Faith

"I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible....." Thus begins the Nicene Creed, which is professed by Catholics around the world whenever attending Mass. It is the creed that delineates the central beliefs of Christianity as interpreted by Catholics, but which are essentially the same tenets as those held by all Christians, no matter what denomination they belong to. God is the creator of all things, and therefore all things are sacred. Life is sacred. At some point in time life itself was created. Not life from life, but life from NO life. Most religions have this belief at their core, not just Christianity. Nevertheless, scientists are searching for what they call the God Particle, which would explain how life could come from no life, but so far they haven't quite discovered it. The last I heard was that they were zeroing in on some magnetic field through which passing particles change from no life to maybe life, but only because they think it might be so, not because there is any actual evidence.  It sometimes amazes me that people will go to such lengths to try and prove that there is no God, but then, there are apparently many people who think that they are the greatest example of life, that there is no greater, that everything that can't be explained scientifically must have happened by chance. Why not by God?Why not a physical world and a spiritual world? Humans are such egotists.Various theories of evolution, while imperfect, do not of themselves preclude or contradict the existence of a Divine Creator, since all life must have at some distant time in the past, not existed at all, and yet, here we are. What a puzzle.

Humans built this church, but they did it for God

 

Politics

I find it odd that no matter who talks about "comprehensive immigration reform", no one actually states what needs to be fixed.  Aside from securing the borders, no one seems to have a clear understanding about just what the present immigration laws say, or if they are even enforced correctly.  The only other aspect of immigration that is talked about extensively without solving anything is illegal immigration: how to stop it, and how to deal with those who are already here. 

 I have a suggestion for how to begin addressing that issue as far as those who are already here, and it is this:  start with the illegal immigrants who are employed, and have every employer verify whether or not every one has a Green Card and is a legal immigrant. If any employees who are immigrants cannot produce a Green Card, they should immediately be identified to the employer, who then fills out a form saying that the employee is duly employed and needs a  Work Permit. This form should be sent immediately to the Department of Immigration, who then will issue a Work Permit to the employee, just like applying for a Passport. This Work Permit should entitle the employee to then apply for Permanent Resident Status, or citizenship if that's how the steps progress, but in the meantime that person will be documented, at least, and thus be legally in this country.  Meanwhile, all illegal immigrants who have been convicted of crimes, either in their home country or in the U.S., should be deported.

I think that giving employers the power to apply for work permits for their workers will incentivize illegal immigrants to apply for work. It will also get many of them off the government dole, while helping to remove the stigma of hiding from the Feds if they are in this country illegally. It would also take the onus off the businesses who hire them, as long as those businesses  can apply for the work permits without danger of punishment. However, it will only work as long as more people can't come across the border without proper papers.  In other words, the border needs to be tightened.  I know that there are fewer people entering here illegally than in the past, but in my opinion there is still too much emphasis on "immigrant" and not enough emphasis on "illegal"  Laws are laws, and they should be enforced.  That's what I think; Now if only I can get a few courageous politicians to follow through on this.....

Welcome to My Blog

Allow me to introduce myself. I am a practicing Catholic, and have been so for all of my life.  I believe in the sanctity of life, from conception to its natural end. I am  a proud American who believes in the Free-Market system, the Constitution, One Nation Under God, and Personal Responsibility.

I am  a second-generation Irish-American, and am proud of my Irish heritage. I'm a wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, and friend. I'm a retired math teacher who still substitutes in the school district from which I retired. I  am a retired professional musician who still plays in a community band, and I also sing in an Irish folk group. I love photography, computers, books, and being a news junkie (I listen to or watch news off and on all day long, read the local newspapers,  several news magazines and a couple of national newspapers, especially the financial ones, which are far less biased than the non-financial ones).

I started this blog because every once in a while I like to vent.  I tried Twitter, but it's too limiting:  I can't fit my thoughts into only 140 characters, in part simply because I'm a stickler for the proper use of grammar and spelling, virtually impossible on Twitter.  I'm on Facebook, but feel uncomfortable about posting anything on a social site that is controversial, although sometimes I have been known to post a link to a contrarian article on the opposite side of Political Correctness. I don't know if anyone will ever feel like reading anything I post here but, curiously, I'm OK with that. On the other hand, it would be nice to know that someone else likes what I say, so if there is anyone out there who wants to follow me, that would be good, too. Welcome to my blog.

My Town, My Country