Irish Yam?

Notre Dame, our Mother

Tender, strong and true

Proudly in the heavens,

Gleams thy gold and blue.

Glory’s mantle cloaks thee

Golden is thy fame,

And our hearts forever,

Praise thee, Notre Dame.

And our hearts forever,

Love thee, Notre Dame.

~~ Notre Dame Alma Mater

The University of Notre Dame has a tradition of asking sitting Presidents to speak at their commencement ceremony every spring. They don’t always accept but most of them do.

The president of the university, Father John Jenkins, is struggling with whether or not to invite Trump. Apparently, he feels that Trump has exhibited a lack of Christian charity in his words and deeds. In fact, Father Jenkins has reassured all undocumented students who are there under DACA that they will be safe there and continue their studies; he has also considered designating Notre Dame a “sanctuary campus.”

Father Jenkins isn’t unfamiliar with controversy. He got a lot of flak for inviting President Obama to give the commencement speech in 2009. The Democrats’ pro-choice stance is antithetical to the teachings of the Catholic church, and there were many protesters in the city that weekend. He defended his decision by saying that as a University, they are committed to open discourse and discussion of all points of view. He got in some trouble with the Archdiocese, but he stuck to his guns.

I’m not a Catholic and I’m not even religious, but I’ve always admired Father Jenkins for his open-mindedness in the pursuit of truth, knowledge, and justice. I feel that Notre Dame does good things in our community and in our world and that they are committed to racial and social justice. Father Hesburgh was a vocal and active supporter of the Civil Rights movement. So while I don’t subscribe to the tenets of the Catholic church (or any church, for that matter), I give credit to anyone who seeks to help others and alleviate pain and suffering in their fellow human beings.

Heck, you don’t have to be religious to feel that way.

The student Democrats at Notre Dame have written a letter that will be sent to Father Jenkins urging him to not invite Trump to speak at commencement in 2017. It is worth a read because it says quite eloquently my feelings on the matter. Although I am not an alumna, I signed the letter as part of our community. I grew up here and have had a lifelong connection in that way, so I felt justified in signing.

While I share Father Jenkins’ commitment to open discourse, the reason I am opposed to Trump speaking at commencement is that what he says and does is not just antithetical to Catholic teachings; it is antithetical to basic human decency. The moment that I came to the conclusion that he is a contemptible person is when he mocked the disabled reporter. That is vile behavior and it shows a complete lack of empathy, charity, and kindness. His subsequent actions only added to my feelings, including his attitude towards women.

I am proud to be from South Bend, and a big part of that is Notre Dame. We love taking out-of-town visitors to see the campus, which is absolutely beautiful. I feel a certain pride of place about Notre Dame and I feel that Trump’s message would sully the good name—and the mission—of the University.

If Father Jenkins does invite him to speak, and he accepts, I plan on voicing my opposition by protesting and I have many friends who feel the same way.

See you on the protest line!

This is what peace and quiet sounds like

After all the hoo-raw yesterday, I am loving the sounds of silence. (Hello darkness, my old friend....) I haven't turned on the TV at all today, and I'm enjoying the absence of talking heads. I've been reading some of the reaction to yesterday, though, and it seems that there are some people who are actually a little disappointed that things didn't descend into madness. I suppose it would have made better news, but I'm so glad that things stayed relatively civil!

I think that what really got to me the most was that so many people chose to further their own agenda rather than let the graduates have their day of honor, as was their due. Obviously, things turned out okay, and I'm sure the Notre Dame class of 2009 will never forget their graduation! It really is a topnotch school, and a great accomplishment for them all. In the class which started four years ago, 95% of them graduated yesterday, a remarkable achievement matched only by Harvard and Princeton. For anyone who tried to take the focus off of them, I say "Shame on you! Shame, I say!"

Did you like my melodramatic scolding? That brings me to my next topic, and I think that was a fine segue, if I do say so myself. In the process of moving my favorite sites over to Chrome, I've had a chance to tidy up a bit and toss some that I don't use. I've also come across some old favorites that I hadn't visited for a while, and one of those is the site of the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest. I known I've written about it before, but it's been some time since I did. The BLFC is a chance for people around the world to submit a sentence that is over-the-top in its attempts to show what a great piece of writing it really is. We've all read some bad novels with some really really bad writing, and this is a chance for people to purposefully write something in that vein. It is firmly tongue-in-cheek. I had fun reading the 2008 winners and runners-up, and I think I might have to work on some bad writing of my own. You can submit multiple entries, and I think I'll have fun with this. There's plenty of time to submit--the deadline is April 15, 2010--and I'm looking forward to writing some really bad prose.

One of my favorites from a couple of years ago described a man as having eyes the color of Tidy-Bowl blue. I loved that, and have never forgotten it!

Have I mentioned Chrome here before? I know I did on Facebook, but I honestly can't keep up with what I write and where. I've had increasing problems with AOL, and I was getting fed up. I thought that all along, my browser was IE, and when AOL wouldn't allow me to get into my Twitter page, I sent a very frustrated email to my pal Milwaukee Dan #2. He knew what the problem was (thanks, Dan!) and it turns out that AOL was my browser. Apparently they haven't updated that for a long time, so it's becoming increasingly incompatible with new programs. I was shocked to find out that AOL was my browser. Shocked, I tell you! (I'm practicing for the BLFC.) I started using IE then, and moving some of my stuff over, but I'd been intrigued by Google's browser, Chrome. I had looked at some of the features, and thought it looked kind of nifty.

Dan said that he'd heard pretty good things about it, although he's happy with whatever he's using (Foxfire, I think?), so I asked our British friend Simon, who is a computer guy. Not just a guy who knows a lot about computers, it's actually what he does for a living. He actually has all the available browsers on his computer, because sometimes he has to change code in order to get it to work on all browsers. His favorite is Opera, but that doesn't work with Facebook, so he uses Chrome and likes it--and now so do I. It's very simple, and as he put it, uncluttered. I find it easy to create new tabs to open another site, and he said that Chrome is the only browser that he's never had to tweak code for, so it seems to be a friendly little browser, quite compatible and jolly! Ha! I still have IE, of course (and that's what Ken uses), but Chrome is now my default browser.

Kind of a cool name, too. I use Chrooooome, man. Okay, maybe not. Just another step in Google's nefarious plot to take over the world. I'd say you're doing pretty well with your plot when your name becomes a verb. Maybe one day you'll be able to say that you've been Bethed.

Breathing a sigh of relief

After months of buzz, discussion, and unfortunately, controversy, my fellow South Bend residents and I can finally relax.

Or maybe not. I'm hearing on the local news now that some of the out-of-town protesters plan on sticking around for a while. Well, isn't that special?

But at least for the remainder of the day, we can rest easy knowing that everything went off without any major hitches, and that our President received a very warm welcome from our city and from the Notre Dame community. There were more arrests yesterday and today. Alan Keyes got out on bond yesterday, because a judge was available to hear his case. The first arrest today was Norma McCorvey, the woman also known as Jane Roe, the plaintiff in Roe v. Wade. Protesters were not arrested unless they entered campus, and a few hundred lined the streets approaching campus. Apparently the President's motorcade took the back way, depriving all those protesters of their chance to yell at the limousine. Early reports indicate (and I'll try to confirm this) that of everyone arrested, only one was from our community. The rest came in from out of town. I think that speaks volumes.

The valedictorian was a remarkable young woman who is going on to Harvard to attend medical school. She has been to Cambodia and Haiti and I believe embodies President Obama's call to service. I wrote to my friend Dan that I envisioned the President sitting there listening to her speech, thinking, "Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!"

Father Jenkins gave a great opening speech and a great introduction for the President, speaking of his efforts and philosophies concerning community organization and service, all things that are part of the Catholic faith and part of Notre Dame. I think he made a great case for why he invited the President, and I think his decision will prove to have been a good one. Of course, "dialogue" wouldn't happen during the speeches given today, but this has certainly brought to the forefront the need for civil discussion about issues, rather than mindless and inflammatory protesting.

The President started his speech with humor, talking about how it's not all that easy to come by honorary degrees, and that as President, he's one for two. Great line! He addressed the controversy head on, and spoke of the need to find common ground and create the opportunity for mutually respectful discussion. He also honored Father Theodore Hesburgh, someone who is legendary in Notre Dame history, by speaking of his efforts in the civil rights movement of the sixties. I'm sure it was gratifying for Father Hesburgh to see Obama's election, and to see him speak at his beloved Notre Dame, despite all the calls for the invitation to be rescinded, or for Obama to decline. (Father Hesburgh supported Obama's invitation, by the way.)

I think the true star of today's commencement was the class of 2009, who handled themselves with class and dignity, whether they supported the President's visit or not. Those who protested did so respectfully and they conducted themselves with honor. When protesters (not from our area and not students) began to shout during the beginning of the President's speech, the graduates shouted them down with chants of "We are ND!" And ultimately, this was about their achievement in graduating from one of the premier universities in the country. Shame on those who would try to take that away from these graduates in order to further their own agenda. I say congratulations to these graduates (and all graduates...good job!), congratulations to President Obama on a great speech, and congratulations to Father John Jenkins for having the guts to stick by his invitation and for taking all the heat that he has.

We could hear Air Force One when it took off from our airport, but didn't get a glimpse. We thought it might fly close enough by that we could see it. I told Ken, "They must have the Cloaking Device on." Haha!

One more thing, and then I think--I hope--that this will be done with. I got a comment from a guy named Steve, and Steve, I salute you for providing your name and not being Anonymous! Not everyone has the balls to do that, so good for you. I do need to address a couple of things, though. I see from your profile and your blog that you voted for Alan Keyes in the 2008 presidential election, and it looks as though you were his VP candidate at some point, if I understand you correctly.

You know, I really don't think I need to say anything else about that.

You also write:

Notre Dame didn't have to call in the civil authorities. Alan Keyes is a Catholic and he came to witness in accordance with his faith. Norma McCorvey is a Catholic, and she too could not take the kind of "I don't care" attitude you explicitly adopt regarding disingenious [sic] judicial reasoning.

Well, Steve, I think that's where a lot of people and protesters such as we saw the past few weeks get into trouble. You see, as private property, the University of Notre Dame has every right to deny people access to their campus. If protesters stayed outside campus, they were not bothered by either the university or the city police. However, they were told clearly that they were not to trespass on university property, and when they did so, they were arrested. It's the same concept of our private property here at Nutwood. I don't care if you're Catholic, Calvinist, Hindu, Zoroastrian, or a Satanist, if you come marching onto our property with a sign, I have the right to tell you to get out. If you do not do so, or if you come back, I have the right to call the police and have them remove you by any means necessary from our property. Your religion doesn't matter. Get it? You could be the Grand High Poobah of Bumfuck, Egypt, and I could still have your ass hauled away for trespassing on our private property. A person's religion does not confer a right to trespass. There is no ambiguity whatsoever there.

Setting the record straight

I haven't written a whole lot lately about the controversy concerning President Obama's commencement speech tomorrow at Notre Dame. I'm sure you're all getting an earful, because that seems to be the main story on CNN today, and the media circus seems to have reached the point of fullblown frenzy this weekend. Ken is off tomorrow, and I think we'll be watching the proceedings peacefully in our own home!

I'm disturbed by much of the coverage I'm seeing, because I don't believe it's giving a true picture of what is happening, or of our community. South Bend has its problems, just like every other town, but it's still a pretty good place to live, and it's my home, dammit. The impression being given is that we're a bunch of intolerant, hateful people who don't want the President here. That couldn't be further from the truth, and our county actually went to the President in last fall's election. Of course, there are people who didn't vote for him and don't like him, and probably are pissed off that we're spending money on security. But the majority of people here support his visit, and are excited that he's speaking at Notre Dame. (No, I didn't attend Notre Dame, but since I was born and raised here, I'm a fan of the university in many ways--sports, academics, research, and what they contribute to our city.)

The protesters who are being arrested are people coming in from out of town. They're shipping in busloads of people from Chicago, St. Louis, and Detroit, and I think Randall Terry and Alan Keyes aren't just from out of town...I think they live on another planet. The Notre Dame students who disagree with the invitation are protesting peacefully and respectfully, with alternative speakers and a prayer vigil at the Grotto. Terry and Keyes and their minions are the ones fueling the fires of the controversy, by flying banners over campus and hiring trucks to drive around town showing offensive pictures that are seen by children. Their most recent efforts included a truck with a large photograph of a black man in chains, and the truck drove through several black neighborhoods. They were supposedly equating abortion with slavery, but I think they were just using outrageous tactics designed to generate anger and dissent. Not cool, people, not cool at all.

In the meantime, the graduating seniors have honored Father Jenkins (the President of Notre Dame and the one who issued the invitation) by choosing him as their Senior Class Fellow. One senior said that at the ceremony, Father Jenkins received a standing ovation. Although he turned down requests for an interview from the AP, Father Theodore Hesburgh, one of the most beloved and well-respected figures associated with Notre Dame, talked to one of our local TV stations and said that he approves of our new President's visit. He spoke of the various Presidents that have spoken at Notre Dame over the years.

None of them have agreed with us on all issues, but I think just coming here and seeing another point of view...that will have an effect on them. We're not a place that hides out in the corner and says we believe this and that's that and we're not going to talk to anybody that doesn't agree with us. We say, 'Hey, we know we disagree on things. Let's get together and talk.'

He also spoke about universities in general:

It's like a common place where people who disagree can get together, instead of throwing bricks at one another, they can discuss the problem and they can see different solutions to difficult problems and those solutions are going to come out of people from universities. They aren't going to come from people running around with signs.

Yay, Father Ted!

In the meantime, South Bend passed a new emergency ordinance that took effect on Thursday that anyone being arrested a second time on a misdemeanor cannot post bond and get out of jail; they must stay in jail until a judge can hear their case. This was announced on Friday. Alan Keyes was arrested for the second time on Friday, for trespassing on campus (private property, and they can enforce no trespassing if they choose to), and will spend the weekend in jail until a judge can hear his case on Monday, and decided if the bond needs to be raised. The Chief Judge said this has nothing to do with Notre Dame, and it's something they've been thinking about for a long time. I think the Judge is being a tiny bit disingenuous! But I don't care, because Keyes is not a representative of our community, cares nothing about it, and only wants to disrupt a peaceful commencement tomorrow. He has been duly charged, and I'm sure he's well-represented. His rights have not been violated.

It's very irritating--in fact, it's irritating as hell--to think that there are those around the country who think that these nutjobs are representative of our community. I may not have a huge audience here, but at least I can make sure a few people know that they don't speak for me. I hope if you watch any of this coverage tomorrow (apparently all the major networks will be here), you'll keep that in mind and not think too badly of South Bend...or its inhabitants!

DUCK!

But first...rabbit rabbit rabbit! Evil spirits begone from Nutwood for the month of May!

A good afternoon, taking care of final arrangements (no, not a funeral) for Ken's PMI meeting next week. Everything went so smoothly, and the Chamber of Commerce did a great job putting together a packet about South Bend. We just need to put in the agenda and the PMI pins that Ken ordered. We met with the event coordinator at Tippecanoe Place, and every time I walk into the restaurant, which was the home of one of the Studebaker brothers, I fall in love with it all over again. It's gorgeous. Our group is going to be in the room that was the family's original dining room. I'll write more about it and put up pictures after our dinner there next Friday.

Some excellent news upon our return, when I got an email update from the Tribune that said that Randall Terry (the anti-abortion guy protesting at Notre Dame) had been arrested on campus today during a protest in which the group was pushing around baby carriages that contained dolls covered in blood. They have also been flying banners of bloody fetuses over campus, and driving advertising trucks through town with the same large pictures. Do they have a right to protest? Absolutely. Are they disturbing the peace? Undoubtedly. Several parents have objected to the trucks with large pictures, saying that their children were very disturbed by the images. After Terry’s arrest, Notre Dame issued a no trespass injunction against him. His court appearance will take place after commencement, but I'm sure he won't stay in jail that long. He'll probably get out on bail, but if he tries protesting on campus again, I assume he will be arrested again.

I believe he has the right to protest, but he really is disturbing the peace, and has vowed to do so at the commencement. He is so obsessed with his crusade that he doesn't care about any collateral damage, and I can guarantee that he doesn't care one iota about Notre Dame or its students (or their souls) or our community. I'm glad they arrested him. I'm sure the commencement will be marred with more unpleasantness, I'm sorry to say.

It's been a fun couple of days for bird watching! Last night, Ken saw activity out at the back pond, and when I got the binoculars, I saw two male ducks and one female, and they hopped in the pond and were swimming around. The light was starting to fade, but I was able to get a good enough look at them to see that they were wood ducks! I had never seen one before, so it was a new sighting for me. I haven't seen them today, but I hope they'll hang out for a while. I don't know...our pond might be too small for them. I'd love to see ducklings, though! We had a mallard pair a while back that built a nest in the marsh grass, but some egg-sucking critter got into it and destroyed them all. Wood ducks apparently build their nests in empty woodpecker cavities, up in the trees, so they'd probably be okay from raccoons or the coyote. Even if they don't hang around and raise a family, it was neat to see them and add them to my list.

Today, I saw a flash of blue on the deck. It looked like a blue finch, but there aren't any blue finches around here (there might not be any at all, I don't know). I went downstairs, and found him pecking at the seed on the ground under the deck. I got a really good look at him, and he's an Indigo Bunting. I saw one the first year we moved in here, and hadn't seen one since. The males are beautiful, a much more intense, deeper blue than either bluebirds or blue jays. It was great to see him again, and know that they're hanging around!

Finally, it looks like Ken and I had our "Eureka!" moment in the Great Residence Hunt '09™, after looking at a couple of places last night. First was a house about 20 minutes away. Really cute place, nicely renovated, attached garage...with not enough overhead room for an opener, and no handle on the outside of the door! Huh? So you'd have to get out of the car, go inside the house and into the garage, open the door, drive the car in...kind of defeats the purpose of having an attached garage, doesn't it? But it was really a nice house other than that, keeping in mind that they are unable to do yard work, so we'd either do it or hire someone to do it.

Next was a place called Maple Lane, with only four apartments per building. (Don’t a lot of Ray Bradbury stories take place on Maple Street or Maple Lane? Uh oh.) Big living room, big family room with a woodburning fireplace, good-sized kitchen, two decent-sized bedrooms, and an attached garage. Unfortunately, only one bathroom, but like Ken had told his Mom, they're probably going to have to prioritize and compromise on some things. Nice large trees on the grounds, a pool, a clubhouse...after we dropped off the keys at the office and we were walking back to the car, I told Ken, "I think we've found them a place." Ken agreed.

We called his Mom when we got back, and we have permission to stop looking. Happy happy joy joy! Oh, and they get a senior citizen discount, too, and that is locked in as long as they're there. I really think they'll like this one, although it's not in the nice setting across from the river. We'll start the application process for them, and scan and print some info to send them. What a relief, and not just to be done looking...I'm relieved that we were able to find a place that meets their needs and that they'll enjoy and find comfortable. And that pool might be pretty appealing come August...!

I’m looking forward to May 18th

Before I get to that, I watched an excellent documentary today on Snagfilms (which is such a cool site). My pal Marc had recommended it to me a while back, after I wrote about the Berlin Wall. This documentary, "After the Fall," includes interviews with people from both East and West Berlin, and they discuss their feelings about the Wall and its eventual destruction. To me, the most poignant, and somewhat unsettling, remarks made came from a reverend (is it wrong for me to say that he had dreamy eyes?) who said that the night the border was opened, he was watching people go over the Wall...but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He memorized their names, because he thought the border would close again, and he wanted to be able to tell someone what had happened to them. He said that the Wall was as much in his mind as it was a physical presence. It made me think about barriers that we erect in our own minds...there might not be anything physically stopping us, but the Wall in our head can be every bit as impenetrable as one that we can touch.

Anyhoo, if you're interested, give it a look. It's an hour long, so if it's something that doesn't really interest you, there's not much point in watching it!

So why am I wishing my life away and looking forward to May 18th? Because it's one day after President Obama gives the commencement speech at Notre Dame, and all this brouhaha should be over! Randall Terry will pack up and take his lapdogs with him, and get out of our town and our state. I haven't written about it much lately, because I was hoping it would die down, but it's a big topic on CNN and other national news sources lately.

However, the difference in what these media outlets are reporting and the truth of reality is vast. The media talks about PROTESTS HELD ON CAMPUS. Earlier this week, a group of students held a prayer vigil. It was quite peaceful, and I think calling it a "protest" was a little misleading. There was an actual protest later in the week, led by Randall Terry and his evil henchmen, so that really was a PROTEST HELD ON CAMPUS.

Twenty-six people showed up. Yeah. 26.

Randall Terry and his malicious minions also staged a protest in Fort Wayne on Friday. The diocese office urged people not to attend, stating that it was Good Friday and a time to focus on Christ's crucifixion, not on such protests. It was "poorly timed," they said. Five local people showed up early, followed a few hours later by Randall Terry's assistant and three others. That would make a total of, let's see [getting out calculator, punching buttons]...NINE. Nine people at this protest.

It is really burning my bacon that this asshole Terry is trying to make it look like he's speaking for everyone around here, and the media is portraying this as a huge deal in northern Indiana, with people up in arms and protesting, rioting in the streets, cats and dogs living together...it's not happening, folks. There are people upset, yes. There are people that are not happy with the decision, yes. I'd say that the majority of people are fine with him giving the speech, and those that aren't are voicing their opinions fairly peacefully. This dickweed Terry rolls into town and feels that it's his personal mission to tell us how we should feel. He has vowed to make this a "political mud pit" for President Obama. I really hope that at some point he crosses the line into threatening behavior so we can toss him in the slammer. I'm all for the right to protest peacefully in order to get a point across, but this numbnuts doesn't care about discourse or discussion. He just wants to stir up trouble.

Soon, I'll tell you how I really feel about him. I promise.

In the meantime, Bishop D'Arcy has issued a statement urging all Catholics and others of good will to stay away from "unseemly and unhelpful" demonstrations against our President, Notre Dame, or Father Jenkins. He goes on to state, "The Notre Dame community is well-equipped to supervise and support discussions and prayer within their own campus....Let's all work towards a peaceful graduation experience for the class of 2009 at our Beloved Notre Dame."

Do you think that was Bishop D'Arcy's way of telling Randall Terry to get bent? I think so. The Bishop also met with Father Jenkins and called it a "positive" meeting. I think everyone can handle this without Terry's help, and in fact, he's not doing his cause any favors. Hey, Terry? Go home. Seriously. You are not welcome here.

At least Arizona State took a little of the focus off of our community, with the story that they weren't going to confer an honorary degree upon the President...but then there was talk that they might, so I'm not sure of the latest. In reading about it, it's all cool. It seems that they weren't planning on giving any honorary degrees this year (although I wonder if there isn't more to it), and it's their school, their choice. Notre Dame's policy is to give honorary degrees to guest speakers, especially someone as eminent as the President.

Ah well, the Masters is coming on, and I'm hoping to see Tiger come storming back today. Oh, and I have a special Easter picture for you. I used to put this up on my locker at work every year around this time. We often had groups of schoolkids coming through for tours, and as one group gathered in the central area of the department, right by the lockers, we noticed some of them giggling at something they saw there. We realized later that they were giggling about this picture. What can I say? I guess I'm just a corrupter of youth.

I’d rather be golfing

Or at least in a place warm enough to golf!

I'm looking out the window at the light snow blowing sideways. A bit is accumulating on the little pine trees we have sitting on the deck, but I don't see any on the grass. This is just nasty, wet, cold, blustery weather. And poor Cousin Shane is coming home from Arizona tonight! I already warned him in an email to be prepared for a rude awakening.

I hope none of the buds on the trees get nipped. Some trees are already starting to pop, and the forsythia is on the verge of blossoming all over. I'll be sad if anything freezes. This picture of the forsythia was from last year. There are only a few blossoms along the bottom so far. Hang in there, Mr. Forsythia!

After getting out early to take care of the kitties at Casa Shane, I've been puttering with a little laundry and stuff like that. I feel like I'm hunkering down and riding out the storm, although this is nothing compared to what they got in some of the plains states. That sounds awful! I think it's just a matter of getting a taste of warm weather, and then seeing the snow fly again. It's disheartening, although I still feel positive because I know that it's not far away at all. Just...can't...quite...get there yet! Tonight is definitely a comfort food night, and I'm making a skillet dinner with beef, beans, rice, and tomatoes. And CHEESE on top.

Some great basketball this weekend, most recently watching Michigan State beat Louisville. I don't hate Louisville at all, but I had to cheer for a Big 10 team. I know our friend Mark is happy, as well as Alaina, although as a Michigan grad, I know it is hard for her to admit it. Michigan State, bringing it back to Detroit for the Final Four! How cool is that?!

Now I've switched over to golf, where Tiger is trying to work his way back to win this one. It's all sunny and junk in Florida. [sigh] Tiger was either four or five behind the leader at the end of the day yesterday, and is now just one behind. I never thought I'd enjoy watching golf as much as I do, but he's just a blast to watch.

Remember I mentioned that Randall Terry is now in town, protesting Obama's speech at the Notre Dame commencement? He says he plans to protest in "a peaceful and very aggressive" way. He predicts that Father Jenkins will either resign or lose his job over this, and said that Jenkins has "lost his way." So he's psychic and judgemental. Lovely. You know what? If I were Father Jenkins, I'd be very careful and honestly, I think I'd consider a bodyguard, or at least be very careful about my public appearances. This jerk is not right in the head, and I can see him doing anything to protest this speech and to try to curry favor with his version of God. The guy is nothing less than abhorrent to me, and it disgusts me that he is in my town. Yeah, he's got the right to be here. That doesn't mean I have to like it.

On a happier note, the spokesman for Notre Dame, Dennis Brown, released a statement on Friday that said Notre Dame "has no interest in engaging with those who use tactics that are not conducive to positive collaboration." What did I say about not negotiating with terrorists? Boo-yah!

The Story That Wouldn’t Die

It's not me fueling the fire, either. This baby is sprouting legs and crawling out of the primordial ooze.

I'm talking about President Obama speaking at Notre Dame's commencement. The Notre Dame student paper published an excellent editorial on the subject, and it also appeared in our local paper this morning. It's worth a read, if you'd like to see the students' side of it. The seniors who will be graduating are overwhelmingly in support of the President speaking at their commencement.

A group called the Cardinal Newman Society calls for greater orthodoxy on Catholic college campuses and has set up a website and started a petition. The group isn't affiliated with Notre Dame, and none of its seven employees are Notre Dame alumni, but they've gone after Rev. Jenkins in the past for his decision to allow a student production of "The Vagina Monologues," and his decision to allow the Notre Dame Queer Film Festival to take place. Rev. Jenkins wrote a piece for the Wall Street Journal in 2008 and mentioned this group. He wrote, "The Newman Society has no ecclesiastical standing and no academic standing. For me, it resembles nothing more than a political action committee." I am really liking Father Jenkins—this guy kicks ass!--and I believe he's going to stand his ground on this one. There are a couple of other petitions circulating out there in support of his decision, and I was happy to sign them.

Oh, and that fine upstanding Christian, Newt Gingrich, even weighed in on it, on his Twitter page:

It is sad to see notre dame invite president obama to give the commencement address Since his policies are so anti catholic values 1:26 AM Mar 24th from TwitterBerry

Hey Newt, let's ask your first wife how she feels about it. Remember her? The one who you visited while she was in the hospital recovering from surgery for uterine cancer, still coming out of anesthesia, and you tried to get her to sign off on your divorce demands? Yeah, that one. Not the second one, who you also divorced. I guess all is forgiven, though, because Newt is getting ready to convert to Catholicism.

There are voices of reason, too. Rev. Thomas Reese, a Jesuit and senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University said, "The controversy over commencement speakers at Catholic universities pops up every spring along with the tulips," and called the brouhaha over the President giving the speech "absurd." He went on to say, "If Cardinal Edward Egan of New York can invite Obama to speak at the Al Smith dinner in October of 2008 when he was only a presidential candidate, then there is certainly nothing wrong with Notre Dame having the president speak at a commencement."

Unfortunately, there's a whole other level of crazy that has latched onto this like a tick onto a dog. Randall Terry has made his way to town. This is the guy who founded Operation Rescue, the anti-abortion group, back in the 80's. He spent some time in jail because he sent a fetus in a jar to then-presidential candidate Bill Clinton. I've got no problem with people using civil disobedience to forward their causes, but this guy is and always has been about hatred and intolerance. In 1993, he was quoted in the Fort Wayne, Indiana newspaper as saying this:

I want you to just let a wave of intolerance wash over you. I want you to let a wave of hatred wash over you. Yes, hate is good.... Our goal is a Christian nation. We have a Biblical duty, we are called by God, to conquer this country. We don't want equal time. We don't want pluralism.

After his jail time and his divorce, he was ousted from Operation Rescue, and the new head of the organization released a statement saying, "...he has completely disqualified himself from any leadership position in the Christian community through his unwillingness to be held accountable for his adultery, theft, lies, deceptions, misrepresentations, perjury, failing to provide for his first wife and children, and evasion of church discipline." Terry was also censured by his church at the time, Landmark, for several reasons, one of which was "a pattern of repeated and sinful relationships and conversations with both single and married women."

Both of his adopted daughters became pregnant outside of marriage and one converted to Islam.

In 2004, his adopted son Jamiel revealed that he was homosexual. Terry disowned him.

In 2005, he converted to Catholicism. I guess when one religion doesn't want you, you try another one.

"Hate is good."

This A-hole is not a good person. He is not a nice person. And he's camping out in my town. He has vowed to stay here, and is setting up a base of operations, until the invitation to the President is withdrawn or the President says he will not attend. Stand tall, Notre Dame, hang tough, Father Jenkins, and do not negotiate with terrorists. This creep is a terrorist and as far as I'm concerned, he can get the hell out of Dodge South Bend.

Breaking news from Nutwood

[make the dee dee deedee breaking news sound]

I just heard on our local news that President Obama will be the commencement speaker at Notre Dame on May 17. Wow, how utterly cool! Dang, I wish I knew someone who was graduating this year. Maybe if I go hang out on campus, I'll make friends with someone and they'll invite me. Perhaps I can take lessons from Cynthia Plaster Caster on how to win friends and influence people.

HA! Totally kidding!

But really, that's so neat. He will also be giving the commencement addresses at Arizona State (Myra, isn't that where you went?) and the Naval Academy.