torn by the question, since same-sex marriage was at odds with the teaching of the Church. "I know that with this decision, many people who voted for me will question my integrity," Grisanti said. But he claimed that he had not heard a strong argument against legal recognition of same-sex marriage. Apparently he wasn't listening to Archbishop Timothy Dolan, of New York, who issued a clear statement of opposition to the measure.

In a separate statement after the vote, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn denounced the state's "corrupt political process" and "asked all Catholic schools to refuse any distinction or honors bestowed upon them this year by the governor or any member of the legislature who voted to support this legislation."

"Today, Governor Andrew Cuomo and the state legislature have deconstructed the single most important institution in human history,” Bishop DiMarzio said. “Republicans and Democrats alike succumbed to powerful political elites and have passed legislation that will undermine our families and as a consequence, our society."

Same-sex marriage in MA: the David Parker case

The case of David Parker cited by Rabbi Yehuda Levin - see preceding post - shows the pernicious effects of laws legalizing same-sex "marriage". Once you legalize something, you make it officially acceptable. Thereafter, any dissent from the notion that it is not acceptable can and will be punished!

In 2005, David Parker, of Lexington MA, insisted on being notified when teachers were discussing homosexuality or transgenderism with his kindergarten son so the boy could be removed from the class. The school responded by having Mr. Parker arrested and thrown in jail overnight. This subsequently cost Parker thousands of dollars in legal bills. That is the price he paid for daring to question things which were once considered abominations in the eyes of God but which are now officially sanctioned by the all-powerful (and all-godless) state.

For an extensive litany of horrific effects that same sex "marriage" has on public schools, child adoption, the legal profession, Government mandates, the media, and even our public places -- with an increase in vile "Gay Pride" parades like the one being held in Toronto this weekend -- click here to read "What Same-Sex Marriage has done to Massachusetts".

Orthodox rabbi speaks out on "de-evolution" of marriage

The following was written by John Vennari, editor of Catholic Family News. Click here to read "Amtrak to Albay for 'marriage' vote".

A number of Orthodox Rabbis were continuously in Albany fighting against same-sex “marriage”. I spoke with well-known Rabbi Yehuda Levin of Brooklyn who noted three crucial elements he sees missing from many religious leaders’ approach to the issue. These are observations with which a Catholic, or any man of good will, could agree.

"First", said Rabbi Levin, "with all the talk about homosexual ‘marriage’ we are losing sight of the fact that this is a huge and perhaps ultimate step of totally ‘legitimizing’ homosexual misbehavior. This aspect is no longer being talked about.

"When news reporters challenge religious leaders and ask ‘what’s wrong with this?’, the religious leaders respond by talking about ‘marriage between a man and a woman’ but no one bothers to point out that the homosexuals have accomplished their ultimate goal of totally ‘legitimizing’ their lifestyle. This topic is off the table of discussion. We have religious leaders even saying that their homosexual lifestyle is a ‘private matter’. No, this is a public sin, not a private matter.

"The second point is," he continued, "religious leaders are not talking about the fact that in Massachusetts [where homosexual ‘marriage’ has been ‘legal’ since 2004], a child or a parent cannot opt out of the educational aspect of this." He noted the David Parker case as an example. [See following post for more on the trials of David Parker. Ed.]

Rabbi Levin’s third point was directed at Senate Majority Leader Dean G. Skelos, who could have stopped the vote from coming to the floor. Rabbi Levin said our religious leaders’ duty is to tell Skelos, "Every single child, grandchild and great grandchild who is poisoned by the homosexual agenda because of your cowardice is on your personal soul."

Levin also told me that during the press conference, he responded from the floor to the media’s claim that homosexual "marriage" represents a marriage evolution. A journalist challenged the panel saying that interracial marriage was once forbidden but is now legal, so homosexual "marriage" is merely the latest evolution in marriage.

"Who says evolution is always something good?", responded Levin from the floor. "Who says evolution has to apply to everything? Why can’t the next stage of evolution in marriage be legalized polygamy? Would this be good for society? And who says everything evolves? Some things devolve. Look at the crass music of today, the crass art, the crass dress. We see that some things devolve, and that is what homosexual 'marriage' does to marriage. It is not good simply because you say it’s evolution."

Gay marriage and democracy -- how they are related

The March 7th issue of The Catholic Voice features a leading article by the Most Rev. Salvatore Cordileone, Bishop of Oakland CA, in which the bishop calls the Obama administration’s refusal to defend the Defense of Marriage Act in court "an egregious violation of the separation of powers" that "puts the future prospects of our democracy at stake".

In America, the bishop writes, the oldest democracy with a written constitution in the world, there is a movement of the ruling class toward taking more and more power into its own hands. This, he says, is a curious irony at this time, when people all over the Middle east are fighting for change from dictatorship to democracy.

The prime example to which the bishop points is the hot-button issue of our day: gay marriage.

"When the City Council of Washington, DC, passed a local ordinance to allow same-sex ‘marriage,’ the citizens organized to put it to a vote so they could decide for themselves," the bishop states. "The City Council obstructed them from doing so every step of the way. Bear in mind that the city of Washington has a very large African-American population.

"Thus … a small group of political elites (almost all of them white), in a claim to expand rights, deny one of the most fundamental rights in a constitutional democracy — the right to vote — to the masses of black citizens."

Later in the article, Bishop Cordileone makes what Walt considers an irrefutable argument. Wherever “gay marriage” has become the law of the land, he says, it has happened in a way that avoids the democratic process, and sometimes even goes directly against it.

On the other hand, whenever the people have had the chance to vote on the issue, they have consistently affirmed the traditional view of marriage -- a union between a man and a woman. And this, despite the proponents of true marriage being outspent (sometimes by huge margins), and facing opposition from the "cultural elites" and the bias of the lamestream media.

Bishop Cordileone's argument is worth reading in its entirety. Click here to do so.

A Muslim can't rape his wife, Imam says

Ed. tells me I should clarify that headline. It doesn't mean that a Muslim isn't allowed to rape his wife. It means that if a couple is married, according to Islamic principles violent, non-consensual sex is not rape.

In other words, rape isn't rape when it occurs within a marriage. So says Sheikh Maulana Abu Sayeed, president of the Islamic Sharia Council in Britain.

In an interview with the blog "The Samosa", he said "Clearly there cannot be any rape within the marriage. Maybe aggression, maybe indecent activity."

The sheikh (or imam) was speaking about a new (2008) "Muslim Marriage Contract", drafted by the London-based Muslim inssitute to modernize the contract that governs most Muslim marriages in the UK. The contract says, among other things, "The husband undertakes not to abuse his wife/child(ren) verbally, emotionally, physically, or sexually."

Sayeed said the revamped contract just serves "to make it exactly as the Western culture demands is as if we are compromising Islamic religion with secular non-Islamic values." [My emphasis. Walt.]

But, the imam told the blog, "It is not an aggression, it is not an assault, it is not some kind of jumping on somebody's individual right. [My emphasis again.] Because when they got married, the understanding was that sexual intercourse was part of the marriage, so there cannot be anything against sex in marriage. Of course, if it happened without her desire, that is no good, that is not desirable."

Not desirable, but also not a crime, he said. Instead, if a man rapes his wife, he should seek forgiveness from his wife and Allah, Sayeed said. That's what good Muslims believe.

Footnotes:

1. Walt was unable to locate "The Samosa". The source for this post is an article in "DownloadsEdge". Similar articles have appeared today in a number of British and Canadian newspapers.

2. There is a series of clips on YouTube -- actually one documentary divided into sections -- called "Islam: what the West needs to know". Chililng subtitle: "An examination of Islam, violence, and the fate of the non-Muslim world." Click here to see the 4-minute trailer; then, if you wish, follow the YouTube links to see the whole thing.