Notre Dame, Abortion, and Obama: Our Lady's Civil War?

"By the time we got to Woodstock, we were half a million strong ..."
-from the song "Woodstock" by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young

"Anyone who has read the works of Fr. McBrien, and several other professors, knows that there is a threat to (Notre Dame's) Catholicism from within as well. But unlike Harvard or Yale, Northwestern or Southern Cal, all former Christian universities that are now secular schools, Notre Dame has the weapon to fight all heresies, namely Notre Dame Herself ... for the modern infidels to take control here, they would have to blow the Dame off the Dome, rip the heart (the Eucharist) out of Sacred Heart (Church) and lastly, rock by rock, tear the Grotto apart. And legions of Her sons and daughters would willingly die martyrs before they would allow that to happen."
-from "Champions of Faith" by Tom O'Toole

After reading my rather apocalyptic article "From Civil War to Civil Unions," fellow Domer and former head of Illinois Right to Life, John Ryan, whole-heartedly agreed with my gloomy assessment, but then asked, just "Where does Notre Dame stand in relation to this looming civil war?" Specifically, Ryan wondered what the response of orthodox regular and subway alumni should be if Obama won the presidency and ND president, Fr. John Jenkins, extended the university's traditional invitation to the new commander-in-chief to be the keynote speaker at the school's upcoming commencement.

While I definitely agree with Ryan that just as in a game of chess, we should certainly consider our spiritual options several moves ahead, it is also important to realize that Obama, despite what CNN and CNBC (or for that matter, Satan himself) may say, has not yet been elected. The first priority of the pro-life voter remains to petition Our Lady that McCain picks a passionate anti-abortion running mate (hopefully Huckabee, if not the emerging star, Jindal) to strengthen the GOP ticket. Next, we must pray like heck that McCain wins the general election. Still, if those things don't happen, Ryan's question must soon be considered.

Although Ryan's first idea, an all out pro-life media assault on Barack Obama's abortion position in an attempt to get Fr. Jenkins to withhold the ND invitation appears to be the logical initial strategy, I really doubt that such a campaign would make either man change his mind. A backing out on Barack's part would make the president-elect look weak, and if alumni scrutiny didn't make Jenkins cancel the showing of the extremely sleazy Vagina Monologues, no amount of pro-life propheteering would keep him from this woeful choice either. And, while I believe that the holy bishop of South Bend, John M. D'Arcy, would be within his rights to rescind the Catholic charter of the university if Barack were invited (Ryan's final, last ditch idea to keep Obama away), my long-held belief that Our Lady will keep Notre Dame Catholic through troubled times (see opening quote) precludes that possibility—at least for now. But little did I know when I penned that prediction some thirteen years ago that Notre Dame would indeed be the site of the first great battle in our country's second civil war.

Simply put, if the pro-life forces do not take a major stand when the modernist forces of Obama come to captivate (and capture) Notre Dame some one hundred plus days into his deadly presidency, the battle would be lost. As with Woodstock, a loyal force a "half a million strong" might be necessary, but unlike that counter-culture event, this battle would be better planned. Although the remaining true-to-the-faith students and priests could lay the groundwork, including proclaiming their petition (openly, since Jenkins rarely attends) at the 6:45 p.m. daily grotto rosary recitation, the first group of outside forces would arrive approximately a month before the graduation, under the guise of fans attending the annual Notre Dame spring football game. Known only by their Suffering Irish t-shirts, these several thousand or so loyal Domers would remain at Notre Dame after the game, sheltered by sympathetic students, professors, and even grounds crew. This way, they could gain strategic spots in the stadium, Church and even the Administration Building, including one of the little rooms right beneath the Dome.

And so it would go, with groups of ND loyalists arriving undetected with every subsequent baseball game, lacrosse or tennis match, until the main mass of Mary's men were in place. Included in this next group would be the special forces of Our Lady's Army, led by their new commander and recent Catholic convert, General Mike Huckabee. Meanwhile, when D-Day arrived, and thousands more bussed, biked, walked or parachuted their way onto the startled campus, several hundreds of Blessed Mother Teresa's Missionary of Charity sisters get into line behind the marching graduates, and Bishop D'Arcy, monstrance in hand, appears out of nowhere to lead them. And, because it is still a Catholic school, no one seems to question either occurrence.

As President Obama finally approaches the podium, Bishop D'Arcy rises, and raises the monstrance with the Eucharistic Christ right into Obama's sight, temporarily befuddling, if not frightening, the puzzled speaker. This allows the sisters to descend upon the stage, and they begin removing something hidden beneath their habits. No, the nuns have not been smuggling guns, but the aborted fetuses of late term abortions—and murdered live births—that Barack's regime has endorsed, and will soon enforce. As Obama attempts to speak, a voice as if from heaven (but actually Huckabee's), explains what the sisters are doing, telling the stunned crowd to look inside their programs, where the pro-life forces have inserted a page of all of Obama's dubious abortion accomplishments. Finally, as Huck's men silently subdue the Secret Service and the JumboTron focuses on the aborted fetuses, the last nun lays the last broken babe at Obama's feet and then begins to speak. While the crowd now anticipates an alternative commencement speech, the humble sister instead utters but one simple sentence. "Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me," she says to the president, and then leaves the stage for good.

At this point, Barack is free to speak, but with the Eucharistic Lord in front of him, the butchered fruit of his labor at his side, and the thousands of protesters now ready to storm the doors, something tells me he cuts his losses and leaves the campus speechless. The evil president flees Notre Dame in shame, while the triumphant forces place a giant wreath of flowers atop Our Lady on the Dome, as thousands cheer the most memorable May crowning ever.

Again, I hope Mr. Obama does not reach the White House, and this all turns out to be entertaining orthodox fiction. But if this vision is neglected and Barack is elected, we must pray to the Son beginning on day one that His Mother's Notre Dame dream comes true.

From Civil War to Civil Unions: Our Country's rebirth into the Culture of Death

"Four score and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth ... a new nation conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived, can long endure ... we here resolve that ... this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that this government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the earth."
–Abraham Lincoln, from The Gettysburg Address

"We are all just prisoners here of our own device ... you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave. Welcome to the Hotel California ..."
–Don Henley, from "Hotel California" by the Eagles

I suppose that in many respects, the California Supreme Court's recent ruling to legalize gay marriage was the last straw to conservative Christians, the cannon shot that could start a full-scale culture war. Sure, their decision was both arrogant (flying in the face of what the majority of the people in California wanted) and decadent (basically proclaiming that any human union was as good as any other) but it was merely symptomatic of what the liberal intelligentsia had long espoused. And while these Democrats of the dammed are still the minority, they are fully convinced that their new pleasant-appearing, sweet-talking dealer of death has duped enough Generation Next voters to become the next president of these (once) United States. And if this unspeakable catastrophe indeed comes to pass, those faithful pro-lifers still left in this land may have no choice than to respond with our nation's second Civil War.

As Abraham Lincoln so concisely demonstrated almost a century and a half ago, the notion of a nation "conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal" had become so foreign to a substantial segment of our southern population that the moral majority had no choice but to fight to bring this freedom back. Thanks largely to the fearless leadership of perhaps our nation's most God-fearing president, the northern states won this war, and the once and future United States outlawed slavery, and our country began it's nearly 100-year trek back to liberty. But just when our nation had finally gotten past the enforced prejudice by passing the Civil Rights Act of 1964, on June 7th, 1965, the Supreme Court, with Griswold v. Connecticut, opened up a fatal can of worms by legalizing artificial contraception in the form of "the Pill". Few, outside of Pope Paul VI and his courageous encyclical Humane Vitae, realized it at the time, but just as "Desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it brings forth death" (James 1:15), so the contraceptive mentality gave way to Roe v. Wade (1973), and abortion on demand led to the anti-family gay marriage and civil union rulings that are taking place today.

Fortunately, all is not lost—yet! While it's true that John McCain was not the best man the Republicans could have nominated, he is far from the worst (indeed his one divorce and later re-marriage to a younger, richer model seems smack in between Mike Huckabee's lifelong union and Rudy Guliani's trifecta of messed-up marriages) and his faults are not grave enough to not get your vote. First of all, the best candidate, Huckabee, is still in the running for VP, so we must continue to pray and petition Johnny Mac (and Jesus Christ) so that the truest pro-life voice in contention is picked as running mate. But even if this fails, remember that the McCain's not only have adopted a child, but this babe came from the arms of Blessed Mother Teresa herself—and that child has grown to affect them more powerfully with each passing day.

And what, pray tell, is the alternative? Know that if Obama wins the election, educators such as myself will be forced to resign from public schools for refusing to teach that New-Age parents Johnnie and Matt are just as moral (and normal) as the traditional John and Mary, that priests will be arrested and charged with hate crimes for preaching that practicing homosexuality is sinful, and doctors will be disbarred for not taking the new "Hypocritic" Oath requiring them to not only approve, but perform, abortions. On that day, we will be forced to guard our cathedrals with cannons, protect our holy hospitals with hidden handguns, and storm their abortuaries to rescue the unborn (and their mothers) from being killed (and wounded) against their (and His) will. For as in the time of Lincoln, we have arrived at an era in our nation's history where the United States will experience a rebirth of freedom ... or perish from the face of the earth.

Huckabee Wins (at least) Two out of Three: Maryland, Virginia, (DC) next

I didn't major in math, I majored in miracles.

Mike Huckabee, recalling his college career when asked why, considering a victory was now a near mathematical impossibility, he did not concede the nomination to John McCain.

Mike Huckabee won two, and possibly even scored a clean sweep in the weekend's primaries, crushing John McCain in Kansas (by an astounding 60 to 24 percent) then upsetting the ol' warhorse in Louisiana by a mere 2,300 votes to keep the Huckabee pro-life candidacy alive. Meanwhile, in the state of Washington caucus, McCain (at the time ahead by a mere 200 votes), was declared the winner—despite the fact 1,500 votes were not yet counted! I'd like to hear more from our Washington correspondent to see if this was voting irregularity or caucus conspiracy, as well as someone from Louisiana to tell me when it will award Huck the state's delegates. It appears Huck is not only fighting McCain's Republican pundits now, but polls predicting (incorrectly) he will lose, not to mention delinquent delegate procedures. The only "P" he seems to currently have on his side now is the pro-life people. But that, along with the prayers of the pre-born, may be exactly the miracle Huck is counting on.

In the end, Huck is proving once again how far a little hope (and a lot of humor) can go. There he was Sunday back on "Meet the Press" fending off Tim Russert's typical trip-up attempts with flawless logic, stunning pro-life prohecy, and more than a little levity. In fact, Russert's retreaded tax attacks seemed tedious and tired, and his accusation about Protestant ministers funneling ungodly amounts of money to the broke anti-establishment candidate of God's kingdom, seemed laughable. Indeed Russert, without admitting it, seems to have finally been won over by Huckabee's sincerity giving Mike the opportunity to "admit" to his college "crime" of frying hunted squirrels in his dorm room popcorn popper.

"Did you eat them?" inquired Russert.

"We sure did. Squirrels are practically a delicacy to the South's poor," Huck confessed.

"What did IT taste like?"

"I know I SHOULD say "chicken," but they really taste like ... squirrel."

"But have you eaten any since?"

"No, Tim, thank the Lord I haven't had to resort to that ..."

In fact, it is quite the opposite. The prayers and pro-family endorsements for Mike are multiplying, and Huck is still getting enough money to at least not have to dine on THAT furry delicacy. And so on this day when Catholics remember the miracles of Lourdes and the humble young Bernadette to whom Mary revealed Herself as "The Immaculate Conception," let us not forget to pray for hopeful Republican Michael Huckabee, the only candidate who consistently has fought for life from conception to natural death, as he contests in Virginia, Mary-land, and DC.

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Romney Concedes, Dobson Endorses: What's next for Huckabee? Answer: Louisiana and Kansas!

I believe in the power of prayer, because I have felt it in my own life. It has helped me meet the challenges of the presidency. I understand now clearly the story of the calm in the
rough seas.

–President Bush, speaking Thursday at the annual National Prayer Breakfast, attended by about 2,800 people in Washington

While it is doubtful that George W. Bush or many of the souls present at the president's prayer breakfast were praying (at least officially) for Mitt Romney to drop out of the presidential race, that's exactly what happened Thursday. Romney stunned many, including his own staff, by declaring his intentions to "suspend" his campaign during a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference—a group Mitt had so stridently aimed his message—and millions—at.

And then, to top it off, almost immediately after Romney's succession, Mike Huckabee received the endorsement he had long desired, that of Dr. James Dobson, the respected head of the national pro-life group, Focus on the Family. Indeed, short of McCain himself dropping out to nurse his old war wounds, it's difficult to think the news for Huck could have been any better.

Of course skeptics will point out it's still too little, too late. For Romney's retreat was hardly a Huckabee endorsement; in fact, Mitt's saying he was leaving so the party could unite ("If I campaign all the way to the convention, I would be making it easier for Sen. Obama or Clinton to win,") and THEN listing all the things he did agree with McCain on—seemed quite the opposite. Meanwhile, while the things Dobson said about Huck, "His unwavering positions on the social issues, notably the institution of marriage, the importance of faith and the sanctity of human life, resonate deeply with me and with many others," were great, and negative things he listed about McCain, "his support of embryonic stem cell research, his opposition to a federal anti-gay marriage amendment and for his temper and use of foul language," were both damaging and (in the case of the last complaint) a little humorous, they were "tempered" not only by the 11th hour timing of the endorsement, but by the fact Dobson added he couldn't endorse Huck earlier because the pro-life Mitt Romney was also still in the race. However, if Huck was disappointed, he sure didn't show it. "The people of this country need a choice, and right now I'm going to be their choice. I'm going to be the choice for all those people who don't think Washington has the answers, for all those people who think that somebody who is not a part of that establishment needs to represent our party and the American people," Mike declared. Afterwards, Huck added that he believed his chances "improved greatly" with Romney's decision to take his money (minus the 45 mil he already dropped on his campaign) and run. And if he believes, so must we.

In other words, we must take it one day at a time. Tomorrow, that means Lousiana and Kansas, and praying, donating, fasting—or voting—just doing whatever you can, so Huck and his pro-life message comes out victorious. Yes, Huck is down a truckload of delegates to the ol' war horse, but if we take it one day at a time, who knows? Sure, tomorrow may be rough. But there's no denying that today, for both Huck and the unborn babes, was a very good day indeed.

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Five Smooth Stones: Huckabee wins five states, stays in race

Returning to the David and Goliath metaphor used by this writer to describe his Iowa victory, Mike Huckabee told his followers in the days leading up to Super Tuesday, that he was entering the contests not with machine money or big party endorsements, but with "five smooth stones,"—like his diminutive Old Testament predecessor. And Mike's prediction (and aim) proved true, for with his five smooth stones, Mike captured five great states, namely, West Virginia, Alabama, Georiga, Arkansas, and Tennessee. While it's sad Mike didn't have a couple more stones, for he ran short of ammunition before he could bag Oklahoma where he lost by just three percent and Missouri, a real tragedy considering he lost by less than one percent, and the "Show Me" state was winner-take-all. But still it was a great day for the only genuine pro-life candidate, and Mike, who said it was time "the people not the pundits" decide the election, vowed to continue the fight, saying he was "in it to win it." And he—and we—still can, if we have enough "stones" to still "like Mike" and allow Huck to reload through our funds and prayers.

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Janet Huckabee and Rudy (Ruettiger, not Giuliani)—Another Notre Dame/Huckabee connection

Roland: Are you ready, Rudy?
Rudy: I've been ready for this day my whole life!
Roland: Then you be the one to lead us out of the tunnel!

–from the movie, Rudy

As we can see from the picture, now that Mike Huckabee has Nancy Reagan's endorsement as her husband Ronnie's (a.k.a. The Gipper from the movie Knute Rockne All American) logical successor (either that or Romney was too busy and McCain too feeble to help Nancy to her seat), we, on the eve of Super Tuesday, look to that other Huckabee/Notre Dame connection, namely the fact that Mike's wife, Janet, loves the movie, Rudy.

That this so-called crazy first lady (she hunted game, jumped out of an airplane, and lived with Mike in a mobile home while the governor's mansion was being renovated) loves Rudy, should be no surprise, since her husband's career has in many ways paralleled the movie's underdog main character. While Rudy was deemed too small to play with the "big boys," Mike was told he was too poor to compete with the big-money contenders. Rudy wasn't given a chance to dress by Notre Dame's new head coach until his teammates sacrificed their jerseys, and the party's elite said Mike didn't stand a chance until the voters put him first in the Iowa caucus. And even when he was allowed to dress, Rudy wasn't expected to play—but his play was so inspirational, his teammates carried him off the field. And while Huckabee survived 'til Super Tuesday, he wasn't expected to win, but his pro-life message was so inspirational—but now we are getting ahead of ourselves ...

Still it's interesting that it is Janet, not Mike, who liked the movie. After all, it is about the guy, and in this story, though the triumph was epic, the guy doesn't get the girl. In fact, one could make the case that this was the one thing the Rudy story lacked—a love story involving the main character. While I'm not suggesting one should tamper with a true Notre Dame Champion of Faith story like Rudy, Janet has a chance to make her husband's legacy even more touching than Ruettiger's. For in Rudy, his fiancee deserted him, for her future husband's dream was just too hard to believe in. But in "Huckabee," his lover never left, as Janet remained Mike's wife through thick or thin.

It's funny, but some are second-guessing Huck now, saying Mike blew it with Janet, by not having this firecracker of a gal stump on her own, so the campaign could cover more ground. But conventional wisdom be damned. To me, in this day of 2nd (or 3rd) wife first ladies with designer clothes and botox smiles, it's sweet to see a candidate still married to his high school sweetheart, and that unadulterated unadulterous Mrs. still at his side. For if on his day of destiny, a girl was the one thing Rudy really lacked, on Huckabee's defining day, Janet (in union with Christ) is the one thing Mike most needs.

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The Catholic Facts on Huckabee: My response to Matt and Tito's challenge

The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples, saying, 'Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?' Jesus said to them in reply, 'Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance
but sinners.'

–Luke 5:30-32

Whoever causes one of these little ones who believes in me to sin, it is better for him to have a great millstone around his neck and be drowned in the depths of
the sea.

–Matt. 18:6

Dear Matt (and Tito too!) -- You asked me to clarify my condemnatory e-mail response to your disturbingly slanderous "Mike Huckabee's Bigots" post on your allegedly "Defending the Faith" Catholic blog. First, as far as "identifying which of the governor's statements was taken out of context," certainly anyone who has passed a high school persuasive writing class can tell you that taking nine words, "one of the greatest Christian leaders of our nation," out of someone's speech or written statement is considered taking something out of context. Furthermore, juxtaposing those words with another's words including, "Adolph Hitler," and "Nazism," is done to achieve a decidedly negative effect. Ironically, your piece then actually quotes Huckabee as saying he never characterized the Catholic Church as being pro-Nazi ... but THAT isn't good enough. It does not take a genius to understand that by splicing together these cheap shots, you are trying to get the reader to think that Huckabee agrees with everything Hagee has said (or at very least, is a hypocrite for preaching at his church and accepting his endorsement) when any on-record Huckabee statement disputes this.

So why does Huckabee accept their invitations to preach at their anti-Catholic churches—especially when he doesn't in many ways agree with them? First of all, it's important to remember that ALL conservative/fundamentalist Christian churches are anti-Catholic in some respect, or they wouldn't have split off from the Church to begin with. Indeed they still all HAVE to rely somewhat on the power of anti-Catholic propaganda or their members would simply become Catholic. As a non-Catholic, Huckabee can't be expected to understand this tragedy of history totally, but the fact that he went outside his own denomination to work with the Catholic Church on the pro-life movement (and in turn adopted the Church's abortion/euthanasia pro-life philosophy as his own), speaks volumes of his commitment. While there is certainly some Catholic doctrine/dogma Huckabee still disagrees with, his having adopted the Catholic pro-life world view proves how much more strongly he disagrees with outright Catholic or racial prejudice. Instead, he goes to these churches precisely for the same reason Jesus accepted invitations to sinners' houses—he went there with a hope to heal them. Also, Huckabee can't preach at Catholic churches because canon law won't allow it, so whereas these churches provide a ready opportunity for a Christian candidate (especially one with little funding) to get his message across, speaking in front of Catholic audiences is much more difficult to arrange.

But are these statements (of which Tito says he agrees with it all) lies? Again, one usually learns the difference between "fact" and "opinion" around the third or fourth grade, and I can't think of any of my teachers (or very few kids) who would identify the statement ("Instead of supporting a healthy expression of religion in the public square, Mike Huckabee has used his evangelical protestant faith as a wedge to divide the Republican Party and gain support from fellow evangelicals,") as "fact." True, you might hear this statement echoed by the talking heads on FOX News, but unless you believe Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh (whose stations, of course, are owned by a Romney conglomerate) are divinely inspired, you cannot honestly call a political opinion factual. Interestingly enough, the last book to use this "FACT" tactic successfully was none other than the DaVinci Code. Note that before the book started, it stated two "FACTS;" the first some drivel about the Priory of Zion, the second an attack on Opus Dei calling them "a deeply devout Catholic sect" involved in a "recent controversy" involving "brainwashing, coercion" and "mortification." Of course, besides a typically sensational article in the anti-Catholic newspaper the Catholic Reporter (of which you would probably agree is the Church's equivalent of the National Enquirer), most of the controversy was DaVinci author Brown's own creation, and in reality, Opus Dei is a "healthy expression" of the Catholic faith. Likewise, those who know Huckabee see him supporting, not condemning, religion in the public square.

And so, by promoting dubious characters who take speech out of context to dissuade by inference, and egomaniacs who call their opinions facts, you are guilty of exactly what you accuse Huckabee with—with a twist.

Mike, in my opinion, associates with sinners to win them to a more catholic point of view, while you are trying to take would-be good Catholic voters away from the candidate who most closely models the Church's "life" teachings. Say what you will, but this post can only serve to lead the not-yet-intellectually equipped away from Huck's pro-life hope to Romney's Mormonist money or McCain's vague Episcopalianism (or something democratically and decidedly worse), just as Brown's mix of anti-Catholic fiction and bigotry pried the naive away from the one true Church. So you not only led the intellectually children-like away, but in doing so, doomed many more of the unborn to future death by abortion as well. And the real irony in all of this is that the attack on Huck and his Catholic supporters is done by two (or at least one) who say they are Huckabee supporters!

So now, having identified both context and falsehoods, I urge you to use your blog to publically endorse Huckabee, before the Super Tuesday primaries, for although I don't know if it will be enough to turn this Huckabee hatred around, God will certainly use it for the good, just as He uses everything for the good for those who believe—and love.

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The “Catholic Online” Huckabee Endorsement: Great—but too little too late?

Finally, a big Catholic site with a HUGE Catholic Huckabee endorsement. The first question I asked God when I read this (as well as Bobby Schindler's) ringing endorsement is, "But why did it take so long?" But His ways are not ours, and His timing is certainly not Fighting Irish Thomas' ...

Anyway, "The Only 'Catholic' On the Ballot: Mike Huckabee?" is too good to summarize (please read it all), but author Robert Stackpole's basic premise, "This time around Catholics have been given extra help in making wise choices ... the (Catholic Bishops 2007 Document) 'Forming Consciences for Faithful citizenship' ... when this is done fairly and without prejudice ... the candidate most 'in sync' with the Church's guidance is none other than devout Evangelical Mike Huckabee," is exactly that of FIT/Domers for Huckabee.

Stackpole goes on to cover not only Huckabee's uncompromising views on abortion, euthanasia, and traditional marriage, but how Huck's preferential view of the poor (including his fair tax proposal) is right in line with Catholic teaching too!

As far as too little too late, well Super Tuesday hasn't happened yet, has it? So when Huck receives the eleventh hour support of Schindler, C.O. or the myriad of states' pro-life groups who have endorsed Mike this past week, our response shouldn't be a sarcastic "Great," but an enthusiastic gratefulness that our prayers have indeed been answered.

And am I the only one who finds it humorous (in a holy sort of way) that Catholic Online is advertising St. Michael the Archangel medals next to its ringing Guest Commentary endorsement of Mike Huckabee?

Heck, how can one NOT pray, St. Michael the Archangel ... for Huck now?

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Of Huckabee and Aquinas: Why Huck is not yet a Thomist (or our president)

Last year on this date, Michael Huckabee announced his quixotic quest to become president of these United States. Also on this date, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of Thomas Aquinas, perhaps the greatest intellect and theological writer the world has ever known. Still, being a Baptist, it is unlikely that Mike knew much about "The Angelic Doctor" or even less likely he attached any Thomist significance to announcing his intentions on this date. And, as his candidacy appears to be coming full circle, from the low single-digit poll numbers of the summer to the great triumph of Iowa to his current 4th place ranking (if polls are to be trusted) in Florida, perhaps this is the one area in which Huckabee was lacking, the one fact that may send him packing. There was not enough Catholic intellectual support for Huckabee to discover who Aquinas was, not enough Catholic votes to put this very catholic candidate over the top.

True, it is NOT over, and as not just a Catholic Thomist, but a Notre Dame Fighting Irish Thomas, I will never concede his candidacy (and never stop leading prayers for it) until the last delegate is counted. But for Huckabee to have discovered the difference between Aquinas and Aquarius, Mike would have needed the support not only of the saintly Bobby Schindlers, but the business savvy Tom Monoghans, not just the clever Fighting Irish Thomases, but the cloutish Catholic Exchanges, not just the Christian Duncan Hunters, but the Catholic Sam Brownbacks.

We have made progress. We have seen the Baptist recite Chesterton, but we have not gotten Huckabee to study Aquinas. True, Aquinas is a little harder to grasp than the ever-quotable G.K., but the main reason we have not gotten Michael to embrace Thomas is because not enough Catholic big shots have embraced him. So, the lesson for these Catholics who did not support Huck is this; trust the Pope and Magisterium a little more, and the mainstream Catholic politicians and media moguls a little less.

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Huckabee and Norris: Will “Huck and Chuck” become David and Jonathan?

Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the Lord looks into the
heart.

–(1 Samuel 16:7)

Today, on this most solemn of anniversaries, the deadly passage of Roe v. Wade, the Catholic Church has as its first reading 1 Samuel 16:1-13, the choosing of David as Saul’s successor to be King of Israel. And the fact that this reading is also the very one cited by Chuck Norris, the noble kick-boxing champion as well as champion of the common man in his acting role in Walker, Texas Ranger, when he endorsed Mike as the presidential candidate he would back, is not lost on me either. Just as Norris used this passage to show that Huckabee, like David, was the least likely leader in appearance, but first pick in the eyes of God, so too do I see this passage’s appearance on the day of mourning for the unborn confirming Huck as the best candidate for obtaining the banning of abortion on demand.

Interestingly enough, just as David’s anointing transformed Jonathon into the king’s constant companion, so has Norris’ endorsement of Huck turned into a bonafide mutual friendship. And this Huck-Chuck friendship is fitting in two distinct but connected ways. First, Norris, especially in his Walker role, always played the protector of the little guy, and Huckabee knows there is no littler (or more vulnerable) guy than the pre-born in the womb. Secondly, Mike is the type of guy you instantly feel connected with precisely because he does not come off as the typical unapproachable ruler or, in this case, money-bought president. Businessmen make their decisions based on riches, and the worldly make their choices based upon titles or accolades, but it is only the very young (or very saintly) who do not judge by appearances. Today’s passage, chosen by the Church (and the Chuck) tells us we must become like little children if we are to choose the correct person for president. Otherwise, the littlest of children will continue to be slaughtered, and the Lord’s warning to Solomon (1 Kings 9:1-9) will come to pass in today’s United States as it did in ancient Israel.

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Falsifying Martin Luther's Legacy: The real pro-life "king"

The saddest thing about listening to the Democrats invoke the name of the great civil rights martyr, Martin Luther King Jr., is that they have hijacked his holiday to promote their pro-choice agenda pretending King was one of them. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth; not only was Martin Luther King staunchly against abortion (he called it "a form of genocide"), the group Martin founded, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, stated they were against abortion (as well as pornography) in their platform.

None of King's associates, save prodigal son Jesse "Jetstream" Jackson, was ever pro-choice and Jackson himself was against abortion until at least 1980 (and was actually a sought-after pro-life leader) until he changed his views to gain political power.

Especially poignant are the words from Alveda King, Martin's niece and pastoral assistant of Priest for Life. Referring to abortions as "womb lynchings," Alveda concluded, "To be pro-choice is to be pro-murder. How can the "dream" survive if you murder the children?"

Certainly presidential candidate, Mike Huckabee, a true follower of King's dream, understands that. And while many of the pastors at Martin's old Baptist pulpits are sadly swallowing Jackson's (and now, Obama and Hillary's) bogus bill of goods, a few such as Rev. Bill Owens, leader of the Coalition of African American Pastors, have seen through the Democratic "dream" turned nightmare and endorsed Huckabee as the true successor of the civil rights leader. Huck might not get there, but he too has been to the mountaintop and can see the day when all God's children will be free at last from the threat of the lynching of the unborn ...

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Ms. FIT's Confession of Faith (in Huckabee)

Today, on the eve of the anniversary of that fateful decision (Roe v. Wade), is the first time that my wife has publicly talked about her abortion. It occurred nearly thirty years ago, before she met Fighting Irish Thomas and converted to the faith, but the act remained so painful that she has never spoken about the abortion—until now. This not only shows how strongly she feels about Mike Huckabee's candidacy, but how much she is willing to sacrifice for it, to give it everything she has to the cause while there is still hope.

It is one thing for me to talk about Romney's $50 co-pay for abortions as governor, or John McCain's watering down of the Republican pro-life platform in 2000, or both of their weak states' rights approach now. But one who has personally been to that particular hell of abortion and came back from it gains a special insight, a special ability to SEE into the candidate's soul to judge the depth of their sincerity. Anyone, including myself, can see Huckabee is the most articulate on this issue, but it takes one who has been there to completely know a man's heart.

The time is getting late. Mike, in his speech after yesterday's narrow defeat in South Carolina, says the game is only into the second quarter. And yet politics, like football, relies mainly on momentum, and if one gets down by too many touchdowns early, it is nearly impossible to come back late. May my wife's admission bring forth others from that same situation, so that a group of these women who regret their abortions, ban together in their support of Mike so that they, along with the prayers of the unborn babes, carry the day for the only candidate who will do everything on heaven and earth to remove Roe v. Wade from our midst. Go Huck!

I love you Jeanette ...

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Jeanette's new ministry for Huckabee

01-20-08

Dear Mike Huckabee … I, like the rest of your supporters, was heavily disappointed over last night’s results in South Carolina. John McCain, a 71-year-old “OLD warhorse” with no strong “life” issues to his credit, would not surpass the Dems for the top position of commander in chief, unless he resurrected Ronald Reagan himself to run as his veep.

Now, I’m a believer in “hope,” which means I have not given up on your quest for the nomination, but at this point in time, you need all the help you can get from not only Christ Almighty, Our Savior and Redeemer, but His most glorious Mother, Mary. You also need to draw upon the prayers of the aborted, even though this may not be a Southern Baptist practice. Keep in mind, if Mitt Romney had to give away one dollar for every dead baby that has been the result of legalized abortion over the past 35 years in America, he would become a poor man overnight. That’s a lot of prayers, Gov. Mike, that you would be invoking if you do call upon the most-powerfully-innocent unborn babes in Heaven to intercede for you. One of those babies is my own, and I will continue to fight to the end, to eliminate the atrocious full disregard for human life that abortion brings not only directly to the child within its mother’s womb, but indirectly to the mother herself. Remember, governor & pastor, if you go down fighting wholeheartedly for the rights of the unborn in the name of Christ Jesus, you can only finish the race victorious.

(Woe to the pro-lifer who does not endorse and vote for you.)

St. Michael the Archangel, pray for Michael Huckabee and his team!

Jeanette O’Toole
(Daily Mass Roman Catholic and wife of Fighting Irish Thomas)
Domers for Huckabee

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Remember O South Carolina—WIN One for the Huckster

As all of Mike Huckabee's faithful know, the former Governor is locked in a life and death struggle in South Carolina, with Sen. John McCain even edging ahead in some polls. So it's time for Huck's tired ground troops and prayer warriors to stop a moment for some inspiration and what better source than Knute Rockne's famous speech.

The obvious connection, of course, is that the ol' GOP favorite, Ronald Reagan, played George Gipp in his earlier movie career. But also of note is that Gipp, though a great player at Notre Dame, did not always live on the straight and narrow (legend had it he caught the deadly pneumonia that killed him at 25 when he was sleeping off a bender in the South Bend snow), but was a late (but complete) deathbed convert to his alma mater's Church and beliefs. Similarly, while we need Huck's current believers to keep working and praying at this moment of truth, we also need the late South Carolinian converts to Huck's camp to keep on coming. So without further ado, let me turn it over to Knute ...

KNUTE ROCKNE-ALL AMERICAN (1940)

The scene opens with the interior of the Notre Dame dressing room. The players, seated with blankets draped over their shoulders, are dejected and silent. The door pushes open and Rockne is wheeled in. They look at Rockne (played by Pat O'Brien) in mute apology, then guiltily away, as if to avoid his eyes. His dark-circled eyes range over the players for a full moment of unbroken silence. Then, quietly, as if the game didn't matter to him:

Well, boys ... I haven't a thing to say.
Played a great game ... all of you. Great game.
(He tries to smile.)
I guess we just can't expect to win ‘em all.
(Rockne pauses and says quietly.)
I'm going to tell you something I've kept to myself for years —
None of you ever knew George Gipp.
It was long before your time.
But you know what a tradition he is at Notre Dame ...
(There is gentle, faraway look in his eyes as he recalls the boy's words.)
And the last thing he said to me—"Rock," he said—
"sometime, when the team is up against it—and the
breaks are beating the boys—tell them to go out there
with all they got and win just one for the Gipper ...
(Knute's eyes become misty and his voice is unsteady as he finishes.)
I don't know where I'll be then, Rock", he said—"but
I'll know about it—and I'll be happy."

There is a hushed stillness as Rockne and the crowd of boys look at each other. In the midst of this tense silence, Rockne quietly says "Alright," to the men beside him, and his chair is wheeled slowly out of the dressing room.

PLAYER #12:
Well, what are we waiting for?

With a single roar, the players throw off their blankets and rush through the doorway.

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Irish Beat Bearcats 91-74: Home streak reaches 31

After trailing at the half due to an atrocious shooting start, the hustlin' Fightin' Irish hoopsters finally remembered they were home and started hitting their shots, turning a 34-27 halftime deficit into a 91-74 triumph over Cincinnati running their winning streak to 31 straight in South Bend.

Notre Dame had just got creamed by 26 points Saturday, at Marquette, and the Milwaukee hangover seemed evident at the start here, as the Irish were shooting a woeful 24 percent going into intermission. But Coach Brey must have taken them outside to look at the Dome at the break, for the Irish roared out and scored 64 after halftime (on 69 percent shooting) putting the game away with a decisive 17-2 run. Nowhere whas the turnaround more evident than with Luke "The Loveable Lug" Harangody, the only Irish lad (29 points against Marquette) to hold his own Saturday. Yesterday, Luke was 0-5 with one point in the first half, but proved it was a fluke by then hitting 6 of 9 from the floor for a game high 25. Kyle McAlarney, held to 8 points at Marquette, regained his magic touch while playing in Our Lady's shadow, scoring 22 verses Cinnci on 7 of 10 shooting, including 5 of 8 from beyond the arc. Tory Jackson again led the Irish in assists with 8, and Rob Kurz chipped in with a 17-pt. 10 rebound double-double.

So while Domers for Huckabee could not pull one out Tuesday, Notre Dame kept FIT's night from being a total loss. Indeed the Huckabee primary season is starting to resemble Notre Dame's Big East basketball results; The Irish's first half flourish and second half withstanding of the physical fouling Huskies echoes Huck's surge in Iowa, followed by his surviving the lying attack ads to win there. The ND blowout by the Golden Eagles resembled Huckabee's loss in New Hampshire, and the Irish's slow starting first half, Tuesday, looked like Huck's luck in Michigan. But the Irish's 24-point second half turnaround, which led to another home victory, may foreshadow a Huckabee triumph in South Carolina, provided the Christians there come out to cheer (and vote) the way they do in South Bend. Remember, Champions of Faith, Lou Holtz, not only coached at Arkansas and became famous at Notre Dame, he also ended his illustrious career as a South Carolina Gamecock. This logic may seem poppycock to the Romney and McCain camp, but I've followed the Irish long enough to know that a Notre Dame connection should never by ignored. Remember O most gracious Virgin ...

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On to South Carolina: Romney wins Michigan, Huckabee 3rd

The memory of his father, and the sheer weight of his wallet, was too much for Michael Huckabee to overcome in Michigan, as Huck finished 3rd again with 16 percent of the vote. Romney totaled 39 percent and New Hampshire victor John McCain got 30 percent.

In his concession speech, Huckabee thanked the voters saying, "We were outspent 50-1 here, so to do as well as we did is a remarkable testament to my Michigan volunteers. So it looks like I won Iowa, John won New Hampshire, and Mitt won Michigan. But ladies and gentlemen, we're going to win South Carolina."

The good news, for Huck's fans is that Romney's victory stopped McCain's momentum. The bad is that this makes South Carolina a MUST win for Huck if he's still going to contend.

Mike IS ahead there, so far, and he's only being outspent there by about 10-1, but win or lose, there is one thing a Huckabee Christian supporter must understand. Mike might be outspent, but he cannot be outprayed. Friday starts what Catholics call Christian Unity Week, and Pope Benedict's 2008 theme, "Pray Unceasing," fits in perfectly for Huck's week too. So onward to South Carolina, and open your Bibles to 1 Thessalonians 5:17. Mike needs our help ...

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St. Ita of Killeedy and Blessed Arnold Janssen: Two saints (of the day) for Huckabee

The day of the Michigan Republic Primary is upon us, and running third place in the polls in a state of 7.4 percent unemployment, both former Arkansas Governor Michael Huckabee and the people of the state need a miracle. In this regard, Fighting Irish Thomas is happy to offer the help of two of today's better known saints (and blesseds), Ita of Ireland, and Arnold Janssen of Germany, to assist both the voters and our favorite candidate.

St. Ita, Ireland's best known woman saint after the brilliant St. Brigid, was born in the sixth century at Durm, now County Waterford. She was originally named Deirdre, but early on she was called Ita (which means "thirst for holiness") for this virtue was so evident in her. She refused a wealthy suitor, took a vow of virginity, migrated (with the guidance of an angel) to a mountain in Limerick, and started a school for boys! The devil was said to attack her, and Satan started fire to her quarters, but the fire only consumed the building, leaving Ita untouched. Instead her monastery "caught fire" spiritually, and her school (which later was expanded to include women) had so many holy graduates, that Ita was nicknamed "the foster-mother of the saints of Erin." When her most famous student, St. Brendan of Clonfert, asked Ita the three things that most pleased and displeased God, her response, "Three things that please God most are true faith in God with a pure heart, a simple life with a grateful spirit, and generosity inspired by charity," is practically straight from Huckabee.com, while her counter answer, "The three things that most displease God are a mouth that hates people, a heart harbouring resentments, and confidence in wealth," almost perfectly depicts Mike's various opponents.

Arnold Janssen was born the second of eight children in Goch (near Munster), Germany, on November 5, 1837. Arnold (like Huck) came from modest means, his father a small-time farmer with a second job in transportation. As busy as he was, Gerhard Janssen not only read the day's Gospel but a commentary on it to his children after dinner, and this (along with his mother's constant vocal praying while attending to the children and farm animals) led Arnold into the priesthood. A dynamic student, Arnold spent the first twelve years after his ordination teaching school, but when attending a Catholic conference, the missionary zeal consumed him, and he resigned his post. Since Catholic missionary seminaries were still illegal then in Germany, Janssen moved to the Netherlands, and, in a run-down inn on the banks of the Meuse, founded the Society of the Divine Word Missionaries.

Taking the motto, "May the heart of Jesus live in the hearts of men!" the society's twin objectives, the training of missionaries and the cultivation of Christian sciences met with much skepticism but Arnold remained undaunted declaring, "the money is already there, in the pockets of the good people who will give it to you at the proper time." He started with nothing and created a society that eventually sent missionaries to China, Papua New Guinea, Japan, Argentina, Brazil, Chile (and shortly before his death in 1909), even Chicago! Also Janssen's Catholic magazines including Little Messengers of the Sacred Heart were an immensely popular innovation at that time, and no doubt inspired the likes of Maximilian Kolbe and later John Paul II. Janssen's "blind faith and deep practicality," certainly can be found in the Huckabee campaign, while Arnold's constant admonition to his charges, "What you cannot accomplish is not the will of God," certainly brings comfort during those primaries when the other candidate's team is too massive to overcome. But those are powerful saints, so let's not rule out a Mike Huckabee "Michigan Miracle" just yet...

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Michael Huckabee and St. Thomas More: First things first

I love being in the GOP,
but I love my country
even more.

–Mike Huckabee, yesterday in Michigan

I am the king's good
servant, but God's
first.

–Sir Thomas More, shortly before his execution by Henry VIII for ‘treason’

With his Michigan support multiplying almost by the minute, underdog Mike Huckabee gave a rousing speech yesterday calling his campaign a "cause" and sounding like St. Thomas More in describing his tussles with the GOP elite. "We're people who will no longer just allow people to get elected, promising that they're listening to us about the sanctity of human life. We want to elect people who will do something about protecting human life," said Huckabee no doubt taking a shot not only at Mitt Romney, who still favored a low co-pay for abortion in Massachusetts even after he became "pro-life," but John McCain, who did his best to remove some of the Republican Party's pro-life planks when he ran for the GOP presidency in 2000.

Huckabee also confirmed the talk on Fighting Irish Thomas when he revealed, "Apparently my candidacy comes as somewhat of a threat to a lot of the Republicans in the Republican establishment—some of the folks who have run the party in the Washington circles," he said. "They've maybe not understood that the heart and soul of the Republican Party is only as strong as the heart and soul of the rest of America."

"I'm asking you today to be part of something more than a campaign," Huck urged. "I want you to be part of a cause." Then echoing the famous English statesman who became a saint, Michael spoke the above quoted words about the country vs. the GOP while urging a group of about one hundred pastors to get out the vote.

While it's true many in the party are still afraid to vote for Huckabee because he does not bow to big GOP money, we must remember that not only was Abraham Lincoln re-elected mostly by the votes of Northern soldiers and their families, but Ronald Reagan was initially elected without the support of the party elite as well. To date, Huckabee has not yet given a "Win one for the Gipper" (Reagan played Notre Dame football player George Gipp in his playing days) speech, or quoted the sixth century English martyr More's views on government. But you can bet that when he does, Fighting Irish Thomas will be ready!

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A Vote from Pat: White haired older ladies support Huckabee

Huckabee may not be getting much support from the high-rollers yet, but he's getting plenty of votes from the rank and file (where the person, not the purse matters) as this delightful letter from Patricia Petit "the white haired older lady" certainly attests.

–Tom

+++

Petit, Patricia; 01/11/2008 10:34 AM -- Mike, I have followed you ever since I heard you speak in Pacatuk (misspelling, I'm sorry), South Carolina at the Rod and Gun Club. There were only about 70 of us there. You and your wife (lovely woman) stood right in front of me. When you finished speaking (right from the heart, no prepared speech) you both walked right up to me and shook my hand. I asked you to sign your book and you did. I was the white haired older lady. I shared with your wife that my lifetime Bible verse was the same as yours, "I can do all things through Christ," (Philip. 4:13). And we can do that so stick with it. If you can, get around South Carolina to the middle class, right down to a one-on-one. Once they hear you talk, they'll know, like me, that you are the man for the job. For the first time in my life I have donated to your campaign 3 times and I'll do it again as I have money to.

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Monaghan Endorses Mitt Money Romney: FOX is SHADY

I've made up my mind/you've got to be all mine all mine/
Foxy Lady

–from the song Foxy Lady by Jimi Hendrix

‘I betrayed him.’

‘But all men betray.’

‘I don't want to betray! I want to believe ... like him. From now on, I will never fight on the
wrong side
again.’

–Scottish Lord, talking about how he will now support the revolutionary William Wallace from the movie Braveheart

While anti-Huckabeeism has been rampant lately, two things struck me as so horrible this week that they stuck with me, and forced Fighting Irish Thomas into further investigation. The first was Domino's Pizza founder (and current chancellor of Ave Maria University), Tom Monaghan, endorsing not Michael Huckabee, a man whose strong Christian pro-life values echo his own Catholic convictions, but the Mormon Mitt Romney, whose pro-life stances have been dubious at best. The second was when FOX News, not only aired a slanderous attack ad on Huckabee but aired it during the Republican debate—the only candidate who was commercially slammed.

Of course, Monaghan, a strict observer of Catholic dogma, who got out of the pizza business and founded Ave Maria University (and its surrounding village) precisely for the reason he felt most Catholic universities, including Notre Dame, weren't Catholic enough, may not be the first of the One Holy and Apostolic Faith to endorse Mitt, but he probably has the highest profile. And while FOX News, especially its lapsed-Catholic Irishmen Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity, have knocked Huck almost from the start, running an attack ad against only one candidate during a debate may be a new low.

But it all became "Bain"fully clear when I realized that Bain Capital, the Boston investment fund founded by none other than Mitt "The Mormon Money Machine" Romney himself, not only bought the majority interest in Monaghan's Domino's Pizza back in 1998, but had reached a leveraged 19.5 billion buyout agreement with Clear Channel Communications (the largest radio station owner in the country), home of not only Rush Limbaugh, but Sean Hannity.

But, first, let's examine the attack ad. In it, Lois Davidson, mother of murdered Carol Sue Shields, blames the crime solely on Huckabee. Her killer, Wayne DuMond, was released from prison during Huckabee's 10-1/2 year tenure as governor, but Mike neither commuted DuMond's life sentence (Mike's predecessor Governor Jim Guy Tucker did that), nor signed DuMond's release (done by the Arkansas Parole Board). Huckabee DID write a letter indicating, based on reports from both the prison and the parole board, that DuMond was reformed enough to be considered. Indeed, not only had DuMond become a born-again Christian, but while on trial for the rape that he was convicted of, DuMond had had his testicles cut off by masked assailants, and they ended up in a jar on display on the Arkansas sheriff's desk. Perhaps, Mike, not to mention the parole board, took DuMond's ill treatment as well as his good behavior into account, but some of the board later showed no balls themselves by blaming Huckabee for a decision that was theirs alone. As Huckabee said later, "if that was true (as Erma Pondexter claims in the commercial), if they did something against their conscience, that says as much about them as it would about me."

And so once again, Huckabee, the only candidate who promised not to run attack ads, is attacked by a group, Victims Voice, that doesn't have the guts to say which candidate's campaign is behind them.

Meanwhile, something in Monaghan's endorsement statement, "As someone who values the importance of faith in one's life, I recognize in Mitt deep religious convictions that will serve him well in facing the critical moral issues (including) pro-life and family values facing our society," is missing. For Monaghan, the man who founded his own Catholic university because he didn't like the way the Faith was being taught, now not only endorsed ANOTHER faith, but one whose "family values" originally endorsed polygamy, whose morals until recently included no black members, and whose doctrines on the Trinity is considered by the Roman Catholic Church to be heretical, just doesn't jive. That is, of course, unless you consider just how money works. Romney's group buys Monaghan's, Monaghan supports Romney's presidency, Romney donates money to Ave Maria ... and so it goes.

So the endorsement that at first makes no sense at all, makes all the sense in the world, for as either Tom (Monaghan or O'Toole) could tell you, no man can serve two masters. And while it may be true that Romney is no longer actively involved in the woeful Bain group (and some claim it was McCain's men, not Mitt's who were responsible for the ad), it doesn't really matter. Mitt's money, not his morals, are still calling the shots aimed at Huckabee, for not only is Mike the only true pro-life candidate, he is the only Republican not part of what Right Smart calls the "Washington-Wall St. Axis" and thus must be taken out.

"Domers for Huckabee" vs. "Ave Marians for Romney"—sadly it has come down to this. While Our Lady would certainly be comfortable with Mike's pro-life stance (with one death penalty exception), I can't imagine Mary being happy with the shifting life issue stances of either Mitt or the Mormon Church. But just as in Braveheart (a movie very apropos to the Huckabee campaign) in which the Irish peasants supported the great Scotchman William Wallace before the Scottish Lords did in his heroic fight against English oppression, so do the working class Christians follow the lead of Huckabee before their rich Catholic counterparts. But most Scottish royalty eventually joined Wallace, so I ask you Mr. Monaghan, in the name of the Lady atop both our universities, UNITE! Join the cause of the only true Christian candidate and leave the corporate compromiser behind. William Wallace proclaimed "FREEDOM!" while Michael Huckabee professes "Faith. Family. Freedom.," but in the end, their message, purchased not with the gold of kings or the cash of corporations but with the blood of patriots, remains the same. And who knows? Maybe even Hannity, (O'Reilly), and Colmes will find their way back home too.

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Wishin’ Mike was in Michigan (or Paris?); Will Huckabee's S.C. strategy lead to victory?

Whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is
our faith.

(1 John 5:4)

After finishing third in New Hampshire, I was initially taken aback by the fact that Fighting Irish Thomas' favorite presidential candidate, Mike Huckabee, was heading not to Michigan, the site of the next Republican primary, but to South Carolina, a state whose vote was ... a full four days later! Of course, after catching my breath (something Mike has not been able to do since August), I realized Mike's strategy made sense; George Romney (Mitt's dad) had been an extremely popular governor in Michigan, while John McCain had won there in his 2000 presidential bid. On the other hand, in South Carolina (as in Iowa), Huckabee had a strong base of Evangelicals which, given time, he can personally meet—and win over, a crucial factor considering not only Mike's down-to-earth persona, but his campaign's lack of money for staff and commercials. In fact Mike will be in Michigan tomorrow (a whirlwind four-day weekend!) but short of being a Catholic saint—that is one of those rare saints who could bilocate—Huck, especially with this new truncated primary schedule, had to concentrate on one state over the other. Indeed, not even bilocation could save Huckabee on Super Tuesday, a date (February 5) when nearly half (23 states) of the country goes to the primary polls at the same time.

The good news is that Huckabee did win Iowa, an amazing David vs. Goliath victory. True, Huck says he was "pleased" with his third place finish in New Hampshire, and he did finish higher than Rudy Giuliani and Ron Paul, not to mention Fred Thompson, whose one percent of the vote barely beat out Granite State zanies (New Hampshire is the one state that allows practically anyone on the ballot, provided they come up with 1,000 bucks) Michael Skok (a middle-aged TV repairman who still lives with mom), Albert Howard (a Michigan "prophet" who said God foretold his victory over Hillary in the general election) and "Vermin Supreme" (his real, if legally changed, name). And although I realize the primaries more resemble college basketball (complete with March—and now February—Madness), I know that when the Irish lost a game 34-11 (McCain's winning N.H. percentage vs. Huckabee's), Notre Dame football coach Charlie Weis would not be happy in any way, shape, or form.

So in the end, the good news for Huckabee fans must be the Good News itself. The above quote from today's Epistle of St. John does guarantee victory, but unfortunately for Mr. Howard, not always in the present battle, or even in our present world. Still, in a campaign devoid of most earthly means (namely MONEY), the constant scriptural reminders from the Daily Mass readings (did you know that today's Communion Antiphon was John 3:16?) lends hope to his followers (both Christ's and Huck's) that He will not abandon them. Huckabee has said that his whole life, from poor child in Hope, Arkansas, to present Republican presidential hopeful, can be summed up by Romans 8:28, and since that is also one of my all-time favorite verses, I have to trust in God for the victory of the man who would guarantee that the words "In God We Trust" not be eliminated from our vocabulary.

Yes, the time grows short, and, remembering that Huck is only one man, we, the people committed to his candidacy must continue to give, whether it be time, money or both, whenever and wherever we can. And on the days we are too poor to contribute, too busy to volunteer, or (in my case) too busy to write, we must remember (to paraphrase Humphrey Bogart's immortal words in Casablanca); we always have prayers.

Here's looking at you, Huck ...

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