2000 Little Notes
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Contents © 2000
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.

DECEMBER 2000 LITTLE NOTES

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HOW CATHOLICS IN CALIFORNIA VOTED. (See related story, page one.) Here's the ABC network's exit poll of California voters. Protestant/Christian voted Gore 40%, Bush 58%. Catholic voted Gore 56%, Bush 40%. Jewish voted Gore 84%, Bush 15%. If you attend a religious service once a week, you voted Gore 47%, Bush 49%. If you attend religious services more than once a week, you voted Gore 35%, Bush 64%. If you never attend religious services, you voted Gore 60%, Bush 31%. For the full exit poll, visit www.abcnews.go.com/se


UNDER-ESTIMATE? The Kansas City Star on November 5 updated its January revelations (see related story, page one): "In January, The Kansas City Star reported that hundreds of priests had died of AIDS-related illnesses and that hundreds more were living with the virus that causes the disease. The controversial finding was based in part on estimates from AIDS experts and priests and an analysis of health statistics. The three-day series also reported that many priests thought the church could do more to address the issue.

"Since then, The Star has documented more than 300 AIDS-related priest deaths nationwide through death certificates and interviews with family members and religious colleagues. Because death records are closed in nearly two-thirds of the states, experts say that the exact AIDS death toll among U.S. priests will never be known.

"But the newspaper was able to examine documents in 14 states in which thousands of death certificates were available. The Star found that the AIDS death rate among priests was more than double that of all adult males in those states and more than six times that of the general population in those states.

"Those AIDS death rates exceeded the estimates and projections reported earlier this year by the newspaper."


KNOWING THAT MOST LATINOS VOTE DEMOCRATIC and would support Al Gore without knowing his support of abortion, San Diego pro-lifer Jim Cunningham tried the last week of October to place an ad in the Los Angeles Spanish-language daily, La Opinion about partial-birth abortion. An ad salesperson told Cunningham, that his ad, which included a line drawing of a partial-birth abortion, was "too controversial" for La Opinion. When Cunningham first submitted his ad, he was told that La Opinion would not run such an ad because they are "family oriented." He offered to take out the drawing of the baby being aborted and replace it with the caption "foto prohibido" (photo prohibited) but La Opinion would not accept this either.

When pressed for comment on November 13, Joseph Ortega, executive assistant to La Opinion's publisher, Monica Lozano, said that La Opinion feared a backlash if they ran such an ad. "The Lozanos have the final word and it's their criteria" he said when asked about the policy the paper has for accepting or denying advertising. Ortega said that each ad is viewed individually to see if it meets the Lozanos' criteria. Ortega admitted that it was possible for the pro-abortion group, People for the American Way, to take out an ad in La Opinion. In addition, Ortega claimed that "most of our readers are opposed to abortion, so it's not really giving abortion a fair [shot]".


ABOUT 100 PEOPLE GATHERED at Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula on October 14, for the first annual Ventura County Catholic Writers Conference. About one quarter of the audience were TAC students. The day was devoted to talks on Catholic free-lance writing, writing for secular publications, screenwriting, writing for the homeschooling market.

David Shaneyfelt, TAC's director of college relations and assistant general counsel, hosted the conference. The first speaker, Karen Walker of Studio Raphael, explained that budding writers must be persistent and take criticism well. George Neumayr, former San Francisco Faith editor and now an editorial writer with Investors Business Daily, asked, "Can Catholics find a place in the secular media?" then quipped, "No, but they can find a few homeless shelters." He recommended the National Journalism Center in Washington, D.C. as a training ground. The secular order can only be changed by an increased Catholic media presence, Neumayr asserted, and he pointed out the orthodox Catholics involved in the Washington Times, National Review, the Wall Street Journal and Internet websites. James Bemis, who writes for Southern California dailies, the California Political Review, The Wanderer, National Catholic Register, Catholic Digest, and the new Catholic website, e3mil.com, warned against looking at the Church through the eyes of 20th-century Americans. Instead, he said, we should look at 20th-century America as catechized Catholics.

The luncheon speaker was Donna Steichen, author of Ungodly Rage: The Hidden Face of Catholic Feminism and Prodigal Daughters: Catholic Women Come Home to the Church. Steichen encouraged Catholic writers to continue opposing false spirituality, participate in lay opposition to error within the Church, and mentor younger Catholic writers. "To be a Catholic writer is to be a witness to the truth," she stated. Steichen's daughter, Laura Berquist, director of Mother of the Divine Savior homeschool program and author of Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum, explained opportunities in the homeschooling market. Avoid letting one's prejudices interfere with the truth, avoid turning all academic subjects into theology and talk to homeschoolers regarding their experiences, she advised. Matt Summer, a Hollywood screenwriter, provided guidelines for screenwriters: you must have passion for the art and perseverance, seek creativity in the spirit that animated one as a child, avoid using storytelling to promote an agenda. The last speaker was John Kurzweil, founder and editor of the California Political Review. Kurzweil asserted that mainstream culture resists clear thinking.

For more information about a Catholic Writers Guild, contact David Shaneyfelt, Thomas Aquinas College, 10000 North Ojai Road, Santa Paula, California 93060, or call (805) 525-4417 or fax (805) 525-0620.


PRO-LIFERS CAN SUPPORT the local Rachel's Hope post-abortion healing ministry for men and women by shopping online at www.shopandsupport.com. In the website's homepage, follow the instructions for entering Rachel's Hope, San Diego, California as the organization you wish to support. A portion of the proceeds from each online purchase will be donated to Rachel's Hope. Shoppers can choose from: auctions; automotive; books, music and videos; clothing and accessories; computer and electronics; department stores; family; financial services; food and drink; games and toys; gifts, flowers and jewelry; health and beauty; hobbies and collectibles; home, garden and pets; miscellaneous, office, sports and fitness; and travel. For more information on Rachel's Hope, visit www.rachelshope.org, e-mail: rachels_hope@juno.com, call 858-581-3022.


ACCORDING TO THE AUGUST, 2000 ISSUE of Duke's San Diego Report, a pro-life newsletter, "California People of Faith Working Against the Death Penalty -- San Diego Chapter had a luncheon and meeting with congressman Bob Filner on Saturday, August 5, at the Academy of Our Lady of Peace on Oregon Street in San Diego. Bob Filner answered our questions and gave us some pointers on how to talk to politicians and advised that we try to win over members of the clubs we belong to, this would affect the polls, which affect politicians. Kent Peters of the Office of Social Ministry organized this event."

Filner, a Democrat, first elected to Congress from the South Bay in 1992, has earned a 100 percent rating from the National Abortion Rights Action League and Planned Parenthood and a zero percent rating from the National Right to Life Committee. The Human Rights Campaign, which lobbies for the homosexualist agenda, has awarded him a 100 percent rating.

During a November 12 interview, Tim Spann of the San Diego chapter of California People of Faith, explained why Rep. Filner was invited to speak at a Catholic institution: "The general purpose was to teach us how to talk to people in order to win them over to our views and to make contact with legislators on a local basis, because the local chapter hasn't had a lot of contact with politicians."

Spann said that during the luncheon, which was attended by approximately 25 people, "Filner briefly ran down concerns, such as the fact that the highest percentage of vets in the country are in his congressional area, and that he is careful to take care of their concerns.

"He is opposed to the death penalty and is only congressman in the county who is."

When asked why the group would invite a speaker who supports abortion, Spann said, "Some of the people who are not in favor of abortion are now starting to look at the death penalty issue. Oliver North has now come out against the death penalty.

"CPF formed about a year and a half ago and is divided into six regions, including San Diego. We've had various events, including a bishop from San Francisco, victims and other people. [We're] a new group of people dedicated to working within their church to ending the death penalty. The Southern California chapter is out of the archdiocese of L.A.

"I've spoken to eight Catholic churches [in the San Diego diocese.] I gave the homily in Spring Valley last November; in fact I've spoken there twice now. I've also talked at the Mission, El Cajon, the Newman Center at SDSU, in Carlsbad and Pacific Beach. I talk about several different aspects of the death penalty, its history in the U.S., what the bishops and Pope has said in past years, the seamless garment, and victims."


THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR SHARP HOSPITAL in Chula Vista met on October 19, 2000, to "clarify" their hospital's abortion policy. Ten Christians, led by the California Life Coalition, gathered for a prayer vigil outside the hospital to pray that the board would not to liberalize an existing a blanket policy, which allows abortions to be performed at all Sharp Hospitals.

According to a prepared statement released by Sharp Healthcare, the board decided to "allow therapeutic abortions to be performed at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center in the first 22 weeks of pregnancy in those cases where there is a significant threat to the mother's health, where there are fetal abnormalities resulting in incompatibility with life beyond on year or where there will be an inevitable natural abortion of a fetus."

However, chief of staff Phil Bajo told the Coalition that currently no abortions are being performed at the Chula Vista facility, a fact he did not expect to change regardless of the decision made by the board.

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