Christie and Bridgegate; He Has the Wrong Pass

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 12:27 am By Elizabeth Scalia

The “Bridge-gate” story currently haunting Chris Christie is not funny. Bridge tie-ups, aside from being inconvenient and schedule-mauling, are dangerous and sometimes life-threatening. It is possible that one elderly woman died because of the traffic snarls that apparently originated with administration staffers. It is absolutely fair and appropriate that the mainstream press inquire and investigate into what NJ Governor Christie know, and when he knew it, re the whole affair. If Christie did know about it, he ought to resign,... Read more

O King Solomon! Pray for us Squabbling Catholics!

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 12:27 am By Elizabeth Scalia

Okay, so, via Deacon Greg ala the Italian press (which is you know…the Italian press), here is the latest story that has some Catholics screaming at each other in social media. The pope baptized a baby. According to “Il Tirreno” the couple requesting baptism for their daughter Guilia may not be sacramentally married. We don’t even know if that report is accurate, or if so what circumstances may be behind the couple being only civilly wed. But that’s enough for... Read more

US News Responds re Anti-Catholic Op-Ed; They’re OK with Screeds – UPDATE

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 12:27 am By Elizabeth Scalia

The long-awaited statement from U.S. News was released yesterday evening. Editor Brian Kelly has this to say, regarding Jamie Stiehm’s column dated January 7: Perceived bias on the court is a legitimate issue that U.S. News & World Report has covered for many years, from many perspectives. Our Opinion section has published pieces on the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive coverage from all sides of the debate and, just this week, included pieces from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the... Read more

Follow-Up: Stiehm’s Anti-Catholic Bigotry; US News’ Silence – UPDATED

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 12:27 am By Elizabeth Scalia

Let’s pick up where we left off with our fisking of Jamie Stiehm’s ignorant and bigoted attack on Justice Sotomayor and Catholics in general. Stiehm’s column is being discussed in various corners of the blogosphere, including legal ones, and all points of view are worth reading. I wondered, particularly after discovering that Stiehm suffers from what she calls a mild case of bi-polar disorder, whether I should shrug off her recent column as a one-off; every writer, after all, knows... Read more

Fisking Stiehm’s Bigotry at US News

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 12:27 am By Elizabeth Scalia

I stopped being a Democrat when it became clear that I was expected to vacate any of my own thoughts and opinions in order to fall in line with the party, or be called moronic or hateful or bigoted or even evil. There was no way the party could be wrong on anything, therefore dissent indicated a problem originating with me. “I” had the problem; not the party. Don’t snigger, conservatives, you have your narrow-minded purists, too. Perhaps you’ve never... Read more

O My 3 Patron Saints, Teach Me What You Know!

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 12:27 am By Elizabeth Scalia

Yes, that is patrons, as in multiple. Because I have three of them, this year. Plus all the others I’m not able to leave behind. I’ve been pulling saint patrons (or having friends pull them for me, or using internet generators like this one and this one) for probably a dozen years, and most years I start out getting my saint and wondering, “Whaaaat? Saint Who?” My nun friends all say “you don’t pick the saint; the saint picks you”,... Read more

Little Sisters, HHS Mandate, Al Gore and Incurious Press – UPDATED

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 12:27 am By Elizabeth Scalia

I’ve mentioned before that both President Obama and his press secretary, Jay Carney are wearing identical facial expressions; they both look like men who wish it would all go away. And “make it go away” was the first thing that came into my head when I saw this headline over at Deacon Greg’s: “WH Says Birth Control Mandate Doesn’t Apply To Little Sisters of the Poor”. Let’s skip over the fact that this isn’t exactly a “birth control” mandate. It’s... Read more

Garlic? Honey, I’m like buttah. Like BUTTAH!

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 12:27 am By Elizabeth Scalia

You know…all fat and salty! Anyhow, back in September I did an interview with Jonathan Merritt at the Religion News Service, talking about idols and the pope and whatnot, and today the piece has dropped: Pope Francis craze may be idolatry, says Catholic writer Elizabeth Scalia Elizabeth Scalia claims to be a shy person, happy to hang in the background. But the popular Catholic Portal editor at Patheos, writing as “The Anchoress”, doesn’t shy away from offering opinions as strong... Read more

Merry Christmas to You and Yours!

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 12:27 am By Elizabeth Scalia

My photo of our own tree. Read more

Duke Ellington Understood Incarnation, Lived Christmas

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 12:27 am By Elizabeth Scalia

There is a collection of Christmas-Themed articles over at National Review, and among them you’ll find my piece which started out as a rant against cruise-pictures-as-Christmas-cards and ended up being about Duke Ellington and the Great Christmas Secret: “Duke Ellington and I exchanged Christmas greetings each year,” wrote Joe Delaney of the Las Vegas Sun., “Mine were sent in mid-December. Duke sent his when the spirit moved him.” A reformed Ebenezer Scrooge may have pledged to “honor Christmas in my... Read more