Sheila Reports

Social justice under fire

Sheila Liaugminas — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:34:46 GMT

Somewhere along the way, we fell into a false dichotomy between ”the peace and social justice crowd” and “the pro-life crowd” in the Catholic Church and among other Christians (as if the Gospel informing Christianity is not both/and instead of either/or) . That divide has only intensified since at least the years when many Catholics took up with fervor the preaching of then-Chicago Archbishop Cardinal Joseph Bernardin in what was best known as ‘the seamless garment’ approach to social justice. Read more...

Legislation by hook or by crook

Sheila Liaugminas — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:57:15 GMT

“[House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi reportedly told liberal bloggers Monday that “nobody wants to vote for the Senate bill,” and so she’s strongly considering the non-vote vote.” What? Read more...

Health care showdown

Sheila Liaugminas — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:26:09 GMT

Desperate times call for desperate measures. And everyone seems desperate this week….to either enshrine the Senate health care legislation into law, or to stop it. There’s a new sense of urgency, tension and drama. The stakes are huge, the consequences profound. Both sides seem to be laying everything on the line now. Read more...

Abortion reality show provokes thought

Sheila Liaugminas — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 22:19:29 GMT

The idea behind the interactive webcast program ’Bump’ was to follow three fictitious characters through unplanned pregnancies and invite viewers to debate and try to shape whatever decisions the three women came to about choosing abortion or not. It set out to be provocative, and it did provoke. Read more...

UN conference on women: Shedding light

Sheila Liaugminas — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:51:03 GMT

Many thousands of women, organizations and NGOs descended on New York for the recent global checkup with the annual ’Commission on the Status of Women’, with the Beijing conference as sort of a benchmark. It was heavy on the agenda of spreading access to abortion under the mantle of ‘reproductive rights’, but there was a large pro-life contingent there to stake claims that authentic dignity for women comes from true universal human rights….for all human beings. Read more...

Abortion genocide: Don’t do it

Sheila Liaugminas — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:35:25 GMT

Suddenly, it seems, abortion is getting some serious, major and long overdue attention. And it’s coming along different fronts, namely...health care holdup, gendercide, black genocide.... Read more...

‘The SOTU has degenerated’

Sheila Liaugminas — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:00:17 GMT

The Supreme Court being a usually quietly deliberative body, couldn’t exactly hold press conferences after President Obama made unprecedented (and unpresidential) remarks harshly rebuking the High Court in Obama’s last SOTU address. The most we got was a camera shot of Justice Samuel Alito silently shaking his head and mouthing the words ‘not true’. But now, after due diligence, Chief Justice Roberts is talking, and taking Obama to task. Read more...

No choice in Chicago

Sheila Liaugminas — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:52:25 GMT

The pro-life movement has been as adaptable as it has been enduring. When Chicago passed the insidious ‘bubble zone’ ordinance, politicians not only denied citizens their free speech rights, they robbed women of their right to have a true choice when facing a challenging pregnancy. But pro-lifers found a simple, legal and tasteful way to silently offer women aid. Or so they thought... Read more...

OK, another abortion round

Sheila Liaugminas — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:37:08 GMT

Judges, legislators and activists are tangling with some interesting back-and-forth attempts to regulate the abortion industry in Oklahoma and give women an informed choice…..or not. Read more...

Obama is still campaigning

Sheila Liaugminas — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:12:51 GMT

Throughout the past year and more so in recent times, some analysts have said Barack Obama is much more skilled at campaigning than governing. He likes to take issues directly to the people and whip up emotional reaction in the crowds through commanding rhetoric. But that routine has grown more transparent. Just recently, MSNBC noted Obama is trying to tap into the anger his administration has caused and lead the call for change. Even though what the people want is change from his administration’s politics. Read more...

Oscar honors

Sheila Liaugminas — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 06:22:18 GMT

For the first time in memory, the Motion Picture Academy Awards were understated and toned down, tasteful, on time, tightly controlled and well-paced, and most important of all….fair. Read more...

Healthcare reform turns on abortion

Sheila Liaugminas — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 05:53:00 GMT

We do have some principled leadership in Congress, after all. Especially the Democrat who refuses to buckle under massive pressure from the White House, Senate and House powerbrokers and most of the big media opinionmakers: Bart Stupak. He’s sending them all into a tailspin. Read more...

Happy ending in Vegas

Sheila Liaugminas — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 03:11:59 GMT

Or rather……beginning. Seems like this story was just out about the mother who changed her mind after what would have been the last minute (the procedures to begin the abortion were underway) and a health care team raced to save the pregnancy and the baby. Read more...

Obama’s shifting strategy

Sheila Liaugminas — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 03:06:15 GMT

His rapid trajectory of political success started on the streets and in neighborhood gatherings on the south side of Chicago, and now the Community Organizer-in-Chief is applying his street savvy instincts again to the conditions he finds people in, which is change they didn’t count on. Read more...

Media praise South Dakota’s lone abortionist

Sheila Liaugminas — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 05:59:11 GMT

Specifically, the Washington Post was responsible for this jaw-dropper. For anyone who has followed the groundbreaking work of pregnancy help centers, pro-life advocates and conscientous legislators in South Dakota over the past few years, WaPo’s praise for the bravery of the state’s only abortionist was astonishingly clueless. Read more...

Mis-Speaker

Sheila Liaugminas — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 03:11:01 GMT

If you didn’t watch the televised health care summit live last Thursday, chances are you saw precious little coverage in the news media afterward. Especially of odd outbursts like Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid angrily denying the Democrats had even considered a ‘reconciliation’ move (when everyone knew they were planning that very thing). And House Speaker Nancy Pelosi testily denying the legislation allows federal funding for abortion…..(when it in fact, does). Read more...

The Summit and the Fall

Sheila Liaugminas — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:59:48 GMT

Most of the media ignored last Thursday’s health care summit because, frankly, the president and top Democrats didn’t come off so well, and it didn’t achieve its purpose. Was it a waste of time? Read more...

Political summit or theater?

Sheila Liaugminas — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 05:24:31 GMT

Before the health care ’summit’ began Thursday morning, there was plenty of media skepticism over whether Washington politicians, in the Congress and the administration, can actually put bitter partisanship aside and finally and responsibly deliberate over the people’s business. Consensus is that it’s doubtful. Read more...

‘The persistent issue of abortion’

Sheila Liaugminas — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 03:59:59 GMT

The pivotal Washington health care summit is about many things and much of it is political posturing. Maybe most. By both parties. What’s getting little attention is the persistent issue of abortion at the core of both House and Senate versions, and how the policians in Congress are handling it. Read more...

Teed off

Sheila Liaugminas — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 05:20:58 GMT

Though it was much-anticipated and rather heavily promoted in the media, I made no note of the Tiger Woods press conference scheduled to televise his first public statement since his scandalous affairs broke last November. But an interesting thing happened..... Read more...

Big win in Vegas

Sheila Liaugminas — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 22:15:41 GMT

Oddsmakers would either not touch this one, or laugh at you if you even suggested the wager. 'During an abortion, the mother makes the other choice. And they lived happily ever after...'Okay, we won't know about the 'ever after' part until time goes by, but the rest is true, and it did happen in Vegas. Read more...

Health care summit: Pros and cons

Sheila Liaugminas — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:49:57 GMT

The embattled president is taking the embattled debate over health care reform to the American people, which he promised to do throughout his campaign but failed to follow through on until the Democrats lost a pivotal Senate seat. He was called out on that lack of transparency and abject lack of bipartisanship which he also promised in his presidency, so he called this upcoming health care summit for Democrats to meet with Republicans and it will be televised. He is a pro at turning crisis into opportunity, to apply a phrase his chief of staff likes to use. Read more...

Beautiful chaos

Sheila Liaugminas — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 05:40:05 GMT

Ever since I heard a most poignant story many years ago about a young woman, wife and mother, whose life ended much too young and her husband referring to something she saved ‘for special occasions’ by saying ‘every day you’re alive is a special occasion’…I have repeated that story and that lesson and tried to live it. Here's a variation on that theme... Read more...

The ‘real’ reason Bayh is leaving

Sheila Liaugminas — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:03:29 GMT

Actually, Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh made it perfectly and startlingly clear why he’s leaving Congress in the press conference he gave when he dropped that bombshell announcement. Washington is a mess, it’s broken, mired in partisan political bickering, and nothing’s getting done for the people. In fact, the business of running the nation’s affairs is just one more business that’s gone bankrupt. Read more...

What keeps them hanging on

Sheila Liaugminas — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:19:10 GMT

Those who dissent from teachings of the Catholic Church periodically take their organized protests public and often vilify Church hierarchy for not changing with the times to accommodate cultural trends. But one unasked question in news reports covering these angry protestors is…..why do they stay? Read more...

Time of atonement?

Sheila Liaugminas — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 06:01:35 GMT

The monotheistic religions have their times set apart from ordinary time to reflect on how we humans, individually and personally, are doing in the struggle to conform our lives to align better with God’s will. It’s the ‘mystery of faith’ that is knowable only within human limitations. Each one…Yom Kippur, Ramadan, Lent…involve repentance, prayer and fasting. It's time to check in again... Read more...

The State is not the source of ethics

Sheila Liaugminas — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:59:42 GMT

Religiously informed people already know from where moral guidelines derive, and it's not government. But Pope Benedict XVI brought up that point again when he addressed “problems revolving around the issue of bioethics” with the Pontifical Academy for Life, in their annual meeting. Read more...

Verbal violence

Sheila Liaugminas — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:32:42 GMT

We're in a bout of unusual Press introspection again, because someone High Up mis-spoke, and touched off another war of words. Read more...

Can you hear me now?

Sheila Liaugminas — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 19:30:50 GMT

American citizens have grown increasingly unhappy with our congressional representatives, and polls show they’re getting disenchanted with the Obama administration in larger numbers. Funny, but before the loss of one Democratic Senate seat with Scott Brown’s victory in Massachusetts, voter’s voices weren’t much heard. Or rather…..not many members of Congress were listening. They are now. Read more...

‘Political street-fighting’

Sheila Liaugminas — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 05:26:15 GMT

Last week, President Obama angrily alleged that Republicans (though some of that bloc were conservative Democrats) were holding up confirmations on a bundle of his nominees to various posts, so he threated to make recess appointments if necessary. Within about a day he got his way and backed off, satisfied with the power of the threat. Read more...

Troop fatalities….what to say?

Sheila Liaugminas — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 04:57:29 GMT

Each and every member of the armed services who loses their life is mourned and grieved over and missed beyond words. But when their death is in battle or at the hands of enemy forces, there are at least words of condolence from the president, for whatever comfort that carries the bereaved loved ones. What about the ones who fall by their own hand? This is a very tough one… Read more...

Olympics open

Sheila Liaugminas — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 06:44:30 GMT

The 2010 Winter Olympics are now open. It was bittersweet, recognizing the tragic accident early in the day that took the life of an athlete in practice. Organizers incorporated that dose of solemn respect and reality throughout the program that though these are the highest level of goodwill games and competetion in international sport, the loss of a human life is more important than any game or sport. The Games nicely transcend geopolitics and international entanglements. An athlete's fatal accident transcends the Olympics. The ceremonies combined it all. Read more...

Tebow ad consequences

Sheila Liaugminas — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 18:33:53 GMT

Before the Super Bowl even happened last weekend, we all know the public debate over it whipped up into a heated controversy and abortion activists joined forces to contest it and try to have CBS yank the Tim and Pam Tebow ad from the commercial lineup. So just the leak that it would air generated that media frenzy and very public debate. That’s the beauty of this whole episode... Read more...

Winner

Sheila Liaugminas — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 17:54:20 GMT

You don't have to love (appreciate, or even understand) American style football to enjoy the beauty of its perfect victory. After one of the best Super Bowls ever, its glow and joy is still lingering, beyond the borders of New Orleans or Louisiana. Read more...

Religious restrictions in the name of freedom?

Sheila Liaugminas — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 18:22:09 GMT

This happened during the Enlightenment. Nations and states and societies with short memories, or the gullibility to succumb to revisionist history, are letting it happen again. Even where people are not losing their faith, they’re losing their rights to freely express their religiously informed voices. Read more...

‘That’s what you expect of a hospital’

Sheila Liaugminas — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:36:33 GMT

Times have changed enough that whatever we used to trust doctors, nurses and health care workers to do in the past……we’d better re-think. Patients and their families have to be their own best advocates to guard against things like this.... Read more...

The ‘Bush billboard’

Sheila Liaugminas — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 04:21:28 GMT

The news is not that the ‘Miss Me Yet?’ sign is out there on the highway, generating a crush of commentary in the media and carping in the blogosphere. It's that it took two months to be noticed... Read more...

Hospitals and “Choice”

Sheila Liaugminas — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 03:41:26 GMT

They keep moving the goal posts, re-defining life and death and disability and what constitutes care. Look at this full-page article the Chicago Tribune ran today on Catholic hospitals and choice, as they put it. The centerpiece of the story is the bishops’ directives on the care of impaired human beings while they still have life. Read more...

Another Obama appointee in trouble

Sheila Liaugminas — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:54:27 GMT

Let’s see…..there are already calls for the firing or resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Attorney General Eric Holder, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. Now it’s an advisor on Faith-Based matters. Who blasted the Pope... Read more...

Defense of life, a controversial issue

Sheila Liaugminas — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:34:22 GMT

Imagine how we got to this point. In one generation, we’ve gone from abortion being unthinkable to the majority of civilized society, to the defense of human life being a controversial issue. I don’t know about you, but when I just let an idea sink in, the clarity and simplicity of its truth stands out. Read more...

Valentine’s Day plans

Sheila Liaugminas — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:56:33 GMT

The Chicago Tribune has a heartwarming story today about a man very dedicated to his family, and particularly to the tradition he established years ago to treat each of his three daughters to a special dinner to celebrate Valentine’s Day. Each individually, no matter what, no matter where… Read more...

Super Bowled over

Sheila Liaugminas — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 18:43:08 GMT

First, it was a great game, no matter which team you were rooting for. Whether at home or in the stadium, you felt you were in on one big party, and from the Star Bangled Banner to the final blizzard of confetti, it was all good. But people at home had the chance to see the much-anticipated ads. How were they? Read more...

The Tebow ad. Nice

Sheila Liaugminas — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:10:37 GMT

Heightened emotions. Fear. Falsehood. Condemnation without information. It's no surprise that it was all in the mix for the activist abortion-on-demand organizations agitating publicly for the past two weeks to keep the Tim Tebow ad off the air during the Super Bowl. Because that's how the pro-abortion movement operates. Read more...

Dear Google: Search for Civility

Sheila Liaugminas — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:10:54 GMT

Know how you start typing a phrase into a Google search window and all sorts of possibilities pop up to help you find the search you’re after? That helps me a lot in my daily forays into web research. But they're not as helpful when you search for Christianity... Read more...

Exposing media fraud (easy to do)

Sheila Liaugminas — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 17:55:37 GMT

The growing movement of pro-life advocates who flow into Washington each January on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade for events culminating in the March for Life have stopped expecting the media to actually notice their swelling numbers and hear their voices. They’re taking coverage of the event directly to the people. Read more...

Politics at the Prayer Breakfast

Sheila Liaugminas — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 01:38:38 GMT

This annual inter-faith and faith-based event, drawing together high level politicians, diplomats, dignitaries, clergy and media, is supposed to be about God and humanity and peace and goodwill, which is why it generally gets little press. This year’s National Prayer Breakfast got into politics more than usual, and got plenty of press. Read more...

Health care for one and all?

Sheila Liaugminas — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 05:54:33 GMT

Univeral health care has appeal in its promise to provide treatment to everyone, no exceptions. The very moral thing to do. However, no exceptions does not mean no limitations. Read more...

Voters speak?

Sheila Liaugminas — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:05:09 GMT

What a bizarre primary Illinois just had. After the Chicago Tribune editors ran a series on the ’state of corruption’ urging voters in the strongest terms to grab their brooms and shovels, shoulder the sword, marshall their forces and get out the vote to clean up ‘politics as usual’ once and for all…….the primary went down with a record low turnout. With the majority of the voters staying home, what they said was “I don’t care”, which is equal to saying ‘let the status quo just be’… Read more...

Just call the budget…an investment

Sheila Liaugminas — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 19:13:30 GMT

Why didn’t the president think of that? After all, politicians are so good at spin. "“Don’t talk about the deficit as a historic deficit. Talk about it as a historic investment. Make the subject record unemployment relief, and record state relief, and record job spending, and record small business investments, and record tax cuts. Tell a positive story you want to defend rather than a negative story you want to apologize for." Read more...

Budget busting records

Sheila Liaugminas — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 07:10:04 GMT

This is where it gets wonkish, even for the most informed and actively engaged citizens. Health care battles are over for now (fickle Congress), and last weeks’ jobs emphasis has just been displaced by the Obama budget proposal for fiscal 2011. Read more...