extreme Catholic 

1. The judge just increased the risk and therefore the costs borrowing for everyone.
2. Rather than just own the house free and clear and raise the cash for "health care" and "the online business" from actual earnings -- they gambled -- it looks to me like a $250,000 "cash-out" -- the excess of loan principal over the amount required to own the house free and clear.

Regardless of the value of the house increasing or decreasing, they should have anticipated what the monthly payments would be and have earnings to cover it, or sell the house on their own terms and move to a rental.

My problems with the story:

1. "...10.375 percent, which soared to 12.375..." Soared? Was that meant in a sarcastic sense?
2. They have owned and occupied the house for 15 years and have zero (or negative) equity in it? Tell me if that is due to "bank bullying".

Labels: banking, economy, law

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 9:58 PM   Permalink  

Navy Seals Face Court Martial for Alleged Terrorist Bloody Lip?, CBS News

General George S. Patton was reprimanded and nearly was taken out of the war for slapping two soldiers whom he thought were malingerers. The great movie '''Patton''' blends the two incidents into one.

The Seals deny that they had injured their target. They are not claiming that one of them hit Ahmed Hashim Abed and it was justified.

Patton justified his slapping of these two soldiers as a way to restore their self-confidence. One soldier last admitted that it did. It was wrong then, and today, it is inconceivable that a general would slap a soldier not showing a visible wound.

Violence in the Catholic faith, is limited to self-defense, and in the larger context, internal order (i.e. police) and external threat (i.e. military).

I can't prejudge this case, but I will be paying careful attention.

Labels: crime, politics, war

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 7:49 PM   Permalink  

It starts with Matthew's absurd spin on the JFK 1960 quote. Matthews is immediately talking over the bishop's first answer. It's a cheap tactic to heat up the "guest". Also, around 4:30 into the interview, MSNBC seems to turn the volume up on Matthews microphone, and lower it on Bishop Tobin. After about 4:45, listen carefully and Matthews interrupts every 3 or 4 seconds. After 4:29, the longest uninterrupted interval where the bishop speaks is about 5 seconds -- In all I think that after Matthews launched on the criminalization of abortion -- the bishop got about 10 seconds in all to speak -- once the Matthews rant started. I'd love to head an edited tape of the interview which included only Bishop Tobin's voice -- it would run about 18 seconds out of the 9 mins 24.

Labels: abortion, media, politics, pro-life

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 8:46 PM   Permalink  

I contributed to ReverseTheVote.org, but I think we need daily updates on what to do to influence the vote. There's a element of despair setting in that (a) this can't be fixed until the 2010 election, (b) this can't be fixed until the 2012 election, or (c) if you think socialized medicine can be stopped at this point, you probably also think that Social Security and Medicare can be "stopped" as well. Was this all baked into the nation's fabric on November 28, 1932?

Labels: health care, poltics

posted by Patrick Sweeney at 10:15 PM   Permalink