Distinctly Catholic

Thank you to all who offered prayers for Ambrose. The vet just called and the surgery went well. Of course, we are now looking at a three month recovery, and managing limited movement, with two other dogs in the house, will be a challenge. But, at least my baby boy is coming home. Saint Francis, pray for us and for our furry friends.

The editors of the Washington Post debunk a so-called "study" by the Heritage Foundation regarding the costs of immigration reform. In a real study, at a real think tank, you try and examine all the data, not only the data that helps you whip up passions. Heritage again demonstrates that it is an advocacy organization pursuing a political agenda, not a think tank trying to ascertain the truth of the matter.

Today, my beloved St. Bernard, Ambrose, is having surgery. I ask for readers' prayers for a successful surgery and that this wonderful beast, who still thinks he is a puppy, will be relatively calm for the two weeks of being crate-bound that are to follow.

I was going to write about the shame in Massachusetts, where no cemetery is willing to receive the body of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, but Margaret O'Brien Steinfels beat me to the punch. The Bishop of Worcester, where the funeral home is, should step in and offer Christian burial at a Catholic cemetery. That would teach the people about what it means to be a Catholic. Mr. Tamerlan did horrible things, to be sure. But, he is dead now and we can leave his judgment to God.

The Catholic News Agency has an article by Mary Hasson that features yours truly and Melinda Henneberger on the subject of the Gosnell trial, President Obama, and the politics of abortion. Hasson writes that I am "soul searching" and that Henneberger and I are "rather reluctant combatants." I am not soul searching on the issue of abortion. I am not reluctant to address the issue. More on this tomorrow.