The Walrus and the Carpenter

The sun was shining on the sea,
Shining with all his might:
He did his very best to make
The billows smooth and bright--
And this was odd, because it was
The middle of the night.

The moon was shining sulkily,
Because she thought the sun
Had got no business to be there
After the day was done--
"It's very rude of him," she said,
"To come and spoil the fun!"

The sea was wet as wet could be,
The sands were dry as dry.
You could not see a cloud, because
No cloud was in the sky:
No birds were flying overhead--
There were no birds to fly.

The Walrus and the Carpenter
Were walking close at hand;
They wept like anything to see
Such quantities of sand:
"If this were only cleared away,"
They said, "it would be grand!"

"If seven maids with seven mops
Swept it for half a year.
Do you suppose," the Walrus said,
"That they could get it clear?"
"I doubt it," said the Carpenter,
And shed a bitter tear.

"O Oysters, come and walk with us!"
The Walrus did beseech.
"A pleasant walk, a pleasant talk,
Along the briny beach:
We cannot do with more than four,
To give a hand to each."

The eldest Oyster looked at him,
But never a word he said:
The eldest Oyster winked his eye,
And shook his heavy head--
Meaning to say he did not choose
To leave the oyster-bed.

But four young Oysters hurried up,
All eager for the treat:
Their coats were brushed, their faces washed,
Their shoes were clean and neat--
And this was odd, because, you know,
They hadn't any feet.

Four other Oysters followed them,
And yet another four;
And thick and fast they came at last,
And more, and more, and more--
All hopping through the frothy waves,
And scrambling to the shore.

The Walrus and the Carpenter
Walked on a mile or so,
And then they rested on a rock
Conveniently low:
And all the little Oysters stood
And waited in a row.

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--
Of cabbages--and kings--
And why the sea is boiling hot--
And whether pigs have wings."

"But wait a bit," the Oysters cried,
"Before we have our chat;
For some of us are out of breath,
And all of us are fat!"
"No hurry!" said the Carpenter.
They thanked him much for that.

"A loaf of bread," the Walrus said,
"Is what we chiefly need:
Pepper and vinegar besides
Are very good indeed--
Now if you're ready, Oysters dear,
We can begin to feed."

"But not on us!" the Oysters cried,
Turning a little blue.
"After such kindness, that would be
A dismal thing to do!"
"The night is fine," the Walrus said.
"Do you admire the view?

"It was so kind of you to come!
And you are very nice!"
The Carpenter said nothing but
"Cut us another slice:
I wish you were not quite so deaf--
I've had to ask you twice!"

"It seems a shame," the Walrus said,
"To play them such a trick,
After we've brought them out so far,
And made them trot so quick!"
The Carpenter said nothing but
"The butter's spread too thick!"

"I weep for you," the Walrus said:
"I deeply sympathize."
With sobs and tears he sorted out
Those of the largest size,
Holding his pocket-handkerchief
Before his streaming eyes.

"O Oysters," said the Carpenter,
"You've had a pleasant run!
Shall we be trotting home again?'
But answer came there none--
And this was scarcely odd, because
They'd eaten every one.

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More on the Notre Dame Scandal...

Though I try not to get caught up in scandals, the issue with Notre Dame is close to my heart. As a graduate, I know the prevailing atmosphere there, and it has deteriorated since my time. When we talk about sending our children there, I cringe. I don't want them in the same environment that helped convince me to leave the church. For this reason, I feel it necessary to speak out on this issue, as it is for me a microcosm of what has been happening at Notre Dame for the past generation or two.

Today, Notre Dame forwarded to me a letter that was sent to all the Notre Dame graduates. Here is an excerpt:

The decision to invite President Obama to Notre Dame to receive an honorary degree and deliver the Commencement address has triggered debate. In many cases, the debate has grown heated, even between people who agree completely on Church teaching regarding the sanctity of human life, who agree completely that we should work for change – and differ only on how we should work for change.
Yet, there has been an extra dimension to your debate. You have discussed this issue with each other while being observed, interviewed, and evaluated by people who are interested in this story. You engaged each other with passion, intelligence and respect. And I saw no sign that your differences led to division. You inspire me. We need the wider society to be more like you; it is good that we are sending you into that world on Sunday.
I am saddened that many friends of Notre Dame have suggested that our invitation to President Obama indicates ambiguity in our position on matters of Catholic teaching. The University and I are unequivocally committed to the sanctity of human life and to its protection from conception to natural death.
Notre Dame has a long custom of conferring honorary degrees on the President of the United States. It has never been a political statement or an endorsement of policy. It is the University’s expression of respect for the leader of the nation and the Office of the President. In the Catholic tradition, our first allegiance is to God in Christ, yet we are called to respect, participate in, and contribute to the wider society. As St. Peter wrote (I Pt. 2:17), we should honor the leader who upholds the secular order.
At the same time, and born of the same duty, a Catholic university has a special obligation not just to honor the leader but to engage the culture. Carrying out this role of the Catholic university has never been easy or without controversy. When I was an undergraduate at Notre Dame, Fr. Hesburgh spoke of the Catholic university as being both a lighthouse and a crossroads. As a lighthouse, we strive to stand apart and be different, illuminating issues with the moral and spiritual wisdom of the Catholic tradition. Yet, we must also be a crossroads through which pass people of many different perspectives, backgrounds, faiths, and cultures. At this crossroads, we must be a place where people of good will are received with charity, are able to speak, be heard, and engage in responsible and reasoned dialogue.
The President’s visit to Notre Dame can help lead to broader engagement on issues of importance to the country and of deep significance to Catholics. Ultimately, I hope that the conversations and the good will that come from this day will contribute to closer relations between Catholics and public officials who make decisions on matters of human life and human dignity.
There is much to admire and celebrate in the life and work of President Obama. His views and policies on immigration, expanding health care, alleviating poverty, and building peace through diplomacy have a deep resonance with Catholic social teaching. As the first African-American holder of this office, he has accelerated our country’s progress in overcoming the painful legacy of slavery and segregation. He is a remarkable figure in American history, and I look forward to welcoming him to Notre Dame.

My response to this is predictable, as you know how I love to pick apart poor logic. I wrote the office of the president at Notre Dame the following:


Dear Father Jenkins,


I received a copy of the letter you have sent to the graduating class regarding the controversy surrounding President Obama's speech. I think that your comments would make sense if you were merely inviting him to speak--but that is not the most serious issue here. An argument based solely on the long-standing custom of conferring honorary degrees on presidents holds little water. Such an excuse could have easily been used by a German Catholic university to confer such an honor on Chancellor Hitler in 1938, and would have been a grave error then, just as it is now. To confer an honorary degree is not merely an honor; it is in essence an act of wrapping its recipient in Our Lady's blue mantle, with all that may entail. No one would suggest, in hindsight, that it would have been wise to confer an honor of this sort on a man such as Hitler became.

Nor did he ever make a secret of his aims. Our current President has likewise made his aims clear, and to embrace him in this way shows more than just poor judgment; despite all protestation to the contrary, it does indeed serve as a tacit approval of this man's policies, both current and future. The day may come, as it did for those who trusted Hitler, that we will rue such a decision for many years to come.

Please understand that I am not inferring that Obama is another Hitler; only that the policies of Hitler were quite obviously incompatible with Church teaching, yet the leadership of the Church took the same stance you are taking, and did not rebuff him. We still bear the brunt of this neglect, as evidenced by reaction to the Pope's current trip to Jerusalem. To engage leaders that hold views such as Mr. Obama's requires not honorary degrees but a willingness to stand our ground as people of exceptional and unbending moral character. Any less is just appeasement.






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War, weapons and right

The world we live in right now and the leaders who govern it (or is govern the right word???) call to mind a bit of wisdom that is understood by few and scarcely dreamt of by most.

A perfect paradigm for teaching this wisdom lies in the current initiative by President Obama to eliminate all nuclear weapons, in the name of consistency, good will and a wholly Christian sense of peacemaking.

I applaud the sentiment, for it indeed seems just, as none can possibly deny a) the hypocrisy of denying other nations access to them; b) the absolute horror that nuclear weapons embody; and c) that we ought, as Christians, to promote peace and good will among all the nations. Blessed are the peacemakers and all that.

The conundrum, however, is this: as a single person, one ought rightly to observe one’s conscience and the teachings of the church in dealing with others. Likewise, a group of people retain a collective conscience, which is ideally a homogenous patchwork of morality and right. But when that group is expanded to the size of a nation, the proportion between the constituents and those governing it becomes tenuous, and—unless buttressed by the pillars of strength that are faith and morality—the ability of the whole organism to maintain that collective conscience erodes.

Moreover, in accepting the governance of a group of such size, one is bound to no longer rely solely on his own conscience in matters of right and wrong—he must, in matters of importance to the state, regularly submit to the collective conscience, whether it is voiced by ballots or by royal council. This voice demands both safety and justice. Therefore he must, at times, employ such means as necessary to achieve these ends, or risk both the stability of his country as well as his reign. Unlike our only true Father, for whom both means and ends are one, the earthly ruler is often bedeviled by these details…for if Christians lived and died wholly by Christ’s teachings, we would surely be extinct.

Though a ruler be just and good, though he be upright in all things, yet when the devil knocks, he must choose between his country…and his soul…

My kingdom is not of this world, said Jesus when questioned by Pilate. As his death approached, he proclaimed: Now is the judgment of the world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. (Jn 12:31)

If Christ is not the prince of this world, then we must understand who the prince of this world is, and we must understand that to be a ruler means to serve under this prince. This is why Christ exhorted us:

And call none your father upon earth; for one is your father, who is in heaven. Neither be ye called masters; for one is your master, Christ. (Mt 23:9-10)

Pray, then, for our leaders, and for the people that they govern, that we may not suffer the end of those who have not faith:

Jesus therefore said to them: If God were your Father, you would indeed love me. For from God I proceeded, and came; for I came not of myself, but he sent me: Why do you not know my speech? Because you cannot hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and he stood not in the truth; because truth is not in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father thereof. (Jn 8:42-44)

Pilate therefore said to him: Art thou a king then? Jesus answered: Thou sayest that I am a king. For this was I born, and for this came I into the world; that I should give testimony to the truth. Every one that is of the truth, heareth my voice.

Pilate saith to him: What is truth? (Jn 18:37-38)

By their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and the evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, shall be cut down, and shall be cast into the fire. (Mt 7:16-19)

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So hard to remember, so easy to forget...

When bad things happen, what do you do?

Even the most prayerful among us cannot help but react in more or less the same way when troubles set in: we seek to avoid them, we fret over them, and we bemoan our fate. Many wonder why, if God is so great, does He allow terrible things to happen? Doesn’t He care? Is it possible that He cannot control these things?

The most common explanation for these questions has to do with free will, and Adam’s fall, and the introduction of pain and suffering as a consequence. This is a valid and important component in understanding human suffering; however, there is another equally important component that is often overlooked, because it is much more difficult to comprehend. It involves a radical re-thinking of our understanding of pain and suffering.

Our God…is a God of exquisite suffering.

OK, that’s a rather shocking suggestion, in part because it smacks of accusing God of being a sadist. Our minds naturally rebel against the mere suggestion that suffering could be good, much less the suggestion that suffering plays a part in the nature of our God. The idea is so far contrary to common sense that we never even consider such a thing. Yet if we allow ourselves to explore this idea, we find that it is nearly impossible to deny.

…He will reign on David's throne…(2 Sam 7:16)

Christ was the long-awaited Messiah: many had expected that He would deliver them--not just spiritually, but physically--from the yoke of the pagan Romans. Like his forefather David, he would be a great warrior who would establish a new and glorious kingdom.

Yet how could Our Lord employ violence? How is it possible that God himself could commit sin, whether by lying, stealing or killing? Though he clothed himself in a mantle of weakness by becoming human, it is inconceivable that he could accomplish the salvation of all people by the sword.

…for all that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot ask my Father, and he will give me presently more than twelve legions of angels? How then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that so it must be done? (Matthew 26:52-54)

Instead, he was led as a sheep to the slaughter and made to suffer insult, injury and ignominious death. So then if suffering were truly evil, how could Christ have submitted to such a thing?

Moreover, of all the might at His disposal, why should our Lord choose such submission as the means of our salvation? Surely He would have preferred an easier way! Rather, Christ desired this path of redemption precisely because suffering is the natural consequence of all the things that Christ himself instructed us to do:

But I say to you that hear: Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you. Bless them that curse you, and pray for them that calumniate you. And to him that striketh thee on the one cheek, offer also the other. And him that taketh away from thee thy cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every one that asketh thee, and of him that taketh away thy goods, ask them not again.

And as you would that men should do to you, do you also to them in like manner. And if you love them that love you, what thanks are to you? for sinners also love those that love them. And if you do good to them who do good to you, what thanks are to you? for sinners also do this. And if you lend to them of whom you hope to receive, what thanks are to you? for sinners also lend to sinners, for to receive as much. But love ye your enemies: do good, and lend, hoping for nothing thereby: and your reward shall be great, and you shall be the sons of the Highest; for he is kind to the unthankful, and to the evil.

Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven. Give, and it shall be given to you: good measure and pressed down and shaken together and running over shall they give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you shall mete withal, it shall be measured to you again.

Luke 6:27-38

Could anyone hope to follow such instructions without being made both pauper and laughingstock? Yet all of these things Christ himself did, and He exhorted all who would listen to do the same, time and again.

…Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are ye when they shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against you, untruly, for my sake: Be glad and rejoice, for your reward is very great in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets that were before you.

Matthew 5: 11-12

The entire New Testament teems with examples of Christ’s teachings on the subject. Surely Christ regarded suffering as a necessary “evil” for the salvation of our souls! Surely no one of passing familiarity with scripture would argue otherwise. The early Christian martyrs, the desert hermits, the Church Fathers, the monastics—all of these understood this perfectly.

Yet all of us, when we attempt to put Christ’s words into practice, fail again and again, because our common sense continues to be unable to take insult after insult, to forgive “70 times 7 times”, to give until it hurts. Surely we must take some self-preservation into account!

Here we are forced to realize that though all these things seem bad to us because of our human condition, these things are not evil in the eyes of God, nor do they truly cause suffering to those who no longer are imprisoned by the flesh.

But this still does not necessarily mean that the nature of God Himself is one of suffering—only that it is necessary for us as humans to suffer if we wish to gain eternal life. How can we interpolate further? To truly understand this concept would require a library and a lifetime…so any hopes of fully explaining it in a mere blog post are beyond impossible. I will briefly touch on the subject, but if you are interested in more on the subject, you’ll need that library…

The people that walked in Darkness…

The best way I can possibly describe this concept in brief is…light. We are not strangers to the concept of light as a symbol of the divine, from “Let there be light” to “the light of the world” to the tongues of flame that came to rest on the disciples’ heads at Pentecost. Nearly every religion associates light with divinity, and for good reason. Without light, there would be no life, no warmth, no energy…it is that without which nothing else could be.

But light has another very interesting property: it is opposite, but not equal to, darkness. By this I mean that, though you can shine a light into a dark room, you can not shine a dark into a light room. Light has a positive nature. The only way to escape from the sunlight is to block it with something, from a parasol to a planet. Darkness is merely the lack of light. (To say that it has a negative nature would make it sound equal and opposite, as in math…so rather than giving it that name, we might call it imperfect. Aristotle called the positive actual and the imperfect potential…) It is easy to see how we can draw parallels between this sort of positive nature and divinity.

There are many other things on this earth which share this sort of nature…heat, energy…even life itself will persist unless stopped. It is even possible to loosely claim that goodness and evil are like light and dark; however, the nuances that exist within both words are very tricky, and do not always work out as we would expect. Suffering happens to be one of those things, as it is normally—and naturally—lumped in with evil. But if we look at suffering, we find that perhaps it is not so.

For example, we said that escaping from the sun required some sort of blockage. At first glance, we might naturally assume that suffering is due to a blockage of health or well-being. But which one actually does something? And which one has something done to it? The light dispels the darkness, not the other way ‘round…heat travels from warm areas to cool areas…and illness, pain, heartache…they disrupt the equilibrium of health and well being and contentment. Like force upon a body at rest, it is suffering that acts upon our frail humanity.

Yes, I didn’t believe it at first either, but the more I questioned it, the more certain I became: Suffering, like light, is positive in nature…and like all things positive in nature, has its true source in the Divine.

The antithesis of Pandora

Think about our example of the sun again: its light is so intense that it has the ability to blind us. Likewise, the heat and energy it produces can be punishing. Even though they are essentially good and necessary, our bodies are often unable to tolerate those things of positive nature in too great intensity. It is exactly so with suffering.

However, when our souls leave our bodies, light and heat and suffering shall not cease to exist for us—but because we are not encountering them with our bodies, our experience of them will not be the same. We shall then be able to see clearly how every instance of suffering opens for us an avenue of spiritual growth, healing and redemption.

We are now like those who, accustomed to a dark room, squint and curse at the bright sunlight. The nature of our sinfulness—of our bondage to Satan—makes us recoil at the helping hand that suffering brings. When our all-too-human desire for comfort causes us to recoil at suffering, we are unknowingly recoiling from God’s grace.

For yes, suffering is pure unadulterated grace.

Only when we manage to put our instinct for self-preservation aside do we succeed in turning the other cheek. Only when we continually put ourselves last—without complaining—do we succeed in continually putting others first. Only when we give everything we have do we succeed in taking up our cross as Christ commanded. And only when we welcome suffering do we receive this enormously healing grace, not merely for ourselves, but for all. Impossible, you say? Well, naturally!

And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God…To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. Who having heard, was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God.

Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus…And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

And behold thy cousin Elizabeth, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren: Because no word shall be impossible with God. And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word.

(Luke 1: 26-38)

Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.

With these words, Mary brought into this world God’s own son. If this was possible, then even our own tiny little ‘fiats’ can bring untold grace into the darkness of this world. When we get the sniffles, we can say ‘fiat’-- Thy will be done, Lord. When we are bedridden with double pneumonia, it is quite a bit harder to say, but the harder it is, the more grace there is waiting. When our lives are crashing down on all sides…when we face anger, guilt, despair…when our loved ones don’t treat us as they should…when we are reviled and persecuted and slandered…we must learn to see the hand of God--not punishing us, but reaching out to us. Mary didn’t have to say ‘fiat’, and neither do we. But by doing so, she became Queen of Heaven, mother and mediatrix to the human race. And in a small way, we too participate in God’s plan for our salvation by accepting our crosses…with a kiss.

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Some light reading for you...

OK, for those who will only use the Douay-Rheims Bible, this may not be in your book, but I understand it can be found in the vulgate as 4 Esdras? The following quotes are from the Revised Standard Version, which was the only version I could find. Link here. In this version, the following excerpts are listed as 2 Esdras chapter 15 and 16. I highly recommend reading the whole thing, but here are some particularly interesting quotes:

“…Do not fear the plots against you, and do not be troubled by the unbelief of those who oppose you. For every unbeliever shall die in his unbelief."
"Behold," says the Lord, "I bring evils upon the world, the sword and famine and death and destruction. For iniquity has spread throughout every land, and their harmful deeds have reached their limit. (2 Esdras 15:3-6)

Let the farmers that till the ground mourn, because their seed shall fail and their trees shall be ruined by blight and hail and by a terrible tempest.
Alas for the world and for those who live in it!
For the sword and misery draw near them, and nation shall rise up to fight against nation, with swords in their hands.
For there shall be unrest among men; growing strong against one another, they shall in their might have no respect for their king or the chief of their leaders.
For a man will desire to go into a city, and shall not be able.
For because of their pride the cities shall be in confusion, the houses shall be destroyed, and people shall be afraid.
A man shall have no pity upon his neighbors, but shall make an assault upon their houses with the sword, and plunder their goods, because of hunger for bread and because of great tribulation. (2 Esdras 15:13-19)

The nations of the dragons of Arabia shall come out with many chariots, and from the day that they set out, their hissing shall spread over the earth, so that all who hear them fear and tremble.
Also the Carmonians**, raging in wrath, shall go forth like wild boars of the forest, and with great power they shall come, and engage them in battle, and shall devastate a portion of the land of the Assyrians with their teeth.
And then the dragons, remembering their origin, shall become still stronger; and if they combine in great power and turn to pursue them, then these shall be disorganized and silenced by their power, and shall turn and flee.
And from the land of the Assyrians an enemy in ambush shall beset them and destroy one of them, and fear and trembling shall come upon their army, and indecision upon their kings.
Behold, clouds from the east, and from the north to the south; and their appearance is very threatening, full of wrath and storm.
They shall dash against one another and shall pour out a heavy tempest upon the earth, and their own tempest; and there shall be blood from the sword as high as a horse's belly and a man's thigh and a camel's hock.
And there shall be fear and great trembling upon the earth; and those who see that wrath shall be horror-stricken, and they shall be seized with trembling. (2 Esdras 15:29-37)

Behold, provision will be so cheap upon earth that men will imagine that peace is assured for them, and then the calamities shall spring up on the earth -- the sword, famine, and great confusion.
For many of those who live on the earth shall perish by famine; and those who survive the famine shall die by the sword.
And the dead shall be cast out like dung, and there shall be no one to console them; for the earth shall be left desolate, and its cities shall be demolished.
No one shall be left to cultivate the earth or to sow it.
The trees shall bear fruit, and who will gather it?
The grapes shall ripen, and who will tread them? For in all places there shall be great solitude; one man will long to see another, or even to hear his voice.
For out of a city, ten shall be left; and out of the field, two who have hidden themselves in thick groves and clefts in the rocks.
As in an olive orchard three or four olives may be left on every tree, or as when a vineyard is gathered some clusters may be left by those who search carefully through the vineyard, so in those days three or four shall be left by those who search their houses with the sword. (2 Esdras 16: 21-31)

As Holy Week approaches, we should be mindful that our Lord says, “Such as I love, I rebuke and chastise. Be zealous therefore, and do penance.” (Apocalypse 3:19) Then let us remind ourselves to rejoice in all circumstances, as our Lord chastises us for love’s sake.

**Carmania was located in what is now Iran. Assyria at its height covered everything from Iraq westward to the Mediterranean sea and part of Egypt, Arabia and Turkey.

How is this not abundantly obvious???

Though I always preface all of my comments regarding the economy with the disclaimer that I am such a poor economist that I couldn't keep to a budget if my life depended on it, I also insist that this detachment keeps me from being muddled. After all, does it really take a genius to see that we've had this coming for a long time?

Case in point: I have been arguing my point of view quite a lot lately, all of it falling on deaf ears. Every time I felt I desperately needed a big dry erase board so that I could illustrate what I am talking about. Rather than having to make drawings, I have culled a few charts to help me here.

Our first chart here shows the history of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, from 1885 to the present. Do you see that little blip around '29-'32? Yep, that's the Great Depression. It looks like nothing compared with the runup that started in the '80s and is on its way down now. The precipitous rise was hampered for a while by 9/11/01, as you can see, but was aggressively resuscitated. Those who are still in denial, are naiively optimistic, or are simply not being intellectually honest continue to insist that with more aggressive resuscitation, we will recover again and somehow maintain this unbelievable high...Now here's the same chart, though it only goes as far as 2004 and it is calculated logarithmically--meaning that the meteoric rise you saw in that first chart is compressed significantly. I like the fact that the person who made this chart has demonstrated what I have repeatedly pointed out. No matter how dramatic the rises and falls, they tend to go in periods...the upward growth is relatively smooth...but the periods that follow this upward growth are chaotic, having a jagged or 'roller coaster' effect. It is during these periods that people suffered the most. The sacred cow "free market" always eventually fixed these problems (though, if this chart is right, it takes between 10 and 20 years...), but what happened to the real people on stage while the free market did its work behind the scenes? What happened to the average standard of living? What happened to crime levels during these periods? How did people cope with all of this? These are the questions we need to be asking right now.

Regardless of whether the Obama Administration does everything in its power (at which I tremble...); regardless of whether or not the free market will always correct itself if it is allowed to do so; regardless of how far we fall and how fast, what will help us most right now is to understand what life was like during those red phases. There were lots of casualties, both figuratively and literally. We have got to face this fact, the sooner the better.

Here's another example to reinforce my insistence that when markets become unsustainable, they have no choice but to correct themselves. This sounds fine in theory, but this is what a correction typically looks like; and the higher the rise, the greater the fall. These two charts show the 1929 Stock market crash and the Nasdaq crash in the late '90s/early '00s. We have every reason to expect our chart to look like this. However, if you look back up at that first chart, at how we shot up into the stratosphere over the past three decades, the prospect of what is to come becomes rather frightening. If our chart is going to look like these ones, we've got a long way to go before we hit bottom!

But I believe that the next chart is the most telling of all, and it is the main reason why I've been predicting this for over ten years. This chart shows the level of personal household debt compared with our Nation's Gross Domestic Product:Our level of personal debt grew very significantly during the '80s, but then in the late '90s it shot way up and has by now broken the 100% line. This means that our personal debt--our mortgages, credit cards, etc--exceeds our earning capacity. This doesn't even take into account our government's national debt. When did this precarious situation last occur? You guessed it--the late '20s. And the graph more or less mirrors the ones we've been looking at above...

Surely you are getting the picture. There is a reason why, historically, graphs with huge upswings are followed by huge downswings. It's pure and simple common sense. If I have to explain it to you, you must be an economist.

...See that ye be not troubled. For these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
(Matthew 24:6)

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An open letter to Notre Dame

Dear Father Jenkins,

It has come to my attention that not only will President Barack Obama will be the principal speaker at Notre Dame’s commencement Ceremony on May 17, but he will also receive an honorary doctor of laws degree. As a Notre Dame Alumna, I fail to understand how this could be so. Is it accurate to say that Notre Dame is Catholic, or has it fallen prey to the secular humanism that prevails in our misguided society?

As Catholics, we are bound not only to be salt and light to the world, but we must further resist the temptation to follow the mores of the rest of the world. "Adulterers, know you not that the friendship of this world is the enemy of God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of this world, becometh an enemy of God," spoke James in his epistle. Shall Notre Dame be friends with this world, bestowing its honors upon a man who has proved himself to be an enemy of the unborn? I know what words our Lord would use to describe such an act, but out of respect for the remnant of a University I once loved, I will not use them here.

To say that I am disappointed scarcely describes the sensation of disgust nor the heartfelt sorrow when I consider that what was once a beacon of Catholic truth to the world has become as salt without flavor: "...wherewith shall it be salted? It is good for nothing any more but to be cast out, and to be trodden on by men." (Matthew 5:13) This is what Notre Dame's reputation for worldliness has done for it. You may congratulate yourselves that our President has agreed to honor you with his presence.

Those of us, however, who love God and His laws more than we do any President, shall weep. For you cannot have both the honor of a man who said he would allow his daughters to have an abortion rather than 'punish them with a baby' and also have the honor of Him who said "...he that shall receive one such little child in my name, receiveth me. But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea." (Matthew 18:5-6)

We shall continue to pray that the University will demonstrate its commitment to the teachings of the Catholic Church with regard to this matter. technorati