Mystic Monk Coffee: Order Through The Portiuncula And Donate To Birthright (a loving alternative to Abortion)

The Carmelite Monks of Wyoming

Mystic Monk Coffee is roasted by the Carmelite Monks, a Roman Catholic monastery in the silence and solitude of the Rocky Mountains of northern Wyoming. The monks live a hidden life of prayer and contemplation in the pursuit of God. The monastery is inundated with young men who seek to leave everything to pray for the world, in a tradition at least a thousand years old. It is the monks’ great joy and privilege to share the fruit of their life with you in every cup of Mystic Monk Coffee.

The Monk Master Roaster

Br. Java is the master roaster who meticulously roasts beans in small batches. His philosophy is that each roast must be not only the labor of his hands, but a master roast of the highest quality. Br. Java is passionate about obtaining the perfect roasts for you. He carefully roasts only the finest gourmet beans under conditions that will make each roast consistent and smooth with a taste that will make your taste buds tingle. With experience and perfection, Mystic Monk Coffee is a coffee to savor and enjoy – with or without cream.

The Legend of the First Mystic Monk

Coffee is a product perfected and loved by monks from its beginning. When a monk of old heard the anguished tale of a shepherd who had sleepless goats, he himself discovered growing on shrubs the berries, which had such a wonderful affect. Delighted at his find, the ingenious monk boiled the beans in water and drank the resulting coffee. He found in his discovery a hot drink that could keep his eyes awake even amidst the midnight vigils and unceasing prayers of the monastic life.

The secret of coffee continues to keep monks ever alert and vigilant for their prayers, but now Mystic Monk Coffee shares the hidden, master roasts of monks with all who seek a delightful cup of coffee.

Monks are passionate Perfectionists

The monastic life is one of ordered perfection, which you will taste in every bag of Mystic Monk Coffee. Passionate about perfection, no challenge is too great for Br. Java and the monks, if it will result in a Mystic Monk brew suited for the most discriminating coffee drinker. The Carmelite monks have mastered the ancient art of roasting coffee, laboring with steadfast determination to make each cup of coffee simply superb. Taste the monastic perfection in each brew, which makes all the difference.

Please remember to keep our pre-born in your daily prayers!

To Order Direct, simply click on the Mystic Monk Icon at the very top of this page!

Please remember that when you buy Mystic Monk Coffee through the Portiuncula Hermitage, ten percent of all our commission sales are donated to Birthright (a loving alternative to abortion.)

Fra Chris



T

St. Sylvester's Woodsfield, Ohio: Begging for Stones On Ozark-Eddy Bridge Road!

Monroe County, Ohio Catholics are being asked to collect all their field stones and drop them off at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Cemetery on Ozark-Eddy Bridge Road so that we can duplicate this Portiuncula Chapel like the one above located at the Franciscan University of Steubenville

Francis set to begging for stones with which to restore the church of San Damiano. He called to the passers-by: "Whoever gives me one stone will have one reward; two stones, two rewards; three stones, a treble reward!"

Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of the Three Companions
CHAPTER VII

Please round up all your field stones and dump them into the woods next to the Immaculate Conception Cemetery on Ozark-Eddy Bridge Road in the direction of the Portiuncula Hermitage, the white house towards Woodsfield (pictured below). These stones will be used to build the Portiuncula Chapel.

Pictured above is the original Burkhart homestead (circa 1803). The original Burkhart family settlers had twelve children. As adults, several of these Burkhart children moved away and began a new settlement they called Burkhart Station, Ohio while some went on to Zanesville, Ohio. The Immaculate Conception Cemetary on Ozark-Eddy Bridge road was from the original 5 acres my Great-Great-Great Grandfather donated to the Catholic Church on the premise that no one would ever have to pay to be buried there. A gentleman named Zwick was the first person to be buried there in 1812.

T

Franciscan University Youth Conferences 2010, "The Word Became Flesh"

Pence predicts EU bailout will cost U.S. an additional $50 billion

MIKE PENCE
RECLAIMING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
AND
THE AMERICAN DREAM
by
LTC Robert "Buzz" Patterson

and
Chris Dickson

http://mikepencethebook.blogspot.com

By Jay Heflin - THE HILL

House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (Ind.) predicts bailout efforts taking place in Europe could eventually cost U.S. taxpayers an additional $50 billion.

"If the European Union-wide bailout plan goes forward, American taxpayers could be on the hook for an additional $50 billion," he said Wednesday. "At a time of record unemployment in the United States of America, at a time of record deficits and debt, the American people should not be put on the hook to be bailing out the fiscal recklessness in Europe."

The United States is already on tap to pay roughly $7 billion of the $39 billion the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has pledged to help bail out Greece. The country will receive a total of $145 billion in loan guarantees from the IMF and the 15 nations that compose the European Union (EU).

Since Greece, other EU countries have come forward needing loan guarantees. The IMF and the EU are now looking at a $1 trillion bailout to handle these claims, an effort in which the United States would be a participant.

Republicans contend Congress will have to borrow the money to pay its share of the bailout.

"We should not be borrowing money from the Chinese to bail out Greece, and if you connect the dots we are precariously close to doing just that," said Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas). "We can't even afford the bailouts in America, much less the bailouts in Europe. What's next? Intergalactic bailouts?"

House Republicans have devised the European Bailout Protection Act, a bill that prohibits any funds that have been drawn by the IMF from financing a European Union bailout until all EU nations are in compliance with their debt-to-GDP-ration requirement. It also requires the Treasury secretary to oppose any IMF loans until all EU countries abide by that ratio.

Under these requirements, the United States would be prohibited from participating in the bailouts recently proposed by the EU.

Office Space: Popcorn and Mrs. Pence Shape Indiana Office

Roll Call Staff

May 19, 2010, 12 a.m.

Sitting on the desk in Rep. Mike Pence’s Longworth House Office Building space is a bright red mock rotary phone. The object sticks out as it sits beside a regular, run-of-the-mill office phone, and it is the most brightly colored object in the room. It only has one line, and only one person in the world has the phone number.

“Mrs. Pence is the only one who has the number, not anyone on the staff. She occasionally shares it with the kids, but when this phone rings, I answer it,” the Indiana Republican says with a smile.

Former Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) recommended Pence get a separate family phone when he arrived in Congress in 2001.

“He said, ‘After hours when the switchboard is off, you ought to put a separate line in the office.’ This was before everybody was wearing BlackBerrys and cell phones and such,” Pence said.

Pence’s wife purchased the red phone and gave it to him as a Christmas gift during his first term. The couple had the phone installed with a line separate from the main switchboard, and to this day it is Pence’s favorite part of his office. The phone is more necessary now that Pence is chairman of the Republican Conference, a job that keeps him busier than ever.

The phone isn’t the only object in the office that can be traced back to Karen Pence. Her fingerprints are all over the Congressman’s personal office. A watercolor that she painted of a front porch in Indiana decorates one wall, while a photo she gave her husband after he was elected hangs beside it.

The photo is a view of D.C. taken from the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Va. The famous bronze statue of the flag-raising at Iwo Jima is in the forefront, while the Washington and Lincoln memorials glow against the backdrop of a purple sky. The Capitol Dome glistens in the distance. The photo is accompanied by the Bible verse, “Be strong and courageous and do the work.”

During his 1988 failed Congressional campaign, Pence read the book “Flags of Our Fathers” and found himself inspired by the bravery and patriotism of the Marines at Iwo Jima. When he first visited Washington during that campaign, he went straight to the memorial.

“I got off the airplane and I jumped in the cab. I told the cabbie, ‘I want you to take me to the Iwo Jima memorial,’” he says. “I wanted to see these Americans.”

The view from that hill in Arlington now holds a special place in Pence’s heart as a reminder that there is more to serving in public office than just what happens in Washington.

“I always said you had to look past men like these to see this city,” Pence says.

The verse that accompanies the photo is not the only trace of religion in Pence’s office. He keeps a tattered Bible on his desk. The pages of the red book are wrinkled with age, and the spine is taped together. Pence purchased the Bible in 1986 when he was studying at the Indiana University School of Law in Bloomington. He tries to read the book every morning, and the text is peppered with his personal notations.

“Somebody once told me that a Bible worn out is a sign of a life that’s not,” Pence says. “It’s been a great source of encouragement for me.”

While Pence looks to the Bible for encouragement, he also takes inspiration from the concise family motto engraved in a gold plaque that sits on his desk: “No Flapping.” The phrase comes from a conversation Pence and his wife had as they struggled to decide whether he should make a third run for Congress in 1999. Pence had already lost two elections, and the couple wasn’t sure whether they were up for another campaign. While mulling over a run, they went horseback riding in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.

“We were trying to make a decision as a family about whether to sell our house, move back home and make another run for Congress, and we saw these two red-tailed hawks coming up from the valley floor,” Pence says. He adds that the birds weren’t flapping their wings at all; instead, they were gliding through the air. As they watched the hawks, Pence’s wife told him she was onboard with a third run.

“I said, ‘If we do it, we need to do it like those hawks. We just need to spread our wings and let God lift us up where he wants to take us,’” Pence remembers. “And my wife looked at me and said, ‘That’ll be how we do it, no flapping.’ So I keep that on my desk to remember every time my wings get sore, stop flapping.”

While Pence has made his personal office into a place filled with “things that edify and encourage my sense of what’s important,” he has also tried to make the office a comfortable place for constituents to visit. To start, everyone who walks through the door is offered a bag of popcorn, the smell of which wafts into the building’s hallway.

“I never get sick of popcorn,” Pence says. “Whenever anybody comes into our office we offer them a bag of Indiana popcorn — fresh popped — something cold to drink, and we try to make them comfortable.”

In the end, Pence says there are two values that are important to any Congressional office.

“No. 1 is to practice what you preach about legislation and vote the way you tell people you’re going to vote,” he says. “And the second is hospitality.”

"Come To The Quiet" Men's Retreats At Portiuncula Hermitage

Dr. Tom Ringenberg during personal prayer time at the
Portiuncula Hermitage in Jerusalem, Ohio

Dear Christian Brothers,

Having just experienced one of the most peaceful and fulfilling weekends of my Christian life, I feel led to write you and encourage you to take a fresh breath of the clean air at the Portiuncula Retreat in Jerusalem Ohio. Surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation in the hills of Appalachia, I was refreshed in God’s peace.

The initial reaction to a weekend of silence, fasting and prayer was mixed as I revel in the world’s flash of media and the madness of twenty-four hour news. I feared boredom and the lack of external stimulus. But God is good, and He provided plenty for me. Walks in the woods and fields, silent prayer and meditation, communal prayer with my Brothers in Christ, prayers of intercession, and theological discussion on the travel to and from Jerusalem, stimulated my spirit far more than my flesh has ever been stimulated.

It is my hope that Portiuncula will become a haven for those who need a fresh touch of God. I will return soon to restore my soul with peace. Join me in supporting the Portiuncula project by attending a retreat weekend of fasting, prayer, brotherhood and silence in the Franciscan Tradition.

Yours In Christ,

Dr. Tom Ringenberg
Centerville, IN

T

Pond at Portiuncula Hermitage in Jerusalem, Ohio

June 4-6
June 18-20
July 9-11
July 16-18
August 13-15
August 20-22
August 27-29
September 17-19
September 24-26

T

Mystic Monk Coffee: Order Through The Portiuncula And Donate To Birthright (a loving alternative to Abortion)

The Carmelite Monks of Wyoming

Mystic Monk Coffee is roasted by the Carmelite Monks, a Roman Catholic monastery in the silence and solitude of the Rocky Mountains of northern Wyoming. The monks live a hidden life of prayer and contemplation in the pursuit of God. The monastery is inundated with young men who seek to leave everything to pray for the world, in a tradition at least a thousand years old. It is the monks’ great joy and privilege to share the fruit of their life with you in every cup of Mystic Monk Coffee.

The Monk Master Roaster

Br. Java is the master roaster who meticulously roasts beans in small batches. His philosophy is that each roast must be not only the labor of his hands, but a master roast of the highest quality. Br. Java is passionate about obtaining the perfect roasts for you. He carefully roasts only the finest gourmet beans under conditions that will make each roast consistent and smooth with a taste that will make your taste buds tingle. With experience and perfection, Mystic Monk Coffee is a coffee to savor and enjoy – with or without cream.

The Legend of the First Mystic Monk

Coffee is a product perfected and loved by monks from its beginning. When a monk of old heard the anguished tale of a shepherd who had sleepless goats, he himself discovered growing on shrubs the berries, which had such a wonderful affect. Delighted at his find, the ingenious monk boiled the beans in water and drank the resulting coffee. He found in his discovery a hot drink that could keep his eyes awake even amidst the midnight vigils and unceasing prayers of the monastic life.

The secret of coffee continues to keep monks ever alert and vigilant for their prayers, but now Mystic Monk Coffee shares the hidden, master roasts of monks with all who seek a delightful cup of coffee.

Monks are passionate Perfectionists

The monastic life is one of ordered perfection, which you will taste in every bag of Mystic Monk Coffee. Passionate about perfection, no challenge is too great for Br. Java and the monks, if it will result in a Mystic Monk brew suited for the most discriminating coffee drinker. The Carmelite monks have mastered the ancient art of roasting coffee, laboring with steadfast determination to make each cup of coffee simply superb. Taste the monastic perfection in each brew, which makes all the difference.

Please remember to keep our pre-born in your daily prayers!

To Order Direct, simply click on the Mystic Monk Icon at the very top of this page!

Please remember that when you buy Mystic Monk Coffee through the Portiuncula Hermitage, ten percent of all our commission sales are donated to Birthright (a loving alternative to abortion.)

Fra Chris





T

Mike Pence: 'We will not restore this nation with public policy alone'

From CNN Associate Producer Martina Stewart

Rep. Pence frequently describes himself as
'a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican – in that order.'

(CNN) – Speaking to a largely conservative audience, a Republican lawmaker said Friday that the country has been experiencing a moral crisis in addition to the economic crisis that began on Wall Street in late 2008.

Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana gave an impassioned address to the National Rifle Association's annual meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina. Pence, who frequently describes himself as "a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican – in that order," said the GOP has been down on its luck in the wake of President Obama's historic election.

But Pence claimed that, in the last year, his party had experienced a reawakening. As evidence, he cited conservative protests against the president's policies and recent Republican victories in Virginia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts.

Pence said that his party lost its way on the issue of fiscal discipline during the Bush administration. But told the gun rights supporters, "My party – Republicans in Congress – we're back in the fight and we're back in the fight on the right."

Related: Speakers at NRA convention target Washington, midterms

Pence also said that fixing the country's financial problems and retaking the reins of power in Washington would not be enough to fix, what he sees, as the nation's ills.

"…A vision for a better America will also recognize that our present crisis is not merely economic and political but moral in nature.

"At the root of these times, should be a realization that people in positions of authority have walked away from the timeless truths of honesty and integrity, an honest day's work for an honest day's pay, and the simple idea that a person ought to treat the other person the way they want to be treated," Pence said.

And as he claimed that the country is headed in the wrong under the president, Pence talked about putting the country on a different track.

"We will not restore this nation with public policy alone. It will require public virtue and that emanates from our most cherished institutions: family and religion.

"To renew this nation, we must renew the institutions that strengthen her character. We must stand for the sanctity of life, the sanctity of marriage and the vital importance of religion in our everyday lives."

Pence also used his remarks to question whether Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan would sufficiently adhere to the Constitution. And Pence promised the conservative activists that House Republicans would not rest until they succeeded in repealing the recently enacted health care bill.Mike Pence:

Cam Savage Named to Head Up Coats Campaign Effort

May 17th, 2010 at 4:40 pm by Jim Shella under Jim Shella's Political Blog

Cam Savage is the new campaign manager for GOP Senate candidate Dan Coats.

Savage calls it a “big stage.” It’s a rare opportunity for the guy who just won the 4th District GOP primary for Todd Rokita. (Rokita won’t need the same kind of effort in November.)

Savage has also run a Congressional campaign for Mike Sodrel and was one of the top people in the re-election effort of Mitch Daniels. He gives the Coats campaign the sort of day-to-day manager with Indiana experience that it needs. He replaces Anne Hathaway who was drafted into primary duty. She intended to be a campaign consultant and will remain as such.

Can You Afford Just $5.00 A Month?

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It's times like these that tempt Catholics to throw in the towel and give up on the culture of despair.

Greed and corruption have wreaked havoc on our nation's economy. Euthanasia just received Washington State's stamp of approval. And all the pro-life victories of the past decade are now in jeopardy. It's the perfect storm for despair. But despair is the last thing we should do.

In troubled times, Christ calls us to pray, to trust in his perfect will, and to cooperate with his grace.

Ultimately, Christ calls us to hope. He calls us to remember that for Christians, peace does not rest on who wins an election or on the value of our stock portfolios, but in a loving God who “in everything...works for good.”

Of course, God doesn't just call us to hope. He gives us reasons to hope and signs of the good things to come.

I truly believe one of those reasons, one of those signs, is the Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center.

While many other Catholic institutions have sold out to the culture of death, the Portiuncula, along with a few others, has fought steadfastly for a culture of life. It has faithfully stood alongside the Church, forming men and women capable of true leadership and committed to bringing Christ to the culture.

But the Portiuncula Retreat Center can't be built alone. To build, we need your help! And that is why I'm writing you today: To invite you to join me in helping our culture through these troubled times by helping build the Portiuncula Retreat Center.

United in the Roman Catholic tradition and obedient to the Magisterium of the Church and the Bishop of Steubenville, we are committed to our Lord and Savior in the Scriptures, the Eucharist, the Sacraments of the Church and in our Brothers and Sisters.

With God's grace and your help, I believe past Portiuncula retreatants and those soon to follow in their footsteps will lead our culture and our country out of these troubled times.

That is why I invite you to share the work of these Catholics and the Portiuncula Hermitage that is forming them.

First, allow them to pray for you.

Prayer is the lifeblood of the Portiuncula Hermitage, and the Franciscan family would be honored to include you in their prayers. Please e-mail your most pressing intentions to: hermitage@parallax.ws

Everyone at the Portiuncula will pray for your intentions before the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and at Mass.

In turn, please pray for the Portiuncula, that it might continue to form leaders who can be salt and light to our world.

Finally, I would be grateful if you supported the work of building the Portiuncula Chapel with a generous financial contribution.

Your support of the Portiuncula will make it possible for the sons and daughters of the Church to grow in faith during their retreats, and become the courageous Catholic leaders the world desperately needs.

Today, I want to ask you to become a partner in the Portiuncula's mission to build the Portiuncula Retreat Center by simply donating $5.00 $10.00 or $15.00 a month.

PORTIUNCULA FRANCISCAN HERMITAGE/RETREAT CENTER

ON LINE DONATION

Or mail your Alms to:

Portiuncula Hermitage
% 508 South 16th Street
Richmond, IN 47374

Please, become a part of the Portiuncula Hermitage's work today. Don't let this chance to turn the culture around pass you by.

Pax Et Bonum!

T

MIKE PENCE: NO EUROPEAN BAILOUTS!

By JONATHAN MARTIN | Politico

Pence introduces legislation halting U.S. involvement in IMF aid. AP

Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.), the third-ranking House Republican and a possible 2012 presidential candidate, will use a speech Friday before the National Rifle Association to highlight his opposition to using American tax dollars to bail out European countries.

Seizing on conservative anger toward the federal government’s financial assistance for U.S. banks and auto companies and the recent headlines about Greece’s economic woes, Pence and a group of other House Republicans have introduced symbolic legislation that would halt American involvement in any International Monetary Fund aid to European Union nations.

“I just don’t believe American taxpayers should be forced to bear the risk of nations that have avoided making tough choices,” Pence said in an interview previewing his remarks to the gun-rights group’s convention in Charlotte.

There is little the U.S., as only one member of the IMF, can do to stop the bail out of Greece.

But by drawing attention to the matter, Pence touches upon two conservative hot-buttons: anger over corporate bailouts and a fear that the U.S. is on a path toward a European-style economy and political system.

The five-term Indiana congressman doesn’t spare his own party, though.

“I think the American people are tired of the borrowing and spending and bailouts that characterized federal policy under both political parties,” Pence said, alluding to the Bush administration’s TARP and Obama’s aid to Wall Street and Detroit.

Not coincidentally, Pence opposed TARP when it came to the House floor in the fall of 2008 —– a stance that could provide some daylight between him and other GOP presidential hopefuls who supported the measure such as Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), who also just happens to be speaking at the NRA convention, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

Asked why he would discuss fiscal issues before a group of firearms enthusiasts, Pence said NRA members are mostly a conservative bunch who “believe in first principles.”

In an interview with Bloomberg's Al Hunt, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner took issue with the effort by Pence and House Republicans to block the IMF's aid to EU countries.

“We have a big stake in helping Europe manage through these things,” Geithner said. “We’re going to do it in a way that’s sensible for the American economy, the American taxpayer.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0510/37269.html#ixzz0o10LgIhJ

MIKE PENCE ADDRESSES NRA, IOWA, NEW HAMPSHIRE AND SOUTH CAROLINA

MIKE PENCE
RECLAIMING THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
AND
THE AMERICAN DREAM
by
LTC Robert "Buzz" Patterson

and
Chris Dickson

http://mikepencethebook.blogspot.com

SPOKANE DIOCESE TO HOLD C.C.H.D. COLLECTION DESPITE FUNDING OF PRO-ABORTION, SAME-SEX MARRIAGE GROUPS

Washington, DC (14 May 2010) – Judie Brown,
president of American Life League, expressed
dismay after the Diocese of Spokane,
Washington, informed ALL that it will
participate in the Catholic Campaign for
Human Development’s annual collection,
following six months of continuing
revelations that the CCHD is funding
organizations that promote contraception,
abortion and/or same-sex “marriage.”

Brown said, “When such egregious violations
of Catholic doctrine have been verified and
exposed, it is the bishop’s responsibility
to protect his flock from scandal.”

Last November, ALL and the Reform CCHD Now
Coalition revealed that nearly 50
organizations receiving funds from the CCHD
were advocating ideologies that directly
contradict the Catholic Church’s teaching.

Michael Hichborn, ALL’s lead researcher on
the CCHD, said, ”It’s disheartening to hear
that Bishop William Skylstad will not be
joining his 10 brother bishops who have
announced that their dioceses will not take
up the CCHD’s annual collection this year
because of its history of funding such
organizations.”

Bishops are free to decide whether or not
their dioceses will participate in the
annual nationwide collection in November.
Those that do participate send 75 percent
of the collection to the U.S. Conference
of Catholic Bishops in Washington, D.C.
The remaining 25 percent is used for local
CCHD initiatives.

ALL and the Reform CCHD Now coalition have
released detailed reports on one-fifth of
last year’s CCHD grantees and recently
revealed a version of the Stations of the
Cross produced by the CCHD that highlighted
grantees advocating ideologies that violate
Church teaching.

“We hope that the Catholics of the Spokane
diocese will read our reports and write on
the CCHD collection envelope,

‘No funds for CCHD,’

and we continue to call on Catholics
throughout the country to withhold
donations to the CCHD until it is thoroughly
investigated and reformed,” said Hichborn.

American Life League was cofounded in 1979
by Judie Brown. It is the largest grassroots
Catholic pro-life organization in the United
States and is committed to the protection of
all innocent human beings from the moment of
creation to natural death.

For more  information or press inquiries,
please contact Katie Walker at 540.659.4942.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Reform CCHD Now:
http://ss.all.org/link.php?M=85070&N=804&L=3538&F=T

American Life League: CCHD
http://ss.all.org/link.php?M=85070&N=804&L=3390&F=T

MIKE PENCE SPEAKING AT NATIONAL NRA CONVENTION TODAY

By Reid Wilson

House GOP Conference chair Mike Pence
will urge gun rights activists to
make a strong push to help his party
take back the House while abandoning
Dems who have helped curb gun control
legislation favored by liberals in
Congress.

In a speech he will give today in
Charlotte, at the NRA's annual convention,
Pence said he will encourage the NRA to
back his partyrather than pro-gun Dems.

"The NRA has a history of supporting
candidates in both political parties who
support gun rights, and I respect that,
but I do believe we have a historic
opportunity to elect a conservative
majority to Capitol Hill," Pence told
Hotline OnCall in an interview yesterday.
"I'm going to be challenging people at the
NRA to seize that opportunity, to get
behind men and women across this country
who are committed to constitutional
principles."

The NRA endorsed most of the GOP
Conference during the '08 election, but
they also have a long history of
supporting Dems. The group backed 52 House
Dem incumbents in '08.

Pence, who has made several high-profile
appearances at conservative events across
the country, will also voice his opposition
to Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, thanks
to reports yesterday that Kagan did not
support repealing a DC gun ban. And as some
in conservative circles think Pence is
contemplating a WH'12 bid, he will stoke the
flames by laying out the outline of a platform.

Lately, Pence has led the GOP charge against
allowing US money contributed to the IMF
assist in bailing out Greece. Greece's troubled
economy has caused stock market shudders around
the world, Pence acknowledged, but he said
Greeks should take steps to get their fiscal
house in order.

"I simply believe it's wrong to put Americans
on the hook for billions for dollars of loan
guarantees to countries that have embraced
economic policies and fiscal practices that
have brought them to fiscal crises," Pence said.
"The U.S. isn't asking Europe for help with New
Jersey or California."

Pence would not preview his remarks on gun
rights, but though gun rights advocates have
been nervous about the Obama admin, no significant
legislation has come to the floor. A possible deal
to give DC a vote in the House fell apart when
Dems refused to allow a provision that would
expand gun rights in the nation's capital.

Pence isn't the only potential WH'12 contender
who will address NRA delegates this weekend in
Charlotte. Ex-House Speaker Newt Gingrich,
Sen. John Thune (R-SD), MS Gov. Haley Barbour (R)
and ex-AK Gov. Sarah Palin (R) are all set to
speak today and tomorrow.

MIKE PENCE INTRODUCES BILL TO PROTECT TAXPAYERS FROM BAILING OUT EURPOEAN COUNTRIES

Washington, DC - U.S. Congressman Mike Pence

today introduced legislation to stop U.S. tax
dollars from being used by the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) for bailouts of European
countries. Rep. Pence released the following
statement as the European Bailout Protection
Act was introduced:

“Hoosiers are fed up with taxpayer-funded
bailouts and deserve to know we are bailing
out Greece and possibly other European
countries.  If the Obama Administration has
its way, the U.S. will contribute to a nearly
trillion dollar bailout of European countries
with economic crises that are a direct result
of wasteful government spending.

“This legislation would require that countries
like Greece cut spending and put their own
fiscal house in order, instead of looking to
the United States for a bailout. We face
record unemployment and a debt crisis of our
own, and taxpayers should not be forced to bear
the risk for nations that have avoided making
tough choices.”

Background:

The European Bailout Protection Act would:

1) Prohibit any funds that have yet to be drawn
by the IMF from being used to
provide financing to any EU countries until all
EU nations are in compliance with the debt to GDP
ratio requirement in their own collective growth
pact.

2) Require the Treasury Secretary to oppose any
IMF loans to EU nations until all EU countries
are in compliance with their debt to GDP ratio
requirement.

The bill does not permanently prohibit the IMF
from lending to these nations; it simply prohibits
the U.S. from participating in the proposed
European bailout.

The Weekly Standard: Mike Pence and Servant Leadership

Congress has a black eye, and it's starting to
swell. As an institution, its approval ratings
bounce near all time lows, creating a crisis in
confidence among voters. Can Americans
count on an institution so anemic in trust to
heal the difficult and major problems
confronting the nation?

Many believe the legislative branch is insular,
arrogant, and dominated by special interests
-- and not without cause.

The current Democratic majority's polarizing
behavior has only reinforced these views by
passing partisan and controversial legislation
-- like the health care bill -- opposed by a
majority of Americans, according to the most
recent average of polls aggregated at Real
Clear Politics.

The House and Senate will never win popularity
contests. Congress underperforms other
institutions when it comes to stirring good
feelings. Analyzing polling data from the mid-
1960s to the mid-1990s, political scientists
John R. Hibbing and Elizabeth Theiss-Morse
in their book Congress as Public Enemy: Public
Attitudes Toward American Political Institutions
show the legislature nearly always lags the
presidency and the Supreme Court when it
comes to public confidence.

This pattern continues today. President
Obama's approval now hovers around
the 48 percent mark, but Congress's is
only half that (23 percent), according to
Real Clear Politics.

Historically, incumbent lawmakers took comfort
in the often cited argument by University of
Rochester political scientist Richard Fenno, who
asked in a 1975 article, "If Congress Is
'Broken Branch' Why Do Americans Love
their Congressmen So Much?" Fenno
demonstrated Americans support their
congressmen more than Congress as an
institution.

But today even this customary love for
incumbents is on the rocks. A recent
CNN poll found the percent of Americans
who think their own Congressman
deserves reelection is at an all time low.

Not letting congressional approval sink too
low is critical for the country and our ability
to address future problems. If support falls
much further, faith in the legitimacy of the
entire system could collapse.

Is there an answer?

Some lawmakers propose a novel solution,
one that flies in the face of conventional
power perceptions about Washington
politicians. Borrowing from the tradition
of "servant leadership," this approach holds
some promise for boosting Congress's
sagging image.

Throughout the centuries this idea has
animated discussions of how to lead. Many
say a 1970 essay by Robert K. Greenleaf,
"The Servant as Leader," first applied the
idea to the management of large institutions.

But until recently, the notion of "servant
leadership" seemed foreign to Congress.
Politicians are cold-blooded narcissists, not
other-directed helpers. Candidates promote
themselves - not us. They accumulate power
and cut deals. That's how they get elected.

The perception of Congress as self-seeking, self-
interested, and self-promoting shakes voters'
confidence in the institution.

Some House Republican members want to change that
opinion. Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio
meets with his staff annually to hammer out
a set of goals and objectives for the year. They
produce a detailed vision statement that guides
their work as a team for the legislative session.


This year they added the goal of "servant
leadership" as an objective. Boehner and
his staff urged all House Republicans to
adopt this model as an approach to working
with their constituents and colleagues in
Congress. It's an attitudinal shift with major
political consequences.


Dave Schnittger, Boehner's deputy chief of
staff for communications told me this in an
email last week: "Servant leadership is the
antithesis of the arrogance Americans have
seen from a Democratic-controlled
Washington that has repeatedly defied the
will of the people on the biggest issues facing
our country," Schnittger wrote. "It requires
humility; a willingness to listen; and
recognition that the American people are the
ones in charge. Americans have a right to
expect their elected leaders to project this
kind of attitude. And this year they're
demanding it."

Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana, chairman of the
House Republican Conference agrees. Walking
into the offices of the GOP Conference in the
Longworth House Office Building, the words
"servant leadership" appear on the wall as
part of the House Republicans' core objectives.

Boehner and Pence are on to something. Voters
want a Congress that works for the people, not
just for political elites. Yet the lexicon of
Washington doesn't put lawmakers in that role.
The crafting of legislation includes powerbrokers,
influence peddlers and self-interested politicians,
not servant leaders.

Hearing lawmakers talk about this new vision is
simultaneously jarring, refreshing and healing --
an ice-pack on the inflammation of public discontent.

"Come To The Quiet" Men's Retreats At Portiuncula Hermitage

Dr. Tom Ringenberg during personal prayer time at the
Portiuncula Hermitage in Jerusalem, Ohio

Dear Christian Brothers,

Having just experienced one of the most peaceful and fulfilling weekends of my Christian life, I feel led to write you and encourage you to take a fresh breath of the clean air at the Portiuncula Retreat in Jerusalem Ohio. Surrounded by the beauty of God’s creation in the hills of Appalachia, I was refreshed in God’s peace.

The initial reaction to a weekend of silence, fasting and prayer was mixed as I revel in the world’s flash of media and the madness of twenty-four hour news. I feared boredom and the lack of external stimulus. But God is good, and He provided plenty for me. Walks in the woods and fields, silent prayer and meditation, communal prayer with my Brothers in Christ, prayers of intercession, and theological discussion on the travel to and from Jerusalem, stimulated my spirit far more than my flesh has ever been stimulated.

It is my hope that Portiuncula will become a haven for those who need a fresh touch of God. I will return soon to restore my soul with peace. Join me in supporting the Portiuncula project by attending a retreat weekend of fasting, prayer, brotherhood and silence in the Franciscan Tradition.

Yours In Christ,

Dr. Tom Ringenberg
Centerville, IN

Available Weekends

Pond at Portiuncula Hermitage in Jerusalem, Ohio

May 14-16
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Mystic Monk Coffee: Order Through The Portiuncula And Donate To Birthright (a loving alternative to Abortion)

The Carmelite Monks of Wyoming

Mystic Monk Coffee is roasted by the Carmelite Monks, a Roman Catholic monastery in the silence and solitude of the Rocky Mountains of northern Wyoming. The monks live a hidden life of prayer and contemplation in the pursuit of God. The monastery is inundated with young men who seek to leave everything to pray for the world, in a tradition at least a thousand years old. It is the monks’ great joy and privilege to share the fruit of their life with you in every cup of Mystic Monk Coffee.

The Monk Master Roaster

Br. Java is the master roaster who meticulously roasts beans in small batches. His philosophy is that each roast must be not only the labor of his hands, but a master roast of the highest quality. Br. Java is passionate about obtaining the perfect roasts for you. He carefully roasts only the finest gourmet beans under conditions that will make each roast consistent and smooth with a taste that will make your taste buds tingle. With experience and perfection, Mystic Monk Coffee is a coffee to savor and enjoy – with or without cream.

The Legend of the First Mystic Monk

Coffee is a product perfected and loved by monks from its beginning. When a monk of old heard the anguished tale of a shepherd who had sleepless goats, he himself discovered growing on shrubs the berries, which had such a wonderful affect. Delighted at his find, the ingenious monk boiled the beans in water and drank the resulting coffee. He found in his discovery a hot drink that could keep his eyes awake even amidst the midnight vigils and unceasing prayers of the monastic life.

The secret of coffee continues to keep monks ever alert and vigilant for their prayers, but now Mystic Monk Coffee shares the hidden, master roasts of monks with all who seek a delightful cup of coffee.

Monks are passionate Perfectionists

The monastic life is one of ordered perfection, which you will taste in every bag of Mystic Monk Coffee. Passionate about perfection, no challenge is too great for Br. Java and the monks, if it will result in a Mystic Monk brew suited for the most discriminating coffee drinker. The Carmelite monks have mastered the ancient art of roasting coffee, laboring with steadfast determination to make each cup of coffee simply superb. Taste the monastic perfection in each brew, which makes all the difference.

Please remember to keep our pre-born in your daily prayers!

To Order Direct, simply click on the Mystic Monk Icon at the very top of this page!

Please remember that when you buy Mystic Monk Coffee through the Portiuncula Hermitage, ten percent of all our commission sales are donated to Birthright (a loving alternative to abortion.)

Fra Chris





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Dan Coats Poll: Double Digits Over Brad Ellsworth

Dan Coats Poll: Double Digits Over Brad Ellsworth
Election 2010: Indiana Senate

Indiana Senate: Coats (R) 51%, Ellsworth (D) 36%


Newly chosen Republican nominee Dan Coats earns 51% support while his Democratic rival Brad Ellsworth’s attracts 36% in the first Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of the Indiana Senate race following Tuesday’s GOP Primary.

Six percent (6%) of likely voters in the state favor some other candidate. Eight percent (8%) remain undecided.

Coats, who previously served in the U.S. Senate from 1989 to 1999, captured 39% of the vote in a five-way race on Tuesday to win the state Republican Senate nomination. His four opponents have now endorsed his candidacy. Ellsworth, a U.S. congressman, is unchallenged for his party’s nomination.

In surveys since Democratic Senator Evan Bayh’s surprise announcement that he would not seek reelection, Coat’s support in match-ups with Ellsworth has grown from 46% in February to 54% last month. Ellsworth’s support in those same surveys has remained in the narrow range of 32% to 34%.

Ellsworth voted in favor of the recently-passed national health care plan, but 59% of Indiana voters favor repeal of that plan. The Indiana finding includes 48% who Strongly Favor repeal. Thirty-eight percent (38%) oppose repeal, with 26% who Strongly Oppose it. Those figures are similar to the national average.

Eighty-one percent (81%) of those who Strongly Favor repeal support Coats, while 80% of those in the smaller group who Strongly Oppose it support Ellsworth.

(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it's in the news, it's in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.

The survey of 500 Likely Voters in Indiana was conducted on May 5-6, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Thirteen percent (13%) of Indiana voters have a Very Favorable opinion of Coats, while nine percent (9%) regard him Very Unfavorably.

Ellsworth is seen Very Favorably by nine percent (9%) and Very Unfavorably by 13%.

At this point in a campaign, Rasmussen Reports considers the number of people with a strong opinion more significant than the total favorable/unfavorable numbers.

Sixty-one percent (61%) of Indiana voters support a law like Arizona’s that authorizes local police to check the immigration status of anyone they suspect of being an illegal immigrant. Twenty-nine percent (29%) oppose such a law. Again, those figures are close to the national average.

But 52% of voters in Indiana are at least somewhat concerned that such a law will violate the civil rights of some U.S. citizens. Forty-seven percent (47%) are not very or not at all concerned.

Sixty-five percent (65%) favor a welcoming immigration policy that excludes only “national security threats, criminals and those who would come here to live off our welfare system.”

Most Indiana voters think it is at least somewhat important for Congress to pass energy legislation this year to reduce global warming, but just 38% favor such an energy bill now. Forty-one percent (41%) oppose it.


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Dan Coats Wins GOP Senate Nomination

Updated: Tuesday, 04 May 2010, 10:14 PM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 04 May 2010, 7:14 PM EDT

• Reporter: David Barras
• Editor: Andrew Bonner
• By LIZ SIDOTI and DEANNA MARTIN Associated Press Writers

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH/AP) - Former Indiana senator Dan Coats has won the GOP Senate nomination. Coats shot to an early lead on election night and held on to beat opponents Marlin Stutzman and John Hostettler.

The newly nominated Republican candidate had his son Andrew introduce him as he began the celebration at the downtown Indianapolis Marriott.

Saying, "Thank you, Indiana, for your strong support," Coats stressed his conservatism and his strong Hoosier values. He then began attacking President Obama.

Coats said the choices between himself and representative Brad Ellsworth, the Democratic nominee, are clear. He said it's time to stop the spending in Washington and the hard left the government is taking. He attacked Ellsworth's support of the recently-passed health care bill.

Coats intends to hit the road campaigning immediately. He's heading to Evansville Wednesday morning right into the heart of Brad Ellsworth territory.

Coats has been under fire from conservatives for his years as a Washington lobbyist and for a vote in favor of a gun control law when he was in the Senate.

He only won about 40 percent of the vote with 71 percent of precincts reporting, signaling a divide in the GOP between mainstream Republicans and more conservative tea party voters who split their votes between Hostettler and Stutzman.

That divide could be an issue in November when Coats will Ellsworth, a conservative Democrat who will be formally nominated by the Democratic central committee May 15.

"Ellsworth has enough conservative credentials to cut into some of the Republican base," said Brian Vargus, a political science professor at Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis.

"It is completely possible that those people who are disaffected from the party -- the so-called tea party voters -- vote Libertarian or stay home."

Coats, backed by national GOP leaders during the primary, hopes to convince tea party voters that he echoes their concerns about where the country is headed under Democratic leadership.

"We're going to be singing off the same song sheet between now and November," said Coats spokesman Pete Seat.

Coats may also portray Ellsworth as a Washington insider, even though Coats himself has plenty of experience inside the beltway.

Coats won a special election in 1990 to serve the remainder of Dan Quayle's term after Quayle became vice president in 1989.

Coats' name was last on an Indiana ballot in 1992, when he made a successful bid for a full Senate term.

But he decided not to run for re-election in 1998, when Bayh made his first run for the seat. Coats has since been an ambassador to Germany under former President George W. Bush and worked as a lobbyist in Washington.

Democrats have been attacking Coats even before he won Tuesday's primary.

The chairman of the Indiana Democratic Party chided Coats for missing a deadline to file a personal financial disclosure report, saying he should know better because of his experience as a former senator. Once Coats filed the form, Democrats criticized him for being an "elite D.C. lobbyist" and questioned whether he would represent Indiana residents or special interest groups.

FOX NEWS: DAN COATS CLAIMS POLL POSITION

IN Senate Race: Coats Claims Poll Position

April 29, 2010 - 11:14 AM | by: Steve Brown

Dan Coats appears to have broken through in Indiana's GOP primary for that state's US Senate race. A poll out this morning from the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics has Coats in front outside the margin of error. Here's the breakdown:

Dan Coats 36%

John Hostettler 24%

Marlin Stutzman 18%

Undecided 13%

Don Bates, Jr. 6%

Richard Behney 4%

The poll was conducted by SurveyUSA via recorded message delivered by random telephone calls (refered to as a 'robo-poll'). There were 407 Hoosiers questioned who said they were likely to vote in the Republican primary. Calls were conducted from April 22nd-27th. The margin of error in the poll is plus/minus 5%.

The primary is Tuesday, May 4th.

UPDATE: The most surprising single piece of data in the poll was Coats strong standing among likely voters who "identify with the Tea Party movement". In that group...Coats got 30%...Stutzman 23%...Hostettler 21%...Undecided 11%...Bates 9% and Behney 4%.

Why is that surprising? Coats did not win a single straw poll at any of the debates sponsored by Tea Party groups. Organizers have repeatedly told me that of the five Republican candidates...the Tea Party favorites are Stutzman, Behney and Bates.

In fact, Behney is a Tea Party organizer himself. Stutzman has courted the Tea Party vote and has won four Tea Party debate straw polls. The one candidate who has seemed to struggle for support among Tea Party activists is Coats.

Yet, this polls suggests Coats may have mended fences with Tea Partiers on issues such as Coats' voting for a semi-automatic weapons ban while a Senator in the 1990's...and Coats work as a DC lobbyist.

Tea Partiers may have grown pragmatic here in the waning days of the primary campaign...getting behind Coats because of his base of support among the regulars of the Indiana Republican Party. But if that's true...it's the first time this reporter has heard it.