OOPS, October wasn’t hot after all!

NASA’s Goddard Institute of Space Studies stepped in it again, by reporting this past October as the hottest on record. After people sorta noticed that October really was rather cold over much of the world, with unseasonable snowfall, including the worst ever in Tibet, there was a recheck of the figures. It was found that September data from Russia and other locations had been repeated in October, making the overall temp seem warmer than usual. WHUPS! It’s that same James Hansen, who had to retract the claim that the 90’s had been the hottest decade of the last century, and instead report that the real heat was back in the 30’s.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is rating this October as the 70th warmest in the last 114 years… in other words, a little colder than average.

Barbara Boxer Camp dismisses Aide for Kiddie Porn

Jeffery P. Rosato, a senior advisor to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and aide to Barbara Boxer has been dismissed due to an apparent penchant for kiddie porn.

It seems that an unnamed third party was chatting up an FBI undercover agent who was posing as a 13 year old boy, and exchanging porn files. On the computer of this person was indication that he was also exchanging files with Rosato. Kiddie porn was subsequently found on Rosato’s computer.

Boxer’s spokesperson, citing a zero tolerance for crimes against children (with the exception of Boxer’s support of abortion), has said that Rosato was immediately terminated.

Last month, an aide of Democrat Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington also lost his job for similar reasons.

sign of things to come

In Indianapolis, Obama’s campaign workers lined up by 10 am at a Meridian street office to get paid for their work. After an extensive wait, (no one was home at the office until after 1 pm) they finally were issued either a form of payment (Prepaid visa cards) or a paper promise of payment to come. Many were dissatisfied, stating that they were payed less than what they had earned.

Frankly, I’m not surprised. Read here.

U.S. Catholic Bishops self investigating Funding of ACORN

The Campaign for Human Development has been giving grants to ACORN. Juliea Duin of Washington Times announced in a Nov 4 article that the U.S. Catholic Bishops have hired forensic accountants to track funds given to Acorn due to reports of partisan (Obama leaning) and fraudulent spending which could jeopardize the tax-exempt status of the Catholic Church.

Earlier this year, the Bishops suspended funding to ACORN. Catholic News Service was informed in October that the Campaign for Human Development was no longer funding ACORN at any level, due to suspicion of embezzling occurring way back in 1999 and 2000.

In the last 10 years, the Campaign for Human Development gave over 300 grants to ACORN totalling more than 7.3 million dollars.

While it is nice that a self investigation has been proceeding (before attention was given by the mainstream media) and funding to ACORN has been frozen, I recommend for the time being that in November, people allocate their funding to another worthy charity. Perhaps next year, a truly ACORN – free Campaign for Human Development might merit your charitable contributions. My idea is that pinching this fund off in November might influence the U.S. Catholic Bishops to be more careful with their spending in the future.

The Real Messiah

The media coverage of Senator Obama has built him up as a messiah to the extent that he appears to believe in himself. He has promised to provide things far beyond the abilities of a U.S. President. Of nationalized health care: “I pay for every dime of it” , and in general, “I will change the world”.

Newer information has revealed however, that Obama is not able to address and correct difficulties within his own family. He has been unable, with last year’s four million dollar income, to assist some of his more impoverished relatives including George Hussein Onyango Obama, living in a hut near Nairobi, and Auntie Zeituni Onyango, (mentioned in “Dreams from My Father” as a new found family member for whom he felt a connection and responsibility), occupying an apartment in Boston public housing.

Auntie Zeituni attended the senate swearing in ceremony for Obama in 2004, and contributed $260 to his campaign, but has, this past week, been found to be an illegal immigrant, having been denied political asylum. Senator Obama, himself a lawyer, was unable to assist his aunt in this matter.

As of October 31, Obama was not providing a certified copy of his birth certificate for public viewing in order to lay doubts about his own citizenship to rest. The records in Hawaii are sealed.

I suggest to the hopeful followers of Obama that since he is unable to handle rather mundane personal and family matters, there should not be a strong expectation that he can correct the social and financial difficulties of millions of complete strangers.

I recommend that people instead place their faith in Jesus Christ who, when occupying human form, functioned not as a lawyer and politician, but as a carpenter and teacher. Jesus was infinitely more attentive and effective in handling the personal matters of his family and loved ones: healing the sick and feeding the hungry Lk 9:10-17, raising Lazarus from the dead Jn 11:1-44, and resolving ‘social security’ matters for his mother, even while preoccupied with the extreme pain of crucifixion Jn 19:25-27.

Follow the Real Messiah.