I met Juliette Gomez through a friend recently, and she graciously accepted my request for an interview about her work with the undocumented. In the interest of understanding more about the obstacles to becoming a legal resident of this country, and what our migrant brothers and sisters are suffering, here are her answers unabridged. First of all, introduce yourself– how long have you been an immigration attorney, and what drew you to this kind of work? I’ve been an attorney since... Read more
My mother’s family were Irish, from Waterford; they ended up in Columbus in the late nineteen teens. They lived down in Franklinton, with the other Irish immigrants, all the pale-skinned ginger-haired Catholics who didn’t count as “white” in the nineteen teens. Franklinton was also called “The Bottoms” because it was geographically in the river-bottom, below the levels of the Olentangy and the Scioto. The Bottoms flooded regularly, but nobody cared– it was only the Irish people who lived there, not Americans.... Read more
Let’s take a look at Donald Trump’s proposed budget for 2018. This budget is entitled “America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again,” so perhaps you’ve already guessed what to expect. First of all, according to the article embedded, the president has proposed the elimination of all three billion dollars going to the Community Development Program, which funds housing grants and Meals on Wheels. Meals on Wheels is a nationwide, community-based effort that provides a daily nutritious meal, as well as a... Read more
The other day, I read a short piece entitled “3 Things You Didn’t Know About the Human Face,” over at Truth from the Heart. It’s an interesting little article by a student who’s discovered Von Hildebrand. Hannah Bruckner is an undergraduate theology major at Franciscan University. She’d always loved psychology and mystery shows; she was delighted to discover a philosopher’s observations about the human face. The face, as she reports, is a mystery, with two kinds of beauty– the aesthetic beauty... Read more
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless You, because by Your holy cross You have redeemed the world. As they led him away, they seized a man, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the country, and they laid the cross on him, and made him carry it behind Jesus. He can’t go on. He is exhausted. No amount of pulling, pushing, flogging and screaming will make Him. He is too weak, and in too much pain. The guards... Read more
I think of myself as a tolerant and respectful person with an open mind. The world is a strange place, full of a myriad of things I can’t understand. Better to live and let live, I usually say. But I simply cannot empathize with anyone’s desire to keep a cobra as a pet. I bring this up because my friend Brooke just showed me a news story from her neck of the woods– someone from Ocala, Florida notified the Florida... Read more
I was kind of busy yesterday, worrying about the ramifications of yanking healthcare coverage for 24 million Americans and trying to convince people that that’s not pro-life. So I missed that there’d been yet another executive order signed by 45. Perhaps you have as well. Let’s get caught up. This one is entitled ” Presidential Executive Order on a Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing the Executive Branch,” and it does just what it says on the tin. It orders that, within 180 days,... Read more
Well, that takes the cake. I think I’ve heard the silliest comment on healthcare yet. A gentleman on Facebook just calmly explained that, if a pregnant woman loses her medicaid, “They can go to Crisis pregnancy centers for all kinds of help. There are pro-life Doctors that give free care. Help is very accessible.” Yes, somebody thinks that. I feel like I shouldn’t have to say this, but since it came up, I want to clarify to everyone who hasn’t used... Read more
I don’t have a problem with religious-themed treats, as a general rule. I am 100% okay with butter lambs that represent Jesus. They look delicious. I love leg of lamb and desserts shaped like lamb to represent Jesus; I’d even like to try one of those traditional lamb cakes filled with grenadine so they appear to bleed when you cut them. I have no objection to a cross made of chocolate. I like chocolate and I like crosses. There’s no... Read more
We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You, because by Your holy cross you have redeemed the world. Is it nothing to you, all you that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like to my sorrow, which is done to me, with which the LORD has afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger. She has been here all along. This was the fulfillment of Simeon’s prophecy; this was the sword that ran... Read more
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