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Regarding an article by John Allen, Jr. in the National Catholic Register:

"...there's a bit of political irony for Catholics. Given Palin's strong pro-life credentials, it's likely she will appeal to the most strongly "denominational" Catholics, those most devoted to traditional Catholic identity and teaching. Meanwhile, what one might call "post-denominational Catholics," meaning those for whom religious branding carries less theological significance, may embrace Palin's Democratic rival, Delaware Senator Joseph Biden, the lone Roman Catholic on either ticket, because of his progressive stands on social and political matters.

"In other words, the denominationalists on the Catholic side will back the post-denominationalist, while the Catholic post-denominationalists will probably pick the candidate who bears the Catholic denominational label."

There is this added commentary at The Catholic Blog:

"...Sarah Palin's son is a concrete reminder that she not only espouses pro-life talk, but that she lives a pro-life life. I think this is particularly "disturbing" to the 90% of women who upon learning that they have a Down's Syndrome baby choose to abort it.

"Final note - read Allen's article. in the last paragraph he finds humor in the fact that conservative Catholics will vote for Palin, a former Catholic, while many Protestants will vote for Biden, a current Catholic. I would of course disagree with his assertion that Biden is Catholic, in any flavor."

I agree with both of them.

What's emerging is that there are Catholics-who-are-Catholics and then there are Liberals who attend or associate as Catholics who are mostly Liberals such as Joe Biden is: their support of issues as advised by the Catholic faith is "movable" depending upon their political interests, which then define their religious issues perspectives.

To the contrary, most of us who are Catholics-who-are-Catholics are voting for the pro-life team of John McCain and Sarah Palin, while the others complain about the rest of us.

I'm going to write more about this voting characteristic as to the "Catholic vote" -- which is being underestimated by the Liberal media if not but for the mere fact that most of the Liberal media does not understand Catholics and they write accordingly -- in another few days. So check back later...

Just had a relatively severe earthquake here in Southern California (11:42 A.M., PST). Started without so much as no big "bump" but immediate, severe shaking, and I do mean severe, that lasted most of a full minute (and continues now with subtle, ongoing rumbling underfoot).

Everything indoors shook quite violently and the whole building was rattling around, side to side, up, down, entire building moved -- and though nothing broke or fell over (which is speaking well about the retrofitting in place), I quickly grabbed my monitor and desk lamp to keep them from shaking off the desk while I was considering running out of doors. The building was shaking overall so much, I didn't, so I just grabbed the desk...

Update: 11:50 A.M., FOX is now reporting it was a "5.8" quake centered in Chino Hills, which is, generally, inland and upland into the state from where I am nearto the coast in between Los Angeles and San Diego; FOX now says it was centered "29 miles east of Los Angeles" -- WHILE IT'S STILL SHAKING HERE (now at 11:52 A.M.) -- a very low but persistent shaking continues.

So, if this was "5.8," the "big one" still pending (expected to be "8.0" or thereabouts) would not be something I'd want to be indoors to experience.

Barack Obama is the "Cult-Leader" of today's fomenting rise of "Liberal fascism" (Socialism in it's extreme become fascist). And the media -- much of which is populated by the Left (in the U.S. and elsewhere) is now beyond disgusting in their emotional hyperbole of this Cult-Leader, Obama-as-"phenomenon."

Only he is not a phenomenon, nor are the developments of which he ushers unique. Because he and developments are what cults and cult figures do: they foment, bombard and pummel any whiff or hint of other voices from other rooms, rooms and voices where the cult is not popular. Which means where the rest of us are and we're facing slammed doors and slamming rants throughout the media because we are not members of this cult.

The recurring pop-up in human history of fascist movements appear to occur whenever there's a gap been perceived in exploitable generalities -- exploitable generalities like resentments because someone's not whatever or is whatever, or, dislikes those who are either or those who are not -- happens predictably because there are just enough vulnerable, impressionable people among our species who are too willing to be taken.

The truth is, there are no easy answers to life's difficulties. Obama's a liar of long-witnessed lies and his media personna is nothing more than a media creation by a man who apparently assumed egoism was his solution as to a life he'd lead.

So, reality is tough to handle at times and if it was not, there would not be so much "need" displayed throughout humanity for cosmetic, plastic alleviations (or, time out from reality) such as drugs, delusions, chants and slogans and Obama the cult-leader.

In Obama's case and today's fomenting Socialism with plans for a fascist government takeover of the U.S., the same was said and observed about Adolf Hitler in his rise to horror and yet few read his past at the time of that rise, or, if they did, refused to believe that such results as later occured could ever occur. Adolf, the loved and endeared among those who loved him, Adolf, the great speaker, Adolf, the man who "gave hope" to "the people," and Obama, who sells the "hope" and "change" to the similarly gullible and emotionally-driven.

Barack Obama's original so-called "autobiography" has to be read -- the original version without the scrubbing that it later received so he could pass more easily before the public into privilege -- to gather who this guy is (aside from the media hype) and he isn't the edited, revised version. Obama has learned to rephrase and reposition inorder to mislead by simply avoiding being lucid (or call it being evasive); In his own words he admits this:

"It was usually an effective tactic, another one of those tricks I had learned: People were satisfied so long as you were courteous and smiled and made no sudden moves. They were more than satisfied, they were relieved -- such a pleasant surprise to find a well-mannered young black man who didn't seem angry all the time."

I concluded a while ago that this Obama display of step-and-turn-and-step-and-turn amidst the "ahhs" and "uhhs" when no telepromter was present indicates dishonesty and easily hypnotises those whose stamina is weak: many people relent or concede (or both) because it's easier than raising the facts that expose the deception. It's a big problem when the deceiver gains national and then international power to command millions by any means available.

If anyone needs proof of the fascism that Socialism nurtures and then brings to fruition when and as the rest of us don't speak up or speak louder -- even when the doors are slammed -- just read and listen to the mainstream media today. They've lost all humor (did they ever have any), Obama is presented as a new golden animal around which adulators now chant -- their vehicle to rise -- and the audacity of doping among the Left is that of abuse and the Left media has taken the largest dose ever.

I'd like to point out -- which I was glad to read a lone reporter in Europe pointed out yesterday, too, though I worry they were then pummeled afterward -- that Obama is a U.S. Senator, he is not a President (of the U.S. or anywhere else), he is not, contrary to what his foaming nonsensical campaign states, a "head of state" (the Obama campaign described Obama days ago as going on this trip abroad to "meet with other heads of state").

Thus, if I was in Germany, a citizen there, or a citizen of Iraq or anywhere else, I'd wonder what this parading pony of a guy was doing there, complete with enterouge. I hold out hope that worldwide, there are individuals who can see past the hype and refuse the cult, even if it means the cameras will point elsewhere. Adolf was adulated by the cameras, too.

On the eve of Obama's "impending speech" in Berlin, I declare, "ich bin kein mitglied dieser sekte," or, I am not a member of this cult. Let's hope that Berliners get mostly a laugh from Obama's presumptions while they remember history with a seriousness that lays bare Obama's triumph of the wus.

The graphic file at the top of this post is another I offer for public use, in the following file sizes (save a copy to your computer, host it yourself; hotlinking is not enabled):

500 pixels wide
440 pixels wide
320 pixels wide
220 pixels wide