Beasts and Men
Playboy Celebrates 50 years

This good article by Long Island Catholic Thomas Woods Jr. makes a few great points. In mentioning the star-studded celebration of the magazine's anniversary he notes:

"Half a century ago a celebrity so deranged as to celebrate such a thing – and publicly, no less – would have spent the rest of his life a pariah. Today, by contrast, the only thing that earns the reproach of our cultural censors is making a film about Christ’s Passion."

Dr. Woods' humor is as cutting as usual:

"Exactly what it is we are expected to celebrate about 50 years of Playboy is far from clear. Am I supposed to be impressed that Hugh Hefner correctly predicted that men would purchase pictures of nude women? Are our standards of entrepreneurial genius really so low?"

And finally, more examples of "traditional" Catholics understanding today's world better than most:

"Hef continues to age, but his female entourage does not. And there, notwithstanding the fevered denials of the magazine’s supporters, is what Playboy and its progeny are all about: the idea that women are things to be enjoyed and then discarded, for a new crop of them is always available."

"the teen Masses and other toothless schlock that the bishops offer to the young only confirm the kids’ dumb prejudices about the irrelevance of the Church. The young are spiritually disarmed before an onslaught whose sheer ubiquity leaves a rather more distinct impression on them than the schmaltzy music and hand-holding around the altar that greet them on those Sundays when they bother to show up for Mass."

12 killed, hostages held in Saudi

Saudi Arabia, the homeland of Osama Bin Laden and most of the 9/11 hijackers, continues to have problems with Islamic militants. What is that expression about chickens coming home to roost?

I have not blogged recently because I have taken two trips (Pittsburgh and Boston) and have acquired a nasty cold. Also, I have not been feeling up to writing or following much news lately.

Bittersweet Tribute for WWII Veterans

Today is the dedication for the WWII monument in Washington, D.C. This monument is long overdue and it is a shame we have not had a major monument in D.C. until over 50 years after the end of the war. My father was a merchant marine during WWII and several of my uncles were also vets. One of them kept a secret for decades after the war. He was a part of Operation Tiger, a practice for D-Day that was top secret. 749 US servicemen lost their lives in this operation gone wrong. Basic information can found here. Some more details can be found here.