McCain's Bold Move

It's been 24 hours since McCain's public announcement that he would suspend his campaign on Thursday and bypass the first presidential debate with "The Messiah" (a.k.a. Barrack Hussein Obama) on Friday night in order to ensure his full and active participation as a U.S. Senator on the financial bailout legislation currently under consideration in the Congress.

I must admit that my first reaction was "What the heck is he doing now?!" It was an extremely bold move, especially when considering he has lost all of his post-convention bump and is back to trailing by a few points nationally in most polls. McCain has been making some serious mistakes in his campaign over the past few weeks (see tomorrow's R.C. Blog post...).

As you have probably already read in the mainstream newspapers this morning, they are profiling McCain as "scared", "overreacting", or "running away from the debate". Regarding the debate, nothing could be further from the truth. Without a teleprompter, Obama is going to have trouble speaking, let alone articulating, his positions on issues. Regardless of his actual performance, the press will tearfully praise him and compare him to Martin Luther King.

After sleeping on it, I feel a little bit better (only a little...) about the move to suspend the campaign. Only time will tell if this move was successful or a disaster in the eyes of voters, especially the estimated 18 percent in our country who have not yet made a decision on their candidate. It could be the "tipping point" of the entire campaign. For those opposed to Marxism invading our country starting January 20, 2009, I hope and pray that voters look at the move as bold and presidential.

Seven Sons Lay Hero Dad to Rest

Here's an article from this week's National Catholic Register on a Northern Virginia Catholic gentleman who truly gave his life to his family. As a society, we need to stop idolizing the musicians, athletes, and actors and give credit to heroes and role models like Mr. Vander Woude.
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Thomas Vander Woude Died as He Lived — Giving His Life for a Son

BY Tim Drake
Register Senior Writer

September 28-October 4, 2008 Issue

NOKESVILLE, Va. — The story of a Catholic father dying to save his son started being told in a small town in Virginia. Then on the front page of the The Washington Post. Then it began to be repeated on blogs and in online discussions from coast to coast.

But those who know him say they always knew Thomas Vander Woude was special. Whether it was installing a gymnasium floor, training altar boys or coaching sports, when the daily communicant father of seven saw a need, he stepped in.

That trait led to the ultimate sacrifice on Sept. 8, when he dove into a septic tank to save the life of his son.

Anne Carroll, director of Seton High School, in Manassas, where Vander Woude coached, served on the board and volunteered, said Vander Woulde sacrificed for others “on a daily basis.”
“He died as he lived,” Carroll said.

Born in Sioux Falls, S.D., in 1942, Vander Woude left the farm to join the Navy. A pilot, he served the country for 17 years and was a Vietnam War veteran. He married Mary Ellen Earley in 1964, and the couple raised seven sons: Tom, Steve, Dan, Bob, Chris, Pat and Joseph. In 2002, he retired after 26 years as a commercial airline pilot. Between 2002 and 2007, he served as athletics director at Christendom College in Front Royal.

The more than 2,000 people, 70 priests and one bishop who attended his funeral Mass on Sept. 15 at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Gainesville, all came to pay their respects to a man who inspired them not only in life, but also in death.

Vander Woude’s son Father Thomas Vander Woude celebrated the Mass and gave the homily. Bishop Paul Loverde of Arlington, Va., presided.

A Selfless Life

Vander Woude’s life was marked by selflessness and humility. His third son, Dan, who lives next door to his parents in Nokesville, said that when his father saw a need, he didn’t worry about whether he was the most qualified — he just stepped in.

“He didn’t know soccer, but there was a need, so he went to coaching clinics to learn that,” Dan recalled. “Whether it was coaching basketball, soccer or directing altar boys, he was very good with young men.”

There were several things about his father’s spiritual life that stood out for him.

“When others asked about the secrets of success for raising Catholic families, he was always quick to point to the family Rosary,” said Dan. “He was definitely devoted to Our Lady.”

“He also did a Holy Hour between two and three in the morning and was a daily communicant. With the Rosary, he used to say a prayer to St. Joseph,” added Dan. “Those were the things in front of us that we saw of our father. In this culture, which is selling a lot of stuff, I had a father on his knees who was showing me how to be a man of God.”

Vander Woude’s devotion to the Blessed Mother also led the family to host an annual Marian festival/procession/picnic on their farm the last Sunday of May. Hundreds of family friends and acquaintances would attend the celebration, which the family held for nearly two decades.

A Father’s Love

Vander Woude, 66, died while helping his youngest son, Joseph, 20, who has Down syndrome. Joseph fell through an old cover that gave way into a septic tank on their property. Vander Woude yelled to a workman to call 911 and jumped in, forcing himself past Joseph so that he could get underneath him to hold him up.

According to family friend Michael McGrath, Vander Woude told the worker, “You pull, I’ll push.”

“As he lifted Joseph up, his eyes closed, and he collapsed into the tank,” said McGrath. “When the paramedics came, they were unable to resuscitate him.”

Those who knew him said that his love for his sons was paramount.

“His son Bob said, ‘It’s so right that he died saving one of us,’” said Peter Westhoff, a former teacher at Seton, where Vander Woude’s sons went to school.

“One time on the farm, he told me, ‘You know, I don’t want any of the boys to ever leave. I’d love to have them around me all my life,’” recalled Westhoff.

To that end, Vander Woude had his 26-acre property split up, giving an acre of land to each of his sons. Two of his sons live on the nearby parcels.

Westhoff remembers a time in the mid-1990s when a school in Washington, D.C., was closing, and he went there to get materials for his school. When Westhoff entered the biology lab, there among the jarred lab specimens was a human fetus. Westhoff didn’t feel it was appropriate to leave it, but he wasn’t sure what to do.

He called Vander Woude’s eldest son, Father Thomas Vander Woude, now pastor of Queen of Apostles Church in Alexandria. “He said, ‘I’m sure my dad and mom would have a burial on the farm,’” said Westhoff. “When I called Mr. Vander Woude, there wasn’t any hesitation.”

Friend Pete Scheetz built a small pine coffin for the child. “When Mr. Vander Woude saw the pine coffin, he commented, ‘Where can we get in line for ours?’” remembers Westhoff.

After Vander Woude’s death, Scheetz built another simple pine coffin for his friend. Scheetz’ wife and the Vander Woude daughters-in-law added a personal touch, sewing in the wedding dress of Mary Ellen, Vander Woude’s wife, as the lining.

Faithful to the End

As difficult as Vander Woude’s passing has been for his family, son Dan said that there have been many blessings. One comfort is that their father, who was dedicated to the Rosary, died on the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and was buried on the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.

“One consolation is that God is using Dad’s witness to touch a lot of people’s hearts,” said Dan.
Vander Woude’s dying act was “truly saintly” and “the crown of a whole life of self-giving,” Bishop Loverde said at the Mass, according to The Washington Post. “May we find in his life inspiration and strength.”

Said Dan, “We’ve heard of priests in Spain and Colorado preaching about my dad’s death during their homilies on the feast of the Triumph of the Cross. I’ve also heard from many friends that his story is inspiring other husbands and fathers for how they should be leading their daily lives.”

Congressman Pence Gets It Right!

My favorite member of the Congress, U.S. Congressman Mike Pence from Indiana, is circulating the following “Dear Colleague” letter among his fellow House Republicans regarding the current economic conditions and bailout proposals....

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Republicans Should Oppose the Bailout Plan

“Nationalizing Every Bad Mortgage in America Is Not the Answer”

Dear Republican Colleague:

Our financial markets are in turmoil and the Administration was right to call for decisive action to prevent further harm to our economy, but nationalizing every bad mortgage in America is not the answer.

As Bill Kristol wrote in “A Fine Mess” in today's New York Times:

"And I acknowledge that there are serious people who think the situation too urgent and the day too late to allow for a real public and Congressional debate on what should be done. But — based on conversations with economists, Wall Street types, businessmen and public officials — I’m doubtful that the only thing standing between us and a financial panic is for Congress to sign this week, on behalf of the American taxpayer, a $700 billion check over to the Treasury. "

The Administration's request amounts to the largest corporate bailout in American history. Congress should act, but should act in a way that protects the integrity of our free market and protects the American taxpayer from more debt and higher taxes. Congress must not hastily embrace a cure that may do more harm to our economy than the disease of bad debt.

And the stakes for our free market could not be higher.

As George Will observed on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos program yesterday,

"When the British Labour Party was socialist, it defined socialism as government control of the commanding heights of the economy. And in Britain, at that time, it was coal, steel, and railroads. The commanding heights of the American economy are financial services, and they are now controlled by the government. "

To avoid a slide into socialism for our financial sector, Congress must consider all available options to put our nation's economy back on its feet. There are no easy answers but there are alternatives to massive government spending.

As was observed in an editorial titled “A Bad Bank Rescue” by Sebastian Mallaby published in The Washington Post on Sunday, September 21, 2008:

"Within hours of the Treasury announcement Friday, economists had proposed preferable alternatives. Their core insight is that it is better to boost the banking system by increasing its capital than by reducing its loans. Given a fatter capital cushion, banks would have time to dispose of the bad loans in an orderly fashion. Taxpayers would be spared the experience of wandering into a bad-loan bazaar and being ripped off by every merchant. "

Alternatives to a massive federal bailout must be fully considered and debated before Congress acts.

Finally, any new expenditure of taxpayer dollars should be paid for with fiscal discipline and reform. If Congress decides to spend nearly 1 trillion dollars on a corporate bailout, it must find budget savings to prevent that cost from being passed along to the American people.

As our distinguished former Republican Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, wrote in a post titled “Before D.C. Gets Our Money, It Owes Us Some Answers” on The Corner on National Review Online yesterday and prominently displayed today on the homepage under the headline “Newt: Wait One Minute”:

"Congress has an obligation to protect the taxpayer. Congress has an obligation to limit the executive branch to the rule of law. Congress has an obligation to perform oversight. Congress was designed by the Founding Fathers to move slowly, precisely to avoid the sudden panic of a one-week solution that becomes a 20-year mess. "

I urge you to join me and other conservative voices in opposing the bailout plan. Republicans should demand that Congress take time in deliberating the merits of any legislation until the facts and competing solutions can be fully debated. We should demand consideration of free market alternatives to massive government spending and we should fight to pay for the solution through budget cuts and reform instead of more debt or taxes.

Sincerely,

Mike Pence
Member of Congress

Greatest Movie Line Ever!

Sorry for not posting over the past several days. Hoping to post daily starting today. I am in the process of changing over the R.C.'s YouTube videos to some newer technology, so please be patient with the video feeds until the kinks are out.

Here's a short video that contains one of the greatest movie lines ever. Kudos to legendary Bob Hope for telling it like it is!

Dear Mr. Obama