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Friday, June 27, 2014
AUTISM: New Attitudes, Approaches, and Assumptions: Event 10 July 2014
Monday, June 23, 2014
CHRISTIAN MERIAM IBRAHIM FREED!
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| Daniel Wani and Meriam Ibrahim |
"Sudan death sentence woman 'freed'", BBC News
Initial reports today out of Sudan are saying that Meriam Ibrahim has been freed from prison. She is the woman sentenced to torture and death by hanging under Sharia law because of her Christianity. I wrote previously about this case.
If the reports are true, then it is imperative Meriam and her children get on American soil and reunited with her American husband Daniel Wani as soon as possible.
Praise God. -- Mark
GIRLS AND HORSES
What is it about girls and horses? My ten year old granddaughter is crazy about horses. Every discussion is horses this, horses that ... okay, I get it sweet child! You love horses.No horse is safe from her gushing affection. Recently she saw some horse's grazing in a pasture and sneaked through the fence. She braided flowers into a horses mane. Actually they were dandelions (no flowers were close). Can you imagine how puzzled the rancher must have been to discover this? (See picture below.)
I love being a grandfather.
MDP
Saturday, June 21, 2014
GUITAR MASTERY OF TATYANA RYZHKOVA
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| Tatyana Ryzhkova |
Mark
Friday, June 20, 2014
CHESTERTON VERSUS NEITZSCHE: EWTN
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| EWTN's television series "G.K. Chesterson: Apostle of Common sense" |
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| Friedrich Neitzsche (1844-1900) |
The tried and true ways that governed social and moral order for centuries are being broken and thrown over for an unproven future.
To see the EWTN production about Chesterton versus Neitzsche mentioned above, click on image below or link here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh1ToGbVZOI An excellent half hour production.
Wednesday, June 18, 2014
HARD REALITIES OF ADULT ACQUIRED DISABILITY
I encountered a young man who is confronted with newly acquired and profound physical disability. He is trying to come to grips with the hard realities of his new life and being abandoned by people. Living with a serious disability is difficult. I addressed my own experience regarding this in a column I wrote a few years ago for the Western Catholic Reporter (Canada). I am posting it for the man I mentioned. Perhaps it may have an application for someone you know. Keep reading.
Many young people live with the foolish assumption they will
always be strong and healthy. Young men are particularly susceptible to thinking they are invincible. When one of their own peers is cut down by disability or a serious incurable disease -- like aggressive multiple sclerosis -- it shakes them to their core. After initial shows of support, they often avoid the hurt or sick friend.
In my case, I remember those who knew me before my disease drew back in wide-eyed fear when they initially saw me spastic or using a cane, canes, crutches or wheelchair when I was in my 30s.
I had been one of them, a winner, then overnight, I became a loser.
My situation reminded them that they too were mortals. Old friends stayed away in droves. Like the old song says "Friends weren't unkind, just hard to find." Of all the friends I had as a young man, only my wife remained.
The sudden destruction of health and the onset of disability were difficult for me to endure but the abandonment of old friends deepened my pain and sense of loss. To be perfectly frank, isolation and lack of friendships were the sources of as much sorrow as the disability itself.
At work, I had been part of the inner ring, so-to-speak, before the multiple sclerosis. I was not a power broker but had access to them. When the MS was diagnosed, doors to power and upward mobility quietly closed on me.
Initially, the power brokers remembered that I used to be aligned with their ranks; they helped me limp along in the shadow of my former self. Managers and other executives made things easy for one of their underlings who stumbled (quite literally) into unforeseen misfortune. Blind eyes were turned when I was sick and absent from work or important meetings; easy assignments were given to me and allowances made.
Don't get me wrong, I appreciated the support I received, and some managers bent over backward to accommodate me. But I knew that sooner or later the little kindnesses (and even gushing generosity) would become tiresome and dry up.
Eventually I was seen as dead weight to the efficient operations of
the department -- a humanitarian luxury that could no longer be afforded or tolerated. Faces that were once so sympathetic and warm grew cold and contemptuous as the full realization of the phrase "chronic illness" and "degenerative disability" became apparent. They were stuck with an employee who had both . . . there would be no recovery in me.
So I was put out to pasture - medically retired at 38 years of age. Although I knew it was inevitable, the actual deed of being forced into retirement as a young man came as a terrible shock and I sank into depression.
My upbringing taught me that men worth their salt worked and made contributions, yet I sat in my wheelchair each morning watching a train of commuters heading to jobs and careers. No longer was I part of that daily procession.
My sense of isolation, and loss of identity, deepened. Days passed into months and months into years.
Loneliness and isolation can be constant companions to people with disabilities. The more profound and visible the disability, the more profound isolation and loneliness become.
It is important to reach out to people with disabilities and some Churches have fine disability ministries. Others do not.
(If you feel uncomfortable around seriously disabled people, try to look past their disabilities and see the person. It's that simple. (But isn't that the basis for all genuine friendships?))
Personally, I discovered that my feelings of isolation were either
mitigated or eliminated through prayer. Seeking and encountering the reality of Jesus Christ shifted my perspective away from myself and assured me that I was not isolated in my suffering.
Christ is close to me and truly understands my pain, fears and sorrows.
His Passion dwarfs the worst of human anguish. Did he not say, "My soul is sorrowful unto death"? Was Jesus not deserted by his friends? Christ cried out from his deepest point of an agony on the cross, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me." Yes, Christ understands human pain and He is our greatest solace in times of loneliness or the anguish of being cut off from human interaction.
God told us He will not leave us or forsake us. (See Hebrews 13.5.) Jesus said, "I am with you always, until the end of the age." You may feel alone, but you are not alone. Remember, Emmanuel — God is with us. -- Mark
[Click on the image below or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrKbu6OwJv0 for "Through It All by Hillsong]
____________________
In my case, I remember those who knew me before my disease drew back in wide-eyed fear when they initially saw me spastic or using a cane, canes, crutches or wheelchair when I was in my 30s.
I had been one of them, a winner, then overnight, I became a loser.
My situation reminded them that they too were mortals. Old friends stayed away in droves. Like the old song says "Friends weren't unkind, just hard to find." Of all the friends I had as a young man, only my wife remained.
At work, I had been part of the inner ring, so-to-speak, before the multiple sclerosis. I was not a power broker but had access to them. When the MS was diagnosed, doors to power and upward mobility quietly closed on me.
Initially, the power brokers remembered that I used to be aligned with their ranks; they helped me limp along in the shadow of my former self. Managers and other executives made things easy for one of their underlings who stumbled (quite literally) into unforeseen misfortune. Blind eyes were turned when I was sick and absent from work or important meetings; easy assignments were given to me and allowances made.
Don't get me wrong, I appreciated the support I received, and some managers bent over backward to accommodate me. But I knew that sooner or later the little kindnesses (and even gushing generosity) would become tiresome and dry up.
CAST ASIDE
So I was put out to pasture - medically retired at 38 years of age. Although I knew it was inevitable, the actual deed of being forced into retirement as a young man came as a terrible shock and I sank into depression.
My upbringing taught me that men worth their salt worked and made contributions, yet I sat in my wheelchair each morning watching a train of commuters heading to jobs and careers. No longer was I part of that daily procession.
My sense of isolation, and loss of identity, deepened. Days passed into months and months into years.Loneliness and isolation can be constant companions to people with disabilities. The more profound and visible the disability, the more profound isolation and loneliness become.
It is important to reach out to people with disabilities and some Churches have fine disability ministries. Others do not.
(If you feel uncomfortable around seriously disabled people, try to look past their disabilities and see the person. It's that simple. (But isn't that the basis for all genuine friendships?))
Personally, I discovered that my feelings of isolation were either
Christ is close to me and truly understands my pain, fears and sorrows.
TURN TO JESUS
God told us He will not leave us or forsake us. (See Hebrews 13.5.) Jesus said, "I am with you always, until the end of the age." You may feel alone, but you are not alone. Remember, Emmanuel — God is with us. -- Mark
[Click on the image below or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrKbu6OwJv0 for "Through It All by Hillsong]
CANADIAN MP MIKE LAKE: A VOICE FOR AUTISM AWARENESS
Canadian Member of Parliament, Mike Lake, represents me in the
House of Commons. Not only does he stand for full disability inclusion in society, I am one of his constituents. I'm proud that me represents me in Canada's Parliament.
Mike is pro-Life and my Christian brother. His son Jaden has autism. Below is a statement by my friend and MP, Mike Lake, in Parliament in recognition of of World Autism Awareness Day 2014.
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| Jaden and Mike Lake |
Mike is pro-Life and my Christian brother. His son Jaden has autism. Below is a statement by my friend and MP, Mike Lake, in Parliament in recognition of of World Autism Awareness Day 2014.
Mr. Lake's statement can also be seen at this link
Monday, June 16, 2014
HUMAN DEVELOPMENT FROM CONCEPTION TO BIRTH: A VISUALIZATION
Once again, let me present a phenomenal video by Alexander
Tsiaris about human development from conception to birth. If human life is sacred, then all life is sacred, not just some. Anything else is bigotry and sophistry. Click the image below to see how you and I began. All life has the right to life.
The video can also be accessed by click this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKyljukBE70
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
COCHLEAR IMPLANT CONTROVERSY
Cochlear hearing implants were introduced in 1985 to restore certain kinds of deafness. There has been controversy swirling around the technology. The deaf community saw cochlear implants as a threat to their culture. One website raised the questions: "Does the cochlear implant pose a serious threat to deaf culture? Can people with the implant function effectively as members of the hearing world?" An article stated this about the deaf community's hostile reaction to cochlear technology to restore hearing this way:
" It comes as a great surprise to most people in the hearing community to learn that a sizable section of the deaf community has reacted with hostility and dismay to the development of this technology. Throughout the 1980s and the early 1990s, Deaf people mobilized to protest the use of cochlear implants. In
particular, they objected to the choice being made on behalf of young children to insert the implant. These critics reject the very idea of trying to find a “cure” for deafness. Indeed they have compared it to genocide. They argue that deaf people should not be thought of as disabled but as members of a minority cultural group."[1]
It is wrong to willfully remain disabled and isolated from the larger society. The proper goal must surely be to restore or integrate. It is foolish to refuse to acknowledge a normal standard of ability to which people with disabilities (not just deafness) must try to reach if possible and ethically offered to them.[2]
Let me be clear: I understand that it is healthy for a person with a disability to accept their situation and strive to thrive. They must develop a self-image that includes their disability. I understand this and have incorporated this acceptance into my own life.
However, it is also right and responsible to take advantage of medical or technological advances that are restorative or adaptive for people with disabilities. It is irresponsible and wrong for disability communities to rail against advances that are made available. To utilize advances is not a rejection or repudiation of specific minority cultural groups, but it may open avenues of connection to the larger community.
The Common Good recognizes communities within the community. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the Catholic Church has much to say about human social responsibility and the Common Good. It teaches that the common good is to be understood as "the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and easily. The common good concerns the life of all."[3]
Perhaps advocates of the deaf community opposed to cochlear implants will respond, "Precisely! The deaf community can achieve its fulfillment for easily and fully within the deaf community." My rebuttal would be that the "sum total of social conditions" extends beyond the deaf community. Connections to the whole of society must be sought and exercised. Deaf adults may choose to remain within the the boundaries of deaf community -- but deaf children cannot make that choice. Their parents act on their behalf and they have a responsibility to open every door of possibility for their children.
Mark
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[1] David Sparrow, "Defending Deaf Culture; The Case of Cochlear Implants", The Journal of Political Philosophy: Volume 13, Number 2, 2005, pp. 135–152.
[2] I use the word "ethical" because therapies or cures that involve immorality such as involuntary experimentation or the use of embryonic stem cells, should be rejected. I would reject any therapy for MS involving treatments derived from embryonic stem cells that involved the taking of another life.
[3] CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, No. 1906.
WHO AM I THAT GOD WOULD CARE ABOUT ME?
Who am I that the God of all creation and eternity would care about me -- not in some passing disinterested way -- but in an intimate daily way. He has filled my life with His love and my home with peace. Granted, much of my life has been marred with disease and heartbreak yet in the midst of it all God presence has been with me whispering "Be not afraid, I AM with you." In the darkness of suffering He has been my light.
In loss I gained all that matters. -- Mark
[Click on image below or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBcqria2wmg ]
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
SCHEDULED PRE-EXECUTION FLOGGING WILL TEAR OFF CHRISTIAN'S SKIN!
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| Meriam Ibrahim in jail with her children |
Anne Garboczi Evans, "Meriam Ibrahim's brother-in-law: Brutal Pre-Execution Flogging Will "Take Her Skin Off"", 10 June 2014, LifeNews.com
http://www.lifenews.com/2014/06/10/meriam-ibrahims-brother-in-law-brutal-pre-execution-flogging-will-take-her-skin-off/
WELL DONE DOVE SOAP CORPORATION!
Monday, June 9, 2014
TURNING A NEGATIVE INTO POSITIVE: MISS PENNSYLVANIA 2014
http://triblive.com/aande/somanyquestions/5306844-74/miss-positive-family#ixzz2ugWeGiXV
"So Many Questions: Miss Pennsylvania 2014 Valerie Gatto works to inspire with faith", TribLive, is a story of victory for a woman conceived in rape. The victory is also her courageous mother's who did not listen to abortion advocates who would have supported the abortion of Valerie. It's a brutality of our age that would make a child pay for the crime of her father and view that as a solution to violence and violation.
Aborting Valerie would not have taken away the trauma or dark violence of the rape. It would have perpetuated the violence and violation of life through abortion of the innocent. Because Valerie's mother chose life we see the celebration of that choice. Learn more at the link at the top of this post. -- Mark
[Click on link below or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3wwWFsSlNQ for "Still" by Hillsong.]
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| Valerie Gatto Miss Pensylvania 2014 |
Aborting Valerie would not have taken away the trauma or dark violence of the rape. It would have perpetuated the violence and violation of life through abortion of the innocent. Because Valerie's mother chose life we see the celebration of that choice. Learn more at the link at the top of this post. -- Mark
[Click on link below or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3wwWFsSlNQ for "Still" by Hillsong.]
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
A LEGAL PERSPECTIVE ON THE MERIAM IBRAHIM DEATH PENALTY
Bruce from Great Falls Montana forwarded a note he received from the Chief Counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) regarding the Meriam Ibrahim death penalty case. See below.
MDP
__________________
Bruce,
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| Meriam Ibrahim & her children in prison |
First, a senior Sudanese official stated that Sudan was set “to free” Meriam. Now, Sudan is retracting that statement, saying instead that it will wait for a court to rule on her appeal.
There is no doubt Sudan is trying to stop the growing wave of international pressure. As her attorneys in Sudan said, “It’s a statement to silence the international media. This is what the government does.”
We must not be silenced.
We’re redoubling our efforts around the globe. Sudan is cracking under the pressure.
But if we let up, Meriam will be executed for her Christian faith and her two American children in prison with her will be turned over to radical Islamists.
Don't be silenced.
Jay Sekulow
ACLJ Chief Counsel
(See below for action you can take.)
________________
To American readers: Contact your Member of Congress and urge them to support H Res. 601, introduced this week by Congressman Trent Franks of Arizona calling for the release of imprisoned Sudanese Christian Meriam Ibrahim. Call upon the Obama Administration to act now on behalf of Meriam and to move quickly to grant her and her children refuge in the United States.
To Canadian readers: Write an email to Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister, the Hon. John Baird (john.baird@parl.gc.ca). Demand that Canada register a formal protest with Sudan about the torture and death sentence given to Meriam Ibrahim and imprisonment with her two children (Martin 20 months) and newborn daughter, Maya. Ask that Canada call for the immediate release from prison of Meriam and her children.
Sunday, June 1, 2014
WILL IMPRISONED CHRISTIAN UNDER DEATH SENTENCE BE FREED?
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| Meriam Ibrahim in prison holding newborn Maya with 20 month old son Martin sitting at her side |
People of good will have signed an online petition for her release and previous HumanLifeMatters posts linked readers to the petition. The Daily Mail article said that a petition for her release by Amnesty International, has been signed by 750,000 people.
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| Former British PM Tony Blair |
We must not be too hopeful for her release. Meriam's lawyers do not believe the offer is real and that it is just a ploy to silence the growing outcry. It is imperative that people everywhere concerned for the welfare of Meriam, her 20 month toddler and newborn baby girl Maya increase the pressure of their own governments to pressure Sudan to release Meriam and the children (without any of the 100 lashes in her sentence). We must not relax until they are safely on American soil with her American husband, Daniel Wani of New Hampshire.
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| Daniel Wani |
Daniel has stated that the Obama administration has not been helpful in his wife's case.[2] If this is true, American readers of this blog must demand that the U.S. immediately put pressure on the Sudanese government to release Meriam. According to LifeNews.com:
"Davis Christensen, the Vice President for Government Affairs, is urging Americans to contact Congress on Meriam's behalf. "Please contact your Member of Congress and urge them to support H Res. 601, introduced this week by Congressman Trent Franks of Arizona calling for the release of imprisoned Sudanese Christian Meriam Ibrahim."
Christensen also stated, "Despite being married to an American citizen and the fact that her children are also eligible to apply for U.S. citizenship, Meriam's case has received little attention from our Department of State or the U.S. Embassy in Sudan." he told LifeNews. "That's why H. Res. 601 also calls upon this Administration to act now on behalf of Meriam and to move quickly to grant her and her children refuge in the United States."
About rumblings of her release, one of Meriam's legal team told the U.K.'s Telegraph: "This is what the government do. We will not believe that she is being freed until she walks out of the prison."[3]
Tina Ramierez of the religious freedom group Hardwired says
MDP
______________________
Footnotes
[1] Mark Nicol and Kieran Corcoran, "Sudanese woman forced to give birth in shackles and held with toddler in prison "hell hole" as she awaits death sentence for refusing to drop her Christian faith will be FREED after international outcry", 01 June 2014, Mail Online. See http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2644796/Sudanese-woman-facing-barbaric-death-sentence-marrying-Christian-FREED-U-turn-authorities.html
[2] Steven Ertelt, "Meriam Ibrahim's husband pleads for suppot for his wife, Obama Admin "Not helping", 30 May 2014, LifeNews.com
[3] Harriet Alexander, "Sudanese woman Meriam Ibrahim sentenced to death for apostasy 'to be freed'", 31 May 2014, the Telegraph. See http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/sudan/10867220/Sudanese-woman-Meriam-Ibrahim-sentenced-to-death-for-apostasy-to-be-freed.html
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