What a sad day for the United States today when thirteen senators voted against religious liberty. And, we are talking about thirteen Catholic senators! If you have a senator from your state who stood by religious freedom and voted in favor of the Blunt amendment, be sure to thank them. Also, pray for the misguided Catholic senators who put their own political interests ahead of God and the people of this country.
The following is a list of how the 24 Catholic Senators voted on the Blunt amendment:
Senator Mark Begich (Alaska, D) – Opposed
Senator Lisa Murkowski (Alaska, R) – Supported
Senator Marco Rubio (Florida, R) – Supported
Senator Tom Harkin (Iowa, D) – Opposed
Senator James Risch (Idaho, R) – Supported
Senator Richard Durbin (Illinois, D) – Opposed
Senator Mary Landrieu (Louisiana, D) – Opposed
Senator David Vitter (Louisiana, R) – Supported
Senator John Kerry (Massachusetts, D) – Opposed
Senator Barbara Mikulski (Maryland, D) – Opposed
Senator Susan Collins (Maine, R) – Supported
Senator Claire McCaskill (Missouri, D) – Opposed
Senator John Hoeven (North Dakota, R) – Supported
Senator Mike Johanns (Nebraska, R) – Supported
Senator Kelly Ayotte (New Hampshire, R) – Supported
Senator Robert Menendez (New Jersey, D) – Opposed
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (New York, D) – Opposed
Senator Bob Casey Jr. (Pennsylvania, D) – Supported
Senator Pat Toomey (Pennsylvania, R) – Supported
Senator Jack Reed (Rhode Island, D) – Opposed
Senator Pat Leahy (Vermont, D) – Opposed
Senator Maria Cantwell (Washington, D) – Opposed
Senator Patty Murray (Washington, D) – Opposed
Senator Joe Manchin III (West Virginia, D) – Supported
Thursday, March 1, 2012
A Detour from the quilt at hand . . .
Banana-Pecan Drop Cookies
In case giving up sweets wasn’t on your Lenten list, this is a fast, easy cookie that will get rid of that over ripening banana that’s been sitting on the counter! It’s a small batch but enough to cheer up an afternoon or serve with a bowl of ice cream or a dish of pudding after dinner.
Banana-Pecan Drop Cookies
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ sticks butter, room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon banana extract if you have it on hand.
1 large, mashed ripe banana
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
½ cup coarsely chopped pecans
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Measure together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. Set aside.
Whip together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; mix until combined. Mix in banana and zest. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in oats and pecans.
Drop dough by tablespoons onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Keep them about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool before removing from the baking sheets to complete cooling on wire racks.
These are good just as they are but, as always, there are ideas to consider!
Drizzle them with lemon icing.
Melt half a cup of semi sweet chocolate chips and drizzle that over the cookies.
Feeling festive? Melt white chocolate chips, drizzle, and sprinkle with some colorful edible glitter or sprinkles.
Add 1/4 cup dried, chopped pineapple and 1/4 cup toasted coconut for an exotic cookie.
Banana-Pecan Drop Cookies
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ sticks butter, room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon banana extract if you have it on hand.
1 large, mashed ripe banana
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
½ cup coarsely chopped pecans
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Measure together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. Set aside.
Whip together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; mix until combined. Mix in banana and zest. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in oats and pecans.
Drop dough by tablespoons onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Keep them about 2 inches apart to allow for spreading. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool before removing from the baking sheets to complete cooling on wire racks.
These are good just as they are but, as always, there are ideas to consider!
Drizzle them with lemon icing.
Melt half a cup of semi sweet chocolate chips and drizzle that over the cookies.
Feeling festive? Melt white chocolate chips, drizzle, and sprinkle with some colorful edible glitter or sprinkles.
Add 1/4 cup dried, chopped pineapple and 1/4 cup toasted coconut for an exotic cookie.
On a lighter topic . . . Quotes to amuse!
"The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology
look respectable."
-- John Kenneth Galbraith
-- John Kenneth Galbraith
"I'm seventeen and I'm crazy. My uncle says the two always go
together. When people ask your age, he said, always say seventeen and insane."
-- Ray Bradbury
-- Ray Bradbury
"The thing I hate about an argument is that it always interrupts a
discussion."
-- G. K. Chesterton
-- G. K. Chesterton
"Artificial Intelligence is no match for natural stupidity."
-- Unknown
-- Unknown
Blessings to Father Illo!
Outspoken priests and bishops don't seem to be in the limelight in California so it was wonderful to read this quote from Father Illo, formerly of St. Joseph's parish in Modesto, California. And, his bishop's response is typical and very sad.
During his time as pastor at St. Joseph’s, Fr. Illo has developed a reputation as a solidly orthodox priest not afraid to speak his mind. For example, following the Nov. 4, 2008 election of President Barack Obama, Fr. Illo told his parishioners that Catholics who knowingly voted for a pro-abortion candidate may need to go to confession before receiving the Blessed Sacrament.
Fr. Illo first made the observation at a Mass after the election, then followed up with a Nov. 21, 2008 letter to parishioners explaining his thinking. “If you are one of the 54% of Catholics who voted for a pro-abortion candidate, you were clear on his position, and you knew the gravity of the question, I urge you to go to confession before receiving communion,” wrote Fr. Illo. “Don’t risk losing your state of grace by receiving sacrilegiously. I appeal to your conscience, grounded in Church teaching. To some degree we all have the blood of these children on our hands. I myself have confessed sacramentally, and I confess to you now, that I have not done enough to defend these children. Their blood is on my hands too. We will see them in the next life, and they will ask us why we let them die.”
Fr. Illo received no support for that view from Stockton Bishop Stephen Blaire, who told the Bee Catholics are under no obligation to discuss how they voted with their priest and are free to consider many issues before deciding how to cast their vote. The only circumstance in which confession might be warranted, Bishop Blaire told the newspaper, is "if someone voted for a pro-abortion or pro-choice candidate -- if that's the reason you voted for them."
I wonder how Bishop Blaire can separate the abortion stance from the candidate? In the 2008 election, it was very clear that obama was in favor of abortion. His record in the Senate showed that he was a leader in the Illinois Senate in pushing for laws in favor of attitudes sponsoring a pro-death attitude. If a voter wasn't aware of what the then-candidate obama stood for, then they were not informed voters and that is a sad statement, too. I guess the bishop wasn't the only one who buried his head in the sand. I talked to one woman who denied that obama was pro-abort and said that rumor was just a myth. There are none so blind as those who will not see . . .
You can read the full article at:
http://calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=2c43e338-3078-4cbb-af63-14bb87a1349b
During his time as pastor at St. Joseph’s, Fr. Illo has developed a reputation as a solidly orthodox priest not afraid to speak his mind. For example, following the Nov. 4, 2008 election of President Barack Obama, Fr. Illo told his parishioners that Catholics who knowingly voted for a pro-abortion candidate may need to go to confession before receiving the Blessed Sacrament.
Fr. Illo first made the observation at a Mass after the election, then followed up with a Nov. 21, 2008 letter to parishioners explaining his thinking. “If you are one of the 54% of Catholics who voted for a pro-abortion candidate, you were clear on his position, and you knew the gravity of the question, I urge you to go to confession before receiving communion,” wrote Fr. Illo. “Don’t risk losing your state of grace by receiving sacrilegiously. I appeal to your conscience, grounded in Church teaching. To some degree we all have the blood of these children on our hands. I myself have confessed sacramentally, and I confess to you now, that I have not done enough to defend these children. Their blood is on my hands too. We will see them in the next life, and they will ask us why we let them die.”
Fr. Illo received no support for that view from Stockton Bishop Stephen Blaire, who told the Bee Catholics are under no obligation to discuss how they voted with their priest and are free to consider many issues before deciding how to cast their vote. The only circumstance in which confession might be warranted, Bishop Blaire told the newspaper, is "if someone voted for a pro-abortion or pro-choice candidate -- if that's the reason you voted for them."
I wonder how Bishop Blaire can separate the abortion stance from the candidate? In the 2008 election, it was very clear that obama was in favor of abortion. His record in the Senate showed that he was a leader in the Illinois Senate in pushing for laws in favor of attitudes sponsoring a pro-death attitude. If a voter wasn't aware of what the then-candidate obama stood for, then they were not informed voters and that is a sad statement, too. I guess the bishop wasn't the only one who buried his head in the sand. I talked to one woman who denied that obama was pro-abort and said that rumor was just a myth. There are none so blind as those who will not see . . .
You can read the full article at:
http://calcatholic.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?id=2c43e338-3078-4cbb-af63-14bb87a1349b
A beautiful thought to start the day . . .
Love
does not consist of gazing at one another, but in looking outward in the same
direction.
- Antoine de
Saint-Exupery
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