Update: Funeral Arrangements for Robert Johansen, Sr.

The visitation and funeral arrangements for my dad are as follows:

Visitation: Tuesday, December 15, 2010

7:00 pm Rosary – followed by visitation

Hartson Funeral Home
11111 West Janesville Road
Hales Corners, WI 53130

(Hales Corners is a southern suburb of Milwaukee)

Funeral Mass: Wednesday, December 15th at 1:30 pm

Saint Mary’s Catholic Church
9520 West Forest Home Avenue
Hales Corners, WI

I will be grateful for all your prayers.

Requiescat in Pace: Robert J. Johansen, Sr.

I've been away from the blog for a while, being busy with school and all. I would have wanted to come back for a happier reason. But I am grieved to announce that my father, Robert Johansen, Sr. passed into eternity on Wednesday of this week. He was 70 years old. His death came suddenly - though he had been suffering from heart trouble in recent years, and had been "slowing down", he was nonetheless quite active. In fact, he was in Texas at the time of his death, making arrangements to put his home there up for sale. He was having lunch with his brothers when he suddenly collapsed, and he never regained consciousness, in spite of the heroic efforts of the EMT squad.

My Dad and stepmom moved back to Milwaukee 18 months ago, and I count that as the greatest of blessings, because that made it possible for me to spend a lot more time with him than I would have if he had still been in Texas. This summer we were able to go fishing quite a bit - that was one of his favorite things. Sometimes we didn't catch much: my dad always said there was a difference between fishing and catching. But some of my best days with my dad were spent out on the boat fishing with him, whether we caught anything or not.

I just had dinner last Thursday with my Dad and stepmom. I am so glad I saw him then. We had a good evening. As I mentioned, I have been noticing him "slowing down" over the last couple of years. But I didn't expect this, now. I guess he was still my Dad, the man who could do everything, and do it well.



My Father and I at Sacred Heart Seminary, on the Occasion of my Graduation
(all photos may be viewed full-size by clicking on them)

My Dad was my biggest supporter, my biggest fan. He was at least as happy as I was when I learned that I was going for graduate studies at the Liturgical Institute. Over the past year or so, he has said a number of times that he wanted to be around long enough to see me get my doctorate. It pains me to think that he won't even be there for my STL graduation in the Spring.

My Dad was a real Dad. He was there for me. Even when my parents split up, he was always there. He taught me to fish and to shoot and hunt. He was involved with me in my Boy Scout troop. He came with us on camping trips, and all of that. He helped me with my math homework - being an engineer, he had a grasp of math that evaded me. But most of all, he was just there. I could call him and ask him about anything technical or mechanical or countless other things, and he could give me an answer. Over the years he came up with so many absolutely dazzling brilliant projects and gadgets.

He was my genius.



My Dad at Work on His Texas "Ranch"

He loved being outdoors, working on his projects. He couldn't just sit and do nothing for very long. He loved his "ranch" (a bit of hyperbole) in Texas, and whenever I went down there to visit, he always had some project or other that he wanted my help with. I'd grumble sometimes that I was on vacation, but I'd always pitch in. Sometimes I'm not sure how much actual "help" I was, as I didn't always pick up on what he seemed to grasp intuitively about what we were working on. But I was always glad to be with him.



A Closer Shot of my Dad on his Tractor

Last week, when I was leaving after dinner, our last words to each other were "Love you, Dad", and "Love you, buster" (he has called me that since I was a small boy). I am glad those were our last words, but how I would like to be able to talk with him again! I will remember countless things about him, but, of course, that's not the same. I will remember his intelligence, energy, his laugh, even his gruffness. But I will remember his love: that he expressed with words, but even more so with his efforts, actions, and sacrifices.

Love you, Dad.

Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine,
et lux perpetua luceat ei.


P.S. Funeral arrangements for my father are still pending. As soon as they are finalized, I will post the information.

The New Missal - Disaster or Opportunity?

I have a new piece up at Inside Catholic on the English translation of the new Missal that was approved last week.

The title is "The New Missal: Disaster or Opportunity?"

I take the position that it's not a disaster, but is a generational opportunity for liturgical catechesis:

The impending implementation of the new Missal reveals interesting and problematic issues regarding our expectations of liturgy and what I have elsewhere described as the "ideologization" of liturgy. Many of the objections and protests regarding the new Missal frequently arise from ideas and agendas that are neither liturgical nor theological, and hence serve neither to clarify the faith nor edify the faithful.

In the article I refer to other things I have written on ideology and liturgy. My original piece on this is here:

A Necessary Conversation About Ideologized Liturgy

Read and Enjoy!

My Mom's Move: Success and Thanks!

Sorry to be away so long -- been busy with school, etc.

Well, we did successfully get my Mom moved last month. Some very good people from a neighboring parish came through.

Special thanks go to Louis and Mary Baez (hope I'm spelling the last name right...). Louis and Mary really spearheaded the effort and arranged everything.

Many thanks to all who helped. You're storing up treasure in heaven!

Help Needed! My Mom's Moving Disaster

Last week I posted a request regarding my Mom's need for help with moving. A number of you responded with offers of help and some other suggestions. And, not long after my request was posted, my Mom was contacted by someone from her parish, and it looked like everything was in good shape.

Unfortunately, it didn't turn out that way. The offer of help from her parish ended up not materializing in actuality: there didn't seem to be much follow-through. There were also some bureaucratic difficulties (my Mom has wanted badly to get out of her present residence for a while as it has been very unpleasant), delaying the move.

So now, things are in even worse shape than before. If we can't get her moved by the end of this week, she risks losing the new apartment. She has to move out of her present apartment before the end of April.

My Mom is disabled. At this point she has no one but my niece (who has an infant child) to help her. The new moving day is this Friday, April 9.

So I'm once again sounding the cry for help!

If you live in the Orlando, Florida, area, and can give some time and effort, or make some concrete suggestions for alternatives, that will be greatly appreciated.

My Mom lives in Deland, Florida, and is moving to Orange City, which is nearby.

My e-mail address is:

frrob AT earthlink DOT net

My e-mail address, with link, is also in the sidebar on the right side of the page.

Thank you!

Update On My Mom's Situation

Thanks to those who have sent e-mails offering suggestions! I received some good news: I spoke to a gentleman at my Mom's parish who is coordinating some help for my Mom, through the K of C and other parishioners.

Sometimes, in these matters, it is just a question of getting in touch with the right person, who can bring the right people together.

So it looks like my Mom is going to get the help she needs. Deo Gratias!

Bleg! Help Needed For My Mother

I am asking any readers in the Orlando, Florida area if they might be able to do me and my mother a big favor.

My mother, Carole, lives in Deland, Florida. She is 66 years old and disabled, due to a back injury sustained at work about 6 years ago.

She needs to move by April 1, and she needs help in packing up her belongings in her apartment. She doesn't so much need help in actually moving (transporting furniture, etc). We have people who can help with that. But she needs help with physically packing up (boxing, etc.) her belongings in her apartment. She is simply physically unable to do a lot of that. My niece has been helping her out, but my niece has a 3 month old baby, so there's only so much she can do. And my niece's husband works, and as it is will be taking a day off of work to help with the move itself. It is next to impossible that I will be able to get down there before April 1.

We have tried local social service agencies, my mom's parish and the local K of C, and have thus far come up with nothing. And time is running out.

If you would be able and willing to give an afternoon or evening or two in the next week to help my mom out, you would be a Godsend.

Please e-mail me if you can help, or if you have another idea or source of assistance. My e-mail address is:

frrob AT earthlink DOT net

My e-mail address, with link, is also in the sidebar on the right side of the page.

Thank you!

I Consider Everything as Loss...

Sunday afternoon, as I was contemplating the likelihood of the Obamacare Health Care bill's passage, my mind was drawn repeatedly to Sunday's readings, particularly the second, from St. Paul's letter to the Phillipians:

Brothers and sisters:
I consider everything as a loss
because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.
For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things
and I consider them so much rubbish,
that I may gain Christ and be found in him...
(Phil. 3:8-9)

Since the passage of that disastrous legislation, my thoughts have returned to that reading.

I think, as I have written below, that this "Health Care" legislation will lead to the public funding and provision of abortion in a way we have never seen before. If it stands the coming legal challenges, and is not repealed or severely modified, I think it will open up a Pandora's box. It shreds any conscience protection for health care professionals, and thus will serve to further push Catholics to the margins in health care. Furthermore, I think Sr. Keehan and the CHA will find, in the long run, that they have made a devil's bargain. He who pays the piper calls the tune: and with the power of the state behind advancing the abortion license in health care, there will be inevitable pressure put upon Catholic hospitals to line up with the new regime. I think, in the long run, that this could spell the end for any distinctively Catholic (in terms of values and moral principles) identity in health care.

But again, to return to St. Paul: St. Paul lived in an age and society that was far more hostile to the faith than our own. We have to remember that there have been times and places where things were far worse for the Church and her members. And yet the Faith endured, the Church survived, and even sometimes, prevailed. Why, because we have Christ, who has already won the victory.

"I consider everything as a loss..." Everything. That means fortune, property, Catholic schools and hospitals, and yes, even our nation. We will not be saved by America. We will not even be saved through America. I love my country, but I must face the reality that at some point, like every other human institution, it will come to an end. If we realize that our nation itself is destined to be a loss, that puts into perspective a defeat such as Obamacare.

Yesterday, John Derbyshire at National Review Online wrote about the decline of our Republic that Obamacare typifies. If I recall correctly, Mr. Derbyshire is not a believer, and he takes a somewhat Stoic view of things, which comes out in this passage:

I see plainly that Western civilization, over my lifetime, has been a slow-sinking ship. The few who have known what is happening have worked desperately to seal the watertight doors, repair the fissures, pump out the flooded zones. It's been a losing fight, though. The tilt of the decks is harder and harder to ignore. Last night, a major bulkhead gave way. Soon a funnel will topple over with a great crash and a shower of sparks. Yet still the band is playing, the people are dancing, the food coming up from the galley.

I am not sure things are yet as dire as Derbyshire describes. If he is right, we must face that reality unflinchingly, and be ready for what may come. To that extent, the stoic approach is useful.

But even if he is right, we are not mere Stoics. Why? Because we have Christ. That means we have something that the Stoics do not: We have hope. Hope not for America, hope not for some ideal State or Nation or Republic, but hope for Eternity, where moth and rust do not consume, nor do the politicians royally foul things up.

Even if the ship of state is sinking, we have a lifeboat - the barque of Peter. And that lifeboat will carry us safely to the shore. Therein lies our hope.

Now, For Some Predictions

Predictions are always a dangerous business. But, based on what I've written already, I'll make a few predictions about what will happen next in the working-out of the Obamacare scheme.

Firstly, the "pro-life" Democrats who voted in favor of Obamacare will take cover in the Executive Order that Obama will issue, and hope you won't have heard about the Constitutional issues that obviate that order from the beginning. They will claim to have won a victory for life, even as the pro-choicers in Congress gear up for the abortion funding that the bill makes inevitable.

Secondly, the pro-choice activists will hold off until sometime after the election to file the legal challenges that will bring about the collapse of the house of cards that is Obama and Pelosi's promise of non-funding of abortion through Obamacare. This is the one issue in which I differ from Professor Destro, whom I mentioned in my post of Sunday evening. Professor Destro said that "we can be virtually certain that the first lawsuit arguing that the Senate Bill requires funding for abortions under the CHC appropriation will be filed before the ink is dry on President Obama’s signature." I disagree with his opinion here: The Democrats are facing some tough electoral fights in the fall, and they won't want to provide pro-lifers and Republicans with such ready ammunition. If they can maintain some discipline in the ranks, they'll get the pro-choicers to hold off till after the election. If the Democrats manage to hold on to their majorities, they'll feel emboldened to go ahead with the demolition of the house of cards. If they lose either of their majorities, they'll want to move forward before they lose the White House, and will feel that they must set the Obamacare abortion mechanism in motion. I'd look for movement on this front by early next year.

Speaking of elections, I predict that several of the "Stu-Packers" will lose their re-election bids and have to find some other employment. In particular, I think Bart Stupak's tenure in the House will come to an end this fall. He will find himself on the receiving end of concentrated pro-life anger, and the political activism that generates. And if Rep. Stupak thought his about-face would bring him back into good graces with the Left, he will be proven mistaken. If you take a look at sites like the Huffington Post and Daily Kos, the netroots are still screaming bloody murder at Stupak. They're vowing to unseat him and are pouring money into the coffers of a Democratic primary challenger. His flip-flop gained him nothing there. I will not be surprised to find that Stupak himself ends up gaining nothing from his flip-flop.

Next, when those legal challenges are mounted and lead to courts decreeing that the Federal Health system must fund abortions, Bart Stupak and his "pro-life" bloc will take cover under their innocent trust in the assurances they had that abortion wouldn't be covered and that the Executive Order would offer additional protection. They will act as though no one could have foreseen what was happening. They will conveniently forget that they were warned, and they will hope that you weren't aware of the warnings, either.

[I will allow for the theoretical possibility that one or more of the "Stu-packers" might show signs of contrition when these events happen. However, I think it unlikely. When was the last time a politician showed public contrition, except in the face of an indictment?]

Finally, at some point when the Obamacare program really kicks in, we will see thousands more abortions, paid for by federal tax dollars. The pro-choicers will have won their golden ring.

[I also allow for the possibility of two other things: It is theoretically possible that the legal cases brought about by Obamacare will lead to a Supreme Court verdict striking down Roe v. Wade. However, I would place the real-world likelihood of that at the vanishing point. Secondly, I allow for the possibility that the Republicans may regain control of Congress and repeal Obamacare. But in order to really accomplish that, they'd need a Republican president. And a lot can happen between now and 2012. In short, I think that, with all of their efforts, the Republicans will not be able to knock Humpty-Dumpty completely off the wall.]

In particular, I'll be glad to be proven wrong about the sixth prediction. But I don't see things working out that way.

It Turns Out That Bart Stupak...

...Is just another Democratic politician, after all.

Congressman Stupak has been speaking for weeks now about "standing up for principles" and taking a "principled stand" for life. So where did his principles go?

It is sad, really. Congressman Stupak could have been regarded as a Pro-life hero. On Saturday evening, the night before Stupak flipped, National Review Online's Corner ran an e-mail from a doctor in Stupak's district, saying:

I am proud to have him as my Congressman despite my differences with him. His strength of character in the face of tremendous pressure has been exactly what is needed. I have called and e-mailed him to thank him, and I will continue to pray for him.

I was coming to think of him as such a hero. Had he held firm, I was prepared to make a substantial (for me, anyway) contribution to his re-election campaign, as I knew he was facing a primary challenge from a rabid pro-choicer. I was also contemplating organizing a pro-life petition drive to urge the Michigan Republican party not to run an opponent against him in the fall election. That is how highly I was coming to think of him. Needless to say, I will not do any of those things now.

So why did he do it? Of course, we cannot crawl inside his head or heart and see his inner motives. But we can and indeed must examine his statements and actions. And I at least find his statements and actions in this matter to be either incomprehensible or, in the words of another blogger, "unconscionable".

Congressman Stupak, in his statement explaining his decision, said that he was accepting a promised Executive Order from President Obama as a measure that would "protect the sanctity of life." He further added that "the President's executive order makes it very clear that [abortion] will not happen," under the auspices of the Obama Health Care bill.

The problem: this executive order will do nothing at all to prevent abortions. It can't. Legally and constitutionally, it can't. You see, an executive order cannot undo the provisions of a law passed by Congress and signed by the President. Only another law can do that. Furthermore, an executive order cannot undo settled precedent of constitutional law.

Some writers and commentors over at Vox Nova have asserted that the opponents of Obamacare and the executive order fear that Mr. Obama will rescind the executive order, as though such a fear was ridiculous ("It's pointless to argue with them", one said.) Well, given the chicanery, baiting-and-switching, and misrepresentations that the President has perpetrated in getting this bill passed (mentioned in my previous post), I think it's entirely reasonable to mistrust his bona fides in this matter. However, if you're of a more trusting nature, and choose to think that the President will not rescind the order when it becomes politically expedient, well, good luck to you with that.

But, as was the case below, the President won't even have to rescind the order for it to be rendered null. It is a nullity as it is written. And that nullity will be made manifest in the first legal challenge mounted. Why, because, as I said above, an executive order can't undo the provisions of a law. And remember, as I wrote below, that the provisions of the Obamacare bill, since they do not incorporate Hyde-like language, will mandate that abortions be funded. So all someone has to do is challenge the executive order and the whole house of cards comes down. And the President will then be able to make a long face, go on television, and say how sorry he is, but that the courts have tied his hands in the matter. He and the congressmen who bought into this scheme will have their cover. Are we to imagine that smart lawyers like the President and congressional leadership aren't aware of these things?

But Congressman Stupak, and his allies, were warned about this as well. On Sunday morning Richard Doerflinger, the US Bishops' legal analyst, sent a memo to the aides of Congressman Stupak and others warning that this executive order didn't pass muster. Doerflinger wrote:

One proposal to address the serious problem in the Senate health care bill on abortion funding, specifically the direct appropriating of new funds that bypass the Hyde amendment, is to have the President issue an executive order against using these funds for abortion. Unfortunately, this proposal does not begin to address the problem, which arises from decades of federal appellate rulings that apply the principles of Roe v. Wade to federal health legislation. According to these rulings, such health legislation creates a statutory requirement for abortion funding, unless Congress clearly forbids such funding. That is why the Hyde amendment was needed in 1976, to stop Medicaid from funding 300,000 abortions a year. The statutory mandate construed by the courts would override any executive order or regulation. This is the unamimous view of our legal advisors and of the experts we have consulted on abortion jurisprudence. [emphasis mine] Only a change in the law enacted by Congress, not an executive order, can begin to address this very serious problem in the legislation."

This analysis has since been echoed and expanded by numerous legal and constitutional experts.

In other words, as I wrote above, since the constitutional law and the provisions of the bill itself trump any executive order, the President's executive order will be a nullity the moment it is signed.

And, once again, if you don't believe me, believe the actions and words of pro-choice representatives. Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz is a committed pro-choicer, and she said, "Well, it can't be a change by executive order, because an executive order can't change the law":



Note that after that clear legal statement, she dissolved into double-speak. She said that "unequivocally... we would not change the Hyde amendment." Well, the Hyde amendment doesn't apply to the Obamacare bill, as she undoubtedly knows. Everything she says after "an executive order can't change the law" is all stated in the context of the Hyde amendment, which doesn't apply. She concludes by lamely saying the order would provide "further comfort" for the members concerned about this issue.

And don't forget the co-chair of the House Pro-Choice Caucus, Rep. Diana DeGette, agreed to the Executive Order. The leader of the pro-choicers in Congress is unfazed by the executive order, as I wrote below, because she knows it to be a house of cards.

So, why did Rep, Stupak go along with this? Well, as I said, I can't know his heart or inner mind, but a couple of possibilities strike me: The first is that Stupak's flip-flop was a cynical ploy, and that he was not really committed to making a serious pro-life witness. I'd like not to believe that, but the possibility can't be dismissed. This video of Stupak from last summer saying he could vote for health care bill in spite of abortion funding, at least calls his sincerity into question. And his flippant remark to NRO that "the sky could fall" does not exactly foster an image that he is looking at his flip-flopping in a serious way. However, I don't really buy this view. I just don't see that kind of duplicity and deceit in his character.

Another possibility is that Rep. Stupak was fooled: that he was sold a bill of goods by Obama and Pelosi. I'd like not to believe this either, as the Executive Order scheme is really the thinnest of dodges - tissue thin. But others have been fooled, as I wrote below. One thing that leads me to believe that this may be possible is the fact that, all along, Mr. Stupak has been saying that he really, really wanted to support this, that he really wanted to "be a yes" for Obamacare. We are all more easily misled regarding things we really want or really want to believe in. If Bart Stupak really wanted to believe in this Health Care bill, he might have been more ready to accept a superficially satisfactory "fix" than someone a little more skeptical.

Whatever the case may be, Mr. Stupak will have his conscience to wrestle with, and, like all of us, he will have to account for his actions one day to the One who will know what was in his mind and heart. Whether he was playing us, or whether he was fooled, he has shown that he should no longer hold office. But regardless of which of these possibilities is the reality, he most certainly needs our prayers.