A quarter century ago-- at a time when about 10 priests in RI had already been accused of sexually abusing children-- the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence tried to stop my then-14-year-old daughter from making her confirmation because of her mother's work with Planned Parenthood.  Whe/… Read full post »

The healthcare reform debate in Congress has brought to the fore a sharp division within the Catholic Church. The lines are drawn by gender: Catholic bishops focused on the unborn on one side; Catholic nuns advocating for the already-born on the other.

 The bishops have opposed President… Read full post »

Tiger Woods will once again be gracing us with his presence soon: his organization says he will compete in the Masters and the sports world is adrool with breathless anticipation

Many of us in the "no-fly" zone (anatomically, that is) are less enthusiastic about all this.

We figure that… Read full post »

Because I am a woman of my word, I am posting this copy of today's email to Sears management, because I promised Brenda Thurn I would.

My original email to Sears appears here (below) in a previous post so you can get the backgound.

 My getting the repair AND not paying… Read full post »

27-year-old Angie Jackson decided to use Twitter as a public stage for her private decision to terminate a pregnancy using RU486, the miscarriage-inducing drug legally available in the US for a decade.

Jackson, who has a 4-yea… Read full post »

I can no longer understand, tolerate, overlook or "give the benefit of the doubt." That is because, in my mind, so much is wrong, stupid, crooked, untrue, hypocritical, cowardly, self-destructive and/or dangerous to society.

I… Read full post »

For Patrick Kennedy, the hundreds of political groupies who have followed him, and the scores of political hacks who-- for generations-- have gotten fat at the Kennedy trough, February 12, 2010 will be remembered as the day Ted's dream finally died after all.

Sure, the work will go on, a… Read full post »

Almost a month after Republican Scott Brown beat Democrat Martha Coakley for the vacant Bay State senate seat, the country is still locked in Brown-mania. But Brown has no miraculous powers. He didn't invent fire (53-47 is no landslide.) He ran a dedicated campaign against a candidate who-- with her… Read full post »

From my column yesterday...

___________________

Cynical as I am about the American condition, I often give in to my Latin emotionalism and well-up with admiration and love for this country of mine.

The sight of soldiers going off to war, hugging their children while fighting back tears, elders being h… Read full post »

Here's another point of view from my book ABORTION- THE A WORD

                                       &nbs… Read full post »

We were having dinner by the pool of the restored Sunset Towers Hotel in Los Angeles. Capote and other celebrities once enjoyed basking in its art deco elegance. Fr… Read full post »

(As a follow-up to my previous post on the abortion issue from a woman's perspective, I thought it appropriate to post the chapter in my book on one man's point of view.)

                     … Read full post »

The national health care debate has become another "abortion" test and those fixated on women's pregnancy choices would deny a whole nation affordable health care to make a point.

The charge is being led by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, and by other clergy who, however hypocritic… Read full post »

2009 is about to fade into chronological oblivion--not that we'll miss it.

Some of us started off full of hope when W finally headed back to Plano, Texas one last time. Inauguration night 2009 revived our nostalg… Read full post »

To All My 2009 Salon Friends - And New Ones to Come in 2010

MAY 2010 BRING US ALL

PEACE, GOOD HEALTH (AND A GOOD HEALTH PLAN)

LOVE, TROOPS RETURNING HOME,

AND A FEW MORE BUCKS IN OUR POCKETS...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

  Read full post »

Perugia i… Read full post »

 Some of you may have seen this...but I'd hate for anyone to miss it...

Take a moment to watch these people who represent- for me at least-- the holiday message of the peace which eludes us still.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoZ9Rc-W7Wk

 Remembering so many brave and generous souls… Read full post »

Years ago, I used to get letters and newsletters from a well-meaning woman from Valley Stream, NY who wanted me to embrace Our Lady of the Roses, whom the writer said appeared regularly in her Long Island town.             

I tried to… Read full post »

In ancient times gods were appeased by the tossing of female virgins into volcanoes, and families left their newborn daughters on hillsides to die since girls were less "valuable" than boys.

Yes, women have historically been… Read full post »

Madrid is a city of flamenco fantasies and bullfight stereotypes which
prevail mostly for the benefit of the millions of tourists who visit each year. Sangria flows freely in tapas bars that line main streets and picturesque alleys, but Starbucks and Burger King along with KFC also make… Read full post »

Patrick Kennedy is a young man raised with privilege, good manners and the obligation to provide public service. Of all the Kennedys in politics, however, Patrick seems the least likely and the most uncomfortable. He does, however, show periodic flashes of passion as when he championed… Read full post »

The annual Halloween hysteria about "paganism" begins its crescendo in America's cities and towns, warning that we are all condemned to damnation by "Trick or Treating." Those convinced that God is on their side (and only on their side) see millions of toddlers-- jack-o-lanterns filled with ca… Read full post »

There has probably never been a more mean-spirited and partisan display of disdain and disrespect than was evident last week when the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to President Obama. At this moment, when the United States finally seems capable of recapturing the global respect it lost un… Read full post »

At Syracuse University in New York Professor Scott Pitnick and his team have done some interesting studies involving bats and the biological relationship between their testicles and their brains. (Some readers are now asking, “Why?”)

Since many women have maintained fo… Read full post »