nt on the abuse scandal in Ireland: "Pope will write letter to Irish Catholics on abuse"

Below is the actual statement by the Pope (highlights added); a little more than writing a letter. But, why expect the media to be non-baised when covering the Catholic Church?

Today the Holy Father held a meeting with senior Irish Bishops and high-ranking members of the Roman Curia. He listened to their concerns and discussed with them the traumatic events that were presented in the Irish Commission of Investigation’s Report into the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin.

After careful study of the Report, the Holy Father was deeply disturbed and distressedby its contents.  He wishes once more to express his profound regret at the actions of some members of the clergy who have betrayed their solemn promises to God, as well as the trust placed in them by the victims and their families, and by society at large.

The Holy Father shares the outrage, betrayal and shame felt by so many of the faithful in Ireland, and he is united with them in prayer at this difficult time in the life of the Church.

His Holiness asks Catholics in Ireland and throughout the world to join him in praying for the victims, their families and all those affected by these heinous crimes.

He assures all concerned that the Church will continue to follow this grave matter with the closest attention in order to understand better how these shameful events came to pass and how best to develop effective and secure strategies to prevent any recurrence.

The Holy See takes very seriously the central issues raised by the Report, including questions concerning the governance of local Church leaders with ultimate responsibility for the pastoral care of children.

The Holy Father intends to address a Pastoral Letter to the faithful of Ireland in which he will clearly indicate the initiatives that are to be taken in response to the situation.

Finally, His Holiness encourages all those who have dedicated their lives in generous service to children to persevere in their good works in imitation of Christ the Good Shepherd.

I miss the George Bush presidency. Now, don’t jump down my throat, there was a great deal about President Bush’s rhetoric, policy and actions that I felt was just plain wrong. What is miss is, at least until near the end of his presidency, you knew where everyone stood. The liberals and Democrats hated anything related to Bush; the right and Republicans loved (almost) everything.

So now we have a (very) liberal Democratic president and everything is up in the air. Just a few recent examples:

 “A narrow counterterrorism mission sounds like a win-win. One problem: It won’t work.” on Afghanistan, from USA Today (usually part of the OMN – Obama Media Network)

“Lots of People Love Obama, But Does Anyone in the World Really Fear Him?” from The Australian, a country not generally inclined to be pro-Bush.

“President is beginning to look out of his depth.” from London’s conservative but usually pro-American The Daily Telegraph.

“There was, however, one large gap. Mr. Obama said almost nothing about Afghanistan, which just a month ago he called a ‘war of necessity,’ fundamental to American security and to the broader fight against terrorism.” from the flagship of the OMN, The New York Times.

“The Obama Administration plans to give $400,000 in funding to a Libyan charity run by the Gadhafi family…” from CBS, another OMN affiliate.

What will become of America if the liberal media ever so slightly does not tow the complete liberal line?

What is with the liberal media’s obsession with Sarah Palin?

If you disregard articles on oil and gas, there was all but no national coverage of Mrs. Palin before July 2008.

The governor wrote an op-ed piece in The (liberal) New York Times on January 5, 2008 (on polar bears).

The Times of London on February 11, 2008 wrote: “Seeking to offset a Clinton-Obama duo with either an obscure female such as Sarah Palin (Governor of Alaska)…” Note at that point it was a Clinton-Obama ticket.

A few weeks later Mrs. Palin really got coverage: The Washington Post, February 27, 2008:

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is emerging as consensus pick for vice president among both Republicans and Democrats.

Well, not exactly, but, based on a perusal of the nearly 600 entries in our contest to pick a running mate for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and the 2,600 entries to select one for Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), a fair number of Loop Fans speculated that either candidate might pick Bloomberg as his No. 2…

…One entrant, from Cairo, picked 44-year-old Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R).

On May 26, 2008 Nat Hentoff in The Washington Times wrote a substantial piece putting forth Sarah Palin as the Republican vice-presidential nominee.

But, Newsweek, on June 16, 2008, wrote: “…conservatives talk up Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, but she is all but unknown to McCain.”

One would guess that on June 30, 2008, outside of Alaska, almost zero percent of Americans would remember ever hearing of Sara Palin.

So, for discussions sake, say Sarah Palin “burst” onto the national scene on July 1, 2008. By election night in November her 15 minutes of fame should have ended.

That is just over four months in the spotlight.

Today, eight months after the election the liberal media cannot let go of Sarah Palin.

There is almost no rational explanation for their obsession.

Perhaps the best explanation is they are trying to make her the poster “girl” for Republicans and by vilifying her they hope their ongoing negative attacks on her will rub off on the entire Republican Party.

Unfortunately in America, and especially in the liberal media, it is not what is said, but who says it.

According to the AP: “Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday that the debate with China over human rights, Taiwan and Tibet cannot be allowed to interfere with attempts to reach consensus on other broader issues.”

I can just image the uproar in the media if President Bush or Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had said that!

All indications are that there will be a long honeymoon between the American people and President Obama. I certainly hope it will be so, since a long honeymoon will mean that the President is serving the vast majority of Americans. Perhaps President Obama coming to office with so little political experience is a blessing, perhaps he will not fall into the partisan politics and rhetoric that is the major sport of Washington, D.C. and the political pundits.

There are times in your life when you know you are experiencing history, for better or worst. For some it is where they were on December 7, 1941, November 22, 1963, July 21, 1969, or September 11, 2001. For others a date may not be attached, just the moment: Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, the Berlin Wall coming down, or watching Nelson Mandela gain his freedom.

This inauguration was such a moment.

So, given this honeymoon, no comments here on the inauguration or President Obama’s speech – just some basking in the moment.  

For most of the mainstream media the honeymoon ended long ago, they are now married to Mr. Obama. It will bear watching to see if/when the Fourth Estate decides the marriage was not all they thought it will be.

For now however, let us “let freedom ring” and allow America once again to show the world that in our nation, despite all our flaws, anything is possible.

President-elect Barack Obama and his relationship with Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich is the subject of a great deal of discussion. I for one think that most of the Republican and conservative voices should be silent on the issue. Let the United States Attorney’s office in the Northern District of Illinois handle the case and show faith that, if the trail leads to Mr. Barack Obama, Patrick Fitzgerald will take all possible legal action.

Even with the liberal media bias is favor of Mr. Obama, you can be sure that enough people will be looking to break the story that Mr. Obama had some real involvement in the scandal. No doubt right now there are people digging in Illinois for any proof.

But, until someone has proof that Mr. Fitzgerald is not doing his job as it regards Mr. Obama, let the system move forward.

In the period between the presidential election and inauguration, Americans want to feel good about their future president; they have high hopes for a new beginning. All Republican and conservatives gain by using rhetoric to tie Mr. Obama to Mr. Blagojevich is the enmity of the American people.