This is one crazy election year!

I had heard rumors about this and a friend sent me a video with the info. Frankly I think this is really bizarre ; that something as simple as proving natural citizenship should have happened a long time ago. Why is this issue unresolved weeks before election?

Video clip of interest

For my friend Carlos especially -

OK for Life : Q&A from candidates

To see the Newsletter with Federal Candidate Survey : http://www.okforlife.org/resources/OCT2008NL.pdf

Vol. 33, No. 2 www.OkForLife.org October 2008
State Senate Key to Unborn Child’s Future;
Republicans Consistently Defend Life

As pro-life Republican U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe is
defending his seat in Congress against pro-abortion
Democrat Andrew Rice, a simultaneous battle rages for
majority control of the Oklahoma state Senate, currently
split 24-24 between Republicans and Democrats.
The state Senate contest has serious ramifications for
the unborn child. All 24 Republicans are pro-life; of the
24 Democrats, about one-third are pro-life, one-third are
pro-abortion, and one-third have mixed voting records.
The majority party will set the legislative agenda, name
the committee chairmen, and organize and run the Senate.
In major races, pro-life Republican Dan Newberry
is opposing incumbent Democrat Nancy Riley of Tulsa
(on eight key Senate votes the past two years, Senator
Riley voted pro-abortion four times [see p. 2], pro-life
three times, and was absent once, when she was the only
senator missing [votes at www.OkForLife.org]); pro-life
Republican Dr. Jim Halligan, former OSU president, is
running for a Stillwater seat long held by Democrats; and
pro-life Republican Kenny Sherrill of McAlester is
challenging pro-abortion Democrat Richard Lerblance for
Democrat Gene Stipe’s former seat. On eight key Senate
votes the past two years, Senator Lerblance has compiled
a 100% pro-abortion voting record (www.OkForLife.org).
_______________________________________________
October 10 Deadline to
Register to Vote:
Go to our website, www.OkForLife.org
______________________________________________
All four of Oklahoma’s Republican members of the
U. S. House of Representatives – John Sullivan, Frank
Lucas, Tom Cole, and Mary Fallin – have 100% pro-life
voting records; Democratic Congressman Dan Boren has
a 67% pro-life voting record.
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe’s been a strong pro-life leader
and outspoken advocate for the unborn child throughout
his career in public service. Senator Inhofe has compiled
a 100% pro-life voting record through his 22 years in
the U.S. House and U.S. Senate. On eight key votes in
the state Senate the past two years, his opponent,
Democratic state Senator Andrew Rice, has compiled a
100% pro-abortion voting record (http://www.okforlife.org/).

Parties Adopt Platforms: Democrats Pro-Abortion, Republicans Pro-Life
The platform adopted in August by the Democratic
National Convention states that the Democratic Party
"strongly and unequivocally supports Roe v. Wade and
a woman's right to choose a safe and legal abortion,
regardless of ability to pay, and we oppose any and all
efforts to weaken or undermine that right."
The party platform adopted in September by the
Republican National Convention states that the
Republican Party “affirm[s] that the unborn child has a
fundamental individual right to life which cannot be
infringed.… We support the appointment of judges who
respect traditional family values and the sanctity and
dignity of innocent human life.”
For voting records of pro-abortion Barack Obama
and pro-life John McCain, go to www.OkForLife.org
and click on Presidential Candidates.
Email-Alert Sign Up www.OkForLife.org

40 Days for Life in Tulsa!

Here is something that I hope to do and would encourage anyone who can, to come help make a difference :-)

From the website:

http://www.40daysforlife.com/Tulsa/ :

This fall, from September 24 - November 2, our community will be one of more than 170 cities in 45 states joining together for the largest and longest coordinated pro-life mobilization in history -- the 40 Days for Life campaign.

40 Days for Life is a focused pro-life effort that consists of:
40 days of prayer and fasting
40 days of peaceful vigil
40 days of community outreach

We are praying that, with God's help, this groundbreaking effort will mark the beginning of the end of abortion in our city -- and throughout America.

Take a stand for life
While all aspects of 40 Days for Life are crucial in our effort to end abortion, the most visible component is the peaceful prayer vigil outside the local abortion (or Planned Parenthood) facility.

You can help make a life-saving impact by joining our local vigil at:
The property directly across from:

Reproductive Services6136 E. 32nd PlaceTulsa, OK

This property is owned by the Diocese of Tulsa.Sign up to participate in our local 40 Days for Life vigil by clicking the "Vigil Schedule" link at the top of this page.

Contact us To learn more, sign up for specific vigil hours, or let us know how you feel called to serve God in this effort, please contact the local 40 Days for Life leadership team:

Erick Bell & Tracy Callicoat 918-307-4939

familylife.office@dioceseoftulsa.org

Get the latest updates
Be sure to sign-up for updates and prayer requests using the form at the top right of this page, and browse through the rest of this site to find out how YOU can help make a lifesaving impact as part of our local 40 Days for Life campaign.
Learn more about the national 40 Days for Life campaign.

Wrapping up the summer

As most of you know I have spent my summer walking across the United States with Crossroads. Our mission was to change hearts and save lives by bringing the pro-life message out to the streets.

 Crossroads was started by a group of students from Franciscan University of Stuebenville who took John Paul II's challenge seriously to bring the pro-life message to the highways and byways of our country.  In 1995 those students travelled to San Francisco and began walking across the US. 

This was Crossroads 14th summer and there were 3 walks that began May 24th : a northern beginning in Seattle, the central beginning in San Francisco and a southern beginning in Los Angeles.  I walked the central walk beginning in San Francisco and continuing through, Sacramento, Reno, Salt Lake City, Denver, North Platte, Omaha/Lincoln, Kansas City, St. Louis, Columbus, Indianapolis, Pittsburg and finally to Washington DC.    

We walked Monday through Friday around the clock with half the group walking days and the other walking nights (otherwise known as the 'batman shift').  We had an RV for the shift on break and a support vehicle with the shift out walking.  Each person walked about 15 miles a day, each shift covered at least 30 miles and so every 24 hours we travelled 60 miles.  On the weekends we would stop in the major cities:  Saturday mornings were spent praying outside of abortion mills and saturday night/sunday mornings were spent speaking after masses to the parishes that invited us.

We would ask those we spoke with to get involved with the pro-life movement in anyway they could - example: to pray outside of abortion mills, pray for a culture of life with their families, or even come and walk with Crossroads.  We asked for financial support.  And we asked for their prayers to help us continue our mission.  The difficulty with Crossroads was not so much the blisters, the hours and hours walking under the hot sun or stumbling down the highway at 3am when you wish you were sleeping, or even being in a small RV with 8-10 other people ... It was the spiritual battle where satan tried all sorts of things to keep the message from being spread.  We were on the forefront of a spiritual battle ground and as much as we Satan lashing out we also saw God preforming miracles daily to keep us going.  People would after mass write down prayer intentions in a book which we would keep with us to pray for them - at daily mass, morning and evening prayer and during the 20 decades of the rosary we said as we walked each day.

I fly home on Sunday and I am very much looking forward to seeing my family again.  This summer has been an amazing one that was filled with as much learning, adventure, and spiritual-growth as I could ask for over several years.  But it has also left me more ready to begin whatever God has in store for me next!  

Movie : home is where my heart is

Here is a slide show I made before my summer away from home.  It is about my family, our farm, the monastery and the community around us.  It is a little too fast so if you miss something just play is again ;-)  While away it has been a reminder of how much I miss my home as well as a glimpse for those I meet of what a special place Clear Creek is.

Crossroads group blog

Check out http://crossroadswalk.blogspot.com

I am posting on this official Crossroads Blog and here is the most recent post which I actually did quite awhile ago:

http://crossroadswalk.blogspot.com/2008/06/central-walk-2008.html

Crossroads group shot in the Rocky Mountains

High in the Rocky Mountains

Life on the Rock : Crossroads Interview

Catch-up time ...

In Salt Lake City Utah I was able to meet up with my dad who was on a business trip. He met me at mass and then took me out to eat at a beautiful place overlooking the whole of dowtown of Salt Lake City with aview of the snow-capped mountains behind. It was there that I told him that I was being flown out to Birmingham AL later that week for an interview with EWTN's 'Life on the Rock. He was very jazzed about that, but even more we both had a wonderful time being together after so long and catching up on what was happening both on Crossroads and back at the Lawless Ranch. We hit the road monday morning and headed into the mountains. That evening we got lost on a dirt road in the mountains but then eventually found our way back to the RV. Wednesday night our walk leader dropped my fellow walker Catie and I at a hotel in Denver and the next morning I took the shuttle to the airport and flew to Alabama. It was so neat to see EWTN's studio and meet the whole crew. The interview went very well and our hosts made us feel very at home and comfortable. Hopefully this link will work so you can see the Crossroads interview. Enjoy!:

Life on the Rock