JESUIT BUILDING AS THE EU COUNCIL HEADQUARTERS!, JUSTUS LIPSIUS SJ BUILDING

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Judge's Ten Commandments Display in Courtroom Ruled Unconstitutional

A federal appeals court ruled unanimously Wednesday that a local trial judge in Ohio has no constitutional right to hang in his courtroom a poster of the Ten Commandments along with his own pointed comments about "moral relativism" and the rule of law.

In a 17-page order, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declared that the presence of the poster in the courtroom of Richland County Common Pleas Court Judge James Deweese violated the First Amendment rights of lawyers and litigants appearing before him. Asserting that the judge's "secular" justification for the written message was "a sham," the federal appellate judges affirmed a lower court ruling ordering Deweese to take down the poster.

Hung on Deweese's courtroom wall in 2006, the poster includes the following comments from the judge himself above the familiar list of commandments: "There is a conflict of legal and moral philosophies raging in the United States. That conflict is between moral relativism and moral absolutism. We are moving towards moral relativism. All law is legislated morality. The only question is whose morality. Because morality is based on faith, there is no such thing as religious neutrality in law or morality.

"Ultimately," Deweese's poster states, "there are only two views: Either God is the final authority, and we acknowledge His unchanging standards of behavior. Or man is the final authority, and standards of behavior change at the whim of individuals or societies." In addition, underneath the commandments, the judge added this comment:

"The cases passing through this courtroom demonstrate we are paying a high cost in increased crime and other social ills for moving from moral absolutism to moral relativism since the mid 20th century. Our Founders saw the necessity of moral absolutes. . . . The Declaration of Independence acknowledges God as Creator, Lawgiver, 'Supreme Judge of the World,' and the One who providentially superintends the affairs of men. Ohio's Constitution acknowledges Almighty God as the source of our freedom. I join the Founders in personally acknowledging the importance of Almighty God's fixed moral standards for restoring the moral fabric of this nation."

The lawsuit was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, and the new ruling by the federal appellate judges marked the second time in the past 11 years they've had to admonish Deweese for his courtroom art. In 2000, he hung on his courtroom wall a copy of the Ten Commandments -- alone without any of his own comments -- before the federal courts ordered it taken down. In Wednesday's ruling, the 6th Circuit cited this litigation history in rejecting Deweese's new claims that he had a constitutional right to post the additional messages above and below the commandments in court.

The poster "sets forth overt religious messages and religious endorsements," the appeals panel wrote. "It is a display of the Ten Commandments editorialized by Defendant, a judge in an Ohio state court, exhorting a return to 'moral absolutes' which Defendant himself defines as the principles of the 'God of the Bible.' The poster is an explicit endorsement of religion by Defendant in contravention of the Establishment Clause."

Jesuits take D.C.

Don't forget, this isn't just talking about Roman Catholics. This is just individuals who graduated from a Jesuit University or College. Roman Catholics make up a much bigger percentage than this. This page is a mirror of this blog (it's been scrubbed from the internet)


Fifty-three members of the 112th Congress are alumni of the nation's twenty-eight Jesuit colleges and universities.  Thirty-five attained graduate or professional degrees from Jesuit universities. Twelve serve in the Senate and forty-one in the House.

Here are the Senators:

• John Barrasso, (R-WY) Appointed 2007, Elected 2008, B.A. Georgetown University (1974) and M.D. Georgetown University (1978)
• Scott Brown, (R-MA) Elected 2010, J.D. Boston College (1984)
• Robert P. Casey, Jr., (D-PA) Elected 2006, B.A. College of the Holy Cross (1982)
• Richard J. Durbin, (D-IL) Elected 1996, B.S.F.S. Georgetown University (1966) and J.D. Georgetown University (1969)
• Michael (Mike) Johanns, (R-NB) Elected 2008, J.D. Creighton University (1974)
• John F. Kerry, (D-MA) Elected 1984, J.D. Boston College (1976)
• Patrick J. Leahy, (D-VT) Elected 1974, J.D. Georgetown University (1964)
• Mark Steven Kirk, (R-IL) Elected 2010, J.D. Georgetown University (1992)
• Robert Menendez, (D-NJ) Appointed & Elected 2006, B.A. Saint Peter's College (1976)
• Barbara A. Mikulski, (D-MD) Elected 1986, B.A. Loyola University Maryland (1958)
• Lisa Murkowski, (R-AK) Appointed 2002, Elected 2004, B..A. Georgetown University (1980)
• Jim Webb, (D-VA) Elected 2006, J.D. Georgetown University (1975) 

Jesuit alumni also serve as House leaders.  Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) graduated from Xavier University and Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) graduated from Georgetown.  You can see the rest of the house alumni by following the link.

Georgetown University leads the way with eighteen alumni, followed by Boston College (7), and the College of the Holy Cross (4).  Four schools (Creighton University, Fordham University, Marquette University, and the University of Detroit Mercy) each have 3.

Not bad. Unfortunately, neither my alma mater not current employer make the list.

At least another thirty alumni serve in the Obama administration including

• Department of Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates (Georgetown University, 1974, PhD)
• Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet A. Napolitano (Santa Clara University, 1979, BA)
• Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Leon E. Panetta (Santa Clara University, 1960, BA)
• White House Chief of Staff William Daley (Loyola University Chicago, 1970, BA)

A few questions come to mind.

First, how does the percentage of Jesuit alumni serving in Congress today compare to previous sessions?  Is ten percent high? low?

Second, do individuals interested in public service choose to attend Jesuit colleges and universities or does the Ignatian experience cause them to pursue a life of public service?  Maybe we're doing something right.

Finally, how important is the Jesuit alumni network (current and former congressmen) in getting elected?  Are members of congress, in any way, more likely to work with each other because of their shared college experiences?  

You can see a global list on Wikipedia that includes Externado San Jose and UCA alumnus Mauricio Funes.

Bush said he saw "God" when he looked in the eyes of the Pope...

He also said "God" told him to attack Iraq... Also, George Bush: 'God told me to end the tyranny in Iraq'

after reading this below read the article "A Catholic Wind in the White House" which appeared in the Washington Post.

"The Pope and God are the same, so he has all power in Heaven and earth." -
Pope Pius V, quoted in Barclay, Chapter XXVII, p. 218, "Cities Petrus Bertanous".

"...the Pope is as it were God on earth, sole sovereign of the faithful of Christ, chief of kings, having plenitude of power." -

Lucius Ferraris, in "Prompta Bibliotheca Canonica, Juridica, Moralis, Theologica, Ascetica, Polemica, Rubristica, Historica", Volume V, article on "Papa, Article II", titled "Concerning the extent of Papal dignity, authority, or dominion and infallibility", #1, 5, 13-15, 18, published in Petit-Montrouge (Paris) by J. P. Migne, 1858 edition.

These words are written in the Roman Canon Law 1685: "To believe that our Lord God the Pope has not the power to decree as he is decreed, is to be deemed heretical."

Writers on the Canon Law say, "The Pope and God are the same, so he has all power in heaven and earth."-
Barclay Cap. XXVII, p. 218. Cities Petrus Bertrandus, Pius V. - Cardinal Cusa supports his statement.

Pope Nicholas I declared: "the appellation of God had been confirmed by Constantine on the Pope, who, being God, cannot be judged by man." - Labb IX Dist.: 96 Can. 7, Satis evidentur, Decret Gratian Primer Para.

"The pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not a mere man .... he is as it were God on earth, sole sovereign of the faithful of Christ, chief of kings, having plenitude of power." - Lucius Ferraris, «Prompta Bibliotheca», 1763, Volume VI, 'Papa II', pp.25-29

"The supreme teacher in the Church is the Roman Pontiff. Union of minds, therefore, requires... complete submission and obedience of will to the Church and to the Roman Pontiff, as to God Himself." - Leo VIII, «On the Chief Duties of Christians as Citizens», Encyclical letter, 1890

"Hence the Pope is crowned with a triple crown, as king of heaven and of earth and of the lower regions (infernorum)." - Lucius Ferraris, «Prompta Bibliotheca», 1763, Volume VI, 'Papa II', p.26)

"We hold upon this earth the place of God Almighty" - Pope Leo XIII Encyclical Letter of June 20, 1894


"The Pope is not only the representative of Jesus Christ, he is Jesus Christ himself, hidden under the veil of flesh." - Catholic National July 1895

"The pope is the supreme judge of the law of the land... He is the vicegerent (replacement) of Christ, who is not only a Priest forever, but also King of kings and Lord of lords." - La Civilia Cattolica, March 18, 1871, quoted in Leonard Woosely Bacaon, An inside view of the Vatican Council (American Tract Society ed.), p.229


"The pope is the supreme judge of the law of the land . . . He is the vicegerent of Christ, and is not only a priest forever, but also King of kings and Lord of lords" - La Civilta Cattolica, March 18, 1871.

"All the faithful must believe that the Holy Apostolic See and the Roman Pontiff [the Pope] possesses the primacy over the whole world, and the Roman Pontiff is the successor of blessed Peter, Prince of the Apostles, and is true vicar of Christ, and heed of the whole church, and father and teacher of all Christians; and that full power was given to him in blessed Peter to rule, feed, and govern the universal Church by Jesus Christ our Lord." -First Dogmatic Constitution on the Church of Christ, "Eternal Pastor," - published in the fourth session of the Vatican Council, 1870, chap. 3, in Philip Schaff, Creeds of Christendom. vol. 2, p. 262.

"We define that the Holy Apostolic See (the Vatican) and the Roman Pontiff hold the primacy over the whole world." - A Decree of the Council of Trent, quoted in Philippe Labbe and Gabriel Cossart, "The Most Holy Councils," col. 1167.

Ed Brown gets 37-year sentence

By Margot Sanger-Katz
for the Monitor

Ed Brown was sentenced to 37 years in federal prison yesterday for his role in orchestrating the nearly nine-month standoff at his Plainfield home that attracted national attention, drew hundreds of supporters and ended when undercover U.S. marshals arrested Brown and his wife, finding the house stuffed with guns and homemade explosive devices.

The judge, George Singal, chose a sentence lower than that recommended by the federal sentencing guidelines but long enough to mean that Brown, 67, will likely die in prison. His wife, Elaine Brown, 68, who was convicted of similar crimes, was sentenced last year to 35 years in prison. Four key supporters who lived with the Browns and helped bring them guns, food and bomb-making supplies, have already been sentenced to prison terms - one for 36 years.

"It's a sad case in many ways," Singal said, before announcing the sentence. "It is sad that Mr. Brown and his beliefs have caused others to be entrapped in his web."

Brown, a retired cockroach exterminator and onetime militia leader, was unrepentant to the end. Dressed in a khaki Strafford County jail uniform, Brown refused to stand for the judge, repeatedly interrupted the proceedings with complaints and mocking laughter, and used his final opportunity to address the court to deliver a long rant about the U.S. attorney's involvement in a worldwide conspiracy to undermine the Constitution and rob individuals of their legal rights.

"I didn't hurt those men - they destroyed us," Brown said. "The Freemasons, Zionists, Jesuits, Knights Templar, the Fraternal Order of Police, the Moose Lodge. Hey, they're everywhere."

When Singal began to explain his sentencing rationale, Brown asked to leave the courtroom, and he was not present when his sentence was announced.

Prosecutors had sought a stiffer sentence, in line with federal sentencing guidelines. Brown faced a 30-year mandatory minimum sentence for one charge alone, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Arnold Huftalen asked for a total term between 47½ years and 51 years 8 months for Brown, arguing that such a sentence would deter Brown's supporters and reflected the seriousness of Brown's actions, which he said could have resulted in the deaths of many U.S. marshals if Brown had been able to use his arsenal in a "violent confrontation" with law enforcement.

"It is not an overstatement to say that no more dangerous man has been sentenced in this courthouse," Huftalen said. "Nor is it an overstatement to say, in all likelihood, no more dangerous man is likely to be sentenced in this courthouse in the coming years."

Brown's lawyer, Michael Iacopino, requested the shortest sentence possible under the law - 30 years and 1 month - arguing that Brown's age and the fact that no one was harmed during the standoff mitigated against a longer term.

"It puts him right up there with people who have killed people," Iacopino said.

Singal chose a middle ground, saying that 37 years was enough to reflect the seriousness of Brown's crimes. He expressed disappointment that Brown had shown no remorse and had failed to acknowledge his negative influence on the lives of his wife and supporters.

"I have no doubt in my mind that Mr. Brown would have killed multiple marshals had they not dealt with him so effectively," Singal said.

The federal Bureau of Prisons will determine where Brown will serve his sentence. Elaine Brown is currently incarcerated at the Federal Medical Center Carswell, a prison in Fort Worth, Texas.

The standoff

Brown and his wife were first arrested in 2006 for tax evasion, after the pair refused to pay federal income taxes on more than $1.2 million that Elaine Brown had earned as a dentist. The couple represented themselves at trial in January 2007, arguing that they were not subject to federal taxes or the court's jurisdiction.

When they became convinced the trial was stacked against them, they retreated to their concrete, castle-like home, located on 110 acres and equipped with an observation tower, a years-long supply of dehydrated food and independent water and electric sources. From the start, Ed Brown promised a showdown, telling his friends that he expected "another Waco" and issuing repeated threats against federal agents, prosecutors and the judge in his tax case.

The standoff continued for months, with a rotating cast of anti-government allies visiting the house and helping the couple prepare for an armed confrontation. The Browns invited reporters for interviews and used blogs, internet radio shows and social networking websites to spread news about the standoff and request needed supplies - later delivered - including a German shepherd puppy, night vision goggles and roofing nails, "bigger better."

U.S. Marshals attempted to arrest Brown in June 2007, but their planned ruse to capture him at the foot of his driveway was foiled when a supporter stumbled upon hidden agents in the woods. It was not until October that the marshals tried again and succeeded in arresting both Browns without firing a single gunshot.

At the time of the Browns' arrest, federal agents found the house filled with guns, bombs and ammunition strategically placed around the property. Ed Brown's bedroom closet featured a rack filled with 22 operational pipe bombs, and dozens of other improvised explosive devices and rifles were scattered throughout the house, most near windows with sight lines around the property. Exploding rifle targets were found nailed to trees around the property line, and boxes of homemade guns were found, some partially assembled, in the basement. One veteran agent from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives described the stash as the largest he'd ever seen.

The trial

Last year, a jury found Brown guilty of two counts of conspiracy, using a destructive device in furtherance of a crime of violence, obstruction of justice, being a felon in possession of a firearm, and failure to appear for trial and sentencing hearings.

The sentencing hearing yesterday came after a proceeding to determine Brown's competency. Iacopino had not questioned his client's mental state before the trial, but he asked the court to order a mental health evaluation afterward, when Brown stopped communicating with him and began exhibiting behavior that his lawyer described as "delusional."

As they did during their tax trial, the Browns insisted on representing themselves for much of the period leading up to their trial, and they filed numerous pleadings - most dismissed as frivolous - questioning the jurisdiction of the court, the legitimacy of the charges and the constitutional basis of many of the judge's actions.

At times, they argued that their case could be resolved through bonds, though they were not charged with any financial crimes. At others, they asserted that the court was invalid because the U.S. flag inside the courtroom bore a gold fringe.

The forensic psychologist who examined Brown told the court that Brown's conduct was influenced by a narcissistic personality disorder, marked by "grandiosity, need for attention and lack of empathy." But he said Brown's unusual behavior was ultimately the product of ideology, not mental illness.

"The beliefs held by Mr. Brown are also held by a broad subculture," wrote Dr. Shawn Channell, who compared Brown's views with the "unrealistic" beliefs held by members of organized religions.

Iacopino told the judge that he planned to file a notice of appeal after the hearing but said he did not expect Brown to discuss the case with him or cooperate on any appeal.

U.S. Attorney John Kacavas said after the hearing that he was satisfied by the sentence and hoped it would send a strong message to likeminded extremists about the consequences of taking similar actions. But he acknowledged that even a life sentence might not dissuade those as ideologically committed as Brown.

"People who are fundamentalist in their beliefs are often not dissuaded by reason or long incarceration," he said.

Few such sympathizers were visible yesterday. Elaine Brown's sentencing was attended by both family members and anti-government supporters. Yesterday, only one longtime friend of the Browns', Marie Miller of Farmington, sat in the courtroom.

Obama Selects Jesuit Schooled Leon Panetta for CIA Chief

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01...d-cia-director/

http://news.aol.com/article/obama-selects-...ia-chief/293944









Obama Selects Jesuit Schooled Leon Panetta for CIA Chief



Panetta to Be Named C.I.A. Director

By Carl Hulse AND Mark Mazzetti



Leon E. Panetta, the former congressman and White House chief of staff. (Kevin Wolf/Associated Press)President-elect Barack Obama has selected Leon E. Panetta, the former congressman and White House chief of staff, to take over the Central Intelligence Agency, an organization that Mr. Obama criticized during the campaign for using interrogation methods he decried as torture, Democratic officials said Monday.



Mr. Panetta has a reputation in Washington as a competent manager with strong background in budget issues, but has little hands-on intelligence experience. If confirmed by the Senate, he will take control of the agency most directly responsible for hunting senior Al Qaeda leaders around the globe, but one that has been buffeted since the Sept. 11 attacks by leadership changes and morale problems.



Given his background, Mr. Panetta is a somewhat unusual choice to lead the C.I.A., an agency that has been unwelcoming to previous directors perceived as outsiders, such as Stansfield M. Turner and John M. Deutch. But his selection points up the difficulty Mr. Obama had in finding a C.I.A. director with no connection to controversial counterterrorism programs of the Bush era.





Aides have said Mr. Obama had originally hoped to select a C.I.A. head with extensive field experience, especially in combating terrorist networks. But his first choice for the job, John O. Brennan, had to withdraw his name amidst criticism over his role in the formation of the C.I.A’s detention and interrogation program after the Sept. 11 attacks.



Members of Mr. Obama’s transition also raised concerns about other candidates, even some Democratic lawmakers with intelligence experience. Representative Jane Harman of California, formerly the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, was considered for the job, but she was ruled out as a candidate in part because of her early support for some Bush administration programs like the domestic eavesdropping program.



In disclosing the pick, officials pointed to Mr. Panetta’s sharp managerial skills, his strong bipartisan standing on Capitol Hill, his significant foreign policy experience in the White House and his service on the Iraq Study Group, the bipartisan panel that examined the war and made recommendations on United States policy. The officials noted that he had a handle on intelligence spending from his days as director of the Office and Management and Budget.



Mr. Deutch, now a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said Mr. Panetta and Dennis Blair, who was selected by Mr. Obama to become director of national intelligence, were an “absolutely brilliant team,” and called Mr. Panetta a “talented and experienced manager of government and a widely respected person with congress.”



He said that given global environment, there are indeed good reasons for Mr. Obama to select a C.I.A. veteran to lead the C.I.A. But he said that two of the agency’s most successful directors, John McCone and George H.W. Bush, had little or no intelligence intelligence experience when they took over at C.I.A.



“He will bring a wealth of knowledge of the government to the C.I.A. post and an outside perspective that I think might be helpful at this juncture in the C.I.A.’s history,” said Lee Hamilton, the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and a co-chairman of the Iraq Study Group.



As C.I.A. director, Mr. Panetta would report to Mr. Blair, a retired admiral. Neither choice has yet been publicly announced. The C.I.A. has settled down from years of turmoil after the Sept. 11 attacks and fallout from flawed intelligence assessments about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction programs.



At the same time, it faces uncertainly about where it fits in the constellation of spy agencies operating under the director of national intelligence. In recent months, Michael V. Hayden, the current C.I.A. director, has clashed with Mike McConnell, the current director of national intelligence, about Mr. McConnell’s efforts to fill top intelligence jobs overseas with officers from across the intelligence community, not just the C.I.A.



Mr. Panetta, a native of Monterey, Calif., served eight terms in the House representing his home region before becoming the chief budget adviser to President Bill Clinton in 1993. He then served as Mr. Clinton’s chief of staff from July 1994 to January 1997.



Given the focus on the intelligence apparatus in the wake of the terror attacks and the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, Mr. Obama’s selections in the intelligence field are expected to be closely examined.



Mr. Hamilton said that if confirmed, Mr. Panetta will have the advantage of moving to the agency headquarters in Langley, Va. with a strong relationship to Mr. Obama, which can translate into influence within the broader intelligence community. He said Mr. Panetta’s lack of hands-on intelligence experience can be supplemented by others.



“You have to look at the team,” he said. “You clearly will want intelligence professionals at the highest levels of the C.I.A.,” he said.



=============================================



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_Panetta







Leon Edward Panetta (born June 28, 1938) is a Democratic politician and scholar from California's Central Coast. He served as White House Chief of Staff to Bill Clinton, and before that was a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1976 to 1993. He is the founder and director of the Panetta Institute, serves as Distinguished Scholar to the Chancellor of the California State University system and is a professor at JESUIT Santa Clara University teaching public policy. On January 5, 2009, FOX News reported that he will be named by President-elect Barack Obama as CIA Director.



Early life and schooling



Leon Panetta was born in Monterey, California, the son of Italian immigrants who owned a restaurant there. He was raised in the Monterey area, and attended Catholic schools St. Carlos Grammar School and Carmel Mission School. He continued his education at Monterey High School, a public school where he became involved in student politics. As a junior he was Vice President of the Student Body, and became President of the Student Body as a senior.



In 1956 he entered Santa Clara University, and in 1960 he graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. He also received a Juris Doctor in 1963 from the Santa Clara University Law School, and soon after began practicing law.



In 1964 he joined the United States Army as a Second Lieutenant. There he received the Army Commendation Medal, and was discharged in 1966 as a Captain.



Responsibilities



Joint Ocean Commission Initiative



* Commissioner and Co-Chair[10]



Pew Oceans Commission



* Commissioner[11]



Bread for the World



* Board of Directors



National Marine Sanctuary Foundation



* Member of the Board of Directors[12]



New York Stock Exchange



* Co-chairman of the Corporate Accountability and Listing Standards Committee

* Board of Directors since 1997



Close Up Foundation



* Board of Directors, Member since 1999



Connetics Investor Relations



* Board of Directors since March 2000[13]



Fleishman-Hillard[14]



* Co-chairman of the Corporate Accountability and Listing Standards Committee

* Co-chairman of the Corporate Credibility Advisory practice

* Member of the International Advisory Board



Junior Statesmen Foundation Inc.



* Trustee since 2004



Public Policy Institute of California



* Board of Directors since 2007[15]



In June 2002 the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops put him on their National Review Board[16], which was created to look into the Catholic Church's sexual abuse scandal. This created controversy because of Panetta's pro-choice stands on abortion and other views seen as conflicting with those of the Church.



In January, 2009, Panetta was nominated by President-elect Obama to head the CIA.