Popular Culture

June 9, 2012

Where Do You Draw The Line?

A few years ago one of my injury clients, Jane, called and told me that she had recently ended a homosexual relationship and was being harassed by her former partner, Jenifer.*  During the time they were together, Jane and Jennifer lived in Jennifer’s house and split the household expenses.  They also shared a small dog that Jennifer had given to Jane as a gift.

June 2, 2012

How To Deal With A Gay Family Member

The Catholic Church has always taught that we should love the sinner but hate the sin.  That’s exactly what we’re expected to do when we have a family member or friend who is homosexual.  The Church’s official position on homosexuality can be found in paragraphs 2357 through 2359 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which provide as follows:

May 26, 2012

The Unraveling of a Culture

Last weekend at the Kapow Comic Convention in London, a representative of DC Comics announced that one of its previously “straight” superheroes was going to come out as being gay.  When ABC News later asked Courtney Simmons, DC’s Senior Vice President of Publicity, about the announcement, she confirmed that “one of the major iconic DC characters will reveal that he is gay in a storyline in June.”  In a separate interview, Bobby Wayne, the senior Vice President for Sales, said that the company “had evolved,” a reference to President Obama’s recent endorsement of same-sex “marriage.”

May 5, 2012

The Religion of America – As Represented in Disney Productions and The Hunger Games

Katniss Everdeen - District 12 - The Hunger Games

February 18, 2012

A Reservoir of Love

It happened on a Friday evening in April of 1977, when I was 19-years-old.  I was home from college for the weekend and after dinner, my mom brought out a cake she had baked for my youngest brother, Tony.  There were 2 candles on the cake and it was time to sing Happy Birthday to the baby of the family.  As usual, the candles were lit and the lights were turned off.  Tony sat in mom’s lap while we sang to him.  After Tony blew out the candles, someone turned on the lights to the dining room.  It was then that we noticed mom was wiping away tears from her eyes.

February 11, 2012

The Unanswered Question

The first time I ever heard the phrase “Academic Freedom” was when I was 22 years old.  It happened in 1979, when I was a student at St. Louis University School of Law.  I had no idea when I started law school that I was going to get a real “education” on how a Catholic university operated. 

November 5, 2011

A Wicked Experience

As you may know, the Broadway show, Wicked, played in Peoria from October 12th through October 30th.  When tickets went on sale a few months ago, I bought tickets for me, Georgette, and our three youngest daughters, Mary, Christine and Teresa.  Tickets ranged in price from $42 to $127.  I got by “cheap” by purchasing the $42 (second balcony) tickets for a total cost of $210..

October 15, 2011

iPads, iTunes & iHaters

When I was a freshman in college, I shared an apartment with a student who was a junior at the same college I was attending.  His name was Dale.

October 8, 2011

The Perfect Family

It all started when my wife got pregnant within a month after we were married.  What I mean by “it all started” were the questions we got from friends, relatives, and even strangers.  Questions like: “Was it an accident?” or “Why didn’t you wait a few years before having your first child?” or “How long have you been married?”  Then of course there was the 2-part question.  First part: “When’s your due date?”  Second part: “Oh, so when did you get married?” Then a pause to do the math to figure out when the pregnancy occurred – before or after the wedding.